Speakers
Paul Fisher, Professor and Floriculture Extension Specialist in the Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida
Paul is a Professor and Floriculture Extension Specialist in the Horticultural Sciences Dept. at the University of Florida. He is a Co-Director of the Floriculture Research Alliance (https://FloricultureAlliance.org) university/industry consortium. His research focus is on root zone management, plant propagation, and modeling. Paul directs Greenhouse Training Online (https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/training), which provides English/Spanish online courses for greenhouse and nursery growers.
Julie Graesch, Technical Services Manager, Greatlakes Region, BioWorks, Inc.
Julie has 20 years of experience as a biological scientist, practiced in laboratory, greenhouse, and field research as well as technical service support for the integrated pest management industry. She has been with BioWorks for 7 years and has previously held positions at BASF, Becker Underwood, and Iowa State University.
Royal Heins, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University & Adjunct Professor, Utah State University
Dr. Royal Heins is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University and adjunct Professor Utah State University. He spent 25 years on the faculty at Michigan State University before retiring in 2004 to work in the private sector. Dr. Heins has received numerous awards including the prestigious Distinguished Faculty Award by Michigan State University. At MSU, Dr. Heins taught courses in floriculture crop production and greenhouse environmental physiology. His major research interests were flowering physiology, the quantification of plant responses to the environment, and the development of decision-support tools for growers in the greenhouse industry. After retiring from MSU, Dr. Heins has consulted with greenhouse companies throughout the United States. In 2007, he became President and CEO of Oro Farms, a company producing unrooted cuttings of annuals and perennials in Guatemala. He received Greenhouse Grower’s Medal of Excellence Industry Achievement Award in 2018 and currently continues to consult with greenhouse growers and serve on PhD graduate committees.
Evan Alderman, Co-Coordinator & Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Specialist with the Pesticide Safety Education Program, Iowa State University.
Evan coordinates and produces all specialty crop pesticide continuing instruction courses for the state of Iowa, training approximately 10,000 applicators each year. Evan’s background includes a BS degree from Iowa State University in Horticulture with an emphasis in Turfgrass Management and a MS degree from Kansas State University in Horticulture with an emphasis in Turfgrass Science.
Chris Currey, Associate Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University and Extension and Outreach Horticulture State Specialist
Chris received his B.S. in Horticulture and M.S. in Applied Plant Science from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in Horticulture at Purdue University. His controlled-environment and greenhouse crop research is focused on providing research-based best-management practices to support commercial producers of ornamental and food crops to improve productivity, profitability, and sustainability using and managing light, temperature, mineral nutrition, and plant growth regulators.