A turfie returns to the Lone Star State

Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D.

Hi, my name is Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D. I’m originally from Dallas, Texas, and I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees in horticulture at Texas Tech University in 2010 and 2013, respectively. I then went on to complete my Ph.D. in crop and soil science under Gerald Henry, Ph.D., at the University of Georgia, where I studied environmental turfgrass science. In April of 2018, I started my position as assistant professor and Extension turfgrass specialist at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

I strive to provide research-based outreach and educational programming in support of the Texas turfgrass industry, with a particular emphasis on environmental stewardship and improved resource-use efficiency.

As part of my duties as a statewide Extension specialist, I collaborate with Chrissie Segars, Ph.D., to provide programming to Texas’ extensive network of more than 250 county Extension offices. I also lead two Extension specialist programs, the Texas A&M Turfgrass Ecology and Management Short Course (a four-day intensive training for professional development) and the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters program, alongside water resource specialist Diane Boellstorff, Ph.D. The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters program attempts to improve and protect surface-water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for residential landscapes. It is offered to the public in a number of watersheds throughout the state each year.

In addition to my Extension responsibilities, I conduct applied research on a wide range of topics and am involved in two USDA-funded Specialty Crop Research Initiatives, including Research and Extension to Address Herbicide Resistance Epidemic in Annual Bluegrass in Managed Turf Systems, as well as Research and Extension to Develop Improved Turfgrass Cultivars for Water-Limited Landscapes. My broader research interests include environmental turfgrass management, turfgrass weed science and social science research collaborations, in which I hope to find new and innovative ways to communicate best management practices to the public.

Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D., is assistant professor and Extension turfgrass specialist at Texas A&M University. You can reach her at bgrubbs@tamu.edu.