WSSA and CWSS Honor Award-Winning Scientists

U.S. and Canadian weed science societies recognized 38 outstanding contributors to weed science for exceptional 2024 achievements during recent annual meetings

WESTMINSTER, Colo., March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) and the Canadian Weed Science Society (CWSS) honored thirty-eight outstanding contributors to key weed science initiatives and advancements during recent annual meetings, held jointly during February in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Together, the two organizations recognized exceptional contributions from member scientists from a wide variety of geographies and weed-science related disciplines, such as herbicide resistance, invasive plants and endangered species. These contributions include substantial improvements to weed-science education, research, professional publications, program development, and services to WSSA, CWSS, and other professional organizations.

"Our outstanding WSSA member scientists are devoted to innovating through research and extension efforts," says Hilary Sandler, Ph.D., WSSA president. "Their dedication and successful work help to minimize or eliminate negative impacts caused by weeds that threaten to reduce crop yields. We are proud to honor these excellent scientists, many of whom are dedicated public servants, for their sustained commitment to promote and enhance the 'real-world impacts' of the discipline of weed science."  

Robert Nurse, Ph.D., CWSS president added: "Congratulations to all award winners from the recent joint CWSS/WSSA conference! Your achievements are a testament to what drives the advancement of weed science research in North America and beyond. These awards not only recognize individual excellence but also highlight the collective effort that is needed to address the complex issues that face our discipline. Now is the perfect time to consider nominating a deserving member to receive an award at a future meeting."

The 2025 CWSS and WSSA award winners listed below represent individuals from academia, government, and private industry. Biographical sketches for many of them are available online.

WEED SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA (WSSA)

FELLOW AWARD (WSSA's highest honor)

• Anita Dille, Ph.D., Kansas State University Professor
• Ramon Leon, Ph.D., North Carolina State University Professor

OUTSTANDING EXTENSION AWARD  

• Peter Dotray, Ph.D., Texas Tech University, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AWARD

• Marty Williams, Ph.D., USDA Agricultural Research Service

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD

• Navdeep Godara, Ph.D. student, Virginia Tech University

JOHN JACHETTA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARD

• Abigail Hurtgam, Ross Bodine, Fay Siringoringo, John M. Arnold, and Megumi Metcalfe

OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD

• Mithila Jugulam, Ph.D., Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center

OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER WEED SCIENTIST

• Eric Patterson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

OUTSTANDING INDUSTRY AWARD

• David Simpson, Ph.D., Global Biology Leader for Row Crop Herbicides and Pasture Land Management, Corteva

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARD

• Bruce Barker, Western Field Editor, Top Crop Manager magazine

US-HRAC HERBICIDE RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT AWARDS

• Jason Norsworthy, Ph.D., University of Arkansas Distinguished Professor

OUTSTANDING PAPER: INVASIVE PLANT SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

• Marco Donoso, Lead Author
• Hanna Leonard & David Gorchov, co-authors

OUTSTANDING PAPER: WEED SCIENCE

• Eric Oseland, Ph.D., Lead Author
• Mandy Bish, Robert Lerch & Kevin Bradle, co-authors

OUTSTANDING PAPER: WEED TECHNOLOGY

• Eric Jones, Lead Author
• Colden Bradshaw, Diego Contreras, Charles Calhoon, Katherin Jennings, Ramon Leon & Wesley Everman, co-authors

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

• Janis McFarland, Ph.D., Syngenta Crop Protection - retired

OUTSTANDING ASSOCIATE EDITOR, WEED SCIENCE

• Timothy Grey

OUTSTANDING ASSOCIATE EDITOR, WEED TECHNOLOGY

• Jason Bond

OUTSTANDING ASSOCIATE EDITOR, IPSM

• Stephen Enloe

HONORARY MEMBER

• Chris Preston, Ph.D., Professor, University of Adelaide

CANADIAN WEED SCIENCE SOCIETY (CWSS)

FELLOW AWARD (CWSS's highest honor)

• Nader Soltani, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Guelph

EXCELLENCE IN WEED SCIENCE AWARD

• Marie-Josée Simard, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

OUTSTANDING INDUSTRY AWARD

• Chris Budd, M.Sc., BASF Senior Biologist

OUTSTANDING PAPER – CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCE

• Eric Patterson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

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 www.wssa.net.

About the Canadian Weed Science Society

The Canadian Weed Science Society is a nonprofit society made up of professionals from university, government, and industry who specialize in research, teaching, extension, and regulation of weed related topics. Its vision is to deliver a world-class annual meeting, providing networking, recruitment opportunities, and scientific enrichment to all professionals and aspiring professionals working in weed science. For more information, visit https://weedscience.ca/.

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SOURCE Weed Science Society of America