Continuing with our celebration of this year’s CALS Awards recipients, we are sharing information about the winners of the Pound Extension Award, the Donald R. Peterson Farm Technology Transfer Award, and the Robert G. F. and Hazel T. Spitze Land Grant Faculty Award for Excellence this week.

Paul Koch

Paul Koch, recipient of the Pound Extension Award, is an associate professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology. Since joining the faculty in 2014, he has demonstrated both excellence and impact in his research, instruction and extension programming.

Paul was part of a team that reimagined the traditional short course to create the fully online “Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science,” now in its 10^th year. In 2022, he collaborated with Doug Soldat in the soil science department to develop the UW–Madison Turfgrass Apprenticeship Program, a 12-week bootcamp and apprenticeship designed to train skilled personnel for the turfgrass industry.

Paul collaborates with scientists, commercial industry personnel and the general public. His lab motto is “the best research isn’t useful if no one knows how to use it.” He lives the Wisconsin Idea every day, anticipating stakeholder questions and needs as a committed and effective research and extension leader.

Damon Smith

Damon Smith, recipient of the Donald R. Peterson Farm Technology Transfer Award, is a professor and extension specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology. He focuses on plant pathogens of field and forage crops with highly integrated research and extension programs and a focus on bringing modern disease management technologies to the farm gate.

To that end, Damon and his team have generated a number of smartphone apps that are helping farmers and crop consultants deal with established and emerging crop pathogens. Damon co-founded a startup company called Field Prophet to ensure these apps will be maintained and improved for the future, epitomizing the Wisconsin Idea.

To date, Damon has published over 300 peer-reviewed research and extension publications and is a sought-after speaker. He maximizes the impact of his work to benefit both the scientific community as well as the crop production community in Wisconsin and beyond.

J. Michael Collins

J. Michael Collins, recipient of the Robert G. F. and Hazel T. Spitze Land Grant Faculty Award for Excellence, is a professor in the School of Human Ecology. He studies household finance with a focus on financially vulnerable populations. His research and outreach have a strong Wisconsin component, though his impact and reputation are nationwide.

On campus, Michael teaches courses and mentors doctoral students. He is also the faculty director of the Center for Financial Security, which was selected as one of the Social Security Administration’s four elite Retirement and Disability Research Consortia. The center provides mentorship and research funding for scholars from underrepresented groups at all stages of their careers.

Michael has led numerous outreach initiatives including DreamUp Wisconsin, which promotes shared prosperity in Dane county and led to a range of innovative campus-community partnerships. He consistently contributes to the land grant mission and embodies a scholar committed to the greater public good.