Sara May

Biography

I have been the coordinator of the Penn State Plant Disease Clinic since 2009. Prior to this, I conducted research on potato diseases at Penn State and also worked in the Clinic as an assistant diagnostician.

I work closely with the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) (http://www.npdn.org/) and am a member of the NPDN Diagnostics Committee. I have trained several undergraduate and graduate students in the Plant Disease Clinic teaching them plant disease diagnostic methods and techniques. I have also helped to organize and develop educational trainings and materials for plant diagnosticians.

In addition to being the coordinator of the Clinic, I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. and my graduate research focuses on a disease on celery called celery leaf curl that is caused by a fungus in the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex. I am studying the taxonomy, epidemiology and management of this pathogen on celery.