ECU professor Zora Singh takes home prestigious horticulture award

ECU professor Zora Singh has been named winner of a prestigious international horticulture award, receiving the American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Graduate Educator Award. The award, established in 1985, recognises dedication to graduate teaching of horticulture science for a period of at least 10 years. “I feel very humbled, honoured and surprised,” Mr Singh said. “This is an international award in training postgraduate students. I’ve been doing this job for over 30 years, so this is an international recognition in that field.” Mr Singh has supervised 65 graduate and honours students throughout his career, and in 2023, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He has also developed curricula for ECU and contributed to the horticultural science degrees in many other global universities. “It’s important to teach to ensure food security,” he said. “We are working towards food and nutrition security at world level. As the population increases, more food is needed. There are also increased production costs.” Mr Singh said environmental factors played a role in food security. “We have soil degradation and water shortages,” he said. “We are focusing graduate capacity building for regional and rural Australia, so they contribute to our economy.” Mr Singh teaches masters, PhD and undergraduate bachelor students in horticulture. He has also reviewed the horticulture science curriculum for University Putra Malaysia. “The most important thing is human beings,’’ Mr Singh said. “Irrespective of wherever I must teach, I take the opportunity to contribute.”