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[Right] Pipette with green substance; [Left] Hibiscus Flower

Plant Science Student Spotlight: Afrifa Amoah-Mensah

by Eva Sailly
August 7, 2026

"My mom’s Jamaican, so I grew up drinking sorrel made with ginger and cinnamon from plants we grew in our backyard. Now I want to bring that same hibiscus into my own breeding projects and see what new varieties we can create. As a plant ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Afrifa Amoah-Mensah, Biodiversity, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Breeding, Plant Science, Student, Teaching, UF/IFAS CALS
Triad with Jeffrey Williamson Teaching a pruning course, the middle image showcases blueberries on a branch, and third is a peach on a tree with the stadium in the background

UF/IFAS Professor Retires: Jeffrey Williamson on Florida Blueberries and Mentorship

by Eva Sailly
July 29, 2026

“The very fact that we’re growing blueberries at all is because of UF/IFAS. If we didn’t have those varieties, we wouldn’t be growing blueberries commercially. The breeding program is really what turned blueberries into an important ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Blueberry, Extension, Horticultural Sciences Department, Jeffrey Williamson, Retirement, Rootstock, Stone Fruit, Teaching, UF IFAS Horticultural Sciences, UF/IFAS CALS

Therapeutic Horticulture Program Finds a New Home

by Eva Sailly
June 17, 2026

Relocation from Wilmont to the Teaching Farm This summer, the UF/IFAS Therapeutic Horticulture Program is joining the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Teaching Farm, relocating from Wilmot Gardens. The move will connect the program more closely ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Blog Community, Events, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Community Programming, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Teaching Farm, Leah Diehl, Students, Teaching, Therapeutic Horticulture
Close-up of a researcher using fine tweezers to handle a small green plant sample on a glass slide under bright laboratory lighting.

Inside UF’s PMCB Program Shaping Interdisciplinary Scientists

by Eva Sailly
April 30, 2026

UF's Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (PMCB) Graduate Program grew from the understanding that addressing complex challenges in plant science requires collaboration.   Built Against the Grain Dr. Indra Vasil joined UF in 1967, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Horticultural Sciences Department, Hunter Strickland, Indra K. Vasil, Julia Ball, Ph.D., Plant Molecular And Cellular Biology, PMCB, Student, Teaching, Zhonglin Mou
Lauren Goldsby, UF/IFAS Extension Agent, leads a hands-on blueberry workshop for community members in Bay County.

Alumni Spotlight: Lauren Goldsby’s Path to Extension

by Eva Sailly
April 13, 2026

Lauren Goldsby’s path to becoming a UF/IFAS Extension Agent in Bay County, Florida's panhandle, wasn’t linear. During her undergraduate years at UF, she worked in the Forage Breeding and Genomics Lab and the Blueberry Breeding Lab, gaining ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Alumni, Alumni-feature, Bay County, Blueberry, Extension, Gerardo Nunez, Goldsby, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Plant Science, Student, Teaching, UF/IFAS CALS, UF/IFAS Extension

Introducing the New Multipurpose Building at the Horse Teaching Unit

by Magdalena Poleska
January 8, 2026

A fresh chapter is opening at UF’s Horse Teaching Unit (HTU). The new multipurpose building, scheduled for completion in early 2026, will provide modern living, learning, and working spaces for students and staff right on the Wall Farm property, ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Work & Life
Tags: Construction, Extension, Facilities, FPO, Horse Teaching Unit, IFAS Facilities, Students, Teaching
Dr. Huo surrounded by greenery inside an environmental horticulture ornamentals greenhouse with two of his students.

UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences expands as Environmental Horticulture faculty and staff join the department under a shared vision

by Eva Sailly
December 17, 2025

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is uniting faculty and staff from Environmental Horticulture with Horticultural Sciences Department, strengthening collaboration across teaching, research, and ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, Work & Life
Tags: Environmental Horticulture, Horticultural Sciences Department, One Horticulture, Plant Science, Teaching
close-up image of blueberries on a branch outside

Dr. Gerardo Nunez Named to Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty Class of 2025

by Eva Sailly
December 16, 2025

Dr. Gerardo Nunez, Assistant Professor of Horticultural Sciences, has been named to the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty Class of 2025, a national recognition honoring emerging leaders who are making meaningful contributions to the specialty ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Award, Blueberry, Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty, Gerardo Nunez, Horticultural Sciences, Nunez Lab, Plant Breeding, Small Fruit Horticulture Lab, Teaching, UF/IFAS CALS
Cacao pods on tree.

Alumni Spotlight: Breeding Climate-Resilient Cacao for Mars

by Eva Sailly
October 15, 2025

Dr. Ashley DuVal, an alumna of UF/IFAS with a Ph.D. in Horticultural Sciences, has built a career devoted to ensuring that chocolate has a sustainable future. Now a Senior Scientist and cacao breeder with Mars Wrigley, Dr. DuVal works ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Forests, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Agroforestry, Alumni, Alumni-feature, Cacao, Climate Resilience, Food Science, Horticultural Sciences, Mars, Plant Breeding, Sustainable Food Systems, Teaching

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