IANR faculty, staff honored at awards luncheon

April 29, 2016

Lincoln, Neb. — Faculty and staff from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska­–Lincoln were honored at an awards luncheon on April 27 at the Nebraska East Union. IANR Harlan Vice Chancellor and UNL Chancellor-Elect Ronnie Green was on hand to present awards received during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Awards presented, and recipients were:

• Dinsdale Family Faculty Award: This award honors faculty members for outstanding teaching, research and outreach at IANR. It is especially focused on untenured faculty who have demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence.
  • Samodha Fernando, assistant professor of nutritional biochemistry in the Department of Animal Science. Fernando is quickly earning a reputation as a leading researcher. He studies how gut microbial structure-function relationships affect animal and human nutrition and health. Fernando has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $1.9 million in external grants. Over the course of his short career, he has published 20 refereed journal articles, 23 abstracts and 11 research reports.

• Exemplary Service Award: This award recognizes former University of Nebraska KUDO Award honorees for continued outstanding and exemplary service to the University of Nebraska.
  • Sharon Holman, office supervisor at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center. Colleagues say Holman’s work is marked by the highest level of professionalism, her compassion for the faculty and staff, and her passion for the work being done at PHREC.
  • Nancy Wagner, payroll data management coordinator in the IANR Finance and Personnel Department. Wagner works to ensure the integrity of payroll information. She is the primary trainer of payroll staff in the IANR business centers. Wagner has dedicated her time and effort to provide each staff member with a level of expertise similar to her own.

• Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Award: This award is given annually by the Agricultural Research Division to tenure-track assistant professors with an ARD appointment who have a maximum of five years of professional service at UNL. The award, which is based on publication record, evidence of external funding activity and peer recognition, is provided by the Branham Endowment Fund.
  • Samodha Fernando, assistant professor of nutritional biochemistry in the Department of Animal Science
  • Patricio Grassini, assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. His research interests center on crop yield potential, yield-gap analysis, resource- and energy-use efficiency in cropping systems and simulation modeling. One of his current major ongoing projects is to develop a global yield-gap atlas that provides estimates of gaps between actual and potential yield for major cropping systems.
  • Amanda Ramer-Tait, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology. Ramer-Tait’s research interests center on the dynamic interactions between the immune system and intestinal microbes. Current efforts are aimed at understanding how host-microbial interactions in the gastrointestinal tract contribute to chronic, inflammatory diseases.

• Omtvedt Innovation Award: This award recognizes exceptional service for innovative research and teaching.
  • John Rupnow, professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology. Rupnow is known for his innovative teaching, especially in the area of science education in food science and technology. His science of food class is very popular, enrolling roughly 700 students each semester.

• Omtvedt Servant Leader Award: This award recognizes outstanding managerial/professional and office/service employees. This award is made possible through the generosity of Lee Harlan and her late husband, Neal, in honoring Irv Omtvedt and his distinguished career at the university.
  • Wanda Bowder, internal operations manager in the Department of Food Science and Technology. In addition to her regular responsibilities, Bowder played a crucial role before, during and after the massive department move from East Campus to Nebraska Innovation Campus. Colleagues noted that her discretion, good judgment and common sense put people at ease.
  • Allen Specht, AVE business manager in the IANR Business Center. Specht was active in the development of the business center concept within IANR. Colleagues noted that his institutional memory is invaluable and infallible, and faculty appreciate his willingness to help them with financial issues.
  • Rosalee Swartz, undergraduate program and recruitment director in the Department of Agricultural Economics. Swartz never turns down and opportunity to counsel visiting students and has become an excellent recruiter for the Department of Agricultural Economics. As one student said, “Rosalee’s enthusiasm and excitement sold me on the department.”

In addition, those honored with professorships were:

• David Hyten, Haskins Professor in Plant Genetics and associate professor of soybean genetics and genomics.
• Rick Funston, Nebraska beef cow-calf professor and beef reproductive physiology specialist
• Martha Mamo, John E. Weaver Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture
• Melanie Simpson, Susan J. Rosowski Professor of Biochemistry, Center for Biological Chemistry graduate program chair, program director of the Molecular Mechanisms of Disease Graduate Training Program
• Paul Black, chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Charles Bessey Professor of Biological Chemistry
• Rodney Moxley, professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Bessey Professorship, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Four were honored for recently being named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. Fellows are selected by their peers for scientifically or socially distinguished achievements that advance science or its application. Those honored were:

• Daniel Schachtman, professor of agronomy and horticulture and director of UNL’s Center for Biotechnology
• Janos Zempleni, Willa Cather professor of molecular nutrition and director of the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules and of the Nebraska Gateway for Nutrigenomics
• Ronnie Green, IANR Harlan Vice Chancellor and UNL Chancellor-Elect
• Mark Riley, professor and department head of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering