On May 13, the Purdue Center for Plant Biology (CPB), led by Director Josh Widhalm, hosted a research retreat, bringing together approximately 90 attendees for a day of research presentations, networking, and recognition.
The retreat featured a poster session with 20 research posters and multiple talks including presentations by Freddie Mildenhall (Varala Lab) and Leo Koeningsfeld (Li Lab).
HLA-affiliated participants were well represented among this year’s award recipients. Mearaj Shaikh, a Post-doc member of the Widhalm Lab, earned third place for Best Poster with the presentation titled “Rewiring the MVA Pathway to Boost Terpenoid Production in Tomato Fruits.”
Additional honors included:
* Freddie Mildenhall receiving a CPB Travel Award to attend the 2026 American Society of Plant Biologists Midwest Section Meeting, held April 24–26 at the University of Missouri–Columbia
* Leo Koeningsfeld receiving a CPB Research Fellowship
