Category: UF/IFAS Teaching

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 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 Extension, UF/IFAS CALS
Potted plants being fertilized. Photo taken 09-30-25

Therapeutic Horticulture Program Awarded Burpee Grant

by Eva Sailly
March 31, 2026

On the south side of UF’s campus, between UF Health Shands Hospital and IFAS’s research greenhouses, is a small team making a deep impact. The greenhouse at Wilmot Botanical Gardens is home to UF’s Therapeutic Horticulture Program, where ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Community Volunteers, Health & Nutrition, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Community Engagement, Experiential Learning, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Horticulture Therapy, Leah Diehl, Mental Health, Student Health, Therapeutic Horticulture, Well-Being, Wilmot Gardens
Two images with a black gradient separating them; on the left are two Ph.D. students in Dr. Voiniciuc's lab working on the Botany Methods machinery; on the right is Dr. Voiniciuc inspecting the model.

Expanding Access to Lab Automation for Plant Science and Education

by Eva Sailly
March 2, 2026

In most molecular biology labs, progress still depends on highly manual workflows. From undergraduate students to senior postdoctoral fellows, a rese archer must carefully transfer microliter volumes of liquids by hand, often hundreds ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Biofoundry, Biotechnology, BOTany Methods, Catalin Voiniciuc, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Lab Automation, Moni Qiande, Ph.D Agronomy, Plant Physiology, Synbio, Voiniciuc Lab
Melanie Cabrera sits in a field of broccoli using a ruler to measure the crown.

Breeding Broccoli for Nutrition in a Warming World

by Eva Sailly
February 19, 2026

Broccoli is the classic example of a “healthy food”. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, it is linked to a lowered risk of chronic disease. However, as primarily a cool-season crop, broccoli is difficult to cultivate in warmer ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: AI, AI In Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Broccoli, Climate, Dr. Charlie Messina, Food Is Medicine, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Melanie Cabrera, New Publication, Nutrition, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, The Crop Transformation Center
Image of people (general public) walking through rows of strawberry fields as part of Greathouse's initiative.

Alumni Spotlight: Connecting Communities Back to Agriculture

by Eva Sailly
February 11, 2026

Extension From Day One Madelyn Greathouse is the UF/IFAS Extension Commercial Horticulture and Integrated Pest Management Agent serving Sumter and Pasco counties. She works with a wide range of growers, from blueberry and ornamental producers ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Alumni, Alumni Feature, Blueberry, Cade, Gerardo Nunez, Greathouse, Horticultural Sciences Department, Pasco County, Plant Science, Plant Science Major, St, Sumner County, UF IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS CALS, Undergraduate
Close-up of plant cells under the microscope, dyed a bright blue

Plant enzymes linked to fiber breakdown are shown to support dietary fiber biosynthesis

by Eva Sailly
January 20, 2026

Researchers in the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department have discovered that two plant enzymes, once thought to only break down fibers, are essential for sustaining the production of β-mannans, important carbohydrate polymers that help ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Biotechnology, Crop Improvement, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, New Phytologist, Plant Molecular Biology, Plant-based Products, Synbio, Voiniciuc Lab
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: Academics, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, 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: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Forests, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, 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
Brecht stands among many peaches with photos of tomatoes in blue bins and mangos surround him.

Dr. Jeffrey Brecht Retires After 40 Years in Postharvest

by Eva Sailly
September 16, 2025

When Dr. Jeffrey Brecht arrived at the University of Florida in 1984, fresh out of graduate school, he stepped into what would become his lifelong career. What began as a first job turned into four decades of research that advanced postharvest ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Dr. Jeffrey Brecht, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Mango, Postharvest And Handling, Tomato
A green sign with the words "the Organic Gators" written in white. The sign is posted in a garden.

Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Alice Pekarsky

by Eva Sailly
September 15, 2025

Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate – Senior (Junior Graduating Early)    Alice, originally from Flagler Beach, Florida, is among the last to graduate from UF’s horticulture major. During her undergraduate studies, she gained ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agriculture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Horticultural Sciences, Organic, Student, Teaching, UF/IFAS CALS, UF/IFAS TREC, Undergraduate

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