By Maicy Vossen
Hello! My name is Maicy Vossen and I am a graduate student in the Applied Plant Sciences program working towards my PhD. I am co-advised by Dr. Walid Sadok and Dr. Eric Watkins and am excited to be a part of the Turfgrass Research group. My project will be to understand the physiologic impacts winter stress has on turfgrass.
I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with my BA in Biology with a minor in Public Health. During my time as an undergraduate student, I worked with Dr. Laura Burrack to study cell cycle checkpoint proteins and how they are impacting/impacted by carcinogenesis. I discovered that some of these cell cycle checkpoint proteins also impacted antifungal drug resistance in the pathogen Candida albicans and published a paper with these findings. After my time in undergrad, I worked at a small startup company where I identified and characterized a wide variety of root associated and dark septate endophytic fungi.
After graduate school, I am looking forward to becoming a professor at a university. I am excited to teach and inspire future generations of scientists and professionals entering the field. I love to learn and cannot wait to continue discovering new things about the world around us.
Outside of the research world, I worked at Caribou Coffee for nearly 5 years and have developed a passion for coffee through that job. I love to learn about how coffee beans are cultivated and processed from the coffee plant all the way to my morning cup of coffee. Additionally, I am a fitness instructor and I love to stay active! I enjoy being outdoors and experiencing all the different seasons Minnesota has to offer, including the beauty of winter.