Plants, People, Science
Horticultural science is the only discipline that incorporates both the science and aesthetics of plants. It is the science and art of producing edible fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and ornamental plants, improving and commercializing them. Plants, People, Science, a podcast by the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), will bring you the recent advancements in science, technology, innovation, development, and education for economically important horticultural crops and plants. Each episode features an interview with an American Society for Horticultural Science member, a discussion of their current work in the field, and the story behind their research. ASHS members focus on practices and problems in horticulture: breeding, propagation, production and management, harvesting, handling and storage, processing, marketing and use of horticultural plants and products. In this podcast, you will hear from diverse members across the horticultural community - scientists, educators, students, landscape and turf managers, government, extension agents, and industry professionals.
Plants, People, Science
Ready for ASHS: Tips and Tricks for Conference Success
Unlock the secrets to making the most of the American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference with insider tips from seasoned attendees. As the 2025 New Orleans conference approaches (July 28-August 1), discover strategies that transform overwhelming events into career-defining opportunities.
Veteran conference-goer Curt Rom (46 conferences and counting!) and graduate student Samson Humphrey share perspectives on navigating everything from travel logistics to networking techniques. They reveal how to leverage the conference app to build a personalized schedule, position yourself for meaningful connections at poster sessions, and deliver polished presentations that showcase your research.
The conversation goes beyond academic presentations to highlight often-overlooked opportunities like resume reviews that provide one-on-one career guidance, competitions that can earn recognition and rewards, and the critical importance of informal gatherings where "the real science often happens."
Whether you are presenting research, seeking career opportunities, or simply looking to expand your professional network, this episode provides actionable strategies for every conference situation. The hosts emphasize that while the science is central, it's the relationships formed over beignets at Café Du Monde or during the annual 5K Fun Run that often prove most valuable to your career.
Download the ASHS conference app today, build your profile, and start planning your personalized conference experience. https://ashs.org/page/ASHSAnnualConference
Learn more about the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) at https://ashs.org/.
HortTechnology, HortScience and the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science are all open-access and peer-reviewed journals, published by the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS). Find them at journals.ashs.org.
Consider becoming an ASHS member at https://ashs.org/page/Becomeamember!
You can also find the official webpage for Plants, People, Science at ashs.org/plantspeoplesciencepodcast, and we encourage you to send us feedback or suggestions at https://ashs.org/webinarpodcastsuggestion.
Podcast transcripts are available at https://plantspeoplescience.buzzsprout.com.
On LinkedIn find Sam Humphrey at linkedin.com/in/samson-humphrey. Curt Rom is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-rom-611085134/. Lena Wilson is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-wilson-2531a5141/.
Thank you for listening!
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Welcome to Plants, People, Science. A podcast of the American Society for Horticultural Science where we talk about all things horticulture.
Samson Humphrey:I'm Samson Humphrey. I'm a PhD student researcher at the University of Tennessee and I'm one of your co-hosts. Hi, samson.
Curt Rom:I'm Curt Rom, your other co-host, a university professor of horticulture at the University of Arkansas. I'd like to welcome our audience today. You know, Samson, the annual conference is coming up. It is July 28 to August 1. It's right around the corner and I'm starting to really think about getting ready for it.
Samson Humphrey:You are I started six months ago.
Curt Rom:Well, actually I probably did too, because I had to submit my abstract, which meant I had to prepare my talk, I had to do my registration, make my hotel preparations, made my travel reservations, but I mean, I'm really getting ready for it now.
Samson Humphrey:It really is one of the big events of the year for me too. I have gone four times, and I'm very proud of that. What about you, kurt?
Curt Rom:Well, I've been going a little longer. I think I've been going for 45 years. This will be number 46. But I love going to every one because I learn something new every time. I meet old friends, I make new friends. My professional network keeps growing. It's really wonderful in that regard. So, even though I've been a couple times, every conference has its own personality and they seem really new. So I'm looking forward to it.
Samson Humphrey:Really, everyone seems so different to you, even after all these times.
Curt Rom:Well, you know, we have a different location every time and since it's a science conference, everybody's presenting new science. So this is how you can kind of measure science going forward. And so they are all unique and they all have a personality and they all kind of have a theme and the weather's different. You know, last year we were in Hawaii, this year it's at New Orleans, and so we're going to eat that great you know Louisiana cooking and we're going to hear Cajun accents. So there's a personality to the conference.
Samson Humphrey:That's true. I guess I think of things a little bit differently. I think about, like, the things that I'm looking forward to, the things I'm excited for. I think of the like fun workshops I've been to and they in my head they blend together a little bit just because they're like wonderful snippets in time, but they kind of like build upon each other year after year. Like if I join the research interest group a couple of years ago I joined for the first time and then the next year I joined again. It still feels like one cohesive storyline to me. I don't know. I really have enjoyed my time going.
Curt Rom:Well, you're right in that it is a continuum of experiences, but I still think everyone's unique. This one promises to be really wonderful being back in New Orleans. It's been a long time since we've been there and I think we'll enjoy it. So, Samson, as you're getting ready, what are some of the tips that you have learned about how to prepare and get ready to go?
Samson Humphrey:Well, with my depth of four times joining, I have lots of deep experience. Maybe you'll learn something, Curt. So I am actually I'm still kind of new to traveling. I have had issues in the past with posters and bringing posters on the planes. In recent years there have been more issues with bringing posters, and so we'll talk a bit about posters in a few minutes specifically. But traveling is definitely something I start planning a couple weeks in advance. I have a whole list. I need to remember my belt, like small things, medications, my contact solution, you know, just having that full list really helps me. But you're very used to traveling, Curt, I'm sure you already knew all that.
Curt Rom:Well, you know, it is pretty casual, so I think people can dress casually. You know, if you're making a presentation whether it's post or oral presentation you want to, of course, wear professional attire for know if you're making a presentation, whether it's a poster or oral presentation, you want to, of course, wear professional attire for that. If you're doing a resume review or if you're being interviewed for a position, you want to make sure that you take the right clothes for the kinds of activities and events. But there's also all these casual events and other activities. But there's also all these casual events and other activities. So I think the most important thing to do is, in planning to determine even what to pack and what to bring, is to download the app and start to look at the program and see the activities that you want to go to, and then you can kind of plan what you need to take so that you already know what the activities are. You already know what you want to do and you start putting that together and that will help you in your packing.
Curt Rom:Yeah, posters we're excited about that. We haven't had to travel with posters since pre-pandemic. This is the first year we're going to have physical posters back, but they do always pose a little bit of a problem. It almost looks like you're taking fly fishing gear to New Orleans, but it's really going to be a poster.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely, but it's a way to make friends too. One of my first ASHS friends I met on the airplane because I saw someone else on a connecting flight with a poster and I said, oh boy, I bet that person's going to ASHS. And they were, and we had a wonderful conversation. So there's a lot to look forward to there. But, Curt, you mentioned an app. Could you go into detail about what that app is?
Curt Rom:Yeah, so there is an app. You go to the conference website. So if you go to the American Society for Horticultural Science webpage, ashsorg, right on the top banner you'll see a link to conferences and then, with the conference page, there's conference information, and so there is an app that can be downloaded to your portable device, your handheld you know whether it be a phone or a pad kind of device and you can then go through that and select the conference part, the parts of the conference program that you would like to attend. If you don't have a handheld device and you're more bound to a computer, you can actually go through the entire program on your computer as well. Now, an important part of both the app and the conference program is you can build your own conference profile so you can put in your name, your contact information, you can download a photograph if you would like, and that gives you a way to interact and start networking with people that you would like to make sure to make connection with at the conference. So you can even look at who's going to speak. If there's a talk that you want to go to that you really want to hear that. That information about a crop or a discipline or a commodity or a technique. You can send that speaker a note through the app or the conference program to connect so they know that you want to engage with them. And so I really encourage everybody to build their conference profile.
Curt Rom:One more thing Some people, and especially maybe people my age, don't want to carry around any kind of technological device. You don't want to carry a handheld or your laptop or an iPad or whatever. You can't print the program and when you register there is a conference at a glance that will list all of the various sessions on about a three-page conference at a glance. That will list all of the various sessions on about a three-page conference at a glance and so you can pick that up at the conference registration. So several ways that you know where to get the information. But really, samson, remember to build your profile inside of the app so that everybody can connect.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely so. These are all things that anyone can do at the conference to be more prepared and to be more proactive in making those connections. There's also an interesting way I really like to join the interest groups ahead of time. Those professional interest groups you can find there's a huge list on the ASHS website ASHSorg. like I mentioned the research interest group and it's about research more like philosophically and broadly than just like a very specific. Um, I think we've talked about the ornamental research professional interest group in the past and so if you join these interest groups ahead of time through the ASHS website, you'll get their emails about things like meetings they'll have and what they plan to talk about. So even though you have added already the interest group, like meeting times, using your schedule and using the app, you can get more information on things they might be planning if you join through the ASHS website ahead of time.
Curt Rom:Yeah, that's a really good point because the interest groups do have various workshops as well as business meetings, so it's a great way again to build your network and your connections.
Samson Humphrey:Yeah, and I don't know if any other interest group does this, but the undergraduate interest group and the graduate student interest group have previously used WhatsApp text chats, and so sometimes people will help find each other a roommate for the conference, or maybe they'll schedule like an informal coffee meeting and a bunch of people will show up, and so some things like that can be a really great way to make friends at your first time at the conference.
Curt Rom:That's a great approach, a pro tip, Samson, Thanks for passing that on. But yeah, there's then all of the behind the scenes. You know the group me's and the WhatsApp chats. So I think that helps connect people as well.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely Okay. So our members have prepared for the conference, they're ready, they're traveling and they arrive at the conference. Kurt, let's start talking about the tips you have for during the conference.
Curt Rom:Well, again, it's a general conference and also I'll call it an open conference that everybody is invited to every kind of activity and event.
Curt Rom:There are some closed ticketed events, there are some tours, there's some luncheon events that you have to buy a ticket for in advance, but one of the great things about this conference and about horticulture is the diversity we have. So there are a number of concurrent sessions, so there may be 10 to 15 sessions going on at the same time, and when you're planning your conference you can go from one session to another session. This is part of the planning. You know, know what talks you want to go to, and so if you go into a room and there might be during a session, there might be 10 talks and you only want to listen to two, just stay for those two. You're welcome to get up and leave quietly and politely, of course, in between, whether the next person is getting ready to speak or during the Q&A session, and you can go to a different session and hear another talk. But you have to navigate all of these concurrent sessions. But it's open. You can come and go when you need to come and go, absolutely.
Samson Humphrey:Yeah, I love going to talks of my friends, even if they study completely different things, and so I have used the ASHS website and you can just search the person's name and it shows out. It shows all of the locations and all the times that that person is presenting, and so it makes it really easy to jump in for that one talk and then leave after that one talk if you're really busy that day, or one thing that I think you said this, kurt, that I thought was really interesting If there's a technique that you want to learn or that's really important to you, you could use that search function as well and you could search for that technique and find all the talks. Regardless of what other like parent session that talk is in, you could find those talks. And if you want to, like Kurt said, it's an open door conference If you just want to walk in for that one, you can.
Curt Rom:Yeah, you know, samson, that's correct. So I know you're working on LED lighting systems and artificial lighting. So you know you could search through the program for all talks on LED. Some are going to be on ornamental crops, some might be on small fruits, some might be on tree fruits, some might be for laboratory lighting, some might be for supplemental greenhouse lighting. But if you're interested in LED and you search for LED, you'll find all of those talks and they might not be directly related to what you're working on but they're tangentially related and it'd be worthwhile for you to look at those and kind of broaden yourself with inside of your topic interest?
Samson Humphrey:Oh, absolutely, and then you can also see what other talks are before and after that one, and maybe they're not related, but maybe they're really interesting too. There are other things, too, to attend during the conference. Kurt, do you want to talk about networking?
Curt Rom:Well it is.
Curt Rom:I think probably one of the most important things about the ASHS conferences is the building your network and connecting, and so all across the conference center, there will be a coffee table set up, stand up tables, there'll be chairs, there are sitting areas inside of the trade show area.
Curt Rom:But the number one rule is, when you check in, you'll be given a name badge, and I like to say we're a first name society, so your first name will likely be larger than your last name. We don't necessarily go by titles, but wear a name badge all the time so that you can be identified by other people and you'll be able to read their name tag as well, and there's no problem with looking at people's name tag and introducing yourself. So wearing your name tag is important. You do have to wear your name tag to get into some of the sessions as well, so your name tag is the first step in networking, but then don't be afraid to walk up and introduce yourself to speakers or those people that you've seen their profile on the app, so that you want to meet them and visit with them.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely, and our name tags also can have little flags on them. I don't know what those are called, little pieces of fabric that say like undergraduate student or moderator Kurt. What are some examples of those?
Curt Rom:Well, we have some. We have a tag for first timers.
Curt Rom:We have a tag for award winners. Tag for award winners, we have a tag for board members and various leadership capacity inside of the society. And that reminds me of something else. Actually, for first timers if you're a first timer coming to the conference we do have at the very, very beginning a session just on how to navigate the conference, how to get through it, you know, and what are the rules for the conference? I like to say there are no rules for the conference other than to be engaged and be polite. So I encourage first-timers to come to the first-timer session in orientation to the conference, because that will lay out the conference schedule and go over things that go on there.
Curt Rom:Another thing for networking is we have, when you register it's at no cost there's an opening reception. So lots of good food and beverages and it's a great time, for here we are a thousand plus people all in this one area. We're wearing our name tags. It's the very beginning. It's a great time to connect with old friends and to make new friends and really to build that network. So go to that first session on orientation to the conference and then make sure to go to the opening reception so that you can meet people.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely. Yeah, it's so fascinating because it's so many people. It sounds really overwhelming a thousand people at the reception. But so, especially if you're a first timer, this advice is for you. It's just making friends. It's so much fun because everyone is so approachable and is so excited to talk, even if it's not about their research, even if it's just about what they did today. Everyone is very approachable and just it's a lot of fun to make friends in this group. So it's a wonderful time, even if it does sound a little bit intense, you'll have fun.
Curt Rom:You know we have a lot of great activities for students, both undergraduate students, graduate students and early career professionals. So there is a career professional development forum. It starts a little bit after 1.30 on Monday, july 28th. There'll be sessions there and presentations on careers in horticulture, a networking jam session, making the right connections, finding your rhythm in your career, and then that's going to be followed by a career and graduate school fair Monday evening four o'clock to five o'clock. There'll be some additional career development sessions on Tuesday and continuing throughout the entire conference. And there's even if you meet all of the requirements, there's a professional development certificate that if you go to these activities and go to some of the keynote addresses, go to the career fair, you'll be presented with a certificate for professional development. So a lot of good opportunities for first timers, for students, graduate students and early career professionals.
Samson Humphrey:Oh, absolutely. I want to take a little bit of a pivot because a lot of the people most of the people attending this conference are usually giving some sort of talk or giving some sort of presentation. So, Kurt, could you talk a little bit about the posters that are presented at ASHS?
Curt Rom:Sure, I love the poster session. So there's probably going to be 300 to 400 posters. They are organized kind of topically. There are various sessions of the posters. The posters will be up throughout the majority of the conference, but we do have scheduled poster sessions. So, for instance, if I was giving a poster, the poster will be hanging all week long and you'll have my contact information there. But there will be a two-hour period where I will stand in front of my poster and so those people that are interested can come visit with me about that.
Curt Rom:So again, this is part of planning on your app finding out, looking at the posters that you're interested in, finding out when that poster session is, so that you can go visit with the author of that poster. But you can walk through the posters at any time. Now one of my tricks is I identify the posters that I am kind of interested in so that I rank them. It's kind of a first order view. I walk through and I look at the posters and then I identify the posters where I really want to talk to the author and I put that into my program schedule so that I get my notification. This poster is being discussed today at one to three o'clock on Tuesday. I know I can go there and meet with the author, but I spend a lot of time in the posters. With 400 posters, uh, I gain a whole lot of information. You know, they're digestible, they're visual. Uh, the poster session's a lot of fun and there's always so much conversation in the poster sessions Absolutely.
Samson Humphrey:And it's fun for you. You're talking about going and seeing everyone's posters. I'm thinking from the presenter's perspective. I think it's a lot of fun to present a poster too, because you get all these like truly wise scientists who have been in your field for potentially decades and they really care, they really want to know about the work that you did. So I've had some really wonderful conversations not just questions, but conversations about the work that just can't happen anywhere else. So I love giving these poster talks as well.
Samson Humphrey:So when you're preparing to give your poster presentation, I recommend you have a backup in place, backup in place, a backup, just in case you can't take the poster or print the poster in time for the conference. It just for peace of mind. It helps to know that there's a local place that you can have your poster printed Some sort of staples or something that is close enough to the conference venue that you know that you could get to it if everything else failed to the conference venue, that you know that you could get to it if everything else failed. You could also print your poster on fabric ahead of time, before the conference. Fabric folds up and can unfold much more easily than paper, and so it's slightly more expensive to print, but that's another option for you if you're presenting a poster and looking forward to that.
Curt Rom:Yeah, some other things I do for poster presentations. I actually I've got my poster up on the poster board but I print five by 11 copies of my poster and I might print 25 or 50 of them and I put them in a folder down below my poster so that people that come see my poster, if they want to take a copy of it with them, they can take it. Granted, it can be a little small, but I'm aware of the typeface to make it large enough that they can see it, but it gives them a reminder. It also gives them my contact information. So if they want to follow up but that's something I typically do is to print 25 or 50 copies of my poster on eight and a half by 11. And I attach it in by with the folder down below my poster and that way if I'm not standing there and somebody wants it, they can pick it up. I also will put copies of my business cards there as well. That is awesome.
Samson Humphrey:If I had a printout of one of your posters from 45 years ago, I would have it framed on the wall today. That would be so cool, Kurt.
Curt Rom:Well, I'm not sure I did it. 45 years ago I probably. I am sure I learned that from somebody else. By seeing what they were doing. I thought, oh, that's a great idea. And I got home and I'd had maybe 10 people's copies like that myself. So I've started doing that.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely. Yeah, there's so much you learn over the years attending these conferences. All right, so, in addition to posters, people give oral presentations. What are your thoughts on that?
Curt Rom:Well, the oral presentations last 15 minutes and hypothetically, the presenter should prepare somewhere between 11 and 12 minutes of oral presentation. So realistically that's going to be somewhere around 15 slides and then leave two to three minutes or four minutes at the end for questions and answer, and so I think it's real important that you practice that Now. You will receive those are the people that are presenting oral sessions will receive an email that they should download their oral presentation prior to arrival. Not everybody gets that done in time and in fact there's been times I didn't get mine done in time to submit it before I was traveling, so I had to bring it with me.
Curt Rom:I would always recommend bringing a backup copy, and it should be a backup copy on a USB thumb drive, because it's downloaded to the central system and then from the central system it's sent electronically to the presentation room, and so that's the advantage of sending in advance. You can walk in and you hit your talk and it pops up, but there can be problems sometimes. So I think it's always good to have a backup of a USB drive. Bring that with you. If you didn't get it submitted in advance, you can go to the speaker ready room and download your talk. The speaker ready room is also there. So if you want to preview your talk before you give it, you can go and call your talk up, look at it, make sure that it all looks right, that it translated right when you sent it and submitted it.
Samson Humphrey:Yeah, yeah, great points, kurt. I really appreciate that mention about the USB drive. I don't know if you know this about me, kurt, even though we've been friends for quite a while now. I have great pride in being the USB friend out of my group. I'm the one who carries the USB drive and I have like six people who all put their talks onto it and I'm like the one that they go to, and so I don't know, maybe that's another way you could make friends at the conferences to be that reliable person, just by having one little USB $10. It's nothing.
Curt Rom:That's great. You know the other thing now that you think, now that you mentioned that you know, when you hear a really good talk that you really like, you might want to go to that author and say are you willing to share your talk with me? And so if you have your laptop or your iPad and a USB drive, you might be able to receive a copy, but you need to ask permission to do that. Another kind of pro tip is that I practice. So I mean, I've been going a long time and I've taught a lot of classes, but I always get a little nervous before I talk and so I always go to the room where I'm going to give my presentation the night before or sometime before, so I can get a feel for the room, I know where the podium is going to be, I know where the screen is going to be, I know what the clicker looks like, I know where the laser pointer is and I can get situated and I can get comfortable.
Curt Rom:So I really encourage people that are giving oral presentations get comfortable with the space. Do that a day or two before Just walk in there so you know what it's like at the front of that room and it's a lot easier when there's nobody sitting in the chairs, so you can get comfortable with that part of it where you're going to be and how you're going to give your talk. And then, when people come in and fill it up to listen to what you've got to say, you already know where you are, how things are going to operate, how the equipment works. So prepare for that beforehand.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely, absolutely. You could also go. I like to do this. Going ahead of time like 15 minutes or 20 minutes is what I target before the talks are scheduled to begin, because then you can make sure your file is on their computer like it's supposed to be. But also you get to sit there as people come in and you get to say good morning and, like, start conversations, because they're excited to be there too, and it'll be some other presenters, and so that's another way to make friends. At the conferences you, you get to actually make conversation with the people that'll be watching you and and and trying to learn about your research.
Curt Rom:Yeah, it's good, and every session has a moderator. So it's if you're a speaker, it's important or it's good for you to go meet your moderator, introduce them because they're going to introduce you and find out how are they going to keep time. Are they going to stand up when you're at 11 or 12 minutes? Are they going to hold up a sign? Are they going to hold up a finger, or are they just going to stand up at 14 minutes and say thank you very much for your talk? We're ready for the next one. So it's always good to go meet your moderator, find out how they're going to moderate the session and, if you're a speaker, be mindful of your time, because the schedule's very tight and the people are speaking after you. They want to give their talk too and you want to hear their talk, so you want to make sure that you finish up in a timely manner, turn your presentation back over to the moderator so they can moderate the question and answer and then move on to the next speaker.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely Okay. So imagine you've come ahead of time, your file is good, you've presented your talk, you've done it in a timely manner and now you have like two or three or maybe four minutes of question and answer Kurt, who can ask questions?
Curt Rom:That's a great question. So the answer to the question is anybody can ask questions. So, again, this is where there's no rule. So it doesn't matter if you're an undergraduate student or if you've been going to these meetings for 45 years. If you have a relevant question to ask about the presentation that was just made, raise your hand to be called on and you can ask that question. Called on and you can ask that question. So there's no rule that says some people can ask questions and some people should not ask questions. If you have a relevant question to ask, it should be asked because more than likely, somebody else is thinking it and they may not have the courage to ask. So ask it, so everybody can know.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely Fantastic advice, kurt. Thank you. I do love the question and answer section. I feel like that's a lot of people a lot of my peers at least seem to see it as like the most stressful part because they don't know what will happen. But it always ends up being a bit fun. A lot of this conference stuff ends up being a bit fun.
Samson Humphrey:There are many, many other events pivoting away from oral presentations. There are many other events you can attend as well. One example I want to give that you may not give a second thought to, because there's so much else going on at the conference, is resume reviews. Now again, there's a lot going on at the conference, but resume reviews only take I think it's 15 or 30 minutes, and they repeatedly, for me, have been one of my favorite parts of the ASHS conference, because what you do is you can have your resume on your laptop, if you'd like digitally, or you can print out.
Samson Humphrey:If you're prepared more prepared than I am you can print out a copy of your resume and you bring it to the resume review area and they'll have multiple scientists there who are reviewing other resumes and so they'll pair you with the scientist and you get to sit down with that person one-on-one at a little table and they look it over and they ask you questions like are you interested in industry, are you interested in government?
Samson Humphrey:What would someone be looking for on your resume? And then they take that very wise, informed perspective and they give you very direct feedback on the things you can improve on. Now, for me, I've had phenomenal tips on little things I could do to improve my resume, but I've also had maybe more impactful were the conversations I had on like the things that I should value and consider doing in the future that would help me toward my career goals. And so they're. Not only are there like little change that font sort of small advice pieces given, but also much deeper, much more philosophical and long term advice as well. So that's one of the other events I love. Kurt, what other events do you love at ASHS?
Curt Rom:Well related to the resume review. There is a career center, so a lot of departments and programs and agencies and organizations and institutions. When you're looking for horticulturists to fill positions, whether they be entry-level positions or faculty kinds of positions, what better place than to go to a horticultural conference? So there's a career center there and so if you're looking for a position you can drop your resume off. If you want to look at what's available, there are usually anywhere from 20 to 50 kind of open positions and you can schedule an opportunity for a little bit of a pre-interview with another conferency that might be representing that that position. You know, for instance, I know we're going to be looking, my university is going to be looking for some positions. We look for graduate positions, postdoc positions, research, technician positions. So we always have a couple announcements there and this is kind of our first screening. This is a little bit of the dating. So the career ceremony, I mean the career center, is one of those places that I really like to go to.
Curt Rom:There's also a whole bunch of competitions. I mean, we're scientists but maybe we're a little competitive. For instance, there's an early career competition for professionals that have been in the first five to seven years of their career. There are the three-minute thesis competition that we call the Scholars Ignite three-minute presentations. That's always lots of fun. That's kind of a lightning round of talks about exciting things people are doing. There's undergraduate poster and oral competition. There's a graduate student poster competition. There's a trivia night for students that's lots of fun. There's a controlled environment oral competition for graduate students, a floriculture oral competition for graduate students, plant growth regulator oral competition for graduate students, ornamental plant breeding oral competition so lots of fun ways to engage. And competitions means awards and it usually means money and so great way to showcase what you're doing in your work, to show that you are competitive and maybe to receive an acknowledgement, award and reward for the work that you're doing. And then there are just some really fun things.
Curt Rom:So this year we brought something back that I always enjoy. For those of us that like to move, we're going to have a 5K fun run and walk and this is open to everybody. It is a competition. There are prizes given in age categories and gender categories, but really it's about just having fun. So a number of times I have run those and sometimes, you know, especially if I'm the youngest in my age category I've done a little bit better than when I'm the oldest in my age category, but it's just the fun of it. We get a T-shirt that's always fun to wear. This year, just because I haven't decided yet, my running is not up to where it should be. I might just be walking it this year. Just because I haven't decided yet, my running is not up to where it should be. I might just be walking it this year, but it's really fun. It's the 5k fun, run, walk kind of activity. Just lots of other things besides science presentations. Great ways again to make friends, build your network and to engage as a professional horticulturist.
Samson Humphrey:Absolutely. But, kurt, I don't believe you for one second. I'm going to be at that finish line and you're going to be the first one over. I can see it right now.
Curt Rom:Well, I do have, unfortunately, a little bit of a competitive streak in me, but I also recognize that at my age I'm not running at the speed that I did 30 years ago.
Samson Humphrey:Yeah, too much of your blood flow is working on your brain. It's too much brain power, I think, is what's going on All right. So one other thing I wanted to mention before we wrap up at the tail of our little other events discussion is events that aren't aren't official. I really love that most of the meals are not actually there aren't. Usually.
Samson Humphrey:There aren't always events going on during mealtimes during breakfast, lunch and dinner and so that makes it really easy for me to ask other scientists and ask my friends that I might only see once a year to have breakfast with me and to just chat and catch up. Or maybe you'll be invited to another lab's annual catch-up event I know I've been invited to some that I felt very honored to be invited to of other labs in my field that are just open to talking with students that are not part of their labs, and getting that different perspective is really wonderful, as well as catching up with friends. So I would advise you to also consider being proactive and talking with people and asking them to have a meal with you or asking them to meet up after certain talks. There's so much to look forward to at these conferences, any last thoughts, kurt.
Curt Rom:Well, I agree with that. You know, I think, finding people to go to Cafe Du Monde and have beignets for breakfast you need to find somebody to do that. You need to find some friends to go eat some crawfish with and you know New Orleans has this area of Bourbon Street. You ought to find some friends and just go out and experience the culture of New Orleans with some friends. We're focused on the science and the aspects of the science, but really one of the highlights is being with your buddies and going out and having that common experience enjoying a good meal, enjoying an evening out. That's maybe where the real science occurs. The presentations and the posters are where we just talk about it, but where we really get down to the nitty gritty and think about it, where the real idea is an inspiration. They're probably going to come sitting around a table somewhere.
Samson Humphrey:With like-minded peers from different universities and all sorts of different people getting together to talk about their thoughts Wonderful way, I agree with that.
Curt Rom:It's going to be a great conference. I mean, it's just jam-packed with things. Again, prepare in advance that's a big part of it. Look at the program. There's so much going on. You need to develop your schedule and your schedule will show up in your calendar and you'll get your notifications that it's time to go and be where you need to be and then just come ready to have a great time.
Samson Humphrey:I'm pumped, Kurt. That's what I'm going to go do right now. So where can our listeners go to learn more?
Curt Rom:Again. Go to the American Society for Horticulture Science website, ashsorg. Right on the top banner, you'll see a link that says Conference and you click on that Conference and it'll take you to a smaller green box menu that has a whole bunch of information, including frequently asked questions, all of the various activities and the information about downloading the app, as well as the entire conference schedule, as you'll be able to see. So that's where to start out, ashsorg.
Samson Humphrey:Amazing. Thank you so much for this conversation, Kurt. This was a delight.
Curt Rom:Oh, it was so much fun and I'm excited about the conference. I know I need to practice my talk a little bit more, but I've got a couple of weeks to get that done and I haven't gone through everything I want to do yet. But I'm looking forward to seeing my friends there, my colleagues there. Samson, I'm looking forward to seeing you there.
Samson Humphrey:I can't wait. Thank you for listening everyone. I can't wait, Thank you for listening everyone.
Curt Rom:The ASHS podcast Plants, people and Science is made possible by member dues and volunteerism. Please go to ashsorg to learn more. If you're not already a member of the ASHS, we invite you to join. Ashs is a not-for-profit and your donations are tax deductible.
Samson Humphrey:This episode was hosted by Samson Humphrey and Kurt Rome. Special thanks to our audio engineer, andrew Sheldorf, our research specialists Lena Wilson and Andrew Sheldorf, our ASHS support team, sarah Powell and Sally Murphy, and our musician John Clark. Thanks for listening. Thank you.