Gasselle Cordova MSc., is a recent graduate from Dr. Zhanao Deng's lab here at the GCREC. Gasselle previously received her bachelors of science in agronomy, as well as a minor in plant sciences, in her home country of Chile. Her journey in research started in her undergrad, where she worked on seed germination protocols for several native species, and continued with a research internship at Cornell. Gasselle's research at the GCREC focused on several aspects of caladium, an ornamental plant important in Florida's industry. This included work on extending tuber postharvest life via chemical and physical means, evaluating the application of kaolin treatments on heat stress reduction, and the development of new caladium cultivars via ploidy manipulation. Gasselle intends to stay in research, and will soon start her new position at the Naple's Botanical Garden!