Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards Received in 2007

Horticulture professor Gail Nonnecke has been selected Iowa Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. The award was presented last week at a luncheon in Washington, D.C. Details:

Dr. Ann Marie VanDerZanden was recently selected to receive the NACTA Teacher Fellow Award. The award plaque will be presented to her at the annual conference of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, which will be held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on June 20-22, 2007.

Through the nomination and support of Arlen Patrick's peers, he was recently named a 2007 recipient of the P&S Excellence Award. This speaks volumes to his commitment to Iowa State through his departmental support. Arlen will be recognized at the Fall Convocation and Awards Ceremony on Monday, September 20, 2007 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Dr. Gail Nonnecke has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the Gamma Sigma Delta Mission Award for Teaching. There will be a ceremony honoring Gail on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, at 5:00 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. Congratulations Gail!

The Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association honored Dr. David Minner with the Iowa GCSA Distinguished Service Award at the 73rd Iowa Turfgrass Conference & Trade Show in Des Moines on Thursday, February 8, 2007.

Dr. David Minner of Iowa State University was honored for his dedication to supporting superintendents through Extension travel and his excellent Turfgrass Research efforts. Dr. Minner travels extensively across Iowa supporting turfgrass managers at Golf Courses, Sports Fields and other properties. Minner completed a project titled, "Field Assessment of Winter Injury on Creeping Bentgrass and Annual Bluegrass Putting Greens" and worked on a moss control project in 2006.

The Iowa GCSA is dedicated to promoting continuing education, research, and networking among superintendents and within the turfgrass industry to enhance the game of golf and the environment.

The Iowa State Turf Team took home the trophy from the 13th Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl held in Anaheim, California. Teams of up to four participants were challenged to indentify soils, turfgrass species, diseases, weeds and insects and answer questions on mathematics and growth and development. The winning team is seated in the front row (L to R): Adam Hobbel, Brad Johnson, Matt Klingenberg, and Mark Newton. In addition to the winning team, the second-place squad also was from Iowa State. The students on the second place team were, Shane Brockhoff, Jacob Kocak, Matt Hoffman, and Matt Leinen. Purdue teams wound up taking the third-, fourth- and fifth-place spots.

Iowa State horticulture student teams captured second place and fifth place at the Sports Turf Managers Association Student Challenge at the organization's annual meeting early January, 2007 in San Antonio. ISU Turf Club members made up the two teams competing in a field of 26. A team fielded by the University of Tennessee won the competition and was coached by a recent ISU alum, Adam Thoms. Dave Minner, horticulture professor, and Mike Andresen, athletic department, are the teams' advisers.