Biology

The WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering congratulates Mr. Roger Dennis on his role in assisting students with the Cal Poly parade float, “Jungle Jumpstart,” at the 2026 Tournament of Roses. The float was the recipient of the Sweepstakes Award, the parade’s highest honor.

Dennis, Clinical Assistant Professor of Horticulture in the WKU Department of Agriculture and Food Science and Director of the WKU Floral Design and Training Center, worked as a floral advisor and designer for the float.

The parade, held in Pasadena, California on January 1, has been an iconic New Year’s Day tradition since 1890, with millions of spectators watching from around the world. The 2026 event marked Dennis’s 21st year working on floats for the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Dennis began decorating Rose Parade floats as an employee of Charisma Floats, with whom he also worked on floral decor design for the Oscars for four years. After Charisma Floats ceased operations in 2013, Dennis, representing a WKU Study Away program for the parade, was invited to collaborate with Cal Poly University on their student-built float and has since volunteered assisting students as a floral advisor and designer.

“It is a labor of love, to be honest,” Dennis said. “I not only enjoy the challenge of designing on a float for the Tournament of Roses Parade, but the true joy comes from teaching students that there is so much more to floral design than a mere table centerpiece.”

Named “Jungle Jumpstart,” the float measured over 50 feet long, 25 feet high, and 18 feet wide and celebrates unlikely partnerships by showcasing rainforest animals working with a large robot. The team used tropical flowers and plants, 90% of which were grown in California, to achieve the rainforest look. 

“The most difficult part of designing florals for a float is to make sure the physical weight and balance of the arrangements on the float are well balanced overall,” Dennis said.

The Sweepstakes Award is the top award at the Tournament of Roses, presented to the float that presents the most beautiful entry, encompassing float design, floral presentation, and entertainment.

“Words cannot explain honestly how I feel,” Dennis said. “Watching the students and volunteers celebrate the achievement of winning the Sweepstakes Award was the most cherished moment of my life.”

Dennis’s leadership also opened the door for hands-on, real-world experience for WKU students, including Mattalyn Johnson, a senior from Bowling Green studying Agriculture with a concentration in Horticulture and Agronomy and a Floral Design Certificate at WKU. Johnson was offered a paid position with Artist Entertainment Services (AES), one of the primary companies responsible for producing floats for the parade, as the Assistant to the Floral Tent Supervisor, helping to manage the inventory and distribution of over 500,000 stems of flowers used for the 16 different parade floats. 

Johnson, a first-generation student and student worker at the WKU Agriculture Research and Education Center, worked to track floral shipment arrivals, coordinate with wholesale suppliers, maintain detailed inventory records, and ensure flowers were delivered to the correct float teams efficiently. 

With most of the decorating for the floats taking place in the six days leading up to the parade, almost 1,000 volunteers are behind the scenes putting in long hours.

“Within those long days, we worked hard packing, sorting, and counting flowers, but we also shared stories, laughs, and made priceless memories,” Johnson said. “I would not have traded those long hours for anything. Each day was so fulfilling, such a learning experience, and so invigorating.”

2026 marked the first rainy parade in two decades, creating additional challenges and hustle in the floral tents. Many decorations were attached with water-based glues, causing them to slide off floats, and unpacking flowers from trucks was expedited to keep them from being ruined before they even made it to their floats.

The event also carried meaningful moments for Johnson. Behind-the-scenes tours through the floral tents offered visitors a glimpse into the efforts required to design and create the floats, including a when a visually impaired guest was able to experience the floats through scents, walking through the thousands of flowers.

“He and his family were brought to tears,” Johnson recounted.

Other floats honored communities affected by wildfires, celebrated organ donation, and even 60 years of Star Trek fandom.

Working alongside more than 30 floral designers allowed Johnson to build connections in the industry and gain exposure to additional large-scale projects beyond traditional floral work, including commercial events and installations. As a result of her hard work at the Tournament of Roses, she has been invited to return for future Rose Parade events.

“If I had one thing to tell students, I would tell them not to be afraid to say yes to opportunities,” Johnson said. “While at WKU, I have been able to take so many opportunities where I have been able to grow both professionally and personally. Take advantage of what is presented to you, don’t let it pass you up.”

Dennis is already in the process of planning the 2027 WKU Study Away program that will give more students the opportunity for real-world experience at the next Tournament of Roses parade.