Vittum to receive 2015 USGA Green Section Award

The United States Golf Association (USGA) will honor Dr. Patricia J. Vittum with the 2015 USGA Green Section Award. The award has been presented annually since 1961 and celebrates an individual’s service to the game of golf through his or her work with turfgrass.

Vittum joined the staff of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1980 and has been a professor since 2000.  She has conducted important research at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture on the biology and control of turfgrass insects and the effectiveness of biological-control methods. She also served on the USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Committee from 2002 to 2008.

“Dr. Vittum has the unique ability to be a hands-on researcher who can effectively communicate her work with practical advice for the field practitioner,” says Dr. Kimberly Erusha, managing director of the USGA Green Section. “Her contributions to the study of turfgrass insects have helped to establish industry standards and best management practices.”

As a recognized leader in her industry, Vittum has been published in multiple industry journals and publications and is the principal author of the widely regarded leading publication on turf entomology, the second edition of “Turfgrass Insects of the United States and Canada.”

Vittum will travel to New York City to receive the Green Section Award on Feb. 7, 2015, at the USGA’s Annual Meeting and Service Awards.