Stockbridge Professor of Turfgrass and Plant Stress Physiology Michelle DaCosta received an inaugural Exceptional Internal Service Award from the College of Natural Sciences. The award was recommended by Stockbridge Director Baoshan Xing in consultation with the Stockbridge Personnel Committee. DaCosta, who joined Stockbridge in 2006, is recognized for her contributions in multiple areas, including teaching, research, advising, curriculum development, faculty mentoring, and alumni relations.
Teaching and Research
In her nearly 20 years at the school, hundreds of students have enjoyed her mid-to-upper-level courses, such as Introductory Plant Physiology, Turfgrass Physiology and Ecology, and Plant Stress Physiology. Her expertise has extended to providing our Winter School for Turf Managers certificate program, which is widely known to experts in the turf industries.
DaCosta describes her research track as using perennial grasses as an experimental system for gaining greater insight into the physiological mechanisms by which plants adapt to environmental stresses.
“Our goal is to identify plant traits and stress response pathways associated with tolerance to different environmental stresses propelled by global climate change, including temperature extremes and drought,” explains DaCosta.
Her lab, including several undergraduate and graduate students, also conducts applied research to guide turf industry professionals selecting stress-resistant grass species and cultivars, and aids in the development of best management practices to reduce water, fertilizer, and pesticide use. In her time at UMass, she has been an invited speaker to over 100 industry presentations, providing education and outreach to thousands of urban landscape industry stakeholders, including the managers of many public parks, golf courses, sports fields, and school grounds.
Advising and Mentoring
At Stockbridge, we proudly offer excellent one-on-one advising with faculty mentors. Each semester, DaCosta meets with over 70 undergraduate students to discuss current courses, register for next semester’s courses, and discuss internships and career opportunities.
Her commitment to tracking the progress of so many students comes in part from her role as Chief Undergraduate Advisor, and Major Coordinator, for both our bachelor’s degree program in Applied Plant & Soil Sciences, and our associate degree program in Turfgrass Management.
She is also active in our Fall and Spring student recruitment events, meeting with an estimated 40 families per year to discuss the career paths available to them through Stockbridge.
In addition to working with undergraduates, DaCosta mentors graduate students pursuing an accelerated 5th-Year Masters, and traditional M.S. and Ph.D programs in Plant Biology, Plant & Soil Sciences, and Environmental Conservation.
Curriculum Development and Alumni Relations
As an experienced member of the Stockbridge School, DaCosta has helped to shape the curricula that contribute to the university’s #1 ranking in agricultural sciences. She was the primary coordinator for the creation of our major in Applied Plant & Soil Sciences (APSS), which represents a merger of 3 distinct bachelor’s degree programs, including Horticultural Science, and Turfgrass Science & Management.
With her guidance, we now offer students a solid foundation in plant and soil sciences, as well as increased flexibility to use our expanded course catalog to design their major to their evolving interests.
APSS students can now specialize in topics that illuminate career paths in greenhouse management, sports turf maintenance, plant health and pathology, pest management, soil health, urban agriculture, and plant biotechnology.
DaCosta keeps in touch with her “Stockies”—past graduates of the Stockbridge School—through her work with the Alumni Turf Group. Her engagement of turfgrass alumni has resulted in generous fundraising donations to benefit the school and current students. Alumni donations defray travel costs for our current students to compete at national industry competitions, and also support research activities at the Joseph Troll Turfgrass Research Center.
Department Leadership
DaCosta has provided service to SSA and the college through leadership on key committees, including serving as a long-standing member or Chair of the department personnel and executive committees. She also served on the search committees for the last five SSA faculty hires as well as the new Director for the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE).
“Her long history of service underscores the faculty’s admiration for her fairness, and for the exceptional quality of her work,” writes Stockbridge Director Baoshan Xing.
“Dr. DaCosta is without question the most deserving Stockbridge School of Agriculture faculty member for this inaugural award,” Xing says proudly. “And is the standard for exceptional service to our department.”