Freddy Mendez-Urbano, an M.S. student advised by OPGC Director Yu Ma, earned first place in the Graduate Student Poster Presentation at the 2026 Plant Science Symposium at The Ohio State University for his research on improving cold tolerance in begonias. His award-winning poster, “Enhancing Cold Tolerance in Begonia: Germplasm Characterization of Begonia grandis Under Cold Stress,” highlights the integration of traditional and high-throughput phenotyping approaches to evaluate plant responses to chilling and freezing conditions. The study identifies key cold-tolerant accessions, providing a foundation for future breeding efforts.