Marty Vanier and Bob Krause BRI Research Fellows Program
Cruppe's connection to the BRI began during her graduate studies at K-State. Today, her research focuses on wheat blast, a fungal disease that threatens wheat production worldwide.
Her work includes identifying sources of genetic resistance in wheat and its wild relatives, studying the fungus that causes wheat blast and better understanding how the disease spreads.
About the program
The Marty Vanier and Bob Krause BRI Research Fellows Program recognizes principal investigators with ongoing projects at the Biosecurity Research Institute. The program's purpose is to foster interdisciplinary research, educational opportunities, and activities associated with research fellows working in areas such as high-consequence plant and animal diseases, foodborne disease agents, arthropod-borne diseases, and pathogens that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Pictured below are the current Marty Vanier and Bob Krause BRI Research Fellows.
Front row: Stephen Higgs, Juergen Richt, Barbara Valent.
Back row: James Stack, Dana Vanlandingham, Jishu Shi, Randy Phebus, Waithaka Mwangi.
Marty Vanier and Bob Krause Biosecurity Research Institute Research Fellows
- Stephen Higgs, director of the Biosecurity Research Institute and associate vice president for research
- Waithaka Mwangi, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology
- Randall K. Phebus, professor of animal sciences and industry
- Juergen A. Richt, regents distinguished professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology
- Jishu Shi, professor of anatomy and physiology
- James P. Stack, professor of plant pathology
- Barbara Valent, distinguished professor of plant pathology
- Dana L. Vanlandingham, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology
- Giovanna Cruppe, research assistant professor of plant pathology
BRI Research Fellows Lecture Series
A highlight of the BRI Research Fellows Program is an ongoing lecture series. Well-known and highly respected scientists who have achieved excellence in their field are invited to campus to present a seminar for the benefit of K-State students, faculty, and staff. To date, the following have been invited to present lectures.
- "African swine fever virus: Advances in knowledge of virus replication, host interactions and application to control tools" by Linda Dixon, Ph.D., Head of the African Swine Fever Virus Group, Pirbright Institute Surrey, U.K. The lecture is sponsored by the Marty Vanier and Bob Krause Biosecurity Research Institute Research Fellows Program. June 25. 2024.
- “Biosecurity and Insider Threat: Lessons from the Amerithrax Case” by Ronald Schouten, M.D., J.D., Director of Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, D.C.; Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard University College of Medicine; Director Emeritus, Law and Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Chair, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals Governmental Affairs Committee. The lecture is sponsored by the Marty Vanier and Bob Krause Biosecurity Research Institute Research Fellows Program. February 26, 2024.
- “Antiviral Discover: Emerging and Re-emerging Viruses” by Sara Cherry, Ph.D., John W. Eckman Professor of Medical Science, Professor of Microbiology in Biochemistry and BioPhysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. he lecture is sponsored by the Marty Vanier and Bob Krause Biosecurity Research Institute Research Fellows Program. November 15, 2023.