Paul Bosland, a New Mexico State University regents professor and director of NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute, has been elected president of the American Society for Horticulture Science. He'll receive the group's presidential gavel at its July 31 meeting in Miami.

"I am excited about the challenge to lead ASHS as it continues to grow and change," Bosland said. "I look forward to working with our members to attract more non-traditional members, international members and untapped branches of horticultural sciences to create a more complete reflection of horticulture today."

Bosland leads the chile breeding and genetics research program at NMSU and co-founded the university's Chile Pepper Institute. He is recognized internationally as one of the foremost experts on chile.

"Horticulture is my passion, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to share that passion with students at New Mexico State University," he said. "I am very pleased to have been selected as ASHS president and it means a lot to me to be able to share it with NMSU."

The American Society for Horticultural Science is one of the largest and considered one of the most prestigious horticulture societies in the world. It has provided a forum for horticultural education and research for more than a hundred years. ASHS welcomes researchers from a number of disciplines, but always with the mission to "support science for specialty crops: global solutions for nutritious food sources, and healthy, beautiful environments."

Bosland worked with the ASSURED program, which shows the science side of agriculture to students who come from migrant farm-working families. The program, funded by the National Science Foundation, has encouraged several first-generation students to pursue degrees in agricultural research.

He has published more than 100 scientific papers dealing with chile genetics, breeding and germplasm evaluation. He serves as co-chairman of the New Mexico Chile Pepper Conference, which has grown to become the world's largest conference dedicated to the chile pepper. He is the founder and curator of the Capsicum Genetics Cooperative and served as the chairman of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Capsicum Crop Advisory Committee. He received the Governor's New Mexico Distinguished Public Service Award in 2009.

Bosland has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Horticultural Science and his program have been featured in various media outlets, including National Geographic, the New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Men's Health, Food Network and the Discovery Channel. He also was an expert consult to the television show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"