UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ram Neupane, a doctoral student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, received a $10,000 research award given by the Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation.

Neupane is pursuing a dual-title degree in plant pathology and international agriculture and development. He received the award, which provides financial assistance to graduate students working on soilborne diseases of plants, during the annual meeting of the American Phytopathological Society on July 29 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Neupane is studying copper tolerance in Burkholderia spp., one of the major bacterial pathogens of onions in Pennsylvania.

“I am very excited about this project because the results from this study will help growers to make informed decisions regarding the use of copper-based compounds for managing bacterial diseases in onion,” he said.

Beth Gugino, a professor of vegetable pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, is Neupane’s adviser. Under Gugino’s guidance, he has had opportunities to collaborate with growers in Pennsylvania, complementing his prior work with Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam growers.

“I am incredibly proud of Ram and his dedication to research, which holds immense potential for benefiting growers globally,” said Gugino, assistant dean for graduate education and associate director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural State Experiment Station. “He is truly deserving of this award.”