Accolades News for Researchers
Posted January 10, 2025 by Tiffany Lee
Honors and Recognitions
Edgar Cahoon, biochemistry and Center for Plant Science Innovation, was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. This is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. Cahoon is an internationally recognized expert in plant lipid biotechnology who focuses on developing new types of oils that have improved functionalities for food, feed and industrial uses. His research has generated 36 U.S. patents. Cahoon will be honored at the 14th NAI Annual Conference in June in Atlanta, Georgia.
Brett Neely, management, was named one of Poets&Quants’ 50 Best Undergraduate Professors for 2024. This annual list of the world’s top educators in business education is selected by Poets&Quants’ editorial team, which scores candidates on teaching (70%) and research (30%). Neely teaches organizational behavior to Husker graduate and undergraduate students and focuses his research on leadership and interpersonal dynamics – specifically, how leaders facilitate and empower positive outcomes for employees.
Maital Neta, psychology, conducts research using the latest technology in the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, including functional MRI and resting state functional MRI, to study networks in the human brain that support decision-making processes related to emotional regulation and task control. Her work was recently featured on the Big Ten Network.
Ng’ang’a Wahu-Muchiri, English, earned the 2024 Bethwell A. Ogot Book Prize from the African Studies Association. The annual award recognizes the best book on East African studies published in the previous year and is a prestigious award in the transdisciplinary and international field of African studies. Wahu-Muchiri was honored for “Writing on the Soil: Land and Landscape in Literature from Eastern and Southern Africa,” which explores how representations of land and landscape perform metaphorical work in African literature.
Nebraska’s College of Business was ranked sixth among the 18 Big Ten business schools for research productivity in the latest Financial Times’ research rankings. The ranking captures the publications generated by faculty in the FT50 list of elite academic and practitioner journals identified by the Financial Times over three years. The process considers factors like citations, impact, influence of academic research on learning and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Professional Service
Kristen Blankley, law, and Ashley Votruba, law and psychology, presented at the annual conference of the Association for Conflict Resolution at Creighton University in Omaha in November 2024. They presented “Emerging Research on Public Perception of Restorative Justice Programs,” which discussed their research findings from a project funded by Nebraska’s Office of Dispute Resolution.
Liz Cole and Brett Stohs, law, participated in panels at the Midwest Clinical Conference in November 2024 at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Stohs was part of the “Administrative Strategies for Equitable Access to Clinical Education” and “Redefining Professional Communities Amidst Generational and Technological Change” panels, while Cole was part of the “Uncomfortable Collaboration: Teaching Students to Navigate Adversarial Relationships” panel.
Christal Sheppard, law, was invited to become a founding member of the United States’ Patent and Trademark Office’s Chapter of ChIPs, which helps to empower and advance women in technology, law and policy, particularly intellectual property. Sheppard participated virtually in the ChIPs USPTO member launch celebration on Dec. 11, 2024.
Rick Stowell, biological systems engineering and animal science, was named to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research for 2024-2026. The group promotes USDA research efforts and identifies strategies for the agriculture industry to improve air quality. Stowell, a specialist in animal environment with Nebraska Extension, will lend expertise in emissions management and sustainable solutions for livestock and poultry operations.
Frans von der Dunk, law, recently participated in two events. In October 2024, he presented “A Long and Winding Road – Towards an EU Space Law?” at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy. In November 2024, he presented “Outer Space as a Military Operational Domain and ‘The Law’ (especially the jus in bello): The Woomera Manual as Point of Departure” as part of the Day of Study on Space: International, European and Belgian Legal and Political Developments Relevant for Defense.
Other News
Patrick Dussault was named the acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, pending approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Dussault, professor of chemistry, has been with UNL since 1988 and has served in various administrative roles, including associate dean for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences since 2020; dean of graduate studies from 2011-2012; and chair of the chemistry department from 2001-2007. Dussault earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Before joining UNL, he was a National Cancer Institute postdoctoral fellow at Duke University. Dussault takes over for Mark Button, who recently was selected as interim executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer.
Research News Accolades Submission Form
