ECU Professor first Australian educator to receive international horticulture award

The WA Apple and Pear Industry congratulates Edith Cowan University (ECU) Professor Zora Singh on receiving the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Outstanding Graduate Educator Award -2024 at the ASHS Annual Conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Over his 30-plus-year career at universities in Australia and abroad, Professor Singh has supervised 65 graduate and honours students.

 “It is an honour to receive such a prestigious award, and to be the first Australian academic to do so makes it even more overwhelming,” Professor Singh said “Over my rewarding 36-year career, I have committed myself to the highest quality education, teaching, innovation, and in doing so achieved much student success.”

 The ASHS Outstanding Graduate Educator Award was established in 1985. It recognises an educator who has had a distinguished and outstanding graduate education teaching career in horticultural science for a period of 10 or more years. Professor Singh’s extensive contributions to curriculum development, teaching methodologies, and graduate supervision were recognised.

Outstanding Graduate Educator

 Professor Singh has played a crucial role in initiating and developing cutting-edge curricula for the inaugural MSc Horticultural Science and BSc (Horticulture Major) at ECU. As a member of numerous research review committees, he has significantly contributed to shaping the curriculum of different degrees at numerous universities around the world. His international expertise is evident in his role as a curriculum reviewer for the BSc Horticultural Science at the University Putra Malaysia, demonstrating a global impact on horticultural education.

 “My teaching delivery approaches, such as operating within the teaching and research nexus, learning intervention processes, holistic systems approach, and student-centered learning have proved effective for student success over many years.  “I am committed to the best graduate outcomes at ECU and am passionate about sharing my breadth of expertise in production technology and postharvest physiology of fresh horticultural produce with our domestic and international MSc and PhD students,” he added.

In 2023 Professor Zora Singh was elected a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) at an awards ceremony held in Chicago, in the United States.