Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

Biography

Dr. JoHannah H. Biang is an Assistant Professor of Ornamental Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University. Her interdisciplinary research bridges applied horticultural science, sustainable landscape management, and the social dimensions of horticulture, with an emphasis on resilience, education, and community engagement.

Dr. Biang’s current research program focuses on evaluating ornamental and edible specialty crops for performance under environmental stress, including drought, wind, and temperature extremes, with particular attention to low-input and multifunctional species suitable for Oklahoma landscapes. Ongoing projects include assessing the ornamental, agronomic, and nutritional potential of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), an herbal specialty crop, as well as collaborative evaluations of woody and perennial ornamentals. Additionally her research program seeks to support and strengthen the work of specialty cut flower producers in Oklahoma with cultivar evaluation, production recommendations, season extension through high tunnel usage, and growing the network through workshops and conferencing. Her work supports growers, landscape professionals, and educators seeking sustainable and adaptable plant selections.

She earned her Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences from the University of Georgia, where her dissertation examined student experiences at a university community farm using qualitative research methods, including interviews, surveys, focus groups, and participant observation. This work contributes to a broader understanding of how experiential and service-learning environments influence student learning, self-efficacy, and long-term engagement in agriculture and food systems.

Before joining Oklahoma State University, Dr. Biang managed the gardens and greenhouse of a historic estate dating to 1841 with a team of skilled horticulturalists by maintaining, re-designing, and restoring the historic formal gardens at Hills and Dales Estate. Here she reignited her love of ornamentals, public gardening, and landscape horticulture. Prior to this position, Dr. Biang managed the UGArden, a 9-acre student-run organic teaching farm at the University of Georgia, and has held leadership roles in public gardens, historic landscapes, and one particular teaching farm. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes experiential learning, mentorship, and the integration of social, ecological, and technical perspectives within horticulture education.

Research Interests

100% Extension appointment in consumer horticulture. Courtney's focus is in home horticulture, including landscape ornamentals and vegetable gardens. She leads the effort for developing a statewide resource center for Oklahoma gardeners. Through her position, she also supports county educators with their horticulture programming.

Vegetable crop production; Nutrient management; Urban horticulture; Controlled environment crop production; Horticulture education; Innovative Teaching Strategies; Best management practices for vegetable crops; Hydroponics; Biofortification of nutrients in plants; Reducing production costs; Optimizing plant establishment; Sustainable practices to improve crop production; Environmental stress physiology; Efficient use of resources.

Qing Lana Luo, PLA, MLA, ASLA, is a Licensed Landscape Architect, and Professor and State Extension Specialist of Landscape Architecture & Sustainable Design at Oklahoma State University. Before joining the academic position, she had been practicing landscape architectural design in leadership roles in international design firms for seventeen years in Boston, MA and Beijing, China. 

Professor Luo has served in several prestigious design firms including EDSA, CRJA (current IBI-Placemaking) and Turen Scape. She has designed a wide range of outdoor environments, including urban parks, plazas, streetscapes, residential landscapes, and mixed-use developments. Her projects are located broadly in the world including the USA, South America, Middle East, Europe, and China. Her work has been recognized with many international, national, and regional design awards.

Professor Luo currently teaches a number of core design classes at Oklahoma State University. She has been invited to give a wide range of talks and to teach classes and workshops relating to landscape design, sustainable landscape, cultural landscapes in regional programs, national conferences, and international universities. She has been recognized with prestigenous national and institutional teaching awards, such as national Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Innovative Teaching Award. She has a deep understanding of landscapes, design, culture, and sustainability issues. She has traveled to many parts of the world and used drawing, painting, and photographs as her journal to record her experiences.

Dennis Martin is a Professor & Turfgrass Extension/Research Specialist at Oklahoma State University. He joined the faculty of OSU in September of 1990. Dr. Martin currently holds the Huffine Endowed Professorship and has an 75% extension and 25% research assignment. Dr. Martin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Illinois with specialization in Turfgrass Management. His MSci and PhD degrees were in Horticulture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Dr. Martin's research activities include: evaluation of a number of turfgrass species for general adaptation to Oklahoma. He assists in development of new seeded and vegetative propagated cold hardy bermudagrasses for sports turf, golf course fairways/tees and home lawns. He is a co-inventor of Yukon, Riviera, Patriot, Latitude 36, NorthBridge, and Tahoma 31 bermudagrasses. Specific turfgrass research areas have involved evaluation of bermudagrasses for spring dead spot disease resistance, and evaluation of drought resistance of various bermudagrasses. Dr. Martin leads the roadside vegetation management (RVM) team at OSU. The RVM team has evaluated a number of herbicide programs for weed control on roadsides, tested a number of herbicide/adjuvant tank mixes for compatibility, and tested roadside mowing timings/frequency for effect on presence of green antelopehorn milkweed.

Dr. Martin's extension activities include: Development of formal suggestions for turfgrass selection, establishment, maintenance and pest control practices on golf courses, sod farms, athletic fields and commercial grounds in Oklahoma. He and his team have conducted hundreds of pesticide applicator training workshops for turf and ornamental applicators and right-of-way managers over the decades. Extension outreach activities have included over 100 thousand turf extension consultations, several hundred pesticide applicator workshops and several thousand turfgrass diagnostic site visits over the decades.

His honors and awards include: Recognitions Awards for the Development of Proprietary Technologies and for assistance in the development of Licensing of Production Rights Associated with Latitude 36, NorthBridge, Patriot, Riviera and Yukon bermudagrasses. Dr. Martin and his team have been recognized with being awarded the Outstanding Extension Program Award in the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and Recognition Awards for Patenting of Latitude 36, NorthBridge and Patriot bermudagrasses.

Research Interests:

Development of turf-type bermudagrasses with improved fit for use on golf course fairways/tee boxes, sports fields, and lawns. Elucidation of adapted turfgrass varieties and increasing public adoption of turfgrasses with improved biotic and abiotic stress tolerance as well as tolerance to climate change. Methods and management programs allowing for preservation of native landscapes in the face of increasing urbanization. Development of integrated vegetation management (IVM) practices for right-of-way and utility site areas. Creation of vegetation management programs that meet the needs of motorist safety and aesthetics while preserving and improving native character, and wildlife habitat.

Professor and Department Head, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Director, OSU Student Farm

OSU Student Farm

The Botanic Garden at OSU

Oklahoma Gardening television show

The OSU Greenhouse Learning Center

Research Interests:

Research interests include urban water use, conservation, and quality, and abiotic stress tolerance of horticultural plants with an emphasis on water deficit, salinity, and temperature stress.

Development and advancement of initiatives at the OSU Student Farm.

Dr. Chi Nguyen's research integrates plant breeding, biotechnology, and molecular genetics to develop stress-resilient and commercially valuable crops. At OSU, her program emphasizes ornamental and nursery crop plant improvement with direct industry applications, focusing on:

• Breeding and releasing new cultivars of ornamental and specialty crops adapted to Oklahoma’s climate.
• Applying molecular and genomic approaches to accelerate trait discovery and cultivar development.
• Strengthening collaborations with industry partners to ensure rapid translation of research outcomes.

Her long-term goal is to build a comprehensive breeding pipeline that integrates fundamental molecular insights with applied breeding to deliver innovative cultivars that meet grower and consumer needs.

Extension Activities

Mike has interests and varying levels of expertise in temperate, subtropical and tropical plants, especially those that can serve as ornamental plant materials. Schnelle has experience with both native and adapted non-native species, terrestrial to semi-aquatic in nature. He also has interest in edible plants both for food value but also those that can be married with ornamental purposes/attributes making them edible landscape candidates.

Holding a 100% Extension appointment, Mike works with the Oklahoma greenhouse and nursery industries including the Oklahoma Nursery and Landscape Association (www.oknla.org). Mike also, as time permits, interacts with landscape architects, urban foresters, arborists, landscapers and a myriad of other green-industry professionals. Schnelle assists with consumer horticulture programs via fact sheets, statewide master gardener training sessions as well as providing lectures to a variety of ornamental plant enthusiasts as time permits. His assistance consists of telephone consultations, formation of fact sheets and circulars, on-site visitations and numerous Extension-based conferences throughout the year (both his own events as well as speaking at others' conferences).He has specifically chaired/co-chaired, moderated and lectured at many workshops and conferences including but not limited to:

Native Plant Materials, Water Quality in the Nursery, Arboriculture in Oklahoma, Socio-Horticulture, Hunger and Horticulture, Plant Materials for the Green Industry Professional and End Consumer, Annuals and Perennials for Oklahoma, Landscaping for Oklahoma, Specialty Cut Flowers, IPM in the Commercial Landscape, Greenhouse IPM, Oklahoma Greenhouse Growers Short Course, Nursery Crops and Propagation, Global Horticulture, Current Challenges in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Native American Horticulture, and lastly, Asian Horticulture. Many of his workshops materialized due to his close working relationships with the Oklahoma Green Industry, various ornamental operations throughout the U.S. and abroad, as well as cooperation with many universities especially OSU-OKC, Kansas State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Colorado State University, University of Arkansas, University of Florida, and Texas A&M.

Mike Schnelle and his teams have been fortunate to win numerous awards since 1992.  Schnelle has also been individually recognized with Charles N. Shepardson Graduate Student Teaching Award, Colorado State University in 1989; John E. Hutchinson Young Extension Professional by Southern Region-American Society for Horticultural Science (SR-ASHS), 1995; Achievement Award by National Asociation of County Agricultural Agents, 1997; Outstanding State Extension Specialist from Oklahoma Association of Extension Agriculture Educators (OAEAA), 1998; Communications Award by OAEAA, 1999; The President's Volunteer Service Award, 2008; Oklahoma Nurseryman of the Year awarded by the Oklahoma Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA), 2008; Gamma Sigma Delta Extension Educator Award, 2012; Henry M. Covington Extension Award from SR-ASHS, 2018; Oklahoma Green Industry Professional of the Year from the ONLA, 2025.    

Schnelle has served on a number of statewide boards including the Oklahoma Greenhouse Growers' Association, Oklahoma Nursery and Landscape Association, Oklahoma Urban and Community Forestry Council, Cimarron Correctional Vo-Tech Facility Advisory Board, etc. Because Mike works closely with Extension Educators in all 77 counties upon request, he has served on their state organization (Oklahoma Association of Agricultural Extension Educators) as junior and senior director, twice, as well as being active with the group in other capacities. Regarding OSU, Stillwater, Schnelle has served on a number of campus-wide committees including OSU Beautification, Academic Standards and Policies as well as the Inclusion Excellence Advisory Board. Regarding the Ferguson College of Agriculture, Schnelle has served on Agriculture Faculty Council and the division's Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure committee. In Mike's home department, he has served as Extension Coordinator, but also on committees including but not limited to Awards and Recognition, Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure, H. Grant Vest Lecture Series, departmental representative for the American cancer Society's Relay for Life, as well as other assignments.  Mike has been an active membr of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) since 1986 and has presented his research and extensdion efforts, regularly, while at OSU.  Similarly, he also is active in the Southern Region-ASHS.   Schnelle will serve as Vice President for Extension of the America Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) for the 2026-2028 term. 

Mike also has an interest in horticulture abroad. In 2003, he was one of two U.S. faculty members invited to lecture about U.S. native plant materials at the Japanese Nurseryman's Association's annual summer meeting in Tokyo. Mike lectured and consulted regarding water quality at the University of Chihuahua, Mexico in 2004. He also served as a faculty mentor for visiting Mexican scientists from Durango, Mexico in 2004-2005. In 2006, Schnelle worked in Baku, Azerbaijan with the Oklahoma National Guard and visited with several colleges and universities regarding potential collaborative projects with the U.S. Schnelle taught a greenhouse production short course in Atrek, Turkmenistan in 2007 as well as working on a tree (Juniperus phoenicea) decline issue in Tripoli, Libya also in 2007. Mike taught an IPM production short course in Nepal (Sidhuwa region), in 2008 as well as lecturing on current projects at OSU while visiting Chiang Mai University, Thailand that same year. Schnelle worked with farmers and Bavico Company in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in 2010 discussing viable U.S. plant materials for these countries. Schnelle also had an opportunity to discuss U.S. plant materials with commercial nursery and greenhouse producers in Cairo, Egypt in 2011. Mike was invited to lecture and consult at Katanga Methodist University, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2012. In 2014 he presented at OSU, Stillwater as a request by visiting scientists and students from the University of Chihuahua, Mexico. Schnelle has done several other miscellaneous projects reaching out to horticulture personnel in Tel Aviv, Israel in 2019 and Jardin Tau Kiani Botanical Garden in Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile that same year. Mike has served on the faculty of School of Global Studies and Partnerships since 2012. He is also a Fulbright Specialist Candidate since 2014. Schnelle also serves on a number of Master of International Agriculture Program (MIAP) graduate committees.  Mike also has served on various graduate student committees within his home department.

Research Interests:

Invasive plants
Drought-tolerant ornamentals

Rain gardens
Marginally cold-hardy ornamentals
Rose Rosette Disease
Landscape and Greenhouse IPM
Native plants for ornamental purposes

Adapted nonnative species for ornamental purposes
Hunger and Horticulture
Horticultural Therapy
International Horticulture
Edible ornamentals

Syrup production from indigenous trees

News and Activities from Last Year

● Zhang’s work published in the Landscape Architecture Magazine 2026 March issue. In 'Breaking down facades,' Zach Mortice writes about the Fayuanli Courtyard and its innovative use of glass blocks. The project demonstrates how contemporary design can be thoughtfully written into the fabric of a historic district.

● At the CELA 2026 Cincinnati conference, Zhang was announced as the CELA President-Elect.

● Project Fayuanli Courtyard designed by Zhang's team has been officially honored by the Brick Industry Association with a Silver Award in the annual Brick in Architecture Awards. The project will be honored in Orlando in April 2026.

● The Cowboy Journal (Vol 28-1) features on OSU Landscape Architecture students and the Park(ing) Day event they hosted in downtown Stillwater. https://issuu.com/cowboy.journal/docs/volume_28_number_1_-_winter_spring_0ed345b6a2d048. 

● Zhang has been honored with a jurorship for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) 2025 National Professional Awards.

● Led a team for the Soul of NOLA Sketch Crawl at the ASLA 2025 Conference in New Orleans.

● Serves as Editor-in-Chief of Landscape Research Rrcord (LRR), increasing paper submissions to a historically high number and managing the anticipated online publication of Issue 14 in December 2025.

● Zhang has led an annual LA-Arch joint studio with Architecture Program at UPC in Lima, Peru, exposing students to diverse cultural contexts and early design training for more than 10 years. Read more about the Studio Exchange Program, covered by Sophia Fahleson. https://news.okstate.edu/articles/agriculture/2025/studio-exchange-program.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJZh2RleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUi897vKr2bplXb1annldUgCzUidtKyeOb0Jc8SOajkS_Q7plK-KWFmovQ_aem_-6k3QNdm1zLCr_yxcs5Kvg 

●The ASLA Central States 2025 Conference awarded Allison Mixon's "Hope and Healing: The Last Nuclear Bombing Memorial," a project from LA Studio 6 with instructor Bo Zhang, in the Unbuilt Category. The project will be honored in March 2025.

● Zhang started a new position as Vice President of Research (VPR) at Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) after the 2024 CELA St Louis conference.

● On the American Society of Landscape Architects 2024 Central States Meeting, BLA student Melanie Monbrod' project OKlahoma City Farmers Market from Zhang and Mihalko's studios was given the Student Merit Award in Design (Unbuilt category).

● The renovation for the School of Architecture and Art at Beijing Jiaotong University, co-led by Prof Zen and Dr Zhang, has been recognized by the prestigious Better Future Melbourne Sustainability Design Silver Award (2024).  https://betterfutureawards.com/MEL24/project.asp?ID=31795 

● Prof Bo Zhang, with Prof Yiwei Huang, received the 2023 Inter-institutional Innovative Teaching Awards from The Association of Public Land-Grant Universities in December 2023.
● A Zhang-led project "A Framework for Evaluating Human-Nature Interaction in A Public Place," has been recognized for the Landscape Research and Digital Innovation Award (finalist) by the esteemed Landscape Institute, the major professional society for landscape architects in the UK. More LI awarded projects can be seen here https://awards.landscapeinstitute.org/li-awards-2023.../
● Zhang, along with Prof Jessica Fernandez and Prof Xiwei Shen, delivered an 90-minute presentation on "How Big Data Benefits You" at the 2023 ASLA Conference on October 28th in Minneapolis.
● Zhang was invited to deliver a lecture 'Design with Data for the Future of Urban Public Space' at Nevada University at Las Vegas on September 22nd, 2023.
● On the American Society of Landscape Architects Oklahoma Chapter 2023 Annual meeting, BLA student Daisy Shadley' project Verde Village Farmers Market from Zhang's studio was given the Student Honor Award in Design (Unbuilt category).
● The Oklahoma State Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) awarded Pros Bo Zhang and Cheryl Mihalko with the Excellence Award for their project 'The Significance of Organized Programs in Public Open Space: Examining Activities and Effects'.
● The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) awarded Zhang the 2023 National Faculty Award of Excellence in Teaching (Junior Faculty) during the annual CELA conference in San Antonio on March 17th.


Bio

Dr. Bo Zhang is an award-winning landscape architect, urban designer, architect, and LEED-certified professional. Currently a full professor at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Zhang's research interests span a wide range of topics, including crowdsourcing data methods in design disciplines, ecological design and planning methodologies, and intercultural communication in 19th-century American designed landscapes. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ASLA National Professional Honor Award of Research (2019), the CELA National Award of Excellence in Teaching (2022), the EDRA Place Award in Research (2023), and the LI (Landscape Institute of the United Kingdom) Landscape Research and Innovation Finalist Award (2023). His research has been supported by prestigious institutions such as the Winterthur Research Fellowship, Rockefeller Archive Center, Chiang Ching-two Foundation, Oklahoma Humanities Council, and Oklahoma State University. Beyond his research, Dr. Zhang is a dedicated educator and has shared his expertise through teaching, lecturing, and conducting over 100 workshops and courses on research methods for architects, landscape architects, and urban planners both domestically and internationally. His commitment to knowledge dissemination is further evidenced by his authorship of the book "Research Methods in Architecture, Urban Planning, and Landscape Architecture" (612p), published in March 2023.

Dr. Zhang is passionate about teaching and design. His studios are featured for the emphasis on artistic quality, imagination, experimentation, rigorous hand and digital skills, and contemporary theoretical issues. Committed to enriching student experiences, Dr. Zhang fosters creativity through collaboration and community engagement. For the past ten years, he has led an annual joint studio with UPC in Lima, Peru, exposing students to diverse cultural contexts and early design training. Additionally, he has co-led an interdisciplinary Architecture-Landscape Architecture program at OSU. By integrating numerous real-world projects into his studio curriculum, Dr. Zhang bridges theory and practice, creating impactful learning opportunities. His students have achieved recognition in over 35 domestic and international competitions and awards. Dr. Zhang is deeply committed to academic mentorship and welcomes invitations to serve as a committee member or advisor for Ph.D. students advancing research in landscape architecture, urban planning, architecture, and environmental design.

Dr. Zhang is an accomplished designer with an active practice in landscape architecture and urban design. His work has been featured in prominent publications such as Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM, 2020, 2026) and Architect's Newspaper (2020). His recent design awards include the World Landscape Architecture (WLA) Built-Small Landscape Design Shortlist Award (2024) and the Better Future Melbourne Sustainability Design Silver Award (2024).

Dr. Zhang is actively involved in several professional organizations, serving on the boards of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Oklahoma Chapter. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Research at CELA, Co-Chair of the Recognition Committee at EDRA, and Secretary of the Oklahoma Chapter of ASLA. Additionally, Dr. Zhang has contributed to the field as an editorial board member for two academic magazines and as a juror for numerous domestic and international design awards, competitions, and research grants.

Dr. Bo Zhang maintains an active profile in professional practice and community outreach, regularly providing expert consultation and lead services across all phases of the built environment—including master planning, landscape design, architectural design, pre-occupancy programming, and post-occupancy evaluation (POE). His collaborative portfolio spans engagements with private design firms, municipal and federal government agencies, and non-profit organizations seeking evidence-based spatial solutions.

My research focuses on pecan phenological models, the interaction between pecan nutrient uptake and mycorrhizal fungi, unraveling the molecular mechanisms behind alternate bearing, and optimizing orchard management practices to enhance production and maximize carbohydrate use efficiency.