Texas A&M horticultural sciences students, faculty earn national recognition
Honors highlight the department’s research, leadership and academic excellence
Students and faculty within the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences were recognized across multiple categories by the American Society for Horticultural Science, ASHS.
They will be publicly recognized Aug. 3-7 in Dallas at the ASHS annual conference, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of horticultural scientists, educators and industry professionals.
The honors reflect the department’s commitment to excellence at every level — from the undergraduate classroom to faculty research.
Award winners
Amit Dhingra, Ph.D.
Amit Dhingra, Ph.D., department head and professor of integrated systems genomics and translational biotechnology in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, capped the department’s honors as the recipient of the ASHS Outstanding Researcher award.
Dhingra was recognized for his transformative contributions to horticultural genomics, fruit physiology and translational biotechnology. His research spanning plastid biology, postharvest ripening and a pioneering pangenome analysis of pear varieties has produced multiple licensed U.S. and international patents, seeded biotechnology companies and created more than 200 jobs.
ASHS also recognized Dhingra’s role in elevating the society’s scientific reach through nearly two decades of conference presentations, mentorship of more than 120 undergraduate and 20 graduate researchers and leadership initiatives that have strengthened ties among academia, industry stakeholders and growers.
Aidan Souder
Aidan Souder ’26, a Texas A&M AgriLife Undergraduate Research Scholar, earned the Outstanding Undergraduate Horticulture Student Award. He was recognized for an exceptional undergraduate career that spanned laboratory research — including projects in melon genetic engineering and grape tissue culture and genomic characterization — and high-profile industry internships, including a product development role with Ball FloraPlant that earned him recognition as the 2026 GPN/Prospiant Intern of the Year.
A College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Senior Merit Award recipient and president of the ASHS Southern Region American Collegiate Board, Souder credited his wide-ranging experiences within the department for shaping a clear professional mission: to bridge horticultural science and private industry through applied research.
Lauren Lassus
Lauren Lassus ’28 was named an ASHS Scholar. She earned the award based on the strength of her 4.0 GPA, extensive leadership as president of the Texas A&M Horticulture Club and her service as a Student Ambassador for the department.
Lassus also distinguished herself as a Peer Learning Assistant for the college class HORT 201 and led her club team to first place in the Plant Identification competition at the 2026 Southern Region ASHS Conference. Her internship with Nelson Plant Food further reinforced her vision of bridging plant science with horticultural business and marketing.
Michael Cook
Michael Cook ’26, a doctoral student in the department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service viticulture program specialist, received the Outstanding Graduate Horticulture Student award. serves 55 counties across North Texas as an AgriLife Extension viticulture specialist.
He has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his academic career while continuing his full-time specialist responsibilities, conducting research on sustainable irrigation management for Texas vineyards and mentoring undergraduate students. Cook’s nomination letters noted that his decade of field experience and rigorous graduate scholarship exemplify the land-grant mission at its best.
“These awards are a fantastic reflection of the talent, dedication and hard work our students and faculty deliver every day,” Dhingra said.
“For these students to be recognized at the national level by such a prestigious peer-driven organization is a significant achievement, and we are incredibly proud of everyone who was honored,” he said. “This is exactly the kind of impact we aspire to make as a department within a top land-grant institution — nurturing excellence at every stage of a student’s development while advancing research that matters to growers.”
