FABI applauds the nine graduates who made the Institute proud at the Spring Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences on September 3. We congratulate them all and wish them well in their future endeavours. Listed below are the graduates and their dissertation titles: PhD Dr. Jeanne Korsman – Molecular responses of maize to its foliar pathogen, Cercospora zeina Supervisor: Prof Dave Berger Co-supervisor: Dr. Bridget Crampton Dr. Stefan van Wyk – Soybean nodule development and senescence: The role of cysteine proteases and their inhibitors Supervisor: Dr. Juan Vorster External co-supervisor: Prof Chris Cullis (Case Western Reserve University, USA) Dr. Stephen Taerum – Origin and diversity of the invasive red turpentine beetle and its fungal symbionts Supervisor: Prof. Mike Wingfield Co-advisor: Dr. Wilhelm de Beer Dr. Tania Weller-Stuart – Genomic and functional characterization in Pantoea ananatis Supervisor: Prof. Teresa Coutinho Co-supervisors: Prof. Ian Toth and Dr. P. de Maayer Dr. Mingliang Yin – Taxonomic revision of four major species complexes in the Ophiostomatales (Fungi, Ascomycota), with specific reference to associates of conifer-infesting bark beetles in China Supervisor: Dr. Wilhelm de Beer Co-supervisors: Dr. X. D. Zhou and Prof. Mike Wingfield MSc Francois Boshoff – Diversity and evolution of rhizobia associated with native and non-native Acacia species in South Africa Supervisor: Prof Emma Steenkamp Co-supervisor: Prof Fanus Venter Jackie Lubbe – Molecular and biological characterization of three Citrus tristeza virus candidate cross-protection sources Supervisor: Prof Gerhard Pietersen Johan Liversage – Functional characterisation of the Cercospora zeina crp1 gene in pathogenesis Supervisor: Dr. Bridget Crampton Co-supervisor: Prof Dave Berger Molly Malefo – Characterisation of selected pathogenicity factors in Cercospora zeina Supervisor: Dr. Bridget Crampton Co-supervisor: Prof Dave Burger