Ed Hellman, a Texas Tech Professor of Viticulture with joint appointment with Texas AgriLife Extension, has been presented the 'T.V. Munson Award' from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association and the 'Outstanding Extension Educator Award' from the American Society for Horticultural Science.

The T.V. Munson Award, named for a pioneering horticulturist and Texas grape breeder, is given to an individual who has contributed much to the Texas grape growing industry. Hellman garnered the honor through his work as an educator, researcher, author, speaker and leader. He has served on the board of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, as well as the group's education committee for many years, helping plan their annual conference and other educational programs.

Hellman earned the Outstanding Extension Educator Award for being a national leader in viticulture extension. His national activities include a decade of service on the board of the National Grape and Wine Initiative. He chaired the group's Extension and Outreach Educational Committee for many years, during which he partnered with colleagues to develop an informal national meeting to facilitate collaboration among Extension viticulturists.

Hellman plans and conducts research and Extension educational programs in viticulture in support of the Texas grape and wine industry. His educational programs have focused on workshops, symposia, field days, and on-farm research demonstrations to instruct growers in improved grape management practices.

For the past few years Hellman has led the Texas Viticulture Certificate Program. The program is designed for wine industry entrepreneurs and prospective vineyard managers seeking comprehensive knowledge of viticultural principles and commercial grape production practices. Headquartered at the Hill Country University Center in Fredericksburg, it's delivered through a combination of online courses and hands-on training in Tech's own teaching vineyard.

Separately, Hellman's research program investigates the physiological basis of grape variety adaptation to climate, conducts evaluations of wine grape varieties and rootstocks, studies the distribution of Pierce's disease in Texas using a geographic information system (GIS), and is developing a GIS for vineyard site assessment in Texas.

Prior to joining the Tech faculty, Hellman worked as an associate professor and extension horticulturist at Oregon State University. He also served as an associate professor of horticulture at Kansas State University and assistant professor of viticulture at Florida A&M University. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture from the University of Illinois-Urbana. His doctorate degree in plant science is from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. He is a member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, American Society for Horticultural Science and the American Pomological Society.

Written by Norman Martin

CONTACT: Eric Hequet, Department Chair, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2838 or eric.hequet@ttu.edu

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