Meet the 2023 CSHS Student Committee
Chair of CSHS Student
Committee and Student Representative for Quebec
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CSHS Student
Committee's co-chair and Student Representative for Nova
Scotia
Ontario Provincial
Representative
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Student Representative for
Newfoundland
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Student
Representative for British Columbia
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Student
Representative for Nova Scotia Provincial
Chamali Kodikara is the new
representative for Manitoba on the CSHS student committee.
She is a graduate student at Agriculture and Agri-food
Canada and the University of Manitoba and is focused on
identifying bioactive compounds in Canadian Prairie berries
using advanced techniques such as LC-HRMS and GC-MS at the
Canadian Center for Agri-food Research in Health and
Medicine. Successfully detecting nearly 70 phenolic
compounds, fatty acids, and phytosterols in prairie berries,
she excels in her research.
Chamali also serves as the President of
the Graduate Students Association at the Department of Food
and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba,
taking on leadership roles in various student organizations
and contributing to scientific communities such as the
Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Her involvement
includes chairing the Graduate Students Video Competition at
IFT, representing students at the Nutraceuticals and
Functional Food Division, and participating in the Women
Resource Group. Committed to leadership, Chamali's
professional goal is to complete her graduate studies,
engage in impactful research as a scientist, and emerge as
an influential leader in her field.
My name is Natalie LaForest and I am a
graduate student at the University of Alberta. I completed
my diploma in ecology from Lakeland College and have a
Bachelors of Science in Agriculture, majoring in
Horticulture Science from the University of Saskatchewan. My
current research focuses on integrated weed management by
investigating species of carabids (ground beetles) in
different annual crops in Alberta. By using molecular gut
content analysis we will be able to identify which species
of weeds carabids are consuming in annual crops. In the
summer I spend a lot of time gardening, and in the winter I
spend a lot of time in greenhouses. One of my favourite
horticulture events in Alberta is the Orchid Fair where I
volunteered as a judge last year. |
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My
name is Sarah and I am a PhD candidate at the Université de
Sherbrooke. I am conducting my research in a plant virology
lab at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development
Centre at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. My project is
focused on the sustainable management of Botrytis, a
fungal pathogen destructive to many horticultural crops. I
am characterizing viruses that naturally infect Botrytis
to identify ones that can reduce Botrytis’
pathogenicity. My ultimate goal is to develop a biopesticide
for Botrytis that combines a virus that can reduce
the pathogenicity of Botrytis with an RNAi gene
silencing system. I look forward to being the CSHS student
committee chair this year and seeing what our committee can
accomplish! Please feel free to contact me if you would like
to get involved with the CSHS student committee or if you
would like to know more about my research. 
My
name is Sparsha Chada, and I am in the second year of my
Master’s in the Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental
Sciences, Dalhousie University. My educational background is
rooted in agriculture and is more concentrated on applying
my expertise and competencies to the sustainable advancement
of the agricultural sector. I completed my Bachelor of
Science in Agriculture in India and moved to Canada in 2022.
My current research focuses on climate change and abiotic
stressors, specifically water stress. My research focuses on
the cultivation and study of Plectranthus amboinicus, a
plant species commonly referred to as Mexican mint against
various water stress conditions. My primary area of
research involves the evaluation of the impact of water
stress on morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters.
Furthermore, an assessment of the alterations in the organic
volatile components of Mexican mint under water stress
conditions is being carried out. I am excited and pleased to
be a member of the student committee at CSHS. Please feel
free to reach out to me for further insights pertaining to
CSHS.
My
name is Sarah Koeppe and I am a masters student in the
department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph.
I also completed my BSc at the University of Guelph with a
major in Plant Science and focused my extracurriculars and
course load around plant pathology and disease management
strategies. My current research is being conducted in the
lab of Dr. Melanie Kalischuk where I am researching the use
of RNA interference as a method to control a fungal pathogen
of strawberry. My research is looking into the role of
double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) construct length and the use of
encapsulation methods to increase the overall of efficiency
of RNAi when dsRNA is applied exogenously. The goal of my
research is to further our understanding of RNAi and its
role as a crop protection strategy and to provide the
groundwork for the development of an RNAi-based control
method. Outside of my research I love to go hiking to find
interesting native plants and I love adding to and tending
to my rapidly growing garden! 
Rajesh
Barua is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biology,
Memorial University of Newfoundland. His research focuses on
Bisulfite sequencing on berry plants. Since his undergrad
life, he has been involved in numerous social activities and
organized cultural programs. He volunteered in various
national conferences and worked in “Save the Children”. Here
in MUN, he has been volunteering in BGSG group, GSU Finance
Committee, GSU Constitution Committee, GSU Academic
Committee “Canadian Blood Services” as well as various
societies and organized numerous cultural programs. He was
an "Executive Director of Campus Life" as a representative
of University students from 2001-2022 year. His hobby is
gardening and passes his free time in singing. He wants to
be a good social volunteer.
Hi!
I’m Claudia Baldassi, a PhD student in Plant Science at UBC.
My research project focuses on understanding the genetic
control of red raspberry fruit color. Interestingly, the
raspberry industry requires berries with different red
intensities depending on the market targeted; dark red fruit
is usually needed for processing applications, while bright,
medium red colors are preferred for the fresh market. To
date, the genetic determinants underlying red fruit color
and specific shades of red are still unknown, making
breeding for desired fruit color a challenging task. The
goal of my project is to pinpoint the genetic variation
underlying different shades of red and to develop molecular
markers associated with such variation. Ultimately, my
project could provide breeders with tools to optimize the
selection of raspberry cultivars with preferred red
intensities. When I am not in the lab, you can find me
hiking in the Pacific Northwest or experimenting in the
kitchen!
Anagha
Pradeep Kumar is a graduate student at Dalhousie University,
specializing in plant biostimulants. Her research focuses on
the nanoencapsulation of fish hydrolysate, aiming to develop
sustainable and innovative plant bio-stimulants. Alongside
her academic pursuits, Anagha serves as the Vice President
of Internal Affairs for the Dalhousie Agricultural
Association of Graduate Student (DAAGS). She actively
engages in graduate research and eagerly volunteers for
leadership activities, including assisting at the on-campus
food pantry. Anagha's dedication to the community extends
beyond the university. She has devoted her time to
volunteering for the Canadian Agriculture Literacy Program,
successfully educating school students about the
significance of agriculture. 
