From classroom question to research partnership

Jordan Thompson ’23, M.S. ’25 still remembers a seminar on pests and diseases threatening forests that caught her attention in early 2023.

A graduate student at the time, she listened as forest pathologist Carrie Fearer described a disease called oak wilt, then Thompson raised her hand to ask a question at the end of the talk. She didn’t know that exchange would bring her back to the Blacksburg campus as a research partner working alongside her former professor.

Today, Thompson is co-owner of Mauget, a plant health care company based in Floyd, that develops and manufactures professional-grade trunk injection systems and formulations used by arborists to manage pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies in trees.

She has degrees in environmental horticulture and entomology. Thompson and her husband, Eric Thompson, are partnering with Fearer on a three-year, $559,000 research project examining treatments for beech leaf disease and oak wilt, two serious threats to forest health.

The industry-supported project will allow Fearer to rigorously test tree treatment products to determine how effective they are at preventing or controlling both diseases. The industry partnership supports multi-year field trials, early detection efforts, and applied research.

Beech leaf disease is caused by a microscopic worm called a nematode. Researchers will examine whether the treatment directly controls the nematode or instead strengthens tree health enough to slow disease progression. The goal is to determine whether products can be used preventively, therapeutically, or both.

The oak wilt component of the project focuses on early detection and prevention. While oak wilt is a major problem in Texas and continues to spread from the Northeast, its presence in Virginia has not been conclusively confirmed. Researchers will deploy spore traps and beetle traps to determine whether the fungus and insect vectors responsible for spreading the disease are present in the commonwealth, creating an early warning system to help protect Virginia’s oak forests.

The work has broad implications for forest ecosystems, homeowners, and industries that depend on healthy trees. Beech trees are already stressed by beech bark disease, and beech leaf disease threatens trees of all sizes, raising concerns about long-term ecological impacts. Oaks play a critical role in forest structure, wildlife habitat, and industries such as furniture and bourbon production, making oak wilt a significant environmental and economic risk.

While the project is grounded in science, its roots trace back to the classroom, reflecting a mentor-student relationship that has evolved into a professional collaboration with statewide impact.

Thompson’s path to that partnership began during her time at Virginia Tech, where her interests increasingly focused on tree health and invasive species. She encountered Fearer’s work repeatedly through seminars, coursework, and the university’s Invasive Species Collaborative, each interaction reinforcing questions that stayed with her well beyond the classroom.

“I was constantly trying to learn and looking for people to learn from,” Thompson said. “It was obvious from the start that Carrie is someone we should partner with if we want to find solutions to problems we face.”

Thompson credits her Virginia Tech education with shaping how she now approaches tree care and research, particularly the importance of viewing plant health holistically rather than as isolated problems.

“Virginia Tech taught me that you need to look at the entire landscape,” she said. “You have to think about what that tree has experienced environmentally, culturally, historically before you just go and throw something on it.”

While finishing her graduate work, Thompson and her husband were simultaneously building a plant health care business. In 2025, they acquired Mauget, a nearly 70-year-old company, marking a transition from academic research to applied, industry-driven problem solving. As Thompson stepped into ownership, research questions she had encountered as a student resurfaced, this time with the capacity to act on them.

“It took me about four months to get the courage to email Carrie,” Thompson said. “I knew I wanted to do real research again, but it felt different reaching out as a former student.”

For Fearer, the collaboration reflects the full-circle nature of academic mentorship, watching a student grow into a colleague with shared goals.

“At some point, it shifts from professor and student to colleagues working toward the same outcome,” said Fearer, assistant professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, part of the College of Natural Resources and Environment. “Jordan brings a deep understanding of both the science and the realities of the industry, which makes this partnership especially meaningful.”

The partnership also allows for research that responds directly to challenges faced in the field, from emerging tree diseases to questions about early detection and treatment strategies.

“Not every tree care company has the capacity to pursue traditional or applied research,” Thompson said. “We wanted to build a company that makes that investment and takes the science seriously.”

Fearer said industry-supported research can help answer questions that might otherwise go unstudied.

“There aren’t many funding opportunities for early detection work like this,” she said. “Having industry partners who are willing to invest makes a real difference.”

Together, Thompson and Fearer are examining treatments and detection strategies for beech leaf disease and oak wilt, work that could help protect forests if the diseases continue to spread. For Thompson, the collaboration represents exactly what she hoped her Virginia Tech education would lead to.

“All of these doors just kept opening,” she said. “I never imagined it would bring me back to campus this way, but it feels right.”