2023 Industry Research Snapshot

The Industry Research Snapshot is an opportunity for students and professional researchers to directly share new information and discuss current and ongoing research with grape and wine industry stakeholders at WineVit®. This provides a platform for research and industry members to collaborate on and tackle topics of concern and innovation within our diverse industry. Come view the reserarch and talk to the presenters during WineVit®!

2023 Presenters

Student Research

Danielle Fox - People’s Choice Award Winner

• Focus: Comparing of pre- and post-fermentation alcohol adjustments to aromatics and sensory of wines

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Enology

Stephen Onayemi - Best Oral Presentation Winner

• Focus: Mating disruption for grape mealybug in Washington state vineyards

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Bernadette Gagnier - First Place Graduate Winner

• Focus: Cover crop alternatives for nematode management

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Pierre Davadant - Second Place Graduate Winner

• Focus: Foliar applications of nitrogen to increase YAN

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Alexa McDaniel - Third Place Graduate Winner

• Focus: Managing powdery mildew with ultraviolet-C radiation without compromising fruit quality

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Selina Oronia - First Place Undergraduate Winner

• Focus: Educating and familiarizing growers with beneficial insects in PNW vineyards

• Undergraduate student, CBC

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Melissa Manzo Parra - Second Place Undergraduate Winner

• Focus: Internship experience in Washington vineyards 

• Undergraduate student, CBC

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Charity Maosah

• Focus: Using reverse osmosis and enzymes to reduce free and bound smoke-related compounds in wine

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Enology

Danielle Fox

• Focus: Harvest timing and alcohol percentage effects on sensory attributes

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Enology

Juliana Pazos

• Focus: Influence of harvest time, alcohol concentration, and / or extending maceration on phenolic compostion and sensory characteristics of wine

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Enology

Mackenzie Aragon

• Focus: Assessing variablity in commerical oak alternative products and toasting methods of resulting volatile compounds in wine production

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Enology

Priyanka Upadhyaya

• Focus: Automation of non-destructive lag phase detection  

• Graduate student, WSU

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Professional Research

Michelle Moyer - First Place Professional Winner

• Focus: Rootstock evaluation trial on vines are influenced by biotic and abiotic challeneges, such as nematodes, water and nutrient upatake 

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Michelle Moyer - Second Place Professional Winner

• Focus: Educating growers on understanding rootstock ordering and quality checks

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Lynn Mills - Third Place Professional Winner

• Focus: Development of WSU grapevine cold hardiness program from historical and real time data

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Chandra Sekhar Thammina

• Focus: Keeping ‘clean’ grapevines in registered nurseries through viral diagnostics

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Emma Snyder

• Focus: Interaction between Lachancea thermotolerans and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in wine

• Ste. Michelle Winery Estates

• Industry focus: Enology

Emma Snyder

• Focus: Wine acidicfication with Lachancea thermotolerans and the resulting impact on malolactic fermentation 

• Ste. Michelle Winery Estates

• Industry focus: Enology

Nataliya Shcherbatyuk

• Focus: Optimizing tissue sampling and determining quantities of nutrients removed at the end of the growing season

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Hailan Piao

• Focus: Evaluation of yeast and malolactic bacteria strains on flavor compounds in wine with or without smoke exposure

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Enology

Charles Obiero

• Focus: Optimizing irrigation strategies for different grape varieties

• Washington State University

• Industry focus: Viticulture

Cassie Cichorz

• Focus: Japanese Beetle update in Washington

• Washington State Department of Agriculture

• Industry focus: Viticulture

PAST POSTER SESSION WINNERS

The 2022 Poster Session and Oral Presentations Winners:

The Poster Session and Graduate Student Oral Presentations provide an unique opportunity for students, educators, and researchers to share new information and discuss their research with grape and wine industry stakeholders. Winegrowers Poster Session took place on Tuesday, February 8, during WineVit® 2022. This session provided an opportunity for four graduate students to share their research during a very informational 15-oral presentation. Five poster judges joined the session to evaluate each poster for logical flow, ease of reading, industry relevance and aesthetics. The judging took place in the weeks prior to WineVit® and during the convention.

We are very excited to announce this year’s Winegrowers Poster Session winners:

Overall People’s Choice:

Ben-Min Chang

Graduate Student Oral Presentation

First Place: Bernadette Gagnier

Graduate Student Poster

First Place: Bernadette Gagnier

Second Place: Geraldine Diverres

Third Place: Alexa McDaniel

Professional Poster

First Place: Michelle M. Moyer

Second Place: Michelle M. Moyer

Third Place: Sridhar Jarugula

The 2021 Poster Session and Oral Presentations Winners:

Graduate Student Oral Presentation

First Place: Arun Mitra

Graduate Student Poster

First Place: Bernadette Gagnier

Second Place: Arun Mitra

Third Place: Geraldine Diverres

Professional Poster

First Place: Michelle Moyer

Second Place: Lynn Mills

Third Place: Noma Chingandu

Graduate students will be awarded Washington State Wine and a cash prize from Washington Winegrowers Association. Professional Poster authors will be awarded Washington State wine.

Thank you to our judges: Leah Adint, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; Rick Hamman, Viticulture Consultant; Jeff Sample, Bleyhl Co-op Agronomy Center; Holly Wells, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; and Kevin Martin, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

The 2020 Poster Session and Oral Presentations Winners:

Undergraduate Poster:

First Place: Andrew Gerow

Second Place: Madelyn Calderon

Third Place: Bernadette Gagnier

Graduate Poster:

First Place: Margaret McCoy

Second Place: Tara Cook

Third Place: Nataliya Shcherbatyuk

 Professional Poster:

First Place: Michelle Moyer

Second Place: Ben-Min Chang

Third Place: Sridhar Jaruugula

Best Graduate Oral Presentation: Margaret McCoy

Crowd Favorite: Sridhar Jaruugula