Dr. Guochen Yang

Current Rank: Associate Professor
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design

Telephone: 336-334-7779, Fax: 336-334-7844
E-mail: yangg@ncat.edu 

Educational Background:

• Ph.D., 1993. Horticulture & Forestry (plant biotechnology), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
• M.S., 1989. Horticulture (plant biotechnology), UNL.
• B.S., 1982. Horticulture (vegetable crops), Jilin Agricultural University, P. R. China.

Academic Experience:

• 2002 –  present, Associate Professor, North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T).
• 2000 – 2002, Assistant Professor, NCA&T.
• 1994 – 1999, Research Plant Biotechnologist (with teaching responsibilities), NCA&T.
• 1994 – 1994, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, UNL.
• 1987 – 1993, Graduate Research Assistant (plant Biotechnology), UNL.
• 1986 – 1987, Visiting Scholar, University of Minnesota (horticulture department-plant biotechnology).
• 1982 – 1986, Instructor-entry level faculty (vegetable breeding, with research responsibility), Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, P.R. China.

Honors/Awards:

• Outstanding Young Investigator Award 2001, North Carolina A&T State University, 2001.
• USDA 1999 Secretary’s Honor Awards for Personal and Professional Excellence, 1999.
• Outstanding Graduate Research Award, 1990-1991, The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
• Travel Grant Award, 1990, 1992, 1993, Society of Sigma Xi.

Intellectual Property/Patent:

two invention disclosures filed, September 2005.

Publications:

• Yang G and Z Lu 2006 In Vitro Callus Initiation of Guava. Acta Horticulture 2006 (in press).
• Yang G and PE Read 2004 Protein expression of forced softwood growth in relation to plant growth regulators in forcing solution.  PGRSA 2004 Annual Conference Proceedings, Plant Growth Regulation Society of America, p123-129.
• White-Evans Z, G Yang, M Smith & M Kamp-Glass 2001 Cotyledon explant production and its in vitro performance of sweet pepper under different culture and medium conditions, PGRSA Proceedings 2001, p130-133.
• Read PE, BT Hamooh & G Yang 2001 Forcing solution technology generates quality propagules, The North American Regions, International Plant Propagators’ Society Vol. 13, No. 1, p15-18.
• Yang G & M Kamp-Glass 2000 In vitro axillary shoot proliferation of alfalfa, PGRSA Proceedings 2000: p171-174.
• Yang G & PE Read 1997 In vitro shoot proliferation of 5-leaf aralia explants from field grown plants and forced dormant stems. Plant Cell, Tissue, and Organ Culture 47:289-291.
• Yang G & PE Read 1997 Plant growth regulators in the forcing solution influenced bud break and shoot elongation of dormant woody plant species. PGRSA Quarterly Vol.25(3):145-152.
• Szendrak E, PE Read & G Yang 1997 Prevention and elimination of contamination for in vitro culture of several woody species. A.C. Cassells (ed.) Pathogen and Microbial Contamination Management in Micropropagation, 233-236. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Yang G & PE Read 1996 Pre-forcing bleach and ethanol solution treatments help break bud dormancy of forced woody plant species. Quarterly PGRSA Vol. 24(1&2):67-78.
• Yang G & PE Read 1993 In vitro culture of Vanhoutte's spirea explants from `secondary cultures' and dormant stems forced in solutions containing plant growth regulators. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 33:25-30.
• Yang, G & PE Read 1992 Pre-forcing treatments influence bud break and shoot elongation in forced woody species. Journal Environmental Horticulture. 10(2):101-103.
• Yang, G & PE Read 1992 Influence of plant growth regulators and season on growth responses of forced woody stems. Acta Horticulturae 300:173-176. January, 1992.
• Read, PE & G Yang 1992 Plant growth regulator effects on rooting of forced softwood cuttings. Acta Horticulturae 300:197-200. January, 1992.
• Le, J, PE Read & G Yang 1991 Influence of BA and Hormone on morphogenesis of 'bonny best' tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) callus cultured in vitro. Acta Horticulturae Sinica 18(1):44-48.
• Yang, G & PE Read 1989 Effects of BA, GA3, IAA and NAA in the forcing solution on bud break and shoot elongation in forced woody stems. The 16th Proceedings of Plant Growth Regulator Society of America:150-155.
• Read, PE & G Yang 1989 Response in vitro of explants chemically treated via forcing solutions. Proc. Int. Plant Prop. Soc. Vol. 38:406-408.
• Read, PE & G Yang 1989 Influencing propagation by stock plant PGR treatments. Acta Hort. 251:121-127.

Presentations/Abstracts (not listed):

total more than 100 presentations for different professional and scientific organizations.

Memberships in Professional Associations:

• American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS).
• International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS).
• Plant Growth Regulation Society of America (PGRSA).
• International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology (IAPTC&B).
• North Carolina Agromedicine Institute.
• Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB).

Other Service to the College:

• Biotechnology Graduate Committee, NCAT-Chairman (2005-present)
• Biotechnology and Bioscience Cluster, NCAT-Leader (2003-present).
• Biotechnology and Biodiversity Program Initiative, SAES-Co-Leader (2001-present).
• University Research Council (2003-present).
• University Research Award Selection Committee (2002-present).
• University Biotechnology Committee (1995-2005, this committee was replaced by the current Biotechnology Graduate Committee for which I serve as the Chairman).
• Institutional Biosafety Committee/Recombinant DNA Committee (1995-present).
• Intellectual Property Committee (1995-present).

Courses Taught:

• NARS110, Plant Science
• AGRI604, Experiment Methods in Research (previously when I taught, CROS607, Research Design and Analysis)
• HORT334, Plant Propagation
• HORT600, Plant Tissue Culture (previously, Advanced Plant Propagation)
• HORT700, Plant Biotechniques

Research:

Plant biotechnology (tissue culture/micropropagation) is my area of expertise.  I earned both my M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in this area.  I developed and defined forcing solution techniques to enhance efficiency of in vitro studies and micropropagation of recalcitrant plant species.  The forcing solution techniques have been widely adopted by plant tissue culture specialists in Academia and by the commercial propagators.  My research interests include genetic transformation and using applied plant biotechnology techniques (micropropagation/tissue culture) for economic development including rescue of endangered species, propagation of rare species, and rapid multiplication of those plant species with high economic value, and using tissue culture techniques for secondary production such as phytomedicines, nutraceuticals, and genetic transformation for biosensing, bioremediation and phytoremediation, and value-added crops.  Two (2) intellectual properties/patents (invention disclosures) were filed in 2005.  As a Principal Investigator (PI) or a co-PI, I have been collectively awarded extramural research funding for almost $2 million.