Accolades News for Researchers
Posted August 3, 2018 by Ashley Washburn
Awards, Honors and Recognitions
Kwame Dawes, English, was named an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, which recognizes some of the world’s best novelists, short story writers, poets, playwrights, biographers, historians, travel writers, literary critics and scriptwriters.
Ken Dewey, geography and natural resources, received the 2018 Public Education Award from the National Weather Association. The award recognizes an individual or organization that contributes significantly to increasing the public’s weather awareness. Dewey will be recognized at the association’s Annual Awards Luncheon on Aug. 29 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Amit Jhala, agronomy and horticulture, and Nebraska Extension weed management specialist, received the Outstanding Associate Editor Award from the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. Selection for the annual award is based on scientific quality of reviews, timeliness, an unbiased review process and decisions on scientific papers submitted to the journal. Jhala’s expertise is in biology, gene flow and management of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Mark van Roojen, philosophy, was elected the Central Division’s representative to the American Philosophical Association’s board of officers. The APA supports the professional development of philosophers at all levels and works to foster greater understanding and appreciation of philosophy in academia and in the public arena.
Professional Involvement
Janos Zempleni, nutrition and health sciences, and director of the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules, delivered an invited symposia talk, “Bioavailability, Distribution and Phenotypes of Bovine Milk Exosomes in Non-Bovine Species,” at the American Dairy Science Association’s annual meeting, June 25 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Publishing Honors
Mark Griep, chemistry, and Bev DeVore-Wedding, postdoctoral research associate in chemistry, along with Janyce Woodard of Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago and Hank Miller of Nebraska Indian Community College in Macy, published the “Lab Manual for Connecting Chemistry to the Tribal Community: Two Semesters of Chemistry Experiments and Teachings.” The manual’s lab exercises were created for a two-semester general, organic and biochemistry course sequence at Nebraska’s two tribal colleges, but are flexible enough to be used at other tribal and community colleges.
José Ángel Maldonado, communication studies, received the Dissertation Award from the Rhetoric Society of America, an interdisciplinary society for individuals who pursue scholarship in rhetoric. Maldonado was honored for his dissertation, “Diana’s Confession: Precarious Rhetoric in Post-NAFTA Mexico.” He received the award at the association’s annual meeting, May 30-June 3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Other News
Loren Giesler will become head of the university’s Department of Plant Pathology on Sept. 1. Giesler, professor of plant pathology, built his career at the university, climbing the ranks from graduate research assistant to research technologist to Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic coordinator before joining the faculty. He currently provides statewide leadership for Nebraska Extension in soybeans and turfgrass.
David Jones has been named head of the Biological Systems Engineering Department, a role he’s served on an interim basis since July 1, 2017. Jones, a professor of biological systems engineering, served as associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Engineering from 2011-2017, where he oversaw the college’s undergraduate programs and student services. He has a doctorate in agricultural engineering from Oklahoma State University and is a fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Connie Reimers-Hild took the reins as interim executive director of the Rural Futures Institute at the University of Nebraska on June 30, when RFI’s founding executive director, Chuck Schroeder, retired. Prior to that, she was associate executive director of the institute, which leverages expertise from the four NU campuses to strengthen rural communities. Reimers-Hild has a doctorate in human sciences with a focus on leadership studies from Nebraska.
John Ruberson will become head of Nebraska’s Department of Entomology on Jan. 1, 2019. Ruberson, currently professor and entomology department head at Kansas State University, will take over for interim department head Gary Brewer. Among other tasks, Ruberson will provide leadership for the department’s efforts to develop pest management thresholds and provide information on pest species, insecticide resistance and other issues affecting crops, livestock and human health in Nebraska. Ruberson has been at Kansas State since 2012, and before that was at the University of Georgia from 1994-2012. He has a doctorate in entomology from Cornell University.
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