By Whitney Baxter
Ahmed Iman, a master’s student in the online agronomy program, recently received the Deborah A. Muenchrath Award.
The award is presented annually to an agronomy online graduate student who has completed the most outstanding creative component. Iman’s creative component was titled, “Concentration of CENURO™ Nitrification Inhibitor for Granular Nitrogen Fertilizer.” He was mentored by co-major professors Petro Kyveryga, affiliate associate professor of agronomy, and David Kwaw-Mensah, associate teaching professor in agronomy.
“Of the 21 creative components that we reviewed, the selection committee overwhelmingly acknowledged that Ahmed’s was the best,” said Mary Wiedenhoeft, director of the program and chair of the selection committee. “The creative component project was well executed and the results well written; Ahmed is an overall outstanding student.”
Iman, who has spent the past 12 years working as a chemist at Koch Agronomic Services in Georgia, said the master’s program strengthened his skills in scientific research, literature review, project planning and technical writing. He will take what he learned and apply it to his professional role.
“Many chemists focus primarily on laboratory work, while agronomists often emphasize field practices,” Iman said. “By combining both disciplines, I aim to bridge the gap between science and application, better understanding how products perform in real agricultural systems and identifying opportunities for improvement.”
Originally from Ethiopia, Iman currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Georgia Southern University. He said he appreciated the flexibility of Iowa State’s online agronomy program.
"I wanted to learn more about agriculture, which is why I chose to pursue a master's degree through Iowa State University,” Iman said. “After reviewing the online curriculum, I found the courses very appealing. All of the courses were excellent, but the most rewarding was AGRON 5990M because it allowed me to read numerous articles on nitrification inhibitors, which significantly deepened my knowledge of the subject. “
The Deborah A. Muenchrath Award is named in honor of Deborah Muenchrath, who contributed significantly to the development of the Agronomy MS Agronomy Online Program. Muenchrath served as a course developer, faculty member and dedicated student mentor. She is remembered for her incredible creativity, amazing intellect, abiding commitment to students and tenacious spirit. She died in 2006 at the age of 50, after a courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).