On Aug 12^th-17^th, 2018, the 30th International Horticultural Congress (IHC 2018) was held in Istanbul, Turkey. During the congress, leaders of various branches and specialized committees were re-elected. At the congress, Prof. Yang Qichang, Chief Expert of “Facility Plant Environmental Engineering Team” was elected as Chairman of Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production System, International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). 

Prof. Yang Qichang has been long devoted to the field of “Facility Horticultural Environmental Engineering”, especially by his outstanding progresses in intelligent LED plant factory, greenhouse environmental system simulation and energy saving regulations and other fields, which is highly affirmed by worldwide counterparts. In recent years, he has been invited to attend international conferences as Keynote Speaker and Invited Speaker. In 2017, as Chairman, he successfully hosted the GreenSys 2017 (International Symposium on New Technologies for Environmental Control, Energy-saving and Crop Production in Greenhouse and Plant Factory) in Beijing, which has exerted far-reaching influence in the field of international facility horticulture. In 2014-2018, Prof. Yang served as Chairman of ISHS Specialized Committee of Greenhouse Engineering. At this congress, ISHS merged the Specialized Committee of Greenhouse Engineering with the Specialized Committee of Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production System and Prof. Yang was elected as Chairman of the new specialized committee. This election not only reflects the high recognition of the research work of Prof. Yang and his team, but also will play an important role in promoting the frontier research of China’s facility horticulture project and strengthening the close cooperation with international counterparts. 
 

It is reported that the International Society for Horticultural Science, founded in 1959, is the highest academic body in the field of international horticulture, with nearly 10,000 registered members and covering more than 140 countries and regions. ISHS has 14 branches and several specialized committees chaired by the world’s most influential experts in this field.