Principal Investigator

Rachel M. Penczykowski, Assistant Professor
How I pronounce my last name:

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Click here for CV
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Coffea arabica (coffee)
2. Brassica oleracea (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc…)
3. Helianthus annuus (sunflower)
Twitter: @RachelPenczy
Click here for contact info

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Lab Manager

Carrie Goodson
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Adiantum raddianum (maidenhair fern)
2. Brugmansia (angel trumpet)
3. Welwitschia mirabilis
Email: cgoodson@wustl.edu

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PhD Students
(EEPB program at WashU)

Mahal Bugay
B.S. 2019, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Ginkgo biloba
2. Mangifera indica
3. Lavandula spp.
Email: mbugay@wustl.edu

Quinn Fox
B.A. 2019, Biology, Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Chasmanthium latifolium (inland sea oat)
2. Paeonia suffruticosa (peony)
3. Tsunga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock, Pennsylvania’s state tree)
Twitter: @QuinnFox19
Email: qfox@wustl.edu
Click here to learn about the City Plant Project

Philippa Tanford
B.S. 2016, Biology, Duke University (Durham, NC)
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Quercus alba (white oak)
2. Bryophyta (mosses)
3. Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia)
Twitter: @ptanford
Email: ptanford@wustl.edu

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Undergraduate Students

Selaam Dollisso
Hometown: Ames, Iowa
Major: Environmental Policy, Minor: Korean (class of 2022)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile)
2. Persea americana (avocado)
3. Tagetes spp. (marigold)
Email: selaam.dollisso@wustl.edu

Imani Jones
Hometown: Hazel Crest, Illinois
Major: Chemistry (class of 2022)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Rosa species (roses)
2. Theobroma cacao (chocolate)
3. Lavandula angustifolia (lavender)
Email: imani@wustl.edu

Taewon Lee
Email: taewon.lee@wustl.edu

Michelle Pollowitz
Major: Biology, Minor: Spanish (class of 2021)
Email: mpollowitz@wustl.edu

Armando Sanchez-Conde
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Major: Environmental Biology (Class of 2022)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Delonix regia (Flamboyan)
2. Persea americana (avocado)
3. Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum (peace lily)
Email: amsanchez-conde@wustl.edu

Olivia Shaw
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Major: Environmental Earth Science, Minor: French (Class of 2021)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Acer palmatum (Japanese maple)
2. Bellis perennis (common daisy)
3. Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Email: olivia.shaw@wustl.edu

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Former PhD Rotation Students

David Henderson
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Echinocactus texensis  (Texas horse-crippler cactus)
2. Ceiba pentandra (ceiba tree)
3. Gynura procumbens (longevity spinach)
Thesis Advisor: Jonathan Myers (EEPB program)
Email: hdavid@wustl.edu

Ryan Valdez
Thesis Advisor: Petra Levin (PMB program)
Email: ravaldez@wustl.edu

Rhiannon Vargas
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel)
2. Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
3. Citrus x meyeri (Meyer lemon tree)
Thesis Advisor: Gautam Dantas (EEPB program)
Email: rcvargas@wustl.edu

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Former Undergraduate Students

Austin Chen
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Major: Biology (class of 2020)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Ananas comosus (pineapple)
2. Lupinus texensis (bluebonnet)
3. Prunus serrulata flowers (cherry blossoms)
Email: austinchen@wustl.edu

Elly Grant
Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
Major: Biology (class of 2020)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Diospyros virginiana (American persimmon)
2. Nymphaea thermarum (world’s smallest water lily)
3. Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum)
Email: ellygrant@wustl.edu

Akosua Sarfo
Major: Biology (class of 2020)
Email: kos.sarfo@wustl.edu

Jack Steffy
Major: Anthropology, Global Health track

Rachel Fan
(Pictured with a leaf of her favorite plant, Plantago lanceolata.)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Major: Biology (class of 2019)
Top 3 favorite plants besides Plantago:
1. Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)
2. Orchidaceae (orchids)
3. Salix babylonica (weeping willow)
Email: rachelrfan@wustl.edu

Emma Waltman
Hometown: Hopewell, New Jersey
Major: Biology, Minor: Art (class of 2019)

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Tyson Field Crews

Summer 2020 (remote program due to COVID-19):
Keiko Farah (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Michelle Pollowitz (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Olivia Shaw (Wash. U. in St. Louis)

Summer 2019:
Selaam Dollisso (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Laura Goh (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Elly Grant (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Taewon Lee (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Emma Waltman (Wash. U. in St. Louis)

Summer 2018:
Austin Chen (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Arjun Puri (Wash. U. in St. Louis)
Sheena Stevens (Univ. Missouri St. Louis)
Sabrina Talir (Mount Holyoke College)