Mark Dempsey is a PES Graduate Student and has been in the lab for two and a half years. The story of Mark joining the CU Pulse Quality and Nutritional Breeding Lab begins in North Carolina, where he came across an article from Tiger News featuring Dr. Dil and Nathan Johnson, a former grad student working under Dr. Dil. Already cultivating and researching lentils in North Carolina, Mark faced challenges with disease control in the lentils he was growing, prompting him to reach out to Dr. Dil for her opinion on the matter.
This email exchange led to a collaboration between the two in North Carolina, conducting research on lentils. Impressed with Mark’s efforts, creativity, passion, and love for lentils, Dr. Dil believed he would be a great fit for her lab and brought him to Clemson as a graduate student. Mark is now pursuing his PES PhD, researching a specific class of carbohydrates that help lentils deal with abiotic stress, and at the same time, also trying to find potential disease resistance.
During his first year in the lab, he juggled external work with school commitments and lab research. While primarily focused on fieldwork, Mark had some collaborative moments in the lab, working with fellow grad student Sonia Salaria. He appreciates the overall lab dynamic and finds the workload to be well-organized.
In the February to June field season, Mark engages in various tasks, including planting, weed management, and data collection. During the off-season, he takes classes, writes papers to advance his PhD, and organizes seeds, preparing for upcoming field seasons.
Considering the future, Mark has various thoughts on his career path, ultimately narrowing down to agronomic and bioinformatics research. His passion for research, especially in the realm of lentils, continues to drive him towards a scientific research career.
Ultimately, Mark’s goal is to make pulses and legumes more mainstream in American culture. He recognizes the numerous benefits these crops offer, not just for consumers but also for farmers and the soil they cultivate. Quoting a prior comment Mark made, “Lentils and the seeds of many other pulses we eat are truly remarkable. I’m only half kidding when I say that they’re going to My love for pulses is three-fold: their amazing role in cropping systems, their positive effects on human health and nutrition, and their wonderful culinary value.”
Mark acknowledges the value that these crops hold and aims to research ways to enhance their quality and nutritional value. Additionally, he hopes to see these crops cultivated in the Southeast United States, providing more people with access to them.
