High school students across the Wiregrass will plant peanut seeds next week to begin the WIREGRASS Peanut Project.
DOTHAN (August 14, 2025) — The third year of the WIREGRASS Peanut Project, a one-of-its-kind agricultural education and research initiative launched by HudsonAlpha, begins next week.
Seven of the 11 participating schools will be active this fall semester: Ariton High School, Ashford High School, Dothan High School, Carver 9th Grade Academy, Cottonwood High School, Slocomb High School and Houston Academy. Enterprise High School, Headland High School, Rehobeth High School and Wicksburg High School will join in the spring semester.
The goal of the WIREGRASS Peanut Project is twofold. The acronym stands for “With Innovative Regional Experience Growing Real Advancements through Student Scientists.” The project allows students to gain real-life research experience while using the power of DNA to develop more drought- and disease-resistant peanut varieties.
The project aims to inspire the next generation of agricultural leaders by combining hands-on learning with cutting-edge research in peanut production — a crop deeply rooted in the Wiregrass region’s heritage and economy. Students will participate in three phases of the program: planting and growth observations,DNA extraction and analyzing data obtained from whole genome sequencing.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the WIREGRASS Peanut Project this year,” said Emmanuel Fields, a senior at Slocomb High School. “I’ve heard other students talking about what a great experience it has been and can’t wait to get started.”
Through the leadership of Faculty Investigator Josh Clevenger, PhD, and Kelly East, Vice President of Educational Outreach, students at these participating schools are helping to create a more drought- and disease-resistant peanut for our Wiregrass farmers.
About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing and applying scientific advances to health, agriculture, learning, and commercialization. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second-largest research park. The state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. HudsonAlpha is a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education and fosters more than 50 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.
Media Contact:
Madison Ward
Email: mward@hudsonalpha.org
Text or Call: 334-258-5790