Giving Back

THE STORKAN-HANES-McCASLIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION Encouraging research by offering financial assistance to graduate and post-graduate students who have demonstrated interest in soil-borne diseases and their control.

2023 Foundation Awards

  • Foundation Awards

    Lily Lofton
    University of Georgia

    Project Title: Pyrrocidine, A Molecular Off Switch For Fumonisin Biosynthesis: How Does It Work?

2022 Foundation Awards

  • Foundation Awards

    Erika Consoli
    Montana State University

    Project Title: Root lesion nematodes in Montana winter wheat: understanding their genetic diversity and opportunities for a durable nematode management.

  • Foundation Awards

    Sanjib Sapkota
    Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada

    Project Title: Root rot and wilting complex for red raspberry in British Columbia: pathogen characterization, exploiting host-resistance and sustainable management options.

2021 Foundation Awards

  • Foundation Awards

    Camilo H. Rojas
    North Carolina State University

    Project Title: Revealing the effector repertoire of Ceratocystis fimbriata to accelerate sweet potato breeding efforts

  • Foundation Awards

    Andres Dejesus Sanabria-Velazquez
    North Carolina State University

    Project Title: Exploring alternative management of soilborne pathogens in stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) in North Carolina, Mexico, and Paraguay

  • Foundation Awards

    Chaydon O’Fallon
    University of California, Riverside

    Project Title: Identification of Phytophthora spp. causing root and crown rots in California cherry orchards and their management using new fungicides with unique modes of action

2020 Foundation Awards

  • Foundation Awards

    Alexander M. Batson
    Washington State University

    Project Title: Identifying additional resources and tools for the enhanced management of the causal agent of spinach Fusarium wilt, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae

2019 Foundation Awards

  • Foundation Awards

    Sara Dorhmi
    Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, UC Riverside

    Project Title: Application of host-induced gene silencing to enhance soybean resistance to Phytophthora sojae

  • Foundation Awards

    Jing Jin
    Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC State University

    Project Title: Characterization of Phytophthora nicotianae adaptation to partial resistance in tobacco

  • Foundation Awards

    Peiqt Zhang
    Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida

    Project Title: Characterizing endohyphal bacteria in Rhizoctonia solani field isolates and their potential contributions to virulence and fungicide resistance

ABOUT THE STORKAN-HANES-McCASLIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION

The Storkan Foundation, in honor of Richard Storkan – former President of TriCal, Inc., was founded in 1987 to encourage graduate research on soil-borne diseases. The name was later changed to The Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Research Foundation in honor of the three founding members of TriCal: aforementioned Storkan, Jerry Hanes, and Bob McCaslin. The Foundation was created to further the work of the three founders who were always willing to provide time, money, fumigants, and equipment to further research in soil diseases.

The Foundation grants awards on a yearly basis. As of 2023, the Foundation has awarded a total of $628,500 to 92 students across the United States and Canada. In addition to the cash awards, the Foundation supplies airfare each year for the newly elected Fellows of the Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation, to attend the annual American Phytopathological Society (APS) meeting.

List of Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Fellows


1988-89

Mark Mazzola, Washington State
Greg Gilbert, University of Wisconsin
James Liebman, UC Berkeley

1989-90
Craig Sandlin, UC Riverside
Bob Larkin, University of Florida
Marc Cubeta, North Carolina State University

1990-91
John R. Washington, University of Florida
Tsu-al-Lin, UC Davis
B.W. Pennypacker, University of Pennsylvania

1991-92
Richard Stange, UC Riverside
Sieglinde Snapp, UC Davis
Juliet Carroll, Cornell University

1992-93
Shu-Fen Lu, Ohio State University
Boazha Guo, University of Kentucky
Juliet Carroll, Cornell University

1993-94
Jerrold K. Turney, UC Riverside
Mahalaxmi G. Bangera, Washington State University

1994-95
Mahalaxmi G. Bangera, Washington State University
Jefferson L. da S. Costa, UC Riverside
Aida Raio, Oregon State University

1995-96
Barry Pryor, UC Davis
Nathan Corbell, Oregon State University
Lindy Brigham, University of Arizona

1996-97
Kurt Heungens, University of Wisconsin
Belinda Messenger-Routh, UC Riverside

1997-98
Andreas Westphal, UC Riverside
Cecilia Jones, UC Davis

1998-99
Pele Eve Rich, UC Riverside
Marek Sliwinski, University of Wisconsin
Dennis Bishop, University of Tennessee

1999-2000
Mee-Sook Kim, University of Idaho
Lisa Buttonow, University of Wisconsin

2000-01
Lance Davidson, Cornell University
Ewen Mullins, Penn State University
Suzanne McKenzie Miller, Oregon State University
Mee-Sook Kim, University of Idaho

2001-02
Alan T. Dyer, University of Minnesota
Kirk Radewald, UC Riverside
Payungsak Rauyaree, Penn State University

2002-03
Elizabeth Fichtner, North Carolina State University
Jeness Petersen, UC Davis
Sayed Islam, University of Illinois

2003-04
Darby G. Brown, University of Wisconsin
Antonio Jose Moreira, Iowa State University
Axel A. Elling, Iowa State University

2004-05

Leonardo De La Fuente, Washington State University
Slavica Djonovic, Texas A&M University
Jennifer E. Schaff, North Carolina State University
Johanna Takach, University of Georgia

2005-06

David Doll, UC Davis
Damon Smith, North Carolina State University
Deborah Pagliaccia, UC Riverside

2006-07
William Rittenour, University of Nebraska
Nathan Schroeder, University of Wisconsin

2007-08
Leigh Ann Harrison, Washington State University
Periasamy Chitrampalam, University of Arizona
Courtney A. Gallup, North Carolina State University

2008-09
Laura Gallegos, UC Davis
Teresa Hughes, University of Wisconsin

2009-10
Fanhong Meng, University of Wisconsin

2010-11
Amara Camp, Cornell University

2011-12
Jonathan M. Jacobs, University of Wisconsin
Brian Aynardi, Penn State University

2012-13
Allison Ferry, UC Davis
Peter DiGennaro, North Carolina State University
Kestrel McCorkle, North Carolina State University

2013-14
Y.M. Ananda Yapa Bandara, Kansas State University
Kristi Fenstermacher, Penn State University

2014-15
Timothy Frey, Ohio State
Peter Henry, UC Davis
He (Helen) Jiang, University of Maine

2015-16
Hung Doan, University of California, Davis
Morgan A. Gray, University of California, Riverside
Ms. Ningxiao Li, Pennsylvania State University

2016-17
Alyssa Koehler, North Carolina State University
Sanju Kunwar, University of Florida
Kelley Paugh, UC Davis
Minglu Gao (Hugo), University of Georgia

2017-18
Megan McCaghey, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kelly Hrywkiw, The University of British Columbia
Ram Khadka, The Ohio State University
Bradley Lalande, Colorado State University