Inside Iowa State

Sept. 12, 2008

2008 University Convocation & Awards Ceremony

The faculty and staff recognized on these pages will be honored by the university community during Iowa State's fall convocation Monday, Sept. 22. The program begins at 3:15 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room and the public is invited. Following remarks on the academic year ahead by president Gregory Geoffroy and the award presentations, refreshments will be served.

Distinguished Professor

A Distinguished Professorship is awarded for exemplary performance in research and/or creative activities as reflected by a national or international reputation in the awardee's discipline. A Distinguished Professor's accomplishments in research, and/or creative activities must have significantly impacted, or improved the quality of, that discipline. In addition, a Distinguished Professor must have demonstrated outstanding performance in at least one other area of faculty responsibility: teaching and advising; extension/professional practice; or institutional service. A base salary addition of $4,000 is granted, and the awardee retains the title for the remainder of his or her career at the university.

Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering

Robert Brown

Bergles Professor in Thermal Sciences, professor of mechanical engineering, professor of chemical and biological engineering, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Bioeconomy Institute director

Brown is internationally recognized as a leader in thermochemical processing of biomass to biofuels, and one of the primary forces behind Iowa State's rapid rise to prominence in biorenewable resource research and development. He built multidisciplinary teams around several promising thermochemical platforms that resulted in $58 million in research funding, and serves as principal researcher for nearly all of those projects. In 2006, ConocoPhillips established a seven-year, $22.5 million biofuels research partnership with Iowa State researchers. He is one of the founders of Iowa State's biorenewables resources and technologies graduate program, the first such degree program in the United States. He holds eight patents and an R&D 100 Award.

Clarence Hartley Covault Distinguished Professor in Veterinary Medicine

Anumantha Kanthasamy

W. E. Lloyd Chair in Neurotoxicology, professor of biomedical sciences, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology director

Kanthasamy's research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders established him as a leading neuroscientist and brought international distinction to Iowa State. His studies focus on environmental, chemically induced neurodegenerative processes capable of producing Parkinson's disease, and the development of novel therapeutic agents to treat disorders of this type. Among his research grants are three National Institutes of Health ROI awards totaling more than $7 million. His advances resulted in two patents and the establishment of a new business in the ISU Research Park.

Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences

Joseph Sebranek

University Professor, professor of animal science, professor of food science and human nutrition

Sebranek is one of the world's most prominent scientists in meat processing technology. His research on value-added utilization and safety of animal food products had a major impact on the animal food industry. His research on meat properties, such as nitrite reactions that occur during curing, significantly improved the safety of processed meat. He also facilitated industrial use of irradiation technology by determining the doses necessary for controlling microbial pathogens. He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed papers and technical communications. He is recognized as an exceptional teacher, with eight awards for teaching.

University Professor

A University Professor must have acted as a change agent by making significant contributions that improved the university. A University Professor also must have demonstrated outstanding performance in at least one area of faculty responsibility: research and/or creative activities; teaching and advising; or extension/professional practice. A base salary addition of $3,500 is granted, and the awardee retains the title for the remainder of his or her career at the university.

Jack Girton, professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology

Girton's many contributions in his 23-year career at Iowa State have helped shape the university's academic structure and redefine how the university deals with complex issues of faculty conduct, academic organization and research management. He is an award-winning teacher and successful research scientist who has created new curricula in genetics, developed and taught new genetics courses, and helped develop the undergraduate genetics major into a program that attracts students from around the globe. He is a recognized faculty leader who is devoted to improving the university through the shared governance process. Included in his extensive record of service to the university are 14 years on the Faculty Senate, three as president and several as chair of key Faculty Senate councils and committees.

Douglas Jacobson, professor of electrical and computer engineering

Jacobson is a respected educational and technology innovator. He has led the computer engineering curriculum for more than 20 years, was an early adopter of the learning community approach, and led the creation of the interdisciplinary master's of science degree and certificate program in information assurance. He also founded and served as the first director of the Information Assurance Center, which now involves more than 40 faculty members from seven departments. His Internet-Scale Event and Attack Generation Environment facility has multimillion dollar support from numerous sources. He is leading the development of information technology clubs in high schools and has organized numerous cyber camps, activities and competitions for high school students. He has received two R&D 100 Awards for computer security technologies and founded Palisade Systems to commercialize the technologies.

Barbara Licklider, professor of educational leadership and policy studies

Licklider has made a significant difference in the teaching and learning practices of faculty and learning environment for students at Iowa State and beyond through her leadership in innovative curricular advancements, such as Project LEA/RN. She has developed several new courses in the areas of leadership and learning, has been principal or co-principal investigator on research projects with more than $55 million in grant funding, and has an extensive publication record. In addition to her 14 years of leadership with Project LEA/RN, she has served on the Learning Communities Advisory Committee, President's Advisory Committee on Budget Priorities and Planning, National Science Foundation Cyber Corps Program, Faculty Senate, Athletics Council, and as the university's Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA.

Gail Nonnecke, professor of horticulture

Nonnecke is one of Iowa State's most accomplished and effective undergraduate educators. Her pedagogical skill, recognized at Iowa State and around the nation, is derived from her passion for teaching, her ingenuity and creativity, and her penchant for building and sustaining collegial relationships across disciplinary, geographical and cultural boundaries. She was an early leader in the development of Iowa State's learning communities and service learning programs, and continues to lead in both areas. In the past two years, she received two of the most prestigious teaching awards for university faculty -- the USDA Food and Agricultural Sciences Excellence in College and University Teaching Award and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Professor of the Year Award for Iowa.

International Service Award

The International Service Award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding international service in teaching, research or administration within the United States or abroad. A $2,500 grant for carrying out an internationally related activity is awarded.

Richard Mansbach, professor of political science

Mansbach is a leading scholar in the field of international relations and a major contributor to expanding the university's international program. He also is one of the university's most-traveled professors, with three Fulbright awards, service as an academic specialist for the U.S. Information Agency, and invited professorships and lectures in 15 nations throughout Europe and Asia. He has written or edited 15 books, 18 book chapters, 31 refereed articles, and numerous professional papers on a variety of international issues. He pioneered the development of an approach that emphasizes the cultural foundation of world politics and demonstrates that nonmaterial forces can rival official government, military and economic resources and power structures in understanding global relations and phenomena.

Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award

This award recognizes an outstanding teacher who is dedicated to helping undergraduate students. Louis Thompson, emeritus associate dean of Agriculture, established the award to support his belief that a strong undergraduate teaching program should be one of the primary goals of the university. A $1,500 award is granted.

Steven Hoff, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering

Hoff has distinguished himself as one of the university's best undergraduate teachers. He has developed several new courses, created new teaching laboratories and established a reputation for exceptional advising. Students flock to his classes in large numbers because of his interesting teaching style and the way he connects class material to the real world. Students consistently rate his courses very highly, frequently with perfect scores, despite his high expectations for performance. He also maintains an active research program, with five patents, 44 refereed journal articles and research grants totaling more than $6.5 million.

Debra Marquart, professor of English

Marquart draws on her extensive experience as a professional musician and award-winning poet to create innovative course designs and stimulating material in her undergraduate and graduate courses in creative writing. Her courses frequently receive perfect ratings by students. She is in high demand as an invited lecturer or presenter at pedagogy conferences and seminars across the nation. She is a leading contributor to the new master of fine arts program in creative writing and the environment; helps administer the annual Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination; and has directed 37 M.A. and M.F.A. theses, with several of these students earning Research Excellence Awards. She also is a frequent volunteer teacher for the College for Seniors.

James Huntington Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching

This award recognizes a faculty member who, in teaching introductory courses, demonstrates creativity in improving quality, excites interest and involvement without compromising scholarship, and enhances student performance in future courses. Ellis ('28 industrial science) established this award to honor professors like his "who made their courses interesting." A $1,500 award is granted.

Craig Ogilvie, professor of physics and astronomy

Ogilvie has been a leader in using technology to make his large lecture classes more personal, interactive and interesting to students. One of the classes is Physics 222 (Introduction to Classical Physics), with an average of 400 students per semester divided into two large lecture sessions. By using "clickers" for the large lecture sessions and computer-based feedback technology for recitation sessions, he is able to more effectively engage students in the lectures and create an interactive learning environment despite the large number of students. His classes are highly rated by students, and he has won several awards for his innovative teaching. He has published several articles and book chapters on both the scholarship of teaching and his research area of nuclear physics.

Iowa State University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching

This award recognizes a tenured faculty member for outstanding teaching performance over an extended period of time. A $1,500 award is granted.

Michael Clough, associate professor of curriculum and instruction

Clough is one of the university's most highly rated instructors in student evaluations. He has led efforts to revitalize the secondary science teacher preparation curriculum. He was instrumental in developing the master of arts in teaching degree leading to teacher licensure. The program is designed to attract persons holding science degrees into teaching. He's on the Association for Science Teacher Education national board of directors, was program co-chair for two ASTE national conferences, and in 2003 received the ASTE Early Career Award. He has published numerous articles on effective teaching, co-authored a chapter in the prestigious Handbook of Research on Science Education, and is principal investigator on a National Science Foundation funded project to improve science education in college settings.

Iowa State University Award for Early Achievement in Teaching

This award recognizes a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching performance unusually early in his or her career. A $1,500 award is granted.

Sonja Giles, assistant professor of music

Giles excels as an instructor of both flute performance and music theory. In her three years with the music department, she has established and maintained the highest reputation among her colleagues and students as a teacher in both studio and classroom settings, and as a performance artist. She is an award-winning clinician and concert flutist with solo and concerto performances in Russia, Austria and throughout the United States. Her student evaluations are among the best in the department, and she is respected for her ability to engage her students and inspire them to achieve at ever-higher levels of excellence.

Linda Shenk, assistant professor of English

Shenk's knowledge of the works of Shakespeare and early modern British literature and her enthusiasm for teaching has earned her the nickname "Shenkspeare" among her students and colleagues. She has won numerous teaching awards, and her student evaluations are among the highest in the department. She is well-known in her discipline through her many published articles and conference presentations at some of the most prestigious gatherings of those studying Medieval and Renaissance literature, including the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, the International Congress of Medieval Studies and the Modern Languages Association.

Margaret Ellen White Graduate Faculty Award

This award recognizes superior performance by a member of the graduate faculty who serves as a mentor and who enriches the student-professor relationship through support and attention to detail, enabling students to finish their work in a timely and scholarly manner. This award was established in 1985 by White to show her appreciation to graduate faculty for their guidance and encouragement of graduate students. A graduate of Iowa State's College of Home Economics, White served as an administrative assistant in the Graduate College for 37 years. A $1,500 award is granted.

Sedahlia Crase, professor of human development and family studies

Crase has led 72 students to the successful completion of their M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and is currently supervising another eight. She prides herself on the close contact she maintains with many of these students. Her students praise her for the constant encouragement, support and effective career and personal advice she provides, while keeping them on a timely schedule to graduation. She was the first member of her family to attend high school, let alone earn an advanced degree, so she is keenly aware of the challenges that many graduate students face. Her research focuses broadly on various aspects of parenting and parent education. She has published widely in scholarly publications and has contributed to several popular parenting publications.

Iowa State University Award for Academic Advising Impact

This award recognizes outstanding performance by an academic adviser over an extended period of time. A $1,500 award is granted.

Ebby Luvaga, senior lecturer of economics

Luvaga is coordinator of advising for the economics department and serves as primary adviser to approximately 90 students in agricultural economics and secondary adviser to nearly 400 others. Students benefit from her breadth of knowledge in the field, her advising skills and her approach that every advising appointment is a "teaching moment." She was instrumental in the formation of the Minorities in Agricultural, Natural Resources and Related Sciences chapter and is involved in its activities, including a recent national conference held at Iowa State. She has been instrumental in expanding study abroad programs. A nearly tenfold increase in the number of students in the department now participate in them.

Christine Leiran Wise, academic adviser/lecturer, department of apparel, educational studies and hospitality management

Leiran Wise is responsible for many advising and extracurricular innovations in the apparel merchandising, design and production program. These include the Common Threads Learning Community, which she coordinates; internship and career preparation classes; the Behind-the-Scenes fashion show program for high school students; the Denim Challenge design contest; and expansion of the student fashion club. She has received excellent student ratings for advising, and her efforts are credited with increasing enrollment and retention rates in the program.

Iowa State University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research

This award recognizes a faculty member who has a national or international reputation for contributions in research, and who has influenced the research activities of students. A $1,500 award is granted.

Robert Jernigan, professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, Laurence H. Baker Center for Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics director

Jernigan is nationally recognized for work that improved understanding of the essential aspects of the largest biological structures. His work incorporates a wide variety of technologies and methodologies, including computational biology, bioinformatics, systems biology and postgenomic studies. He uses new approaches to computer modeling and simulation to develop applications for new medical therapies, such as protein engineering and pharmaceutical design. Jernigan has more than 200 refereed journal articles and publications, and his current research funding totals nearly $5.5 million. Among his many awards are the Special Achievement Award and Merit Award from the National Institutes of Health.

John Verkade, University Professor, professor of chemistry

Verkade joined Iowa State right after earning his doctorate in chemistry, and his work over the ensuing 48 years has established Iowa State as a leader in phosphorous chemistry. He and his graduate students have developed new phosphorous compounds to better understand their novel chemical properties, such as catalysis of important reactions. The new catalysts they developed now are commonly used in commercial manufacturing. Some of his recent discoveries are useful in producing value-added products from biomass and recycling waste polyester fabrics. He wrote or co-authored more than 400 research publications and five books, and holds 14 patents.

Iowa State University Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research

This award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary research performance or scholarship accomplishments as documented by peers and experts in the field. A $1,500 award is granted.

Victor Shang-Yi Lin, professor of chemistry, professor of biomedical sciences, Center for Catalysis director

Lin is a world-renowned expert in the design of porous nanomaterials for selective catalysis and applications in biotechnology and biomedical areas. His research involves designing and developing novel strategies to control structure, morphology, biocompatibility and function of these nanomaterials, and he has achieved significant results in drug delivery and catalyst development for biorenewable applications and biofuel production. Catilin Inc., an Iowa-based company started by Lin to commercialize his new catalyst technology, recently completed a pilot plant at the Iowa Energy Center's Biomass Conversion Facility to produce one million gallons of biodiesel annually. The plant was funded by a $3 million venture capital investment and represents one of his many partnerships with biofuel companies.

Balaji Narasimhan, professor of chemical and biological engineering, College of Engineering associate dean of research and economic development

Narasimhan is an international leader in biomedical devices for drug delivery and combinatorial synthesis of biomaterials. His research is supported by more than $12 million in funding from such agencies as the National Science Foundation; National Institutes of Health; U.S. departments of Agriculture, Energy and Defense; and the Dreyfus, Whitaker and Keck Foundations. He holds three patents, and has contributed to more than 65 publications and 175 invited talks. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, and he has received the Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering Research Award, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review 100 Award, which recognizes the nation's top 100 young innovators.

Iowa State University Award for Early Achievement in Research

This award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments unusually early in his or her professional career. A $1,500 award is granted.

Xiaoli Tan, associate professor of materials science and engineering

Tan has compiled an impressive record of accomplishment in his six years at Iowa State. He has developed new characterization methods for ferroelectric materials in the transmission electron microscope, and his use of these methods has overturned long-accepted beliefs about the nature of these materials, earning him praise from leading scientists in the field. He also has distinguished himself in both undergraduate and graduate teaching and made significant contributions to his professional organizations. He has received more than $2.5 million in funding for his research and published more than 50 articles in refereed journals.

Iowa State University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice

This award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated outstanding performance in statewide leadership in extension or professional practice, and who has achieved national recognition for outreach activities. A $1,500 award is granted.

Larry Ebbers, University Professor, professor of educational leadership and policy studies

Ebbers has made extraordinary contributions to education through his leadership and development of postsecondary educational programs and curricula, particularly in community colleges. His professional commitment to community colleges spans more than three decades, and graduates of leadership programs he developed, including the nationally recognized Community College Leadership Initiative Consortium and Leadership Institute for a New Century, now serve in more than 200 top administrative positions in community colleges in Iowa and beyond. He is a leader of several national higher education associations and boards.

Iowa State University Award for Early Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice

This award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in extension or professional practice unusually early in his or her career. A $1,500 grant is awarded.

Palle Pedersen, assistant professor of agronomy

Pedersen has made a significant impact on soybean production in Iowa since joining Iowa State in 2003. His extension work in soybean production and management and research on yield enhancement while maintaining environmental sustainability have established him as an international expert in soybean yield enhancement. He also is a key member of the Asian Soybean Rust Team. He has received more than $3.3 million for his research, published 16 refereed journal papers and more than 100 other reports and publications, and made more than 300 presentations to farmers and producers.

Iowa State University Award for Distinguished Service in Extension

This award is the highest career award bestowed on an Extension professional. It recognizes sustained, distinguished performance and educational contributions to Iowa State's clientele through Extension programs. A $1,500 award is granted.

Ruth Freeman, Horizons Program director and Central Iowa family resource management field specialist

Freeman directs the statewide Horizons program, which helps small- and medium-sized Iowa communities with high levels of poverty build capacity to address issues related to poverty. She moves quickly to build relationships, inspire others to act, complete detailed planning and implement measurement systems. In the 20 communities that have participated, the program has reached more than 5,000 people and resulted in new programs to reduce hunger, expand childcare and Head Start services, and mentor young people. She has provided outstanding service to Extension clients in three counties as a central Iowa specialist for 21 years.

Iowa State University R. K. Bliss Extension Award

This award recognizes outstanding achievement of an Iowa State Extension staff member for developing an overall or continuing extension education program. This award was established in 1971 by donations from the family and friends of Bliss, director of extension from 1912 to 1946. A $500 award is granted.

Dennis Johnson, Extension education director, Worth County

Johnson is in his 27th year of serving the citizens of Worth County as their Extension education director. Programming he introduced or led has reached more than 4,600 farmers and agribusiness people, 2,550 parents, and more than 65 percent of the young people in the county. Successful programs include the annual Worth County Corn and Soybean Clinic, Worth County Parenting Fair, Strengthening Families and Worth County Fair Beautification committees, along with lamb and beef field days, tillage expos, estate planning workshops and county garden tours. In 2006-07, he was instrumental in generating more than $177,000 in grants and funding for Worth County activities and development.

Denise Schwab, Extension beef field specialist

Schwab's 25 years of experience with ISU Extension encompass a wide variety of duties, programs and clients. She served on the state 4-H staff, where she was instrumental in creating crops and equine programs for 4-Hers. As an agricultural specialist, she coordinated statewide beef programs and conferences, Master Equine Manager programs, and programs for small sheep producers and meat locker owners. New programs she introduced include the Young Cattlemen Group, Overall Women's Conference, Women's Ag NET, Cow Risk Strategies, Cows & Plows and several grant-funded projects in food safety.

Iowa State University Award for Departmental Leadership

This award recognizes outstanding departmental leadership that helps faculty members meet their complex obligations to undergraduate teaching, graduate mentoring, research and service. A $1,500 award is granted.

Arun Somani, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering, Jerry R. Junkins Chair, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering

Somani's contributions as chair of electrical and computer engineering include improving and expanding the undergraduate curricula, raising graduate admissions standards, recruiting many high-quality faculty members and overseeing a major facilities expansion and renovation effort. At the same time, he has continued his classroom teaching and active research program. His leadership has resulted in a new integrated strategic planning process for the department that promotes interdisciplinary research and education, a new undergraduate major in software engineering jointly administered with computer science and significant success in fund raising to support facility improvements, faculty positions and scholarships.

Iowa State University Award for Superior Service to Alumni

This award recognizes an Iowa State faculty or staff member who has demonstrated a commitment to establishing or furthering alumni relationships with the university. A $500 award is granted.

John Wong, associate professor of marketing

Wong is one of Iowa State's strongest advocates for lifelong association with the university. Through his international travels, he organizes alumni activities, recruits students to Iowa State, educates and advises them during their college years, mentors them after they graduate and invites them back to campus as alumni to visit classrooms of current students. His mentoring has impacted alumni outside those in business disciplines as well. As a 23-year adviser to the Association of Malaysian Students at Iowa State, he has encouraged students to be ambassadors throughout the world. Alumni describe him as a "life teacher" and a "confidant." With his guidance, enthusiastic Malaysian alumni are establishing an ISU alumni group, which recently received official recognition from the government of Malaysia. Malaysia is home to the largest number of Iowa State alumni outside the United States.

Carroll Ringgenberg Award

This award recognizes a professional and scientific staff member who has been employed by the university for at least 10 years and has demonstrated constant and contagious dedication and goodwill for Iowa State. The award was established in 1995 by colleagues of Ringgenberg to honor his 40 years of service in Iowa State's purchasing and facilities divisions. A $1,500 award is granted.

John Newton, superintendent of Veenker Memorial Golf Course

Newton has provided more than 20 years of outstanding service to Iowa State and is widely recognized for contributing to a high-quality campus environment. In addition to overseeing an award-winning golf course operation, he collaborates with faculty in several departments to provide real-world learning opportunities for students, and he provides off-season training assistance to members of the university's golf teams. He was named the Iowa Golf Association's Superintendent of the Year in 1999. In 2003, Golfweek named Veenker golf course one of the top three public access courses in Iowa.

Professional and Scientific Research Award

This award recognizes a professional and scientific staff member who has been at Iowa State for at least five years for excellence in research. A $1,500 award is granted.

Philip Gassman, associate scientist, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development

Gassman has been conducting outstanding research for the center for 21 years. He has developed expertise in applications of environmental models related to agricultural practices and landscapes, and he has worked with economists and others to integrate these models to address broad challenges. He has provided leadership in securing grants, publishing articles, advising graduate students and building strong research connections across many departments and units at Iowa State and beyond. He is the author or co-author of more than 160 journal articles, publications and presentations, and has been co-principal investigator on 18 projects with $3 million in funding.

Professional and Scientific Excellence Award

This award recognizes contributions made by a professional and scientific staff member within and beyond the university, and career progress demonstrated by accomplishments at Iowa State. A $1,500 award is granted.

Gloria Betcher, assistant director of graduate education, program coordinator for technical communication, department of English

Betcher has excelled at research and teaching as a specialist in early British drama and medieval literature. Her awards and recognitions include teaching commendations from the Southeastern Medieval Association and Iowa State's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and a Best Essay Award from the Medieval and Renaissance Drama Society. She regularly presents papers at prestigious conferences, including the International Congress of Medieval Studies and the New Chaucer Society. She has served as a member of the Ames/ISU One Community implementation committee, Veishea Task Force and ISUComm Curriculum Committee, and as chair of the Ames Historic Preservation Committee.

Chungyeol Shin, scientist, Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute

Shin has been instrumental in the success of Iowa State's Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, which promotes use of science to improve individuals' health and well-being. His efforts have helped secure more than $62 million in grants for the institute and an award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He has provided exceptional leadership in the development and application of statistical and methodological procedures to support a large and complex program of prevention research. He is a mentor to many developing researchers. He is the author or co-author of more than 30 publications.

Mark Shour, Extension program specialist, department of entomology

Shour is recognized nationally for developing and implementing programs that preserve the environment and natural resources and enhance the well-being of children in Iowa's schools and day-care facilities. He foresaw the potential damage to millions of ash trees in Iowa by the emerald ash borer and developed a statewide monitoring and public awareness program. His statewide integrated pest management for schools and day-care facilities offers a way to control pests with minimal chemical input. He also played an instrumental role in Extension's safety education program for pesticide applicators.

Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award

This award recognizes a professional and scientific staff member who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments unusually early in his or her professional career at Iowa State. A $1,500 award is granted.

Joyce Lash, family resource management field specialist, Southwest Iowa Area Extension

Lash has helped alleviate poverty in Iowa by coaching five communities through ISU Extension's Horizons project. She helped develop programs to provide entrepreneurship training, encourage youth savings accounts, provide assistance with transportation and establish a housing trust fund. A strong advocate for financial literacy, she helped write the Money Craze curriculum, promoted the use of financial resources by high school teachers, provided counseling for Medicare recipients in selecting prescription drug coverage and led classes on the special financial needs of women.

Lara Moody, Extension program specialist, department of agricultural and biosystems engineering

Moody has been instrumental in building and managing the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Waste Management Laboratory, which after four years consists of 18 staff members and students, 16 projects and funding totaling nearly $12 million annually. She helps manage and teach department short courses. She also manages the highly successful Comprehensive Nutrient Management certification program, which has certified more than half of the technical service providers in the United States, and recently was expanded to Bulgaria and Romania. She chaired the 2007 International Symposium on Air Quality and Waste Management for Agriculture and regularly serves as a reviewer for grant programs and peer-reviewed journals.

Stacey Noe, program coordinator, Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative

Noe is credited with much of the success of the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEI), which was created in 2005 and has been under her direction since 2006. Programs she has designed or significantly improved for this initiative include: the Entrepreneurs Roundtable, which puts undergraduate students in contact with successful entrepreneurs; the Cook's Tour, a look at how technology moves to the marketplace; expanded internships; a video project featuring successful entrepreneurs; the AEI faculty development program; and a fellowship program for postdoctoral students. She also has reinvigorated the National Agricultural Marketing Association student chapter by bringing it into the AEI and serving as its adviser.

Raymond Reynolds, youth development specialist, Southwest Iowa Area Extension

Reynolds' 33 years as an elementary teacher and 4-H volunteer make him especially valuable as a youth development specialist and volunteer coordinator for ISU Extension. He is particularly effective in helping 4-H members articulate and write their goals, which is required for all county fair projects and exhibits. He served as an interim county education director for five months, and his leadership is credited with making the office more responsive to clients and the public. He has served as the Iowa State Fair photography superintendent and in many judging and organizational capacities for his county fair.

Regents Award for Faculty Excellence

This award recognizes a faculty member who is an outstanding university citizen and has rendered significant service to Iowa State and/or the state of Iowa. The Board of Regents hosts a dinner each year for recipients from all of the regent institutions. A $1,000 award is granted.

Virginia Blackburn, associate professor of management

Blackburn has made contributions to the student educational experience at Iowa State and throughout the world. She introduced the case teaching method to several institutions in Eastern Europe, and has developed case studies based on indigenous businesses in South America and Africa that now are used extensively at Iowa State and other universities. She is committed to educating students about personal financial management to help them avoid future debt problems, and she has helped other institutions implement these programs.

Dennis Dake, professor of art and design

Dake is widely recognized as an innovator, leader and exceptional teacher in art education and visual literacy. He has devoted his 37-year career at Iowa State to strengthening these areas, and has made significant contributions nationally to the psychology of perception and creativity. He has received several awards for his teaching and research from the International Visual Literacy Association, and he served the IVLA in several capacities, including president.

Susan Hegland, associate professor of human development and family studies

Hegland's research, educational efforts and leadership in early childhood curriculum, teacher education and the care and education of young children have positively affected the lives of young children and parents throughout Iowa and the nation. As a member of the Midwest Child Care Research Consortium, she helped shape Iowa's Quality Rating System for childcare services. She has been instrumental in securing 22 research projects with more than $2.5 million in grant funding, and is the author or co-author of nearly 45 journal articles, books, book chapters and reports.

Dean Isaacson, professor of statistics

Isaacson's 40 years of service to Iowa State have been marked by exceptional teaching, academic leadership, student recruitment and scholarship. He served 16 years as chair of the statistics department, and his efforts helped solidify its position as one of the best statistics departments in the nation. He has been a leader in graduate student recruitment, with a special focus on students from underrepresented groups. He has been co-principal investigator on two National Science Foundation-funded projects to expand graduate education, and an NSF Vertical InteGration of Research and Education project, totaling $7.8 million.

James McCalley, Murray J. and Ruth Harpole Professorship in electrical and computer engineering, professor of electrical and computer engineering

McCalley's work has helped make Iowa State a national leader in power system research and education. He is widely recognized for his work in developing methods to evaluate electric power systems and transmission line reliability, and his research has helped power companies improve the generation capacity, efficiency and reliability of electric power. He leads the Systems branch of the Electric Power Systems Engineering Research Center, a consortium of 13 universities and 34 private industries. An award-winning teacher, he has developed several undergraduate and graduate courses in power systems.

James Russell, professor of animal science

Russell has been recognized by the Iowa and American Forage and Grassland Councils, American Dairy Science Association and other organizations for his contributions to dairy and beef management and profitability and his understanding of the delicate relationship between grazing management and water quality. A faculty member at Iowa State for 29 years, he is the author or co-author of 37 refereed journal articles, one book, two book chapters and nearly 160 other publications. He has received $3.7 million in support for his research.

Regents Award for Staff Excellence

This award recognizes a member of the professional and scientific staff or the supervisory and confidential staff who is an outstanding university citizen and has rendered significant service to Iowa State and/or the state of Iowa. The Board of Regents hosts a dinner each year for recipients from all of the regent institutions. A $1,000 award is granted.

Floyd Davenport, information technology officer, ISU Extension

Davenport has become a key part of Iowa State's information technology leadership team thanks to his innovative and collaborative efforts as head of ISU Extension's IT Services, which brings together more than 1,200 Extension staff and 105 offices throughout Iowa. He was instrumental in developing a partnership with AT&T to implement a statewide IT network that is considered a model among extension services. Under his direction, ISU Extension provided comprehensive IT support for the 2007 National Special Olympics held in Ames.

Jill Euken, Bioeconomy Institute deputy director, Extension field specialist

Euken is one of Iowa State's most active and visible leaders in efforts to support the bioeconomy in Iowa. After 21 years as a value-added agriculture field specialist in southwest Iowa, she became project manager for bio-based products for the Center for Industrial Research and Service, and in 2006 she became deputy director of ISU's Bioeconomy Institute. She chaired the statewide group that developed the Vision and Roadmap for the Bioeconomy in Iowa, and has made presentations on Iowa and the bioeconomy at more than 100 conferences and workshops in Iowa, several other states, Germany and Austria.

Lesia Oesterreich, Extension family life specialist, department of human development and family studies

Oesterreich has become a successful problem solver for the people of Iowa and the nation, thanks to her expertise in early childhood education and her ability to access funding streams and create networks to address problems. Grant-funded projects she directed have resulted in comprehensive training for approximately 2,000 Iowa child-care providers, popular web sites and the distribution of 21,000 copies, in English and Spanish, of the Heartland Family Child Care Handbook. She has an extensive publication record, serves as director of the National Network for Child Care and received the 2007 Extension Family Life Career Award.

Christina Patton, secretary, department of residence

Patton has provided outstanding service to two very important administrative offices in Iowa State's division of student affairs -- the dean of students office from 1998 to 2006, and since 2006, the office of the residence department director. In the dean of students office, she coordinated the successful welcome and information station program to welcome students in the fall, provided support for the Critical Incident Response Team and maintained the Crisis Response Manual. In her service to the community, she organized the first Character Counts in Ames recognition program, and she has been a volunteer for several community projects, services and activities.

Dana Schumacher, adviser and program coordinator, department of political science

Schumacher has provided exceptional advising, career counseling and mentoring for hundreds of undergraduate majors and co-majors in political science for 17 years, for students in kinesiology for six years before that and for students in computer science for four years before that. A gifted dancer and choreographer, she was an assistant professor of dance in the department of physical education from 1976 to 1985, earning tenure in 1981. She currently holds a courtesy appointment as lecturer in the music department. She is an active volunteer and leader in community arts and youth programming.

Named Professorships and Chairs

Chairs, professorships and other endowed faculty positions created through the generosity of philanthropists enable the university to recruit, retain and recognize outstanding faculty members. Earnings from endowments also provide support for their scholarly endeavors. These appointments to endowed positions were made during the 2007-08 academic year.

• William Beavis G. F. Sprague Chair in Agronomy
• Stuart Birrell Kinze Manufacturing Professorship in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• Robert Brown Bergles Professor in Thermal Sciences
• Richard Carter Dean's Professorship in Finance
• Arnold Cowan Wells Fargo Professorship in Finance
• Frederick Dark Dean's Professorship in Finance
• William Dilla Union Pacific/Charles B. Handy Professorship in Accounting
• Donald Draper David R. Trask Professorship in Entrepreneurial Studies
• Dorian Garrick Jay Lush Endowed Chair in Animal Breeding and Genetics
• Yong Guan Litton Industries Professorship
• Edward Jaselskis W. A. Klinger Teaching Professorship
• Anumantha Kanthasamy W. E. Lloyd Chair in Neurotoxicology
• Matthew Liebman Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture
• Thomas Lubberstedt K. J. Frey Chair in Agronomy
• James McCalley Murray J. and Ruth Harpole Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Manjit Misra Dean's Chair for Distinction in Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Peter Nara W. E. Lloyd Chair
• Basil Nikolau Frances M. Craig Professorship
• Mark Power Principal Financial Group Professorship in Finance
• Max Rothschild Ensminger Chair
• Patrick Schnable Baker Professorship in Agronomy
• Ravindra Singh John G. Salsbury Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine
• Costas Soukoulis Frances M. Craig Professorship
• Michael Thompson Pioneer Hi-Bred Agronomy Professorship
• Amrit Tiwana Union Pacific Professorship in Information Sciences
• David White Waldo W. Wegner Professorship in Civil Engineering
• Jonathan Wickert Larry and Pam Pithan Professor of Mechanical Engineering
• Bong Wie Vance D. Coffman Chair
• Wendy Wintersteen Endowed Deanship in Agriculture and Life Sciences