Accolades News for Researchers
Posted February 3, 2023 by Tiffany Lee
Awards, Honors and Recognitions
Rick Bevins, psychology, was named a fellow of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Fellows are selected for their outstanding contributions to the field of nicotine and tobacco research, as well as service to SRNT. Bevins was among 19 fellows selected this year.
Humberto Blanco, agronomy and horticulture, received the Shirley H. Phillips Distinguished Lecture in No-Till Agriculture award from the University of Kentucky. The award honors exceptional contributions to advancing the science and practice of no-tillage agriculture. He was recognized on Nov. 18, 2022, in Lexington.
Jeannette Jones, history and ethnic studies, is one of 19 scholars selected to contribute to the American Historical Review’s 1619 Project Forum. Her essay is called “A Review of the 1619 Project and 1619education.org.” Jones’ research is in American cultural and intellectual history and African American studies, with strong interests in race and representation, Atlantic studies and science studies.
Oleh Khalimonchuk, biochemistry, and Richard Wilson, plant pathology, were selected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society. Khalimonchuk was chosen for distinguished contributions to the field of mitochondrial biology, particularly for advancing the understanding of multiple mitochondrial functions in health, cellular stress and degenerative diseases. Wilson was selected for distinguished contributions to the understanding of the genetic and biochemical underpinnings that govern plant-microbe interactions, particularly the devastating blast disease caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae.
Stevan Z. Knezevic, agronomy and horticulture, was named a 2022 fellow of the North Central Weed Science Society. The award – the highest available from the NCWSS – was presented Dec. 7 in St. Louis at the society’s 77th annual meeting. Individuals selected for the honor have made outstanding contributions to weed science.
Dawn Lindsley, Nebraska Extension, and Clayton Thomas, an agricultural education major, were honored at the annual national conference of the Association for Career and Technical Education. Lindsley served as the national ACTE fellowship coordinator for the new professionals’ cohort and was also a CliftonStrengths coach. Thomas was one of 20 participants selected from across the nation to participate in the Advancing Career and Technical Educators Symposium.
Jo Potuto, law, received the 2023 Law and Sports Award from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Law and Sports. The award honors an individual who has made substantial and distinguished contributions to scholarship, teaching or service in the area of the law relating to sports.
James Schnable, agronomy and horticulture, was named a fellow of the German PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence, based at the University of Bonn. He joined a group of 11 fellows identified by the cluster as leaders working toward sustainable crop production using digital technologies.
The College of Engineering and the College of Business had strong showings in the 2023 U.S. News and World Report rankings of online master’s degree programs. The Master of Engineering Management program is No. 9 in the Best Online Master’s in Engineering list, which is an improvement from its No. 17 ranking in 2022. Four College of Business programs finished among the top 20 in the U.S. News report, including a No. 19 placement for the MBA@Nebraska program in the all online Master of Business Administration programs. Learn more about Nebraska’s rankings here.
The College of Business’ online MBA program is also ranked No. 15 nationally in Poet&Quants’ 2023 survey of the Best Online MBA Programs in the U.S. The program has jumped 12 spots since 2021 and is No. 3 among Big Ten institutions. Poets&Quants is an online publication for business education news.
Publishing Awards
Sasitharan Balasubramaniam and Massimiliano Pierobon, computing, served as guest editors on a special issue of IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. The issue, “Edge-Based Wireless Communications Technologies to Counter Communicable Infectious Diseases,” focused on challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and how technological advancements can help solve and obtain new knowledge about communicable disease pandemics.
Amit Jhala, agronomy and horticulture, received a Superior Paper (Information Technology, Sensors, and Control System) honor from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. He was recognized for the paper “Evaluation of Soil Moisture Sensing Technologies in Silt Loam and Loamy Sand Soils: Assessment of Performance, Temperature Sensitivity, and Site- and Sensor-Specific Calibration Functions.” Each ASABE technical community selects up to 5% of the papers published by their community for paper awards.
Alice Kang, political science and ethnic studies, received the C. Herman Pritchett Book Award from the American Political Science Association. She was honored for her latest work, “Reimagining the Judiciary: Women’s Representation on High Courts Worldwide.” The book explores the factors that facilitate women’s representation on high courts across the world.
Hans Sturm, Glenn Korff School of Music, is author of the book “75 Years on 4 Strings: The Life and Music of François Rabbath,” which has been nominated for the 2023 Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research. The awards spotlight the finest work currently being published in the field of recorded sound research. Winners will be announced in September. Sturm’s book is a biography of Rabbath, a French double-bass virtuoso, soloist and composer who has influenced countless bassists around the world.
Professional Service
Craig Allen, natural resources, was featured in a January online workshop sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The event explored ways to strengthen scientific research and collaboration to address global environmental stresses and called for increased coordination to boost understanding of major environmental risks around the globe.
Amanda Morales, teaching, learning and teacher education, was selected for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Educator Diversity Programmatic Advisory Committee. She was elected for this role by the AACTE board of directors.
Other News
Edgar Cahoon, biochemistry, was reappointed as director of the Center for Plant Science Innovation, a role he’s held since 2010. The center strives to improve Nebraska and global well-being through innovative plant science research and education. Center researchers have contributed to work that has improved plant stress tolerance, developed more nutritious crops, expanded bioenergy opportunities and enhanced yields.
John Carroll will step down from his role as director of the School of Natural Resources in July. During Carroll’s 10-year tenure as director, SNR adopted the unofficial tagline “integration and identity,” which encouraged scholars from diverse disciplines to pursue interdisciplinary research. Today, faculty are collaborating with researchers from across campus, including many in the humanities. Carroll has also been a leader in developing hands-on and experiential learning opportunities for SNR students, including building partnerships with the San Diego Zoo, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Lincoln Public Schools, among others. Carroll will remain a member of the SNR faculty, and a national search for the director position will begin in the spring.
Jessie Herrmann and Joe Brownell are taking on expanded roles after the retirement of Michelle Waite, who served 24 years as assistant to the chancellor for government and military relations. Herrmann is now director of government relations for the university, overseeing all public policy matters and interactions between the university and local, state and federally elected officials and government agencies. She will also guide UNL’s state legislative agenda and represent its federal research and appropriation priorities before Congress. Brownell is now executive director of the Military and Veteran Success Center and for military relations. He will provide strategic direction for developing programs and services that support military, veteran and military-dependent students.
Jordan Rasmussen and Brandi Hilton-Hagemann, Nebraska Extension educators, were named program co-leaders for Rural Prosperity Nebraska, the community development arm of Nebraska Extension. They will lead community development efforts for a one-year term, partnering with rural communities to put into practice scholarship that focuses on rural community development. They will also spearhead their own projects: Rasmussen will focus on communications and connection with a wider Nebraska audience, and Hilton-Hagemann will reevaluate engagement strategies to help communities with their growth and improvement plans.
Kevin Shriner was appointed the university’s inaugural assistant vice chancellor for digital and online learning. He officially assumed the position on Feb. 1. Shriner came to the university from EAB, an education company focused on best practice research, technology services and enrollment services for nonprofit institutions, where he was senior director for enrollment strategy. In his new role, he will lead the development, integration and implementation of a comprehensive, transformative and inclusive strategy for online and digital education, reflective of the goals and aims of the N2025 Strategic Plan.
Mark Stone has been selected as the new head of the Biological Systems Engineering Department. He will begin his new role on July 1. Stone is currently a professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at the University of New Mexico, where he is also acting associate dean of academic affairs and community engagement in the School of Engineering. He is also co-founder and director of the UNM Resilience Institute. His research interests include integrated water resources management and socio-ecological systems resilience. Stone succeeds David Jones, who will return to the faculty.
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