April completed her Bachelor’s degree in Genetics and Plant Biology at U.C. Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, where she studied seed morphology and dispersal in wild relatives of Arabidopsis thaliana. She also spent several years working on organic farms around the world, which is where she discovered her love for small-scale agriculture. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and playing the cello.
April is pursuing her Ph.D. in Crop Science in the Weed Ecology and Biology Lab. She is also excited to be joining the newest CEFS Graduate Fellowship cohort for 2022-2024. Her research is focused on using 3-D imaging techniques to model and predict the effects of cover crops on weed suppression. The goal of this research is to provide growers with predictive tools for predicting late-season weed escapes based on variable cover crop performance in the field. This will enable growers to identify and spot-treat weedy patches earlier and with greater efficiency, which will greatly reduce labor and herbicide use. In addition to this research, April is also doing projects related to weediness risk potential and ecological factors in weed germination.
