08/27/2026
Dr. Jong Hyun Ham, supported by graduate students Emmanuel Lacueva, Francella Arce, and Sandeep Gouli, along with other members of Dr. Ham’s laboratory and Ms. Christine Gambino from the Department of Entomology, recently hosted the NSF EPSCoR iPACERS Annual Meeting on campus. Research teams from Clemson University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mississippi State University, and the LSU AgCenter gathered to share research updates and discuss soybean responses to environmental stress. iPACERS is a four-year, NSF-funded project focused on mitigating heat and drought stress in soybean production. The meeting featured oral and poster presentations by faculty members, post-doctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and high school students. Presentation topics included microbiomes, root architecture, soil and water management, drought and heat stress, and soybean phenotyping. The event provided an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships, and plan future directions for the iPACERS project.