Accolades, August 2022

Accolades News for Researchers

Posted September 2, 2022 by Dan Moser

Awards, Honors and Recognitions

Andrea Basche, agronomy and horticulture, received an Early Career Award from the American Society of Agronomy. The award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to agronomy within seven years of completing their final degree. It will be presented to Basche at the ASA’s annual meeting in November. 

Kwame Dawes, English, received the Order of Distinction in the rank of commander from Jamaica. Dawes was born in Ghana but spent most of his childhood and early adult life in Jamaica, a place he says has influenced his poetry and other work. In 2009, he won an Emmy for LiveHopeLove.com, an interactive site based on his Pulitzer Center project called HOPE: Living and Loving with AIDS in Jamaica. He also received the Musgrave Silver Medal for his contribution to the arts in Jamaica in 2004.   

Patricio Grassini, agronomy and horticulture, has been named the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl Distinguished Professor in Agronomy. The professorship is a gift from the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl of Tempe, Arizona, to the University of Nebraska Foundation to recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, extension and/or research in agronomy related to sustainability, resource efficiency or environmental quality. 

Dipti Dev, child, youth and family studies, received the Early Professional Achievement Award from the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. The award goes to a member who has made notable contributions in the field of nutrition education and behavior and to the organization in their first 10 years as a nutrition educator. 

Phil Geib, anthropology, received the Byron Cummings Award from the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society. The award is given for outstanding research and contributions to knowledge in anthropology or research pertaining to the southwestern United States or northwestern Mexico. 

Holly Hatton-Bowers, child, youth and family studies, received the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Emerging Leadership Award in Research from ZERO TO THREE, an organization that strives to ensure babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. 

Kristin Malek, nutrition and health sciences, received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education. The award recognizes CHRIE members for their implementation of innovative, creative and effective teaching techniques in the field. 

Martha Mamo, agronomy and horticulture, was named a fellow in the American Society of Agronomy. Fellow is the highest recognition bestowed by the ASA, based on professional achievement and meritorious service. Mamo will formally be inducted in November. 

Katie Pekarek, Carla McCullough and Troy Gilmore, natural resources, were the Communication Award National Winner for Educational Video Recordings given by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. The video, “Nitrate in Nebraska – The Basics,” is part of a watershed science education effort for water management decision-makers in the state. 

Publishing Awards

Alice Kang, political science and ethnic studies, received the C. Herman Pritchett Book Award from the American Political Science Association for the book “Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide.” The book, which Kang co-authored, examines women’s representation in the high courts in five country case studies based on interviews and archival research and provides a theoretical framework explaining how it has changed over time. 

Joe Luck, biological systems engineering, received a Superior Paper Award – Machinery Systems from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The paper, “Field Performance Evaluation of Pulse-Width Modulation and Pressure-Controlled, Fixed-Orifice Application Systems for Sensor-Based Nitrogen Applications,” was co-authored by three Husker graduate students. 

Daran Rudnick, biological systems engineering, received the Superior Paper Award – Natural Resources & Environmental Systems from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The paper is titled “A 2020 Vision of Subsurface Drip Irrigation in the U.S.” 

Mehmet Can Vuran, computing; Amit Jhala, agronomy and horticulture; and Xin Qiao, biological systems engineering, received the Superior Paper Award – Information Technology, Sensors & Control System from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The paper is titled “Evaluation of Soil Moisture Sensing Technologies in Silt Loam and Loam Sand Soils: Assessment of Performance, Temperature Sensitivity and Site- and Sensor-Specific Calibration Functions.” 

Professional Involvement

The Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research has selected six faculty members to serve as Policy Fellows for the 2022-23 academic year. They are Carrie Clark, educational psychology; Amy Encinger, education and child development, Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; Holly Hatton-Bowers, child, youth and family studies; Sara Kupzyk, psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha; Dawn Mollenkopf, teacher education, University of Nebraska at Kearney; and Amy Napoli, child, youth and family studies.  

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