NC State Students and Faculty Recognized at the 2025 ASHS Conference
Student and faculty recognized as the American Society of Horticultural Science 2025 Annual Conference (Clockwise from top left) Kedong Da, Ph.D., Moein Moosavi, Amanda Solliday, and Rick Shih. | North Carolina State University
The American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) 2025 Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, highlighted several significant accomplishments within the field of horticultural science. Awards were presented to researchers for their work in diverse areas, including plant breeding, sustainable floriculture, controlled environment agriculture, and plant tissue culture. Researchers recognized included one faculty member, two doctoral students, and one graduate student from North Carolina State University’s Department of Horticultural Science, whose efforts offered valuable insights and data to help advance horticultural practices.
Kedong Da, Ph.D.
One of the standout awards was presented to Kedong Da, Ph.D., a Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Horticultural Science, who received both Best in Show and first place in the photo micrography category for the Paul Thomas Pi Alpha Xi Digital Photo Contest. His winning image, “Rose Italian Ice somatic embryos,” captures the beauty of rose somatic embryos under a microscope. This photo was the result of a project that began in 2020, focusing on rose tissue culture and genome editing. The research generated proof-of-concept results that helped establish a collaboration with horticulture faculty and marked a significant step forward in rose genome editing.
Moein Moosavi
Moein Moosavi, advised by Qingwu Meng, Ph.D., achieved second place in the Controlled Environment Agriculture Oral Competition for his presentation titled “A Calcium-Mobilizing Biostimulant Prevents Tipburn in Greenhouse Hydroponic Lettuce ‘Rex’ as an Alternative to Vertical Airflow Fans.” Moosavi is a Horticultural Science Doctoral Student under the direction of Ricardo Hernandez, Ph.D., and this research was conducted during a summer internship at the University of Delaware. The study investigated a novel biostimulant that has proven to be as effective as traditional vertical airflow fans in preventing tipburn in lettuce. This finding offers greenhouse growers a more efficient and cost-effective solution.
Rick Shih
Horticultural science graduate student Rick Shih secured second place in the Ornamental Plant Breeding Oral Competition with his presentation on “Loropetalum Genome Size Survey” through his research with Hsuan Chen, Ph.D. Shih’s research used flow cytometry to estimate ploidy levels and genome sizes across 40 Loropetalum cultivars. This work provides essential reference data for Loropetalum breeders, assisting them in making informed decisions for plant selection and crossing.
Amanda Solliday
Finally, Amanda Solliday, a horticultural science doctoral student directed by Melinda Knuth, Ph.D., was awarded second place in the Floriculture Oral Competition for her study, “From Farm to Florist: Carbon Footprints in Local Cut Flower Supply Chains in the United States.” Her research investigated carbon emissions in domestic flower supply chains, comparing direct-to-retailer transportation with a central wholesale hub model. By using a life cycle assessment to calculate carbon emissions per flower stem, her study provided valuable data to help businesses evaluate the environmental and financial benefits of improving their logistics.
For additional information on the award winners and ongoing research from North Carolina State University‘s Department of Horticultural Science, please read the original article.
Subscribe to eNewsletter
