Submitted by Zane Raudenbush, raudenbush.1@osu.edu
David Payne was one of two students to receive the 2020 Turfgrass Science Student of the Year Award (Brandon Stith from the Columbus Campus was also recognized). He accepted the award at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation’s Spring Into 2020 event.
According to a letter of endorsement written on David's behalf, although his academic accomplishments are noteworthy, his greatest achievements have been outside the classroom. He went out of his way to develop rapport with his classmates, and his outgoing personality encouraged them to become more engaged in classes and labs. Elected President of the ATI Turf Club by his peers, David immediately implemented a mentoring program, wherein second-year turfgrass students were assigned two or three freshmen to mentor during their first semester. David and three of his classmates completely overhauled ATI's intramural softball field over autumn break because they did not feel the field condition reflected well on the turf program. David was also determined to have a competitive team at the 2020 Sports Turf Managers Collegiate Skills Competition and held his teammates accountable for rigorous study in the weeks leading up to the event. Their hard work was rewarded with a third-place finish.
Congratulations, David!