From Science Fair to International Conferences

Academic
Poster

Presented my research at Soy 2025, Madison, WI and APS Plant Health 2025, Honolulu, HI scientific conferences.

Author

Ray Parcon

Published

August 6, 2025

I vividly remember how I kept on wishing to win in our science high school fair, hoping for a chance to present our little science project at regional level. Having earned the opportunity twice, it was one of the few moments that gave me a sense of being good at something, in a time when all I carried was self-doubt.

That kid, proud and grateful for making into regionals, had no idea he would one day share his passion for research on an international stage, beside scientists he once thought only exist in textbooks.

Ray standing beside his poster

Iโ€™m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to attend my first and second national scientific conferences to present my PhD research,

๐Ÿงฌ Soy 2025: 19th Biennial Conference on Molecular & Cellular Biology of Soybean ๐Ÿ“… July 23โ€“26, 2025 ๐Ÿซ University of Wisconsinโ€“Madison ๐Ÿ“ Madison, Wisconsin

๐ŸŒฑ Plant Health 2025: International Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society ๐Ÿ“… August 2โ€“5, 2025 ๐ŸŒบ Hawaii Convention Center ๐Ÿ“ Honolulu, Hawaii

Iโ€™m deeply grateful to my research mentors, Dr. Shavannor Smith and Dr. James Buck, for their encouragement and support, to UGA Plant Pathology Department for defraying Plant Health 2025 registration, and to the UGA Graduate School for awarding me an International Travel Grant. These moments only strengthen my drive to pursue meaningful, translatable research for the benefit of the growers and the agricultural community. ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ”ฌ๐Ÿงฌ

Cheers! ๐Ÿป