Our managers keep the wheels on the road

Karen Adams, Laboratory Manager

I joined the Dhingra Lab as lab manager in 2009 after many years of bench experience in molecular biology laboratories. The ongoing challenges are to keep chaos at a minimum and instill in students good laboratory work and safety habits. To that end, I look after ordering of supplies, supply and equipment inventories, equipment service and repair, chemical and radioactive waste management, safety compliance issues, meeting schedules, budget tracking, protocol and sample files, supervise payroll of temporary employees, help maintain the lab website, answer student questions about experimental procedures, write operating procedures, find alternate ways to get things done, and nag just a bit. The goal is to provide a situation in which lab members and visitors can work on their research efficiently and safely. In addition to looking after our lab members I serve as a resource for students from other laboratories, conduct bench work for labs experiencing a time pinch, take fun engineering and metal fabrication courses, and serve on the Campus Landscape Advisory Committee.

Notice: It’s retirement time! As of April 3, 2023, I will no longer be with the Dhingra lab. Places to go, people to see, hobbies to indulge in. 

Daniel Velazquez, Plant Technician

I joined the Dhingra Lab in May of 2021 as an undergraduate lab technical assistant. It was a position that first introduced me into the amazing world of plant genomics and tissue culture. After receiving my B.A from WSU in greenhouse management I was able to join the lab full time and assist with the maintenance of the plants used in research projects for the lab whether they are in tissue culture or in soil at the greenhouse. I assist in media preparation and plant tissue transferring for various gene-editing projects involving grape, peas, and tobacco.

You can contact Daniel via email at d.velazquez@wsu.edu

Previous Lab Managers

Nathan Tarlyn, Plant Biotechnology Manager, 2012 through 6-2022

Kevin Kipp and Kristy Podelnyk