Accolades News for Researchers
Posted August 29, 2024 by Tiffany Lee
Honors and Recognitions
David Jones, biological systems engineering, received a presidential citation from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. He was honored at the ASABE 2024 International Meeting, held July 28-31 in Anaheim, California.
Gina Matkin, agricultural leadership, education and communication, received the 2024 Distinguished Leadership and Service Award from the Association of Leadership Educators. The award recognizes an experienced ALE member whose leadership and service upholds the association’s mission: to strengthen and sustain the expertise of professional leadership educators. Matkin, who is retiring after more than 30 years with Nebraska, taught a variety of ALEC courses and dedicated much of her work to creating a welcoming environment for all and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Barney McCoy, broadcasting, won a Faculty Award of Excellence at the 2024 Broadcast Education Association’s On-Location Creative Works Competition. McCoy was honored in the Documentary Competition for “Running Towards the Fire – A War Correspondent’s Story,” which captures the pivotal role of war correspondents during the Allies’ 1944 D-Day invasion of Europe. In addition to McCoy, seven Husker broadcasting students and alumni received awards. The group will be recognized at this year’s BEA On-Location conference at Clark Atlanta University, Oct. 4-6.
Walter W. Stroup, statistics (emeritus), received the W. J. Dixon Award for Excellence in Statistical Consulting from the American Statistical Association. Each year, the award honors an individual who has demonstrated excellence in statistical consulting or developed new methods, software or ways of thinking that improve statistical practice. Across his career, Stroup advanced statistical consulting, interdisciplinary collaborations and new tools for statistical practice. His contributions include authorship of a series of books; development of courses and workshops; and collaboration with software developers to develop tools understandable to the scientific community.
Publications
Jack Beard, law, is editor in chief of the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities and Operations, the first comprehensive examination of the field. The manual analyzes all three phases of military space interactions, with relevance to both the public and private space sectors. Beard’s team has been working on the manual since 2018, and over the years more than a dozen Husker law students have provided research and editorial support on the project.
Chris Bilder, statistics, is co-author of the textbook “Analysis of Categorical Data with R,” the second edition of which was published in July. The book – primarily designed for courses at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level – presents a modern account of categorical data analysis using the R software environment and has been updated to include two new areas in the advanced topics chapter, group testing and splines, among other updates.
Professional Service
Jenny Rees, Nebraska Extension, was selected as the vice chair for the North Central Region in Agronomy and Pest Management 109th Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agriculture Agents.
Francisco Souto, art, attended the opening of the 2024 Venice Biennale in April, where he is exhibiting his work until Nov. 24. Souto, known for his highly detailed drawings and prints, is the first Nebraska artist to show at the Venice Biennale, the world’s largest and most prestigious art exhibition – sometimes referred to as the “Olympics of the art world.” Souto’s work is included in the European Cultural Centre’s biennial of contemporary art exhibition, titled “Personal Structures.”
Shari Veil, journalism and mass communications, was elected as the Large/XL-sized Program Representative for the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. In this role, Veil, the Jane T. Olson Dean of Nebraska’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications, will represent and address the unique needs and challenges of large journalism and mass communication academic programs across the nation. She will advocate for the needs of Husker students and journalism and mass communication students nationwide. Veil’s appointment started in August.
Other News
Alisha Baginski joined the University Libraries’ Digital Strategies Team as the digital stewardship librarian on May 20. Baginski most recently served as the interim director of digital curation and digitization projects coordinator at History Nebraska. Prior to that, she held appointments or had internships with the Nebraska Library Commission, the Omaha Public Library and museums in Indiana and Nebraska. Baginski received her Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis in 2020.
Stacey Decker was appointed Nebraska Public Media’s next general manager and chief executive officer following a national search. He will assume the position on Oct. 14. Decker is an accomplished public media executive with more than 25 years of experience in local, regional and national broadcasting markets. He is currently the senior vice president of innovation and systems strategy at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, where he leads a federal grant program for public television and radio that distributes over $90 million into the public media system. Decker previously served as assistant general manager at Nebraska Public Media.
Lisa Franzen-Castle was named interim associate dean for the College of Education and Human Sciences. She will be responsible for broad support of the college, including work with the associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs, as well as CEHS promotion and tenure, awards and professional leave processes. Franzen-Castle, a professor and extension nutrition specialist in the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, previously served as CEHS associate dean for faculty affairs from 2021-23 and has been with CEHS since 2009.
Melissa Gomis, University Libraries, was appointed the new chair of the Collections Strategy and Open Scholarship unit, effective Aug. 1. In her new role, Gomis will lead the unit’s efforts to build, develop and coordinate content and collections activities and open scholarly publishing. Gomis joined University Libraries in 2020 as a teaching and learning librarian with a focus on online learning and affordable content. She has a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Amit Saini was promoted to the chair of the Department of Marketing. Saini, the W.W. Marshall College Professor and professor of marketing, aims to foster an environment where students, staff and faculty can amplify their talents and strengthen the department’s academic program and curriculum. He is also committed to enhancing professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. Saini conducts research focused on management of marketing technologies, business-to-business marketing and marketing ethics.
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