Andy is a Ph.D. student in the Horticulture department here at Texas A&M University. He is working with a research group focused on understanding the genetic and physiological processes that regulate fruit firmness, cell wall degradation, and ripening processes in horticultural crops, and how these factors effect flavor, nutrition, and shelf life. Andy received his MS in Crop Science from Washington State University in 2018, and his BS in Plant Sciences from Texas A&M in 2016. Andy hopes to use the knowledge he is gaining to help improve the economic return and nutritional impact of small-scale farming in developing regions.