New Faces on the Ag Quad
Patrick McKee
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
- B.S., Atmospheric Science, UNC-Asheville
- B.A., Communications, Elon University
McKee worked for more than two decades in local media as an on-camera meteorologist and news anchor. He has worked at stations in Lawton, Okla. and Roanoke, Va.
Angela Possinger
Assistant Professor
- Ph.D., Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University
- M.S., Biological and Environmental Science, University of Rhode Island
- B.S., Biology, Roger Williams University
Possinger is a soil scientist, with a specialization in soil organic matter biogeochemistry. Her research program in SPES will focus on the basic science and applied challenges of building soil organic matter, a foundation for restoring soil functions in disturbed systems. She is passionate about teaching in soil science, and especially hopes to help connect the importance of soils to students’ interests across disciplines. Possinger comes to Blacksburg from the Northeast, where she originally became interested in soils through 4-H environmental science activities.
Sanjok Poudel Ph.D. ’22
Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Ph.D., Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech
- M.S., Animal and Poultry Science, Tuskegee University
- B.S., Agriculture Science, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Poudel is a postdoctoral research associate at Forage Lab in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. He completed his Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech in 2022. He is broadly interested in understanding soil-plant-animal interactions in forage-livestock production systems, sustainable forage/livestock production, and agroforestry systems.
Lori Robertson ’96
Director, Homefield Farm
- M.S., Soil Science, Clemson
- B.S., Environmental Science, Virginia Tech
Robertson worked for Hampton Roads AREC for 20 years as a Research Specialist in Weed Science for Dr. Jeff Derr, conducting research in herbicide movement, cover crops, and organic pesticide research for specialty crops growers. She is the founder of New River Valley Grape Growers Association, and the former Vineyard Manager of Giles Mountain Vineyard and Winery.
Lina Rodriguez Salamanca
Instructor & Plant Disease Clinic Manager
- Ph.D., Plant Pathology, Michigan State University
- M.S., Plant Pathology, Michigan State University
- B.S., Microbiology, Universidad de Los Andes
Lina grew up in Colombia, where her curiosity for microorganisms and passion for learning drew her to Michigan State University, where she completed a Masters and Ph.D. in plant pathology. She worked as a vegetable Extension educator in the field, and shortly after returned to the lab to work as a Diagnostician with the Iowa State Univ. Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic. In both roles, she shared with people the complexity of plant health and the impact of proper plant diagnostics. At Virginia Tech, Lina hopes to fulfill her dream to inspire students to be curious about science, discover their strengths, and empower them to seek career paths full of positive contributions to the world.
Emily Unglesbee
Director of Outreach and Extension for GROW (growiwm.org)
- M.A., University of Missouri School of Journalism
- B.A., University of Notre Dame
Unglesbee earned a degree in Classics from the University of Notre Dame in 2009. After two years working on farms and ranches in the U.S. and U.K., she earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 2013. She spent 10 years as a reporter for DTN/The Progressive Farmer, before joining GROW (Get Rid of Weeds) in 2022 to serve as Director of Outreach and Extension. GROW is a publicly led network of scientists working to help farmers and the agricultural industry test and adopt non-chemical alternatives to weed control, to help slow and overcome the industry-wide problem of herbicide-resistant weeds.