Kate Fessler

Grape Breeding and Enology Grant & Project Manager

She/Her/Hers

[email protected]

328 Alderman

1970 Folwell Ave
St. Paul , MN 55108
United States

VitisGen3

Education

B.A. Smith College, Biological Sciences 2018
M.S. University of Minnesota, Applied Plant Sciences 2023

Areas of Interest

Viticulture and Enology, Sustainable fruit production, Outreach & Extension

Biography

I am a 2018 graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts with a degree in Biological Sciences and a concentration in sustainable foods. Following a Fulbright fellowship to Finland, I joined the University of Minnesota as a masters student in the Applied Plant Sciences program, working with Drs. Emily Hoover and Neil Anderson. Since completing my M.S. degree (Assessing the efficacy of tabletop strawberry production for Minnesota’s climate) I’ve stayed on in the Dept. of Horticultural Science as the project manager for VitisGen3.

Teaching

Instructor Hort 4110: Spring Flowering Bulbs (Spring 2023)
TA and lecturer Hort 1031: Vines and Wines (Spring 2022)
TA Hort 4110: Spring Flowering Bulbs (Spring 2021)

Research

I provide research support for the VitisGen3 project; see the VitisGen3 website for more information!

Outreach

Outreach for my M.S. work included a webinar on tabletop strawberry production, several articles and blog posts, and presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. Stay tuned for extension updates from the VitisGen3 project.

Select Publications

Fessler, M.K., Hoover, E.E., Anderson, N.O., Poppe, S., Dalman, N. Assessing the efficacy of a tabletop day-neutral strawberry production system for Minnesota. Acta Horticulturae (in review).

Williams, Kalani, Fessler, M. K., Bloomfield, R. A., Sandke, Will, Malekshahi, Clara, Keroack, Caroline, Duignan, Pádraig, Torquato, Samantha, Williams, Steven A. A novel quantitative real-time PCR diagnostic assay for fecal and nasal swab detection of an otariid lungworm, Parafilaroides decorus. International Journal for Parasitology, 2020.

Keroack, Caroline, Williams, K. M. Fessler, M. K., DeAngelis, Kaela E. Tsekitsidou, Eirini, Tozloski, Jillian M. Williams, Steven A. A Novel Quantitative Real-Time PCR Diagnostic Assay for Seal Heartworm (Acanthocheilonema spirocauda) Reveals the First Reported Infection in the Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus). International Journal for Parasitology, 2018.

Honors and Awards

Fulbright Finland EDUFI Fellowship
The Gordon and Margaret Bailey Horticultural Sciences Scholarship
MnDRIVE Global Food Ventures Graduate Student Professional Development Grantee
Franc Pomeroy Daniels and Marion Brimhall Daniels Fellowship in Horticulture
Susan Cohen ’62 and Paula Deitz ’59 Prize in Landscape Studies

Additional Information

Avid knitter, botanical watercolorist, literary hoarder, cross-country skier