New Floriculture Faculty Greetings!! My name is Michelle L. Jones and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I recently joined the faculty in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science as Assistant Professor of Ornamental Germplasm Enhancement. My office and lab are housed in Williams Hall at the OARDC in Wooster. I recently relocated from Colorado where I was an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University. Originally from Iowa, I attended Iowa State University and received my B.Sc. degree in Agricultural Biochemistry. In 1997, I received my Ph.D. in Horticulture from Purdue University. My current position includes 15% extension and 75% research. The focus of my research program is the role of plant hormones in the postharvest quality of floriculture crops. This involves using molecular biology to identify genes that regulate the senescence (death) process in flowers. The ultimate goal is to use this knowledge to create transgenic plants with better flower quality. I am very excited about the opportunities here in Ohio and look forward to working with the other faculty at OSU, scientists at the ornamental Germplasm Center, and members of Ohio's Floriculture Industry. If any of you are in Wooster please stop by for a visit. I plan to accompany Claudio Pasian on some greenhouse visits this fall and look forward to meeting many of you at the OFA Short Course in July.