Two WSSA Affiliates Announce Weed Science Award Winners

National and regional contributors receive recognition for exceptional achievements

WESTMINSTER, Colo., April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) regional affiliates recently honored nearly 20 individuals during their recent annual meetings. The Southern Weed Science Society (SWSS) met in Nashville, Tennessee, March 8-12; and the Western Society of Weed Science (WSWS) met in Tucson, Arizona, March 2-5.

"Each year, our national and regional societies recognize those individuals who make outstanding contributions to advance weed science research, best management practices, and public knowledge about weeds and invasive plants," says Ian Burke, Ph.D., WSSA president. "It's an honor to recognize these dedicated individuals, who do so much to help to prevent the multiple negative impacts that weeds and invasive plants can cause to our environment, natural resources, and economy."

The award winners listed below include individuals from academia, government and private industry and contributions from a wide variety of weed-science related disciplines and geographies. Their achievements include substantial improvements to weed-science education, research, professional publications, program development, and services.

SOUTHERN WEED SCIENCE SOCIETY (SWSS)

FELLOW AWARD

• Timothy Grey, Ph.D., Professor, University of Georgia

OUTSTANDING YOUNG WEED SCIENTIST – ACADEMIA

• Nick Basinger, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Georgia

OUTSTANDING YOUNG WEED SCIENTIST – INDUSTRY

• Eric Reasor, Ph.D., Southeast Research Scientist, PBI-Gordon Corporation

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT – M.S.

• Juan Ramon Romero, Ph.D., Virginia Tech University

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT – Ph.D.

• Pâmela Carvalho-Moore, Ph.D., University of Arkansas

OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD

• Todd Baughman, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center

WESTERN SOCIETY OF WEED SCIENCE (WSWS)
FELLOW AWARD

• Curtis Rainbolt, Ph.D., Technical Service Representative, BASF
• Greg Dahl, Director of Adjuvant Education, Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology, and past WSSA President

OUTSTANDING WEED SCIENTIST - EARLY CAREER PUBLIC SECTOR

• Eric Westra, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Utah State University

OUTSTANDING WEED SCIENTIST - EARLY CAREER PRIVATE SECTOR

• Shannon Clark, Ph.D., Stewardship and Development Manager, Envu

OUTSTANDING WEED SCIENTIST – PUBLIC SECTOR

• Lisa Rew, Ph.D., Professor, Montana State University

OUTSTANDING WEED SCIENTIST – PRIVATE SECTOR

• Craig Alford, Ph.D., Global Biology Leader, Corteva Agriscience

PROFESSIONAL STAFF AWARD

• David King, Faculty Research Assistant, Oregon State University

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD OF MERIT

• Ryan Rapp, Ph.D., Agronomic Solutions Manager, Bayer

WEED MANAGER AWARD

• Kelly Pruitt, Vegetation Stewardship Manager, City of Boulder, Colorado

ELANA SANCHEZ SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

• Greeshmanth Aluri, Oregon State University
• Renan Nasser Dalla Favera, Oregon State University
• Olanrewaju Adeyemi, Utah State University

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

• Ethan Frager, Oregon State University

Biographical sketches for many of these and other WSSA, NCWSS, and NEWSS award winners are available online at the following links:

• SWSS
• WSWS (QR code available to the press)

To learn more about WSSA and its calendar of meetings, to include national and regional annual meetings, visit: https://wssa.net/meeting/calendar-of-meetings/.

About the Weed Science Society of America
The Weed Science Society of America is a nonprofit scientific society, founded in 1956 to encourage and facilitate 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 strengthens cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit www.wssa.net.

SOURCE Weed Science Society of America