For most of 36 hours in late September, 44 University of Georgia graduate students hunkered down in the university’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and other locations around Athens scanning, analyzing and mapping data for UGA’s first Bayer-sponsored Hackathon.
The three-day hackathon tasked students with collaborating on data analysis to predict future crop yields and present their findings. The competition was a collaboration with Bayer Crop Science, the UGA Graduate School, and the Institute for Plant Genetics and Genomics (IPBGG) in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Congratulations to Raegan Wiggins of the Ozias-Akins Lab, who has been awarded the 2025 Georgia Seed Association Scholarship. This scholarship honors a deserving student attending a state university and pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field.
We also extend kudos to the recipients of the 2025 John Ingle Grants Program. These competitive grants support cultivar development by funding innovative research in plant breeding. This year’s awardees and their projects include:
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Dallas Kreisa (Li Lab)
Utilizing RNA-seq technology to identify candidate gene(s) associated with resistance to frogeye leaf spot for enhanced soybean breeding -
Ashmita Upadhyay (Clevenger Lab)
Accelerating pollinator-efficient blueberry breeding via high-throughput image phenotyping and long-read genotyping -
Tanner Hamerling (Ruter Lab)
Rediscovering Pycnanthemum torreyi: A field investigation of historical populations across the East Coast -
Prasanna Kharel (Ozias-Akins Lab)
Applying deep learning models to phenotype seed traits in a 16-way MAGIC peanut population -
Danielle Essandoh (S. Bertioli Lab)
High-throughput image-based phenotyping of leaf spot resistance in peanut lines derived from IAC 321 x [(A. magna x A. diogoi) 4x] -
Carlos Cardon (Postdoctoral Researcher, Ozias-Akins Lab)
Semi-automated system for low-cost phenotype data collection from drought study under rainout shelters
Before joining the University of Georgia, Sailaja Bhogireddy accumulated over 15 years of research experience in the fields of plant molecular biology, biotechnology, and functional genomics, with a strong focus on improving the resilience and productivity of cereal and legume crops. She completed her Ph.D. in Biotechnology and began her scientific career at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), where she served as a Senior Scientist in the Agricultural Biotechnology and Crop Improvement division.
IPBGG members David and Soraya Bertioli are internationally recognized pioneers in peanut genetics, whose groundbreaking work has reshaped the future of agriculture.
Originally from Brazil, the couple moved to Georgia in 2013 to establish the Wild Peanut Lab, a hub of innovation dedicated to unlocking the genetic secrets of wild peanut species. Their expertise was instrumental in a major genome mapping project, where they traced the lineage of a disease-resistant wild peanut—collected in 1934 in Bolivia—through 251 cultivated varieties across 29 countries. Their work not only bridges continents and centuries but also holds the key to more resilient, sustainable peanut crops worldwide.
Robin Buell, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics and Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
The NAS is dedicated to:
- Recognizing and elevating outstanding science
- Fostering the broad understanding of science
- Overseeing the National Research Council in producing and promoting the adoption of independent, authoritative, trusted scientific advice to the government for the benefit of society