David Schmale

Lab Website: Schmale lab
Publications: Google Scholar

One of the goals of the Schmale lab is to understand how microorganisms are transported over long distances in the atmosphere. Members of the Schmale lab have developed technologies with autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to sample microbes tens to hundreds of meters above the surface of the earth. Another goal of the Schmale lab is to develop strategies to detect, monitor, and control mycotoxins (fungal chemicals that are harmful to domestic animals and humans) in feed and food products.  Members of the Schmale lab use gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to detect and quantify mycotoxins in small grains and barley ethanol co-products. Research in the Schmale Laboratory cuts across traditional boundaries of scientific disciplines, blending advanced technologies in the fields of aerobiology, plant pathology, engineering, and molecular genetics. Education and outreach in the Schmale Laboratory impacts commercial growers and producers of agricultural commodities and improves the retention of students and agricultural professionals in science and engineering.

Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science | School of Plant and Environmental Sciences | Aerobiology | Microbe Transport | Aerobiology, biosecurity, mycotoxicology, invasive species, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)