One of the primary reasons Penn State is recognized around the globe as a distinguished university is the sterling caliber of its faculty. As a World Campus student, you will have the opportunity to learn from the same instructors who teach traditional face-to-face classes on Penn State's twenty-four campuses across Pennsylvania.
Penn State's turfgrass science program is widely regarded as the foremost program of its kind in the world. What sets us apart from others? Penn State expertise. The World Campus bachelor of science degree in turfgrass science was developed and is taught by faculty from the Agronomy, Entomology, and Plant Pathology departments in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Our distinguished faculty members are experts in their respective disciplines and are computer-savvy instructors. They understand the unique demands of delivering academic content via the World Wide Web and other information technologies, and they are intimately involved in the teaching process.
A. J. Turgeon, Ph.D.
Dr. Turgeon, professor of turfgrass management, leads an internationally recognized team of turfgrass scientists and educators. He teaches a case studies course in turfgrass management and leads the development of high-tech courseware for the College of Agricultural Sciences. He also conducts research in turfgrass morphogenesis, edaphology, and management systems.
Paul Heller, Ph.D.
Dr. Heller, professor of entomology, is an expert on turfgrass insects and population control strategies, with twenty-three years of experience with biorational/conventional suppression strategies for arthropod pests of turfgrass and Christmas trees.
Larry Kuhns, Ph.D.
Dr. Kuhns, professor of ornamental horticulture, had an extension and research appointment at Penn State from 1977 to 1997, during which time he conducted educational programs for the nursery, landscape, and garden center industries; Christmas tree growers; and street tree managers. His research centered on vegetation management along roadsides and in nursery, landscape, and Christmas tree plantings, with an emphasis on the proper selection and use of herbicides and low-maintenance grasses. Dr. Kuhns changed to a teaching and research appointment in 1998 and is teaching courses in landscape management.
Andrew McNitt, Ph.D.
Dr. McNitt, assistant professor of soil science/turfgrass, has been with Penn State for nineteen years. His research focuses on golf green and athletic field construction and maintenance. Dr. McNitt has developed a number of innovative methods to obtain sports turf playing-surface quality and has evaluated how various construction and maintenance practices affect the safety and playability of a turf surface.
Gary W. Petersen, Ph.D.
Dr. Petersen, retired Emeritus Distinguished Professor of soil and land resources, specializes in morphology, mapping, and interpretive uses of soils; remote sensing, and geographic information systems; environmental quality and land use planning.
Maxim Schlossberg, Ph.D.
Dr. Schlossberg, assistant professor of turfgrass nutrition, completed his undergraduate and graduate work in the southern United States. He has researched the nutrition of both cool and warm season turfgrasses; his comprehensive instructional approach prepares students for careers anywhere in the world that a demand for turfgrass managers exists. Dr. Schlossberg is currently developing fertilizer programs to optimize Penn A4 creeping bentgrass quality and nutrient uptake efficiency, as well as cultural methods to rapidly neutralize exchangeable acidity in turfgrass systems afflicted by acid-soil complex.
Wakar Uddin, Ph.D.
Dr. Uddin, associate professor of plant pathology, is an expert on turfgrass diseases and control strategies. His research involves development of disease-predictive models that help turfgrass managers in their timing of fungicide applications for maximum effectiveness. Dr. Uddin also investigates the biology of pathogens that relate to virulence, and host-parasite interactions that identify the susceptibility of various turfgrass species to attack by pathogens.
Thomas L. Watschke, Ph.D.
Dr. Watschke, retired Professor Emeritus of turfgrass science, was the adviser to, and undergraduate coordinator for, turfgrass science majors in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. He taught courses in turfgrass management, pest management, weed control and management systems, growth requirements, fertilizer effectiveness and cultivar evaluation for turfgrass, the physiology and microclimate of turfgrass, contributions of turfgrass to environmental quality, nutrient and pesticide contents in runoff and percolating water from turfgrass sites, and factors of water infiltration and percolation in turfgrass areas.
