January 28, 2004
The College of Agriculture at Iowa State University presented annual awards to faculty and staff at its spring semester convocation on Tuesday. Award winners were:
Lee Burras, associate professor of agronomy, received the Outstanding Advisor Award. For the past seven years Burras has advised an average of 50 students annually. He has served as advisor for the Iowa State Soil and Water Conservation Club and the Iowa State Agricultural Student Council. He serves as co-advisor of the Agriculture Community Encourages Success (ACES) learning community.
Gail Nonnecke, professor of horticulture, received the Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award. For the past 20 years she has taught horticulture classes at Iowa State and has developed communication assignments, interview projects and hands-on laboratory exercises that expand the learning experience for students.
Jack Dekkers, professor of animal science, received the Outstanding Achievement in Research Award. Since arriving at Iowa State in 1997, Dekkers has made significant contributions in the field of animal breeding and genetics. Dekkers' research focus has been on the design, evaluation and optimization of genetic improvement programs especially in dairy cattle.
Tong Wang, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, received the Early Achievement in Research Award. She started at Iowa State in 2000. Among her research projects, she studied soybean oil as a replacement for petroleum-based wax in candles.
Mike Duffy, professor of economics, received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension. Duffy became an Iowa State faculty member in 1985 and has been a resource for Iowa's agribusiness sector, farmers and landowners on issues relating to profit margins, farm transfers and policy changes.
Beverlyn Lundy Allen, assistant professor of sociology, received the Award for Early Achievement in Extension. Since joining Iowa State in 1999, Allen has worked with Extension to Communities field specialists and the Institute for Public Leadership to coordinate leadership activities and develop research-based materials for leadership programs in communities.
Donald Beitz, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in animal science, and collaborators at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center received the Team Award for their work on nutrition and the prevention of disease in dairy cattle. The team also included Jesse Goff, Ronald Horst, Brian Nonnecke and Timothy Reinhardt.
William Edwards, professor of economics, received the Excellence in International Agriculture Award. He has been active in teaching international students about American agriculture, and has been involved with projects in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Jan Ostermann, secretary in the office of student services, received the Merit Staff Award for Achievement and Service. She has been a resource for students, staff and faculty in the College of Agriculture for 16 years.
Rich Pirog, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture program manager, received the Professional and Scientific Staff Award for Achievement and Service. His leadership is helping Iowa State link with new partners in achieving sustainable agriculture goals.
William Graves, professor of horticulture, received the Faculty Award for Diversity Enhancement. He has recruited and mentored many minority and under-represented students, and has served on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services Advisory Board since 1999.
Antonio Mallarino, professor of agronomy, received the Raymond and Mary Baker Agronomic Excellence Award for contributions in agronomy. His research focuses on cost-effective and environmentally sound management practices for phosphorus, animal manure and potassium. He also is involved in extension programs, serves as an advisory committee chair for the Iowa State Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory and helps develop fertilizer and manure management guidelines.
The Dean's Citation for Extraordinary Contributions to the College of Agriculture was presented to three people: James Baker, University professor in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, for his work on Iowa's water quality issues; John Lawrence, director of the Iowa Beef Center, for his work in coordinating state and national responses to the Mad Cow case in Washington; Brian Meyer, director of college relations, for his help in drafting the College of Agriculture strategic plan and the Experiment Station Review.