Dr. Ross Braun Recognized with Early-Career Award

Congratulations to Dr. Ross Braun, who received the 2026 Gamma Sigma Delta Early Career Award. Ross is an Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Science at K-State and is the Director of the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center. This award recognizes faculty who have made an exceptional contribution in their first few years at K-State.

Since joining our department in March of 2022 with a 60% Teaching/40% research appointment, Ross has done an amazing job leading the turfgrass teaching program. He teaches eight different courses, and in a department filled with great teachers, he routinely receives some of the highest teaching evaluation scores from students, demonstrating how much they respect and value his teaching.

Mentoring our students is a priority for Ross. He has advised 35 undergraduates and served as major professor to five graduate students, helping his advisees secure over $31,500 in scholarships. Under his mentorship as faculty advisor for our Turfgrass Club, the K-State Turf Bowl team achieved a historic 4th-place finish out of 63 teams in 2023—the best in university history—and followed it with another strong performance in 2026. These achievements underscore Ross’s ability to inspire and prepare the next generation of turfgrass professionals.

In addition to his teaching and advising responsibilities, Ross has built an extremely productive turfgrass research program. His work on low-input turfgrass systems, warm-season species, and seed-coating techniques is vital for the future of water conservation in Kansas. In his 4.5 short years at K-State, he has published 25 peer-reviewed articles (out of an impressive 61 career publications) and secured $3.5 million in grant funding.

Finally, Dr. Braun’s service to the university and the industry is remarkable for an early-career faculty member. As Director of the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center, he has successfully raised funds for facility upgrades and supervises a dedicated staff. Although he does not have an extension appointment, he has voluntarily filled a critical gap in the department by responding to numerous stakeholder inquiries and delivering more than 50 presentations to nearly 8,000 participants since 2022. Whether he is serving as an Associate Editor for the most relevant turfgrass journals or teaching 4th graders through the GCSAA First Green program, Dr. Braun consistently goes above and beyond his required duties.

We’re all grateful to have Ross as a colleague and genuinely impressed by all he has accomplished. He’s a very deserving winner of this award. Way to go Ross!