Her poster, titled \u201cImpact of solo and coinfections of grapevine red blotch and grapevine leafroll associated virus-3 on fruit quality,\u201d was the only undergraduate submission at this year\u2019s conference, winning out against students at both the master\u2019s and PhD levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresenting to an audience full of scientists, grad students and industry professionals can be intimidating, but I kept reminding myself that everyone is there with a collective purpose, to share new ideas and propel the industry forward,\u201d she says of the experience. \u201cMore than anything, this recognition means I was able to convey the research we’re conducting at Brock University and hopefully get people excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skorupski\u2019s thesis research examines the impact that grapevine red blotch (GRBV) and grapevine leafroll associated virus-3 (GRLaV) have on fruit quality, both individually and when the grapevine is infected with both simultaneously.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ASEV-Poster-Presentation-Nadia-Skorupski-2021-16.91.jpg\")
Nadia Skorupski won Best Student Viticulture Poster at the American Society of Enology and Viticulture \u2014 Eastern Section earlier this month.<\/p><\/div>\n
Grape growers currently lose an estimated $23 million per year due to grapevine virus infections, making research in this area vitally important for ensuring the sustainability of the $9-billion Canadian grape and wine industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is, to my knowledge, one of the first investigations looking at the effects of co-viral infections on fruit quality, which makes the work innovative,\u201d Skorupski says. \u201cComing from a history of winemaking, it is fascinating to quantify the effects of grapevine viruses (previously anecdotally observed) and extrapolate how these viruses are affecting quality of wine production.\u201d<\/p>\n
She is conducting this work under the co-supervision of Brock adjunct Professors Wendy McFadden-Smith and Belinda Kemp. McFadden-Smith is also a Tender Fruit and Grape IPM Specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and Kemp is the Senior Scientist, Oenology, at Brock\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI).<\/p>\n
The research is a partnership with OMAFRA, the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network (CGCN), Ontario Grape and Wine Research Inc. (OGWRI), and several grower cooperators.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so proud of the work Nadia has done to bring visibility to this innovative research and its important applications to our industry,\u201d says McFadden-Smith. \u201cNot only has no one looked at the combined effects of infection with these two viruses before, but also there have been no reports of effects of GRBV on hybrids or on the effects of virus infection on hydroxycinnamic acid compounds in white varieties, and very little research overall on these viruses under cool climate conditions like Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kemp adds: \u201cThis is an amazing, massive achievement for an undergraduate student during her Bachelor of Science; she should be very proud, as this is quite incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the research speaks for itself, Skorupski says it is also important to consider visual appeal when completing an academic poster to ensure the work is showcased as effectively as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you only have a limited time to convey a message,\u201d she explains, \u201cattractive imagery and infographics will set you apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skorupski\u2019s use of the BioRender program to design her poster gave it a \u201cvery professional appearance,\u201d says McFadden-Smith, adding that the inclusion of a QR code for accessing additional information \u201cwas also very innovative.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collegiality within her department and at CCOVI was also an important part of her success, Skorupski says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so grateful to my colleagues who helped me navigate this new terrain and kept reminding me to ‘honour the research’ and represent it in a way that I was proud of,\u201d Skorupski says. \u201cOutside of my advisors, Dr. Wendy McFadden-Smith and Dr. Belinda Kemp, I’m grateful for the feedback and contribution of (fellow Brock students) Leah De Felice Renton and Hannah Charnock.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A fourth-year thesis student in Brock University\u2019s Oenology and Viticulture (OEVI) program has received industry recognition for her cutting-edge grapevine virus research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":73266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[41,1,4,5],"tags":[3630,61,855,348,10546,6092,10545],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73265"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73265"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73269,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73265\/revisions\/73269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}