Norsworthy, Avent From Crop Science Earn National Weed Science Society of America Awards

Jason Norsworthy and Tristen Avent were recently recognized with national awards from the Weed Science Society of America at its annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor and holder of the Elms Farming Chair of Weed Science in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, received the Outstanding Teacher Award.

Avent, a former graduate student who earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the U of A in crop science, earned the Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Avent also received the Outstanding Paper Award in the Weed Technology Division for "Commercial sprayer efficiency for application success on targeted weeds | Weed Technology | Cambridge Core."

Norsworthy is a faculty member in Bumpers College and a researcher and scientist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

He has taught Pesticide Use in Agriculture (team taught), Weed Management (team taught), Weed Science Practicum (team taught), Introductory Weed Science, Weed Morphology and Ecology, Integrated Pest Management (team taught) and Weed Science Practicum - Special Problems courses.

"It is extremely rewarding to daily work with the next generation of agricultural professionals and help shape their career path and infuse them with knowledge," Norsworthy says. "Seeing the growth of graduate students over a two- to three-year period and their accomplishments beyond the University of Arkansas provides me a strong sense of accomplishment. It is a tremendous honor to have a prestigious group like the Weed Science Society of America recognize my career teaching and educational contributions in weed science."

He mentors a team of master's and Ph.D. students as they seek solutions to problems through thesis research projects, and serves as coach of the U of A weed science team, which won the national title at the National Weed Science Contest in 2023.

He conducts applied and basic research to identify emerging challenges in weed management for Arkansas farmers, including research that will lead to reduction in herbicide reliance, expenditures and usage or improve weed management efficiency in crops in Arkansas, and providing alternatives to those herbicides that pose the greatest environmental risks; modeling temporal weed emergence; population dynamics of weeds in agricultural systems; modeling growth and development of important weeds; assessing weed populations for herbicide resistance; evaluating short- and long-term impact of production practices on weed species shifts and profitability; quantifying the diversity and composition of glucosinolates produced by Brassicaceae plants from around the world; and assessing the use of synthetic isothiocyanates as replacements for methyl bromide.

Avent is now a technical sales support representative with UPL North America, working closely with sales and marketing to promote UPL products, performing research and demonstration trials to identify new opportunities for pesticides. He supports all pesticides in UPL's crop protection portfolio covering portions of Tennessee and Missouri, and all of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico.

He was named the college's Distinguished Master's Degree Scholar in 2022 and the Distinguished Ph.D. Scholar in 2025. He was also the CSES Outstanding Ph.D. Student in 2025. He earned his master's degree in 2022 and Ph.D. in 2025, both in crop, soil and environmental sciences with an emphasis in weed science.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award in recognition of the hard work and dedication of my time during graduate school at the University of Arkansas," Avent says. "This award would not have been possible without the support of the Weed Science societies; the commodity boards and John Deere, who supported my research throughout graduate school; my major professor; committee members; the University of Arkansas; the System Division of Agriculture; and my wonderful family."

He helped the U of A weed science team win the 2023 national championship, winning the Written Calibration and Crop Response to Herbicides divisions at the national contest that year.

Avent won the WSSA Master's Division Three Minute Thesis competition and the college's 3MT contest, hosted by the Graduate School and International Education, both in 2021; and won multiple poster and oral presentation contests in WSSA, Beltwide Cotton, Arkansas Crop Protection, Rice Technical Working Group and Southern Weed Science Society competitions.

He is a recipient of the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Fellowship and a U of A Doctoral Academy Fellowship, has published 16 peer-reviewed articles with seven as the first author; published 129 non-peer reviewed research series, abstracts and Extension fact sheets; and been part of seven inventions and projects earning patents.

"Each year, our societies recognize the top individuals who do their utmost to advance weed science research, best management practices and public knowledge about weeds and invasive species," says Hilary Sandler, outgoing WSSA president. "It's an honor to recognize members who have made exceptional contributions during 2025. Thanks to these dedicated individuals, our nation and its various regions are much better equipped to prevent the multiple, negative impacts that weeds and invasive species can cause to our environment, natural resources and economy."

The Weed Science Society of America is a nonprofit scientific society founded in 1956 to encourage and facilitate the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. It promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and strengthens cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.