Brooke received a M.S degree from ISU in 2003 for research on petiole rot of hosta, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii var. delphinii. During her M.S. program, Brooke published 3 refereed research papers as well as an on-line teaching case history on petiole rot, and first-authored an ISU Extension bulletin. She is now a PhD candidate in Gerald Holmes’ lab at North Carolina State University, working in sweet potato diseases.