National Turfgrass Foundation Research Award 2005 Recipient announced

National Turfgrass Foundation Research Award 2005 Recipient announced

Dr Alan Gange, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Biology at Royal Holloway, University of London, will be the recipient of the prestigious National Turfgrass Foundation Research Award 2005. Dr. Gange is a well-known scientist and speaker to British audiences. He has wide research interests within the sports turf industry encompassing the quality of playing surfaces and non-playing areas. The latter is specifically targeted at golf courses, where he is interested in the role that courses play in habitat conservation at the landscape level. Alan sits on numerous advisory panels and his innovative work has attracted interest in many corners of the world.

A highly respected expert in the field of turfgrass mycology and bacteriology, he is a regular speaker at conferences and educational events throughout Europe. Dr Gange is probably best known for his pioneering work on mycorrhizal associations in turfgrasses and has been responsible for establishing a greater understanding of the roles that these root inhabiting fungi play in the establishment, nutrition, and competitiveness of turfgrass species.

The Award is presented by the National Turfgrass Foundation in recognition of his enormous contribution to turfgrass research, not only with regard to its value to current turfgrass management, but also its potential impact on future environmentally sensitive maintenance practices.

The National Turfgrass Foundation Research Award 2005 will be presented to Dr. Alan Gange on Wednesday 7th December 2005 during the 2005 BRITTIR Awards Reception and Gala Evening which takes place during the week of the NTF Annual Conference, Hilton Hotel, Blackpool, England, 5th to 8th December 2005 inclusive.