Six Students Recognized with ASEV’s 2026 Best Student Presentation Awards

DAVIS, Calif., July 27, 2026 – Six students were recognized with Best Student Presentation Awards at the 2026 ASEV National Conference on June 18 in Boise, Idaho, by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV).

The annual awards recognize outstanding student research presentations in viticulture and enology, including oral presentations, poster presentations and flash talks. This year’s winning presentations addressed topics ranging from vineyard water and nitrogen dynamics to grapevine disease resistance, smoke taint risk and rapid detection of grape and wine quality indicators.

ASEV gratefully recognizes the continued support of generous sponsors, Lallemand for the enology awards and J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines for the viticulture oral presentation award.

“The Best Student Presentation Awards highlight the talent, curiosity and innovation among students entering enology and viticulture,” said ASEV President Kristen Barnhisel. “These awards give students an important platform to present their research and build the skills that launch meaningful careers in the wine and grape industry.”

The following students were recognized with the 2026 Best Student Presentation Awards within their respective fields:

Viticulture

Oral Presentation
Taran Rowles, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
“Long-Term Under-Vine Creeping Red Fescue: Water and Nitrogen Dynamics in an Eastern US Vineyard”

Poster Presentation
Grace E. Lilly, Oregon State University, Corvallis
“Vine Nitrogen Dynamics: Rootstocks Alter Pinot noir Growth and Productivity More than Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen”

Flash Talk
Anugya Bhattarai, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
“Genomic Architecture of Coevolved Resistance and Virulence in the Wild North American Vitis-Downy Mildew Pathosystem”

Enology

Oral Presentation
Zoe Scott, Cornell University, New York
“Rapid Measurement of ‘Green’ and ‘Moldy’ Odorants in Grapes using Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry”

Poster Presentation
Brandt Bastow, University of California, Davis
“Spectrofluorometric Fingerprinting with Machine Learning to Triage Smoke Taint Risk in Wine”

Flash Talk
Delaney Dyer, University of California, Davis
“Leveraging Volatile Sensing for Rapid Detection of Smoke-Derived Signatures in Grapes and Wines”

For more information, visit the ASEV Best Student Presentation Awards webpage.

In addition to recognizing student research through the Best Student Presentation Awards, ASEV provides students with opportunities for professional development, mentorship and networking through its annual conference, scholarship programs and technical programs.

Formed in 1950, ASEV is a professional society for enologists, viticulturists and others in wine and grape research and production, with members from wineries, vineyards and academic institutions worldwide. ASEV publishes the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV), hosts its National Conference and co-hosts the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium with the California Association for Winegrape Growers (CAWG). ASEV also awards scholarships to students pursuing degrees in enology, viticulture or related sciences, and formed the ASEV Foundation to support the next generation of industry leaders. For more information, visit www.asev.org and www.asevfoundation.org.