NEWS FROM UT
UT GRADUATE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED The University of Tennessee turfgrass program not only boasts professors on the cutting edge of research, but also high-achieving graduate students. The ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meeting was a great venue for two UT students to showcase their work and be recognized for their achievements.
DEVON CARROLL 1ST PLACE
D
evon Carroll, a Turfgrass Weed Science Ph.D. Candidate at UT, received 1st place in the oral competition of the turf pest management category at the Agronomy, Crop, and Soil Science Societies Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this competition, students give a 15-minute presentation on research in the turfgrass industry. Devon’s winning talk was titled “Poa annua: An Annual Species?” “My dissertation research has re-assessed the lifecycle of the species Poa annua, ultimately informing one of the most fundamental aspects of turfgrass science and management: understanding the biology of the plants you manage,” Devon says. “This work concludes that Poa annua is likely a perennial species that is subject to premature senescence in summer from disease, changing the way turfgrass managers must strategize methods for either control or maintenance.” “It was an honor to be recognized for my presentation of this research to the scientific community and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and findings with turfgrass managers and other industry stakeholders in the future.” The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to crop science through education, national and international service, and research. Devon is a Ph.D. candidate in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Science concentrated in Turfgrass Weed Science at the University of Tennessee. Her doctoral research aims to understand environmental effects on the lifecycle of the species Poa annua. Additionally, she conducted qualitative research identifying barriers and opportunities for women in the turfgrass industry. Devon has shared the results of her research endeavors in 10 first author peer-reviewed publications, 10 trade journal articles, and numerous invited oral presentations. She also serves the scientific and turfgrass communities in leadership roles including president and founding member of her department’s graduate student association, Science Policy Fellow of the Weed Science Society of America, and secretary of the Southern Weed Science Society Graduate Student Organization. Devon was recognized for these achievements among others with the 2020 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Future Leaders in Science award.
TYLER CARR
10
The
graduate student competition at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meeting allows students to share their research to a scientific audience through either a poster or oral presentation. Different disciplines within turfgrass science constitute the different graduate student competitions, including golf course management, pest management, genetics, and general turfgrass science. Tyler’s poster titled “Effect of Planting Date and Phosphorus Rate on ‘Prizm’ Zoysiagrass Establishment from Sprigs” was awarded first place in the golf poster competition. This award signifies that the turfgrass science program at the University of Tennessee is conducting pertinent research for the golf course industry, which is a testament to the efforts made by all individuals in our program. Tyler is a Ph.D. student in Turfgrass Science at the University of Tennessee.
TENNESSEE TURFGRASS DECEMBER / JANUARY 2022 Email TTA at: info@ttaonline.org
