Growing up on his family farm in Vado, New Mexico, Omar Holguin developed a passion for the environment at a young age. Memories of picking vegetables on the farm were not the only factors that inspired Holguin to study plant and environmental sciences at New Mexico State University.
“My parents met at NMSU,” he said. “When I grew up, my parents were still doing their master’s degrees, and we actually lived in married student family housing.”
When Holguin’s father became an agent for the Cooperative Extension Service in Valencia County, the family moved to Los Lunas, New Mexico. After graduating high school, Holguin returned to the Las Cruces community to attend NMSU.
“I always had a close contact to the farm and my family, so that was something always calling me to go back,” he said.
Holguin eventually received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, a master’s degree in agronomy and a Ph.D. in plant and environmental sciences – all from the College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
In 2019, Holguin began serving in his current position as an associate professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. He became a faculty member in 2012. He previously worked as a research assistant in NMSU’s former Agronomy and Horticulture Department, a research chemist and laboratory director at NMSU’s Physical Science Laboratory, and a senior research associate for NMSU’s Center for Animal Health and Food Safety and the Chemical Analysis and Instrumentation Laboratory.
As a researcher, Holguin collaborates with other groups to further his research mission. For example, he’s working with Bridgestone Americas to improve rubber production from desert plants to produce renewable tires as part of a United States Department of Agriculture collaborative grant with multiple institutions.
“I think the main goal is to do something to make society better in some way,” he said. “The main theme in my projects is health-beneficial metabolites from plants, algae or other microbes and supporting renewable feedstocks for fuel. The majority of my research is looking at ways to improve the bioeconomy.”
As a teacher, Holguin values mentorship and student-based projects and research. He believes in allowing students to pursue their research interests provides a path for academic creativity.
“We’re trying to mentor them to become better problem-solvers,” he said. “On a mentoring aspect, I think it is important that there is a level of trust established. Also, allowing the mentee to understand that I am not the sole resource they have. They should be exploring other resources and getting other perspectives.”
During Holguin’s undergraduate years, one of his professors, William Lindemann, encouraged him to improve his studying and research. Lindemann even offered him an opportunity to work in his research laboratory.
“For me, as a student probably not making the best decisions for myself, having a faculty member care about my well-being, and not only bringing it to my attention but also giving me an opportunity, totally changed everything,” he said. “I think I have done my best to model that for my students as well.”
Holguin and others in the College of ACES strive to deliver that type of mentorship to students.
“They are not just an Aggie ID number,” he said. “When students are struggling, the faculty tries to rescue these students if they are making poor decisions. That is what ACES provides to its students – that sense of community and home. It feels like a family, and that is why I wanted to stay.”
A version of this story was first published in the fall 2023 issue of ACES Magazine. For more stories, visit nmsu.news/aces-magazine-fall-2023.
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CUTLINE: Omar Holguin, a three-time New Mexico State University graduate who joined the College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences as a faculty member in 2012, is currently an associate professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
CUTLINE: New Mexico State University Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor Omar Holguin’s research focuses on health-beneficial metabolites from plants, algae and other microbes, as well as renewable feedstocks for fuel. As a teacher, he believes in allowing students to pursue their research interests provides a path for academic creativity. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)