Event Recaps

UT Turfgrass Hosts Second Annual BEACON Event

Posted on Oct 28, 2025Share on

Two men kneeling down on grass looking at a ball, grass samples, and shoes

The UT Turfgrass Program, a part of the Department of Plant Sciences, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville just wrapped up its second annual BEACON event. BEACON is a two-day event that brings together students, researchers, and industry professionals involved in turfgrass and landscape systems from around the country. This year the event welcomed students from other colleges and universities, as well as students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Nearly 40 students from Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Sandhills Community College, the University of Georgia, and Clemson University also attended the event this year.

The first day of BEACON was the career fair which included a pre-fair session where students could do mock interviews to prepare for the career fair. Nearly 30 employers from across the country were present at the BEACON career fair giving students the opportunity to connect and network with industry professionals, including many of the most prestigious golf course properties in the United States.

The second day of BEACON included a series of research presentations at the Plant Sciences Unit of the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (ETREC). This portion of the event more closely modeled a typical field day and included three sessions with UT Turfgrass faculty and researchers on field performance, the ongoing FIFA research and partnership, turfgrass varietal testing, evaluation of soil surfactants (wetting agents), alternative groundcover, weed and disease control, herbicide programs, and much more. All attendees were then invited to network over lunch.

Dr. Becky Bowling who oversees BEACON said that this is only the beginning, and they hope this event will become even larger in future years, providing turfgrass students from across the region a way to network and find jobs and internships, while exposing them to the work being done across the industry.

Check out some photos from the event below!

  • People at a career fair
  • People interacting at a career fair booth
  • Four men smiling looking at the camera
  • Wide shot of a career fair
  • Seven women posing together smiling at the camera
  • A person picking up a shirt at the front table of an event
  • There people laughing and smiling at a career fair
  • Group of people smiling at the camera
  • Backs of a group of people listening to a presentation outside
  • Group of people listening to a presentation in front of a metal building
  • Man standing on an elevated platform talking to a group
  • Man raising a tube with grass in it and showing it to a large group
  • Two men kneeling down on grass looking at a ball, grass samples, and shoes
  • Woman presenting to a group of people outside
  • Man talking to a group of people under a tent

To be featured on the Department of Plant Sciences website, email Victoria Cavaliere at vcavalie@utk.edu.

By Victoria Cavaliere

  • Department of Plant Sciences
  • 301 Agriculture & Natural Resources Building
  • 2431 Joe Johnson Drive
  • Knoxville, TN 37996-4500
  • P: 865-974-7324

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