January 29, 2007
AMES, Iowa — The College of Agriculture at Iowa State University presented annual awards to faculty and staff at its spring semester convocation on Jan. 24. Award winners were:
Steven Lonergan, associate professor in animal science, received the Outstanding Advisor Award. Lonergan has advised from 20 to 30 undergraduate students each semester for the past six years, he also advises students working on their master's and doctorate degrees. Students submitted nomination letters describing Lonergan as an enthusiastic advisor committed to helping students identify and pursue career paths that lead to academic and lifelong success.
Lisa Schulte, assistant professor in natural resource ecology and management, received the Early Achievement in Teaching Award. Schulte began teaching at Iowa State in 2003. Both peers and students describe her teaching philosophy as one that opens horizons and encourages students to learn by doing.
Fredric Janzen, professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, received the Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award. Since 1994 Janzen has provided high school, undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional mentoring, classroom teaching and research experiences. One of those experiences is his annual "Turtle Camp" on the Mississippi River. The research is supported by the National Science Foundation and involves several weeks of intensive field study evaluating temperature-dependent sex determination of turtles.
Cornelia Flora, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in sociology and director of the North Central Regional center for Rural Development, received the Excellence in International Agriculture Award. Flora is known for her international work in sustainable agriculture and the development of rural communities. Flora began her work at Iowa State as a sociology professor in 1994 and has promoted the College of Agriculture's globalization goals through grants and contracts. She has on-going research projects in Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Mexico and regularly teaches in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Howard Tyler, associate professor of animal science, received the Outstanding Service in Student Recruitment and Retention. Tyler has been an animal science faculty member since 1991 and has contributed to the recruitment and retention activities of undergraduates. Along with coordinating undergraduate learning communities, clubs and recruitment activities, he advises students on course selection and career goals.
Matthew Helmers, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, received the award for Early Achievement in Extension. Helmers came to Iowa State in 2003 and his research in natural resource engineering provides the basis for his expertise in water quality. Clients seek his advice and insight about drainage and water management problems. Last March, he conducted drainage workshops across Iowa with more than 200 participants.
Roger Ginder, professor of economics, received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension. Ginder began his career at Iowa State in 1978 after receiving his doctorate from the University of Kentucky. Ginder is a leading expert in the financial and strategic management of cooperatives and has developed and conducted training seminars on an annual basis for executives, managers, board members and employees of cooperative business organizations.
Chad Hart, Center for Agricultural Research and Development scientist, received the Professional and Scientific Staff Award for Achievement and Service. For the past 15 years Hart has researched and published extensively on the topics of agricultural risk and insurance, trade restrictions and tariffs, agricultural subsidies and how they relate to commodity markets and producer incentives; and ethanol production and its effects on grain markets and livestock production.
Desiree Gunning, teaching lab coordinator in molecular biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, received the Professional and Scientific Staff Award for Achievement and Service. Gunning began her career at Iowa State in 1978 as a laboratory technician and has since moved into a fulltime teaching position and coordinates undergraduate advising for the department. She offers advice and assistance to more than 200 students each year.
Donna Otto, clerk-typist in the economics department, received the Merit Staff Award for Achievement and Service. Otto began working in the department in 1979 and provides technical and computer support for faculty and staff in the department. Her nominees described her as innovative, consistent, reliable and creative.
Chad Stahl, assistant professor in animal science, received the Early Achievement in Research Award. In 2002, Stahl began his teaching and research career at Iowa State. His research focuses on the development of alternatives to conventional antibiotics for use in animal feed, which is critical to the profitability and sustainability of animal agriculture. Stahl has written or co-written nine peer-reviewed journal articles and received more than $1.3 million in grants either as the principal or co-principal investigator.
Walter Fehr, director of the Office of Biotechnology and Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in agronomy, received the Outstanding Achievement in Research Award. Fehr is recognized for his comprehensive research program in soybean genetics, breeding and production. Fehr's research has focused on increasing productivity and enhancing the value of soybeans for national and international markets. He cooperated with food scientists to identify genes that modified the fatty acid composition of seed oil, which led to the development of cultivars with reduced linolenic acid and saturated fatty acid content.
The Masters of Science in Agronomy Distance Education Program received the Team Award. The program began in 1997 after Dick Shibles, Allen Knapp and Ken Moore, professors in agronomy, saw the need to provide a degree to nontraditional students. The program provides an educational option for fulltime employees who wish to pursue a master's degree. The team includes 12 faculty members and six staff members. The team award also recognized seven staff and faculty members who previously contributed to the program.
Richard Hall, professor of natural resource ecology and management, received the Faculty Award for Diversity Enhancement. Hall began his career at Iowa State as a professor of forestry in 1974. For the past three decades he has mentored, coached, advised and inspired students from many nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. Hall believes that the same diversity that builds strength in ecosystems, should be viewed as an asset to build relationships among people.
Susan Lamont, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in animal science, received the Rossmann Manatt Faculty Development Award. Lamont began her career as a professor in animal science in 1983. Her research focuses on the immune response and resistance to disease in poultry and she has recently added complementary studies on the genetics of growth and fitness. Her productive research programs are due in part to her creative research design and incorporation of contemporary technology. The quality of her program is illustrated by the fact that she has secured more than $5 million in research support.
Lance Gibson, associate professor of agronomy, received the Raymond and Mary Baker Agronomic Excellence Award for his contributions in agronomy. Gibson joined the faculty in 1998 and received the award for his innovative approaches to teaching, outreach activities, classroom instruction and interaction with students.
The Dean's Citation for Extraordinary Contributions to the College of Agriculture was presented to Robert Brown, professor of mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and agricultural and biosystems engineering and the Iowa Farm Bureau director of the Office of Biorenewables Programs at Iowa State; Shelley Taylor, program coordinator for global agriculture programs; and Barbara McBreen, communications specialist in the communications service office.