The American Society for Horticultural Science recently hosted its 2026 Annual Conference August 3-7th in Dallas, Texas and two Herbert College undergraduate students received awards!
Nathan Tucker, a former member of Dr. Kellie Walters’ lab, placed 1st in the Undergraduate ORAL Competition for his presentation titled “An Ocimum Crop: Establishing the Foundational Growth and Quality Response of Basil”. During his presentation he discussed how he examined the effects of various light intensities on basil plants grown in controlled-environment systems. His research touched on how these light intensities affected yield, morphology, flavor, aroma, and more.
Joshua Hyde placed 2nd in the Undergraduate ORAL Competition for his presentation titled “Plasma-Activated Water as a Nitrogen Source: Impacts on Growth and Nitrate Accumulation in Hydroponic Lettuce”. Joshua is a senior in Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, and this project was a collaboration between Dr. Xiaofei Philip Ye (Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science) and Dr. Kellie Walters (Department of Plant Sciences). Joshua assisted in fertilizer production and analysis, as well as analyzing nitrate content in the lettuce tissue post-harvest, while Dr. Walter’s lab took this plasma-activated water and compared it to traditional fertilizers (nitrate, ammonium).
Congratulations Nathan and Joshua!
Are you a member of the Department of Plant Sciences and would like to be featured? If so, let us know by emailing Victoria Cavaliere at vcavalie@utk.edu.
By Victoria Cavaliere