Chrissie Segars, Ph.D. Candidate was award The Phoenix Award Friday, April 14 at the Graduate and Professional Student Government Association Ceremony. Segars, a doctoral student from McBee, S.C., majoring in turfgrass science first became involved with Dr. Dennis Martin's research "Evaluation of Traffic Tolerance of Experimental and Commercially Available Bermudagrass Varieites" in 2011 as a graduate research assistant and collaborator. Under current PhD advisor, Dr. Justin Moss, Segars has been accepted to publish "Nitrogen and planting rate effects on Latitude 36 bermudagrass establishment" in HortTechnology in January 2017 and successfully published "The Effects of Athletic-Field Paint Color on Net Photosynthesis and Canopy Temperature of Overseeded Perennial Ryegrass" in Applied Turfgrass Science in 2014, and since 2014 she has presented at 11 conferences.

Currently, Segars is a member of the Oklahoma State University Diversity Board, member of the Trisocieites Graduate Student Activity Planning Committee, Oklahoma Regional Executive Secretary for the Sports Turf Mangers Association, Pi Alpha Xi Honor Society (President in 2012-2013), OSU State Graduate Professional Student Government Association Horticulture Representative as well as representative and member of several other groups.

Segars received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University in 2009. She received a master's of science from Louisiana State University in Kinesiology in 2011 and Oklahoma State University in Horticulture in 2013. She currently working toward a doctorate in Crop Science specializing in Turfgrass Science.

The Phoenix Award is given annually to one master's student and one doctoral student who have demonstrated exemplary achievement in leadership and scholarship, community  and university service, and professional involvement; especially as service and involvement relate to the OSU graduate student body. The student award winners each receive a $350 monetary award from the GPSGA and the Graduate College, and all winners will receive formal recognition during an awards ceremony and have their names engraved on the Phoenix Awards plaque located outside the Graduate College offices in Whitehurst Hall.