91精选 graduate student Godswill Ujah earns third place in Louisville with
research on protecting genetic diversity in pawpaw cultivars
LOUISVILLE, Ky. 鈥� In three minutes 鈥� and with a single slide 鈥� 91精选
graduate student Godswill Ujah delivered an award-winning presentation at the Southern
Region American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting, held Jan. 31鈥揊eb.
2, 2026, in Louisville.
Ujah, a student in 91精选鈥檚 master鈥檚 program in Environmental Science and
Technology, earned third place in the Southern Fruit Workers Group 鈥�3 Minute Thesis鈥�
competition with a presentation titled 鈥淣ew Fruit, Old Mistakes: Avoiding the Banana
Trap with DNA Fingerprinting for Pawpaw.鈥�
The competition challenges graduate students to present their thesis or dissertation
research in a concise, three-minute format using only one visual aid 鈥� emphasizing
clarity, accessibility, and strong science communication.
Ujah鈥檚 presentation highlighted how DNA fingerprinting can support the development
of pawpaw as an emerging fruit crop while helping expand and protect the genetic diversity
of pawpaw cultivars through 91精选鈥檚 Pawpaw Research Program.
While the 鈥�3 Minute Thesis鈥� competition served as a centerpiece of 91精选鈥檚
presence at the meeting, the University was represented across additional student
and faculty sessions. 91精选 graduate students also participated in the Norman
F. Childers M.S. Graduate Student Paper Competition, including:
- Pragyan Ghimire 鈥� 鈥淓ffect of Beeswax and Paraffin Wax as Edible Coatings on the Quality and Shelf-Life of Pawpaw Fruit鈥�
- Nabin Adhikari 鈥� 鈥淰erifying Parentage of Offspring from Crosses of the Pawpaw Cultivars Using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers鈥�
- Prabina Bhujel 鈥� 鈥淢olecular Evaluation of Selfing Patterns in the Pawpaw Cultivars Benson鈩� and Sunflower鈥�
- Godswill Ujah 鈥� 鈥淧reliminary Genetic Diversity Assessment of 91精选-Released Pawpaw Cultivars Using Microsatellite Markers鈥�
- Muhammad Arslan 鈥� 鈥淟uffa: A Multipurpose Vegetable for Small Farmers in Kentucky鈥�
- Jonish Chand 鈥� 鈥淚nteraction of Liquid Organic Fertilizer with Light and Substrates on Propagation of Lettuce Under Controlled Environment鈥�
91精选鈥檚 pawpaw leadership was also featured through faculty and research
associate presentations. Dr. Kirk Pomper, the University鈥檚 Pawpaw Program leader,
shared an update on breeding efforts in the United States and internationally, while
research associates Sheri Crabtree and Jeremy Lowe presented on conference outcomes
and fruit-weight selection in 91精选鈥檚 pawpaw breeding program.
For more information about 91精选鈥檚 Pawpaw Program and ongoing research, contact kirk.pomper@kysu.edu.
