Faculty Feature Friday: This week, we are excited to feature another Plant Pathology faculty member! Dr. Brandi Sigmon is one of the newest members of our department, although you may not see her around much as her program is based out of the Beadle Center. Brandi is an assistant professor of practice and the Academic Success Coordinator for the Microbiology program. She primarily teaches undergraduate microbiology courses and does research on plant evolution and development and understanding microbial community composition in agricultural ecosystems. We value her presence in our department and are excited to share these fun facts about her!
• Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina
• Favorite color: Green, of course!
• Favorite snack: If I had to pick a favorite, it would be nuts--like cashews, pecans, and walnuts. However, I do love sweets as well.
• Hobby: I love being outdoors. I have an acreage south of Lincoln where I spend my free time gardening, amongst other things. I also enjoy hiking and camping during the summer. During the cooler months, I do a lot of reading and painting.
• Favorite plant pathogen: I'm really a plant developmental geneticist/molecular biologist, so with that in mind I would have a to go with Agrobacterium tumefaciens due to its applications in genetic engineering.
• Dream job: My dream job is the job I have right now! I've always wanted to have a job where I could do both
teaching and research, and I have found that perfect combo at UNL. I really enjoy interacting with undergraduate students in particular!
• Favorite thing about plant pathology: Being a newcomer to plant pathology, right now I'm enjoying learning what plant pathology is all about. It's interesting how such small living things can have such huge impacts on plants. I'm also really enjoying the Plant Pathology Department at UNL. They all have been so friendly and welcoming since I've joined the department!
• Favorite project: My favorite project tends to be whatever I'm currently working on. One project I'm really into right now aims to increase the efficiency of functional characterization of genes in sorghum. This project has been really fun because it involves phenotyping, quantitative genetics, machine learning, and gene editing.
More details at: http://microbiology.unl.edu