2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Interim Head of Extension Plant Sciences at New Mexico State University (NMSU). His

research focuses on ornamental plant development, water conservation in desert

environments, and drought stress physiology. Among his 134 publications are 50 peerreviewed

journal articles and one book. He is a PI or co-PI on funded proposals that have

totaled more than $12 million. He has served as major advisor to 13 graduate students.

He holds a plant patent 'JFS-NuMex 3' bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum), a

trademarked cultivar that is commercially available in the nursery trade as Mesa Glow™.

He was awarded the Distinguished Research Award from the NMSU College of ACES,

and the Research Discovery Award from NMSU in recognition for outstanding

achievement in research and discovery.

As an educator, Dr. St. Hilaire developed six new courses at NMSU related to landscape

and ornamental horticulture and environmental stress physiology. His teaching

innovations include an educational model to co-instruct 2-year college and 4-year

university courses in a synchronous environment, an outdoor classroom dedicated to

teaching landscape irrigation, and Southwest Plant Selector, a mobile application for

iPhone/iPad that delivers plant selection information to students and consumers. He has

received the Distinguished Award for Graduate Teaching/Advisement from the Honorary

Society of Agriculture - Gamma Sigma Delta, the Distinguished Teaching Award from

the NMSU College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and

the Patricia Christmore Faculty Teaching Award, a university-wide award for junior

faculty excellence in teaching.

Dr. St. Hilaire has contributed extensively to international horticulture. He has presented

research findings at scientific conferences in Canada, Italy, and Mexico, and mentored

and/or recruited graduate students from India, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, and Trinidad;

hosted a Fulbright Scholar from Jordan, and has active collaborations with City of

Chihuahua and Universidad Autónomo De Chihuahua in Mexico. In addition, he served

as an External Examiner for the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of West

Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago and as a consultant in Uzbekistan, where he

provided training on efficient irrigation techniques to farmers.

Dr. St. Hilaire is a highly active member of ASHS. He has served as a Journal of the

American Society for Horticultural Science (JASHS) Consulting Editor for

Environmental Stress Physiology continuously for over 14 years and currently serves on

the JASHS Editorial Board. He is the incoming ASHS International Division Vice

President.