March 13, 2008

LINCOLN, Neb. — Seven University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and staff were recipients of the 2008 Holling Family Awards for Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The awards are given annually for outstanding teaching in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

This year's recipients are:

Teaching Assistant Teaching Awards: Tierney Brosius and Joel Lechner.

Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award: Jennifer Rees.

Senior Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards: James Brandle, Thomas Dorn, Richard Sutton and Gary Zoubek.

Brosius, lecturer in entomology, has served as a teaching assistant in Entomology 116 and Entomology 108, which as co-instructor she taught high school students in the Lincoln Public School System's Science Focus Program. She also was an active participant in the department's Bug Bash public education program. Through her research activities in conservation biology, she regularly conducts educational programs for various public audiences of all ages. Raised in Pierce, Brosius received her bachelor's degree from Wayne State College in 2003 and her master's degree from UNL in 2006. She is working on her doctorate degree at UNL and resides in Lincoln.

Lechner, assistant in biochemistry, has been highly instrumental in the success of a new educational tool in the biochemistry laboratory course Biochemistry 321L, Laboratory Elements of Biochemistry. This tool enables students to create videos that explain biochemistry concepts. Lechner's example video uses balloons, forks, a marshmallow and a pumpkin to convey an interesting story line about how enzymes work and can be inhibited. Born and raised in Lincoln, Lechner began his college career at the University of Washington in Seattle. He finished his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from UNL in December 2006 and is working on his master's degree.

Rees, assistant extension educator at the Southeast Research and Extension Center, has a balanced educational program and a reputation as an expert plant pathologist in south central and southeast Nebraska. About 1,500 producers have benefitted from her workshops, clinics and field days. She makes timely presentations about crop diseases and is a co-leader for the grant-supported Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network. Rees was raised on a small farm near Hoskins. She received her bachelor's degree in 2002 and her master's degree in 2004, both from UNL. In 2004, she joined UNL Extension as an educator for Clay and Webster counties. She resides in York.

Brandle, professor in the School of Natural Resources, shows his commitment to teaching through his recent outreach effort targeting science at a local elementary school. The course, Outreach to the Elementary School Classroom, was developed by Brandle and provides science learning experiences for elementary-age students at McPhee Elementary in Lincoln. It has improved student test scores and offers an out-of-class experience for UNL students participating in the class. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mo., Brandle received his bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1966 and his master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1969 and 1974. He resides in Lincoln.

Dorn, extension educator in the Southeast Research and Extension Center, has taken the leadership role in teaching financial record keeping concepts for the past 10 years to UNL Extension clientele. He takes the initiative to continually update materials to stay current with advances in software and is a team leader with this program. Extension educators across the state use Dorn's handouts in their local financial record keeping programs. From Tekamah, Dorn received his bachelor's degree in 1974 and his master's degree in 1976, both from UNL. He lives in Lincoln. Sutton, associate professor of horticulture, has been instrumental in the development of the Landscape Design Option in the horticulture degree program at UNL. He has focused over 30 years of committed teaching and advising to the development of a highly respected educational program. A Nebraska native, Sutton was raised and resides in Lincoln. He received his bachelor's degree from Colorado State University and his master's and doctorate degrees from Utah State University. He joined the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in 1975.

Zoubek, extension educator in the Southeast Research and Extension Center, was one of four educators who began the Great Quad County On-Farm Research group and is a key player in data summarization, placing data on the on-farm research Web site and presenting this research to producers and consultants. He also is a critical team member of the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network. As a co-leader, he has contributed significantly to all aspects of the program, including interactions with the collaborators, educational programs, seminars, field demonstrations, routine field visits and preparing materials. Raised in western Nebraska, Zoubek received his bachelor's degree in 1972 and his master's degree in 1973, both from UNL. He resides in York.

The Holling Family Award Program for Teaching Excellence was made possible by a gift from the Holling family to honor their pioneer parents. John Holling was a 1912 electrical engineering graduate of UNL and his brother, Gustave Holling, attended the College of Agriculture before farming the family's land in the Wood River area.

3/13/08-SK

Steven S. Waller - Ph.D.
College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
Dean
(402) 472-2201

Sandi Alswager Karstens
IANR News and Photography
(402) 472-3030

Department: College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources