Congratulations to Nick Basinger, Associate Professor of Weed Science, on receiving the Southern Weed Science Society's "Outstanding Educator Award" at their annual meeting held January 20-23 in Charleston, SC.
The SWSS Outstanding Educator Award (OEA) is presented annually to a weed scientist in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Society and Weed Science through education. The Award is given in recognition of a broad range of activities including formal classroom teaching; outreach and public service or extension including workshops, seminars, short courses, or other means of communication; mentoring undergraduate and graduate students; publication of scholarly work in journals, books, or reviews.
Well done, Dr. Basinger!
William “Bill” D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, has been elected as Fellow for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Branch is the 17th UGA faculty member to receive this honor, which recognizes inventors whose innovations have had a significant impact on society, economic development and quality of life.
UGA graduate students Madelyn Willis and Anish Subedi tied for first place in the poster contest at the Soil Science Society of Georgia annual meeting on February 25, 2025.
Madelyn's poster was entitled "Soil Mapping Strategies for Precision Agriculture in the Georgia Coastal Plain" and Anish's poster was entitled "Can Fertilizer Legacy and Drainage Class Influence Vertical Distribution of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Grazed Pastures ."
Congratulations to both of them!
Erick Begitschke, a doctoral student in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, is the recipient of the 2025 Musser International Turfgrass Foundation Award of Excellence. The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation is proud to support "exceptional students destined to become the leaders of the turfgrass industry."
Begitschke joins a prestigious group of notable turfgrass scientists and educators who have received the honor, along with a substantial financial award.
Congratulations to the following Crop and Soil Sciences students on receiving honors and awards at the 2025 Beltwide Cotton Conferences held in New Orleans, LA January 14 - 16:
In observance of World Soil Day (WSD) on December 5th, students and faculty on all three campuses sponsored soil-related activities to provide UGA students with a break from exams.
In Athens, booths offering soil painting, a soil texture ID contest, soil critters, NRCS and lab demos, and more were set up in front of Miller Plant Sciences building. Participants included faculty and students from CRSS, Odum School of Ecology, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and folks from the NRCS.
At UGA-Griffin, World Soil Day was celebrated at the Research Garden. Visitors participated in fun-filled, student-led activities that raised awareness about soils and soil properties, including, soil horizons and profiles, soil texture and color, water movement, rocks and minerals. Participants ranged from on-campus students to outside visitors.
The team at UGA-Tifton presented various soil demos, including "soil your undies," soil respiration, microscope viewing of nematodes, cation exchange capacity, water holding capacity, soil compaction, and many more. Participants stated that they really enjoyed the event, and it has deepened their understanding of soil.
World Soil Day highlights the critical role of soil in sustaining life on Earth and underscores the urgent need for sustainable soil management practices. WSD is held annually as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources. The 2024 theme was “caring for soils: measure, monitor, manage.”
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