Rebecca (BeKa) Leuschen-Kohl's Avatar

Rebecca (BeKa) Leuschen-Kohl

@bleuschenkohl.bsky.social

Postdoc @ Univ. of KS | NSF PRFB | KU Center for Genomics Fellow studying Plant-Microbe Interactions 🌽πŸ₯ΌπŸ§ͺ🦠 PhD, Purdue | BS, Nebraska - Lincoln Chahta #NativeinSTEM | Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership ⚽️ πŸͺ 🎲 🎨

1,390 Followers  |  452 Following  |  170 Posts  |  Joined: 14.09.2023  |  1.9761

Latest posts by bleuschenkohl.bsky.social on Bluesky

Nothing beats the feeling of a freshly-organized lab space!

09.12.2025 17:08 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Use code BLKHOLIDAY10 for 10% off :)

09.12.2025 17:06 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Handmade, brick-stitch earrings. Beads by BLK

Shameless plug for my #beadwork if you are looking to support small businesses this holiday season!

shawishmarket.com/vendor/beads...

09.12.2025 17:06 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Okay, which #WorldCup2026 group/match-up are you excited to see?

I'm eyeing group K, Colombia vs Portugal πŸ‘€

05.12.2025 19:24 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The collar I made in 2022, which I wore for my preliminary exam and this photo shoot. One of my favorite #beadwork projects.

21.11.2025 17:05 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Some cutworm beans harvested as part of the #ChoctawNation Growing Hope initiative

21.11.2025 17:05 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Happy #NativeNovember!

This year feels especially meaningful as I’m graduating with my #PhD. Indigenous people are still here: thriving, dreaming, and making those dreams a reality. This month, we honor resilience, heritage, and determination. #IndigenousinSTEM

21.11.2025 17:01 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Gateways to Graduate School Gateways to Graduate School

It’s that time of year! 🌟

If you (or someone you know) is applying to MS/PhD programs, check out our Gateways to Graduate School resource page. We cover everything from writing personal statements to crafting strong proposals. πŸͺ΄πŸŒΎπŸ§ͺ

#GradSchool #PhD #MSprogram #GradSchoolApps #GatewaystoGradSchool

17.11.2025 15:37 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Gateways to Graduate School Gateways to Graduate School

We’ve been gradually updating the Gateways to Graduate School website as we enter the peak of the application season. As undergraduates prepare to apply for MS and PhD programs, do you have any tips, tricks, or advice you’d like to share with them?

#GradSchool #PhDAdmissions #graduateschool

11.11.2025 18:46 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Join us Dec 8 for "Catching the Scent." Discover how Ralstonia bacteria transition from soil to plant xylem and the surprising role of a newly identified sensor-regulator protein.

FREE for members. Only $49 for nonmembers.

https://bit.ly/3WqLF2p

#plantpathology #plantscience

03.11.2025 17:13 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Today, I officially started my new position at @ The University of Kansas as a KU Center for Genomics Fellow and NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology. I'm excited to be joining the lab of Dr. Maggie Wagner 🌱 🌽 #PlantSci #PlantScience

04.11.2025 02:49 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

Ok now THIS sounds like the perfect Friday night!

11.10.2025 00:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

As for what's next? πŸ‘€ Keep an eye out for some exciting news in the coming weeks.

09.10.2025 19:24 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I did it! Officially a #PhD!

Yesterday, I successfully defended my dissertation "Dissecting Plant-Microbe Interactions: PAMP Recognition and Immune Evasion in Solanaceous Hosts"

Special thanks to my advisor Dr. Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi, my committee, mentors/mentees, friends, & family who were there.

09.10.2025 19:24 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 0

This is a really unfortunate time to have the keys falling off of my keyboard πŸ˜‚ I guess that's how you know it's time to graduate.

29.09.2025 16:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I chose a rotational program bc it allowed me to find the right fit for research/mentorship. Students, like me, who applied to programs that allowed them to explore their options during the first semester(s) will no longer be able to prepare their application after a full rotation experience.

27.09.2025 00:06 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

The NSF-GRFP Solicitation (finally) went live today!

Unfortunately, second-year PhD students are unable to apply. This decision will have direct impacts on graduate students who choose rotational PhD programs. πŸ§ͺ🌱
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

27.09.2025 00:06 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases mediate Wall Teichoic Acid perception in Arabidopsis Plants and animals detect microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) to initiate defense responses. Both lineages employ pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), yet plant mechanisms for sensing Gram-...

Gram-positive bacterial MAMP sensed by a plant cysteine rich receptor kinase. I've been waiting for this preprint to drop. Nice story!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

22.09.2025 17:28 β€” πŸ‘ 20    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Friends and Family - If you're interested in attending my dissertation seminar via Zoom (Oct 8th), please comment below and I will send you the information!

18.09.2025 01:06 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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New profile pic, thanks to the Boilermaker Station photo booth at #Purdue!

15.09.2025 00:33 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks so much!

10.09.2025 17:16 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Not a lot of time to bead lately, but look at these customs I made for a Purdue fan!

shawishmarket.com/Collegiate-E...
#beadwork #choctaw ##brickstitich #IndigenousArt

10.09.2025 12:46 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you!! Glad you were able to be a part of it!

05.09.2025 20:13 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.

Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026
Estimated Stipend: $37,275

Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...

05.09.2025 18:13 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 26    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3

This work explores how PTI responses like ROS amplitude/attenuation & MAPK phosphorylation are PRR-specific in tomato roots! We also show that root PTI is primarily located in the developing tissues of tomato, providing experimental insights for below-ground PTI assays, including ROS, MAPK, & DEGs.

05.09.2025 16:15 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tomato Roots Exhibit Development‐Specific Responses to Bacterial‐Derived Peptides Pattern-triggered immune responses in roots are concentrated in the early differentiating regions in wild and domesticated tomatoes (Solanum pimpinellifolium and S. lycopersicum). Signalling compon...

🚨 New publication alert 🚨
Tomato Roots Exhibit Development-Specific Responses to Bacterial-Derived Peptides
πŸ”—: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Authors: R Leuschen-Kohl, R Roberts, @danimstevens.bsky.social, N Zhang, S Buchanan, B Pilkey, @gittacoaker.bsky.social , and A Iyer-Pascuzzi.

05.09.2025 16:15 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tomato Roots Exhibit Development‐Specific Responses to Bacterial‐Derived Peptides Pattern-triggered immune responses in roots are concentrated in the early differentiating regions in wild and domesticated tomatoes (Solanum pimpinellifolium and S. lycopersicum). Signalling compon...

Updated link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

05.09.2025 16:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This work explores how PTI responses like ROS amplitude/attenuation & MAPK phosphorylation are PRR-specific in tomato roots! We also show that root PTI is primarily located in the developing tissues of tomato, providing experimental insights for below-ground PTI assays, including ROS, MAPK, & DEGs.

05.09.2025 15:59 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Gateways to Graduate School Gateways to Graduate School

It's that time of year again!

If you or someone you know is thinking about applying to MS/PhD programs, I recommend checking out this website, structured from our fall-semester-only class AGR 490: Gateways to Graduate School!

#GradSchool #PhD #GradSchoolAdmissions #GatewaystoGradSchool

08.07.2025 16:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Excited (and a little bit nervous!) to be speaking tomorrow for the #ASPB #PlantBiologyGlobal Fostering Inclusion in Plant Biology session! I'll be speaking on my experience as an Indigenous student at Purdue and the support systems (@Purdue, in the community, among peers) I've had during my PhD.

12.08.2025 19:29 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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