Dr. Luca Brillante, associate professor, Viticulture and Enology Department, received a three-year $397,017 grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture for his project, “Plant-Level Early and Autonomous Field-Detection of Virus Infections in White and Black Grape Vines.”

Brillante, who serves as the department's Bronco Wine Company Chair in Viticulture, also made a presentation in November on "Hyperspectral Imaging Solutions to Vineyard Problems" at the Tree and Vine Expo in Turlock.

A related article on the topic was published earlier this year by the International Society for Horticultural Science. The project integrated machine-learning techniques to explore the detection and classification of two major groups of grapevine viruses, namely grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs) and grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV).

Due to the incurable nature of viral diseases, accurate detection and subsequent removal of infected grapevines, are vital to maintaining a healthy vineyard, but many current methods of virus detection are costly, time-consuming and unable to scale.

Data from his recent study with the new techniques showed promise, and more investigation will continue to improve prediction of virus-infected vines.

Barlow Der Mugrdechian, professor, Armenian Studies Program, was elected as president of the Society for Armenian Studies. The 450-member Society for Armenian Studies is the largest international professional organization.

It is composed of scholars and students, whose aims are to promote the study of Armenian culture and society, including history, language, literature, and social, political, and economic questions; to facilitate the exchange of scholarly information pertaining to Armenian studies around the world; and to sponsor panels and conferences on Armenian studies.