Penn State's turfgrass management 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 turfgrass management certificate is developed and 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 through 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 in turfgrass insects and population control strategies, with twenty-three years of 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/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. In 1998, Dr. Kuhns changed to a teaching/research appointment and is teaching courses in landscape management.
Andrew McNitt, Ph.D.
Dr. McNitt, assistant professor of soil science/turfgrass, has been with the Penn State for nineteen years. His research focus is on golf green and athletic field construction and maintenance. Dr. McNitt has developed a number of innovative methods to access 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 is retired emeritus Distinguished Professor of soil and land resources. Dr. Peterson's area of expertise is in morphology, mapping, and interpretive uses of soils; remote sensing and geographic information systems; and 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. Having researched nutrition of both cool and warm season turfgrasses, his comprehensive instructional approach prepares students for careers anywhere in the world that 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, assistant professor of plant pathology, is an expert in 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. He 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 teaches courses in turfgrass management, pest management, weed control and management systems, growth requirements, fertilizer effectiveness and cultivar evaluation for turfgrass, 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 on turfgrass areas.
