Weed Science Society of America Honors Award Winners at Annual Meeting

More than two dozen individuals who are making significant contributions to weed science were presented with awards by the Weed Science Society of America.

Yesterday the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) honored more than two dozen individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of weed science. The awards were presented during the organization’s annual meeting in Maui, Hawaii.

“This year’s honorees are making significant contributions to weed science through their research, teaching, publishing and outreach,” says Bill Curran, annual meeting program chair and incoming president of WSSA.

The 2020 winners include:

FELLOW AWARDS (WSSA’S HIGHEST RECOGNITION) 

  •     Bryan G. Young, Ph.D., Purdue University
  •     Daniel B. Reynolds, Ph.D., Mississippi State University

HONORARY WSSA MEMBER 

  •     Bhagirath Singh Chauhan, Ph.D., The University of Queensland (Australia)

OUTSTANDING EXTENSION AWARD 

  •     John Byrd, Ph.D., Mississippi State University

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AWARD 

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  •     Patrick J. Tranel, Ph.D., University of Illinois

OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD 

  •     Baruch Rubin, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

OUTSTANDING PAPER, INVASIVE PLANT SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT 

—    James Leary, Ph.D., University of Hawaii 
—    Brooke Mahnken, Maui Invasive Species Committee 
—    Christopher Wada, Ph.D., University of Hawaii 
—    Kimberly Burnett, Ph.D., University of Hawaii

OUTSTANDING PAPER AWARD, WEED SCIENCE 

—    Jacob S. Montgomery, University of Illinois 
—    Ahmed Sadeque, University of Illinois 
—    Darci A. Giacomini, Ph.D., University of Illinois 
—    Patrick J. Brown, Ph.D., University of Illinois 
—    Patrick J. Tranel, Ph.D., University of Illinois

OUTSTANDING PAPER AWARD, WEED TECHNOLOGY 

—    Kathryn J. Lillie, University of Illinois 
—    Darci A. Giacomini, Ph.D., University of Illinois 
—    Patrick J. Tranel, Ph.D., University of Illinois

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD 

  •     Hudson Takano, Ph.D., Colorado State University

OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER WEED SCIENTIST 

  •     Muthukumar Bagavathiannan, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

OUTSTANDING INDUSTRY AWARD 

  •     Terry R. Wright, Ph.D., Corteva Agriscience

OUTSTANDING REVIEWER AWARDS 

  •     Vipan Kumar, Ph.D., Kansas State University (for Weed Science)
  •     Lauren Schwartz-Lazaro, Ph.D., Louisiana State University (for Weed Technology)
  •     Cynthia Huebner, Ph.D., USDA-USFS (for Invasive Plant Science and Management)

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD 

  •     Susan Koehler, Ph.D., USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARD 

  •     Emily Unglesbee, DTN/The Progressive Farmer,

Biographical sketches of the winners are available in the 2020 annual meeting awards program, posted online on the WSSA website: http://wssa.net/wp-content/uploads/WSSA-2020-Awards-Program.pdf.

About the Weed Science Society of America 
The Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society, was founded in 1956 to encourage and promote the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Society promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and promotes cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit http://www.wssa.net