University of Georgia Professor David Bridges has been appointed
assistant dean of the Tifton, Ga., campus of the UGA College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said CAES dean and
director Gale Buchanan.

Bridges replaces Phil Utley, the current assistant dean, who will
retire in August. The Tifton campus consists
of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station and the UGA Rural
Development Center.

“Dr. Bridges was selected following a national search for the
perfect candidate to fill this very important position in our
college,” Buchanan said. “We had a number of worthy candidates.
It was a tough decision, but Dr. Bridges emerged clearly as the
one most capable of providing effective leadership for the Tifton
campus.”

The Tifton campus assistant dean provides leadership for UGA CAES
teaching, research and extension programs in south Georgia.

“Dr. Bridges possesses all the traits that are important to
assuring his success as assistant dean for our college in south
Georgia,” Buchanan said. “He is a distinguished researcher, but
he also has teaching and extension experience. He’s very
forthright, has a high degree of dedication and is an extremely
hardworking individual.”

Bridges’ Background

A native of Terrell County, Ga., Bridges earned his first degree
from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He holds bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in agronomy from Auburn University and a
Ph.D. in agronomy/weed science from Texas A&M University.

He joined the UGA CAES faculty in 1987 at the Griffin, Ga., campus.
In 1997, he reached the rank of professor in the college’s crop
and soil sciences department.

During his 14 years with UGA, Bridges has conducted agricultural
research in a variety of areas related to weed management. He is
now studying noncrop vegetation management, including vegetation
management for enhancing wildlife habitat and pre- and
postplanting herbaceous weed control for Conservation Reserve
Program plantings.

Bridges validated and released two computer programs that help
county agents make weed-control decisions in soybeans and
peanuts. He also developed the current framework for the CAES
commodity web pages. These web pages provide current,
research-based information on cotton, peanuts, soybeans, canola,
small grains, tobacco and turf.

Publications, Awards, Grants

To date, Bridges’ research has resulted in more than 166
publications, including five books, seven book chapters, 58
refereed journal articles, 49 proceedings and 21 miscellaneous
publications. He has attracted more than $1.6 million in grant
funds from competitive sources and industry to UGA.

Bridges has received many professional awards, including the
Southern Weed Science Society’s Outstanding Young Weed Scientist
award and the Weed Science Society of America’s Outstanding Young
Scientist award.

In 1993, a publication he co-authored was selected as Publication
of the Year by the American Society for Horticultural Science. An
active member of the Weed Science Society of America, he has
served on and chaired many society committees.

Bridges and his wife, Kim, a native of Irwin County, Ga., have
two children: Rees, 18, and Morgan, 14. The family now lives in
Pike County, Ga.