Christopher Rivera Torres

ECaFSS Scholar since: January 2017

Expected Graduation Date: December 2019

Research: Susceptibility of Colletotrichum spp. to Antimicrobial Peptides and Combinatorial Treatments. Christopher Rivera Torres currently works with Dra. Patricia Ortíz in collaboration with Dr. Lydia I. Rivera, Dr. Merari Feliciano and Ms. Lorena Simbaña in the investigation project. The principal objective is to identify novel methods for the management of anthracnose in the pigeon peas cultivation in Puerto Rico using B-synthetic antimicrobial peptides.

Internships: During the past two years he has gained knowledge and experience in the agricultural field through summer internships and investigations experiences. In Summer 2017, he got the opportunity to travel over Gettysburg, Adams County in Pennsylvania as an intern in the Natural Resources and Conservation Services (NRCS) agency. The major tasks of this job were divided in doing floor profiles, evaluate the progress of the projects in different farms, educational trips over farms of dairy cattles, apple, peaches, vegetables and other seedings. Besides, he worked along with employees of Pennsylvania Game Commission, club 4-H and agricultural extension service. In Summer 2018, Christopher had the opportunity of working in a laboratory Genetic and Biological Diversity in Mycology and Nematology at the agricultural station of Beltsville, Maryland, which main objective was to identify fungi associated (pathogens and endophytes) to the trees Catalpa speciosa and Cercis canadensis. The work consisted of reactivating strains already collected and stored in the laboratory plus isolating new samples. Methods of DNA extraction until sequencing and editing were used to achieve the stipulated objectives.