The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation selected Dr. Jo Anne Crouch of Rutgers University as the recipient of this year’s Musser Award of Excellence. The award, which carries a stipend of $22,500, recognizes Crouch’s outstanding potential as a researcher and educator in the field of turfgrass management.
Crouch completed her doctoral studies in turfgrass plant pathology in Rutgers’ department of plant biology and pathology under the direction of Dr. Bruce Clarke and Dr. Brad Hillman. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in plant science from Rutgers.
She has previously earned numerous other prestigious fellowships and scholarships including a U.S. EPA “STAR” award, the Rutgers’ Ralph Geiger Endowment fellowship and the Gerald O. Mott award from the Crop Science Society of America.
“I’m deeply honored that the Musser Foundation would select me for this remarkable award that has been given to so many great researchers in the past,” said Crouch. “It’s going to motivate me to aim even higher in my future studies to try to live up to Professor Musser’s standards.”
Crouch’s studies at Rutgers have largely focused on the population genetics of anthracnose on golf courses and other turf ecosystems. In addition to her research work and teaching duties, she has been a prolific writer of journal articles and has been a speaker at numerous industry conferences. She plans to continue her research on the basis of fungal pathogens and plant disease.
Frank Dobie, the General Manager/Superintendent of The Sharon Golf Club (of Ohio) and President of the Musser Foundation Board, said Crouch’s outstanding academic and laboratory work made her an easy choice for the fellowship.
“Few candidates have demonstrated both the talent and passion that Jo Anne has already proven in her career at Rutgers,” said Dobie. “Her work promises to have a major impact on our understanding of anthracnose and our ability to manage it in an effective and environmentally responsible manner.”
The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation is dedicated to fostering turfgrass management as a learned profession. Named in memory of turfgrass scientist H. Burton Musser, The Foundation acknowledges and rewards those individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the doctoral phase of their turfgrass science education and research.
