---

A Master of Science in environmental studies from Kentucky State University prepares graduates for their next step, whether that is a job in the industry or further education.

Eddie Kyle Slusher, a 2017 graduate, and Manisha Hamal, a 2021 graduate, both went on to Ph.D. studies. Slusher has earned his Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Georgia, and Hamal recently began her Ph.D. in plant pathology at Ohio State University.

As a Kentucky State student, Hamal worked with Dr. Kirk Pomper on evaluating the efficacy of fungicides to control pawpaw leaf and fruit spot disease. Hamal said her work at Kentucky State prepared her for “further digging” into the field of plant disease management; now, at Ohio State, she is studying anaerobic soil disinfestation for the control of soil-borne diseases in tomatoes under high tunnels.

“Field-based research provided me the principles of disease management, which of course prepared me for my Ph.D.,” Hamal said.

Slusher worked in Dr. John Sedlacek’s lab as a Kentucky State master’s student. Slusher’s thesis work looked at the effects of native perennial border rows on the abundance and diversity of hymenoptera in blackberries.

“Working in the Sedlacek lab at Kentucky State opened me up to the world of entomology and gave me the tools that eventually led to my Ph.D.,” Slusher said. “Basically, where and who I am now professionally is because of what I learned at Kentucky State.”

Slusher now works at the USDA Agriculture Research Service’s Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory.

“The reason I can call myself a doctor of entomology today is all because of those first steps and principles I learned at Kentucky State,” Slusher said.

Click here for more information about the Master of Science in environmental studies program at Kentucky State University.