Adam Thoms, assistant professor in horticulture, is the recipient of the 2022 Early Achievement in Extension and Outreach Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. His specialization is turfgrass science and his primary responsibility is to communicate with the state’s golf course, sports turf, lawn care and sod industries. It is estimated his programs, which include four international presentations in Norway, Holland, England and China, have reached nearly 8,000 people. In addition to his accomplishments with the annual ISU Turfgrass Field Day and the Iowa Turfgrass Institute, Thoms has developed a relationship with ISU Athletics. He has accepted the uniquely challenging task of overseeing the growing of the next natural turfgrass playing surface to be installed at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium in 2022.
An extension program would be nothing without scholarship, and as part of his extension duties, Thoms conducts applied research that directly benefits sports turf managers in Iowa and elsewhere. One of his specialty areas is creating and maintaining safe sports field surfaces, working to maximize performance and limit the potential for injury. His work has attracted attention from high school, college and professional sports programs across the nation.