Migicovsky Lab

Mckenna Batstone (she/her) is a fourth year undergraduate honours student at Acadia University. She is majoring in biology and women’s and gender studies. As an honours student in the lab, she is investigating carotenoid content across diverse strawberries. Previously, she completed a Research Topics inventorying Malus (apples) found in botanical gardens across Canada as a part of a conservation and climate adaptation strategy for Canadian apples. Away from class, Mckenna enjoys playing and coaching hockey, watching soccer, reading, and walking her dog, Zoey.
 

Kylie DeViller (she/her) is a fourth year Bachelor of Computer Science student at Acadia University with interests in data analysis. During the summer, she worked on image analysis to examine the variation in shape and size of apples. She is currently working a co-op work term during the fall continuing this project, but also working on strawberry aroma and the various data and computational needs of the lab. Kylie comes from the Yarmouth area of Nova Scotia and is an avid curler.
 

Clay Elzinga (he/him) is in his first year of study for a Master of Biology at Acadia University after completing a BSc at Brock University. His research is focused on genome-assisted breeding of the Rosaceae fruit including apples and strawberries, and a GWAS of their aroma compounds. He has previous research experience with apples at the Vineland plant development lab. Clay is from the Niagara region of Ontario and enjoys outdoor activities like biking, hiking and camping.
 

Jenna (she/her) recently graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Science with Co-op. Although she majored in Psychology and Computer Science she has decided to explore the study of Biology through data analysis. She is currently analyzing gene and trait data from apple trees to improve resistance to climate change. Outside of the lab she can be found reading or playing video games.
 

Riley Lemieux (he/him) is a 4th year biology student at Acadia. He is currently working in the lab as a research topics student conducting image analysis on Honeycrisp apple trees and measuring the growth patterns of tree rings to better understand the impact that rootstocks have on wood anatomy. Outside the lab Riley enjoys running, hiking and playing sports.
 

Alison (she/her) has previously worked in the lab (2023-2024) as a Tissue Culture Technician in partnership with Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia (CTCNS) focused on somatic embryogenesis and cryopreservation of Balsam fir genetic lines.  She is an Acadia University biology alumni and has been working in government, industry, and academic research roles focused on agronomy, plant breeding, and extension before joining the Migicovsky lab. Alison is in the first year of her Master of Science degree in Biology to remediate virus in unique strawberry germplasm using tissue culture, evaluating morphological trait differences and plant performance among infected, remediated and nuclear plant stocks. Alison’s interests outside of the lab include gardening, growing houseplants and collecting vintage.
 

Terrell (he/him) is a research assistant and community ecologist, working on Malus and Vaccinum crop wild relative research. Using GBIF records he aims to investigate how climate change will affect the distribution of suitable habitat for these important CWR. He comes from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC where during his Masters he researched the effects of honey bees (Apis mellifera) on the functioning of plant-pollinator networks. An Annapolis Valley native, in his spare time you can find him on his bike or uploading to iNat.
 

Lachlann Simms (he/him) is a fourth-year biology and chemistry student at Acadia University. He is currently completing a Research Topics project in the lab using image analysis to examine diversity of leaf shape across over 30 Malus (apple) species. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in the healthcare field. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time outdoors regardless of the season, as well as playing various sports.