b'CPBI Scholarship Recipients 2024Laura Esquivel Garcia, McGill UniversityPathogen Puzzle: Sequencing Sclerotinia to Help BreedersHer interest in agriculture stems from her upbringing in a small town in the countryside of Mexico, where her father farmed. This childhood experience sparked her passion for plants, leading her to pursue an undergraduate degree in the field. Her introduction to genetics occurred during a plant breeding course, where she became involved in a research project focused on developing frost-resistant sorghum varieties. Currently pursuing a masters degree, shes working on a project within the Canadian Sclerotinia Initiative, studying a pathogen that affects multiple crops. The project involves genetic diversity studies, with a focus on sequencing the pathogens genome. The goal is to gather valuable genomic information for incorporation into breeding efforts.Rajbir Kaur, University of ManitobaSolving the Problem of Pod Shatter in CanolaBorn in Punjab, India, to a family of farmers, Rajbir was inspired by the challenges faced by farmers. Witnessing the impact of climate change, diseases, and pests on staple crops like wheat and rice, and the economic losses incurred, she was motivated to pursue a career in genetics. Currently, her research focuses on enhancing pod shatter resistance in canola using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. Pod shatter, a natural process in canola where seed pods split open during maturation, poses challenges during harvest due to uneven maturity. The goal of her masters research is to develop shatter-resistant canola varieties through gene editing, allowing for uniform crop yield and quality. This is particularly important for breeding pro-grams in Canada, as existing shatter-resistant varieties come with licensing restrictions and royalties. Sheila Maria Pereira de Andrade, University of SaskatchewanPushing the Boundaries of Fusarium Damage DetectionSheilas journey in the field of plant pathology is rooted in a childhood spent on a farm. Beginning as an agronomist during her undergraduate studies, she delved into plant pathology. This initial interest in under-standing and controlling diseases led her to pursue a masters degree in Brazil, where she studied Fusarium head blight (FHB), a fungal disease affecting wheat. Currently, her PhD research involves utilizing X-ray and RGB images to detect fusarium-damaged kernels. Her goal is to assist breeders and enhance compre-hension of the genetic foundations of FHB resistance. Her overarching goal is to contribute to the improve-ment of food safety, reduce agricultural losses, and ultimately enhance the quality of food products. JANUARY 2024GERMINATION.CA 19'