Weed science Society of America Logo

Publications

2021 WSSA Travel Enrichment Experience Award Applications Open Now

Purpose:  The Travel Enrichment Experience (TEE) will provide an opportunity for WSSA graduate students to participate in a five-day, four-night educational experience with professionals in a different WSSA region.

Student Application Deadline: Mayank Malik ([email protected]) must receive applications by May 21, 2021. Please put “WSSA Travel Enrichment Experience” in the subject line.

Description of Scholarship:  Scholarship winners will have a five-day, four-night educational experience of their choosing as described in the “Host Opportunities” table below. These opportunities for broadening each student’s knowledge of weed science include visits with industry, government, or university professionals working in field, lab, or extension settings. Each recipient will be awarded $2000 from the WSSA to pay for expenses incurred during his/her experience.

Eligibility Requirements: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Enrolled as a current degree-seeking graduate student (M.S. or Ph.D.) in good academic standing at an accredited college or university
  2. Currently conducting or recently finished research in weed science
  3. An active member of the WSSA at the time of application
  4. Must submit an abstract and present a 10-minute oral presentation about his/her experience at the next WSSA annual meeting. Specifics will be provided directly to recipients.  

Application Procedure: Submission of the following information as a single PDF file is preferred, but not required.

  1. Completed application form (the final page of this document)
  2. Cover letter describing applicant’s interest in weed science and the travel enrichment experience (< 1 page)
  3. Brief resume or CV summary highlighting recent relevant experiences (< 1 page)
  4. Two letters of support, one of which must be from the applicant’s graduate or major advisor
  5. Academic transcripts (unofficial copy is acceptable)

Email the application information to Mayank Malik ([email protected]) by May 21, 2021, with “WSSA Travel Enrichment Experience” in the subject line.

Selection Criteria and Process:  Applicants will be evaluated based on the contribution of their research to the discipline of weed science and to the WSSA objectives, their academic record and scholarly achievements, and their potential contributions to the future of weed science.  One student from each US region and one from Canada will be selected by an independent WSSA panel with no personal or advisory affiliation with the applicants.

 Timeline: The selection process will be completed by May 31, 2021. TEE recipients and their host(s) will determine the date in 2021 for the experience to occur. The selection committee will function as a liaison between the recipients and their host(s) throughout the process.  

More information:

Host Opportunities Organized by Region
Host Name and Institution Location Experience
North Central Weed Science Society
Bayer Crop Science:

Dr. Neha Rana & Matt Nelson

Creve Couer, MO & Huxley, IA Interaction with weed scientists in trait technology and herbicide development, plus exposure to commercial agriculture. Research areas include system-based weed management, new herbicide technologies, and market development. Experience includes opportunity to meet with seed partners, product managers, and research and development team
University of Illinois:

Drs. Aaron Hager & Pat Tranel

Champaign, IL Herbicide-resistant weed challenges in Midwest corn and soybean production, from the field to the lab
Purdue University:

Drs. Bill Johnson & Bryan Young

West Lafayette, IN Weed science research bridging the basic and applied aspects of weed management; exposure to field, lab, greenhouse, and extension weed science
University of Wisconsin:

Dr. Rodrigo Werle

Madison, WI Extension and applied weed management research in annual cropping systems with focus on biology, ecology and integrated management of troublesome weeds, herbicide resistance distribution and management, and off-target herbicide movement.
North Dakota State University:

Dr. Joe Ikley

Fargo, ND Exposure to an Extension weed science program and applied weed control research in corn, soybean, and dry beans in North Dakota. There will be opportunities to visit with other NDSU Weed Scientists and tour weed control research in over a dozen crops across the state of North Dakota.
Kansas State University:

Drs. Anita Dille

Manhattan, KS A visit to Kansas State University in the ‘Little Apple’, Manhattan, KS will include opportunities to see agronomic crops such as grain sorghum, corn, soybean, cotton, and of course, wheat. We are also in the middle of the tallgrass prairie with opportunities to visit large tracts of this unique prairie landscape. Unique weed science learning experiences will include ecology studies as well long-term crop rotation and integrated weed management work.

 

Kansas State University:

Dr. Mithila Jugulam

Manhattan, KS Exposure and experience in understanding of the mechanisms of the target and non-target site herbicide resistance in weeds, including hands-on opportunity to work on whole plant physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and molecular cytogenetics. Other focused research areas include the effect of environmental stress on herbicide efficacy and the development of herbicide-tolerant crops.
Corteva Agriscience

Drs. Dawn Refsell, Eric Scherder, and Frances Meeks

Johnston, IA Interaction with weed scientists in trait technology, herbicide development, and exposure to commercial development and support. Research areas include system-based weed management, new herbicide technologies, and market development. Experience includes opportunity to meet with seed partners, product managers, and research and commercial development team.
Corteva Agriscience

Dr. David Simpson

Indianapolis, IN Interaction with weed scientists in Application Technology, Biological Characterization, Regulatory, and Crop Protection Development and Discovery.  Discover how we bring products from the lab to the field. 
Northeastern Weed Science Society
University of Massachusetts – Amherst:

Dr. Hilary Sandler

East Wareham, MA Factors that influence the dynamics of crop and weed ecology within the cranberry production system
FMC:

Dr. Chris Leon

Hershey, PA Industry experience in crop protection and field research
Virginia Tech:

Drs. Shawn Askew, Jacob Barney, & Michael Flessner

Blacksburg, VA Exposure to multiple disciplines, including environmental, chemical, and cultural effects on weed management in turfgrass (Dr. Askew); propagule pressure and ecological/niche/habitat impacts of invasive species on natural landscapes, as well as perennial grass bioenergy potential (Dr. Barney); and high-residue cover crops for managing herbicide-resistant weeds with consideration for herbicide carry-over from the cash crop to the cover crop (Dr. Flessner)
Southern Weed Science Society
University of Arkansas:

Dr. Tommy Butts

Lonoke, AR Inside look at the role of an extension weed scientist; applied field research in AR row crops (corn, cotton, rice, soybean); application technologies; extension activities – field calls, meeting with growers and consultants, diagnosing problems, providing recommendations
Syngenta:

Dr. Ethan Parker

Vero Beach, FL Industry experience with Syngenta in Vero Beach, FL
University of Georgia:

Drs. Stanley Culpepper & Eric Prostko

 Tifton, GA Peanut, corn, soybean, cotton, and vegetable weed management from an extension specialist’s point of view
University of Florida:

Dr. Stephen Enloe

Gainesville, FL The successful applicant will work with faculty, biologists, and graduate students at the UF Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and will gain experience in aquatic and natural area invasive plant research. This will entail time working on greenhouse and aquatic mesocosm research and visits to field sites including lakes, wetlands and upland natural areas. The applicant will gain an understanding of the rationale for managing invasive plants in Florida ecosystems and will also be exposed to operational research efforts with State and Federal Agencies. While we utilize the principles of weed science, we are a long way from the agroecosystem. Come and see what we are all about!
Valent:

Dr. Mallory Everett

Olive Branch, MS Exposure to herbicide resistance in rice, cotton, soybean, corn, grain sorghum, peanuts, and sweet potatoes; experience with how industry cooperates with universities and independent companies throughout Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi
Mississippi State University:

Dr. Te-Ming (Paul) Tseng

Starkville, MS

 

 

 

 

Research focused on studying the physiology of herbicide resistance and characterizing the genetic basis of competitive traits in weeds using an interdisciplinary approach including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, remote sensing, biochemistry, pathology, and agronomy. Identifying molecular mechanisms of resistance to various herbicide modes of action. Remote sensing to identify weed species and quantify herbicide crop injury.
University of Tennesse:

Dr. Jim Brosnan

Knoxville, TN Turfgrass weed management
BASF:

Drs. Greg Stapleton & Cletus Youmans

Memphis, TN Experience with industry product development and technical service in the Mid-South
Texas A&M University:

Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan

College Station, TX Developing IWM tools (including cover crops, HWSC) for various production systems; weed ecology, gene flow, and evolution; seedbank management; decision-support tools; UAVs and precision weed management
Corteva Agriscience:

Dr. Chris Meyer

Leland, MS Overview of the weed management market in specialty crops for the southeastern US.  They would have a chance to shadow field scientists in the field and visit a research center in Bradenton, Florida.  Focus would be on specialty crops including citrus and pasture and land management. 
Western Society of Weed Society
Colorado State University:

Drs. Franck Dayan & Todd Gaines

Fort Collins, CO Molecular genetics lab experience includes DNA extraction, genotyping assays, and qPCR for gene copy number; weed genomics for understanding competitiveness and hardiness
Montana State University:

Drs. Sharlene Sing & Sarah Ward

Bozeman, MT Biocontrol-based management of invasive weeds on federal and state-owned forest and rangeland in Montana
Oregon State University:

Dr. Andy Hulting

Corvallis, OR Research and Extension efforts in the premier cool season grass seed cropping system in the world in western OR. Numerous specialty broadleaf crops are also grown in the region. Current research efforts revolve around managing herbicide resistance in winter annual grass weeds in these cropping systems.
Corteva Agriscience

Dr. Mark Fisher

Sacramento, CA Overview of the weed management market in specialty crops for the western US.  They would have a chance to shadow field scientists in the field and visit a research center in Woodland, California.