Department Recognizes Students at Spring Banquet

18Apr

Henry Fadamiro, Ph.D.,Associate Director and Chief Scientific Officer of Texas A&M AgriLife Research delivers the keynote address.

Henry Fadamiro, Ph.D., Associate Director and Chief Scientific Officer for Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and Associate Dean of College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, delivered the keynote address. View more photos of the banquet on our Facebook album.

Congratulations to all our students who were recognized with awards and scholarships during the annual Awards and Recognition Banquet that was held at the Hildebrand Equine Center on Tuesday, April 12.

Associate Director and Chief Scientific Officer for Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and Associate Dean of College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Henry Fadamiro, Ph.D., delivered the keynote address.

The 2021-22 Soil and Crop Science Outstanding Students were also recognized. The recipients of the Outstanding Plant and Environmental Soil Science Student Awards are:

Jenna Mark: Outstanding Freshman
Andrew Marchetti: Outstanding Sophomore
Chris Barron: Outstanding Junior
Grace Bodine and Ariana Lazo: Outstanding Seniors

The recipients of the Outstdanding Turfgrass Science Student awards are:

Ted Machacek: Outstanding Sophomore
Canute Janish: Outstanding Junior
Ty Riley: Outstanding Senior

Scholarships were also awarded during the evening to several students, including:

Sophia Arista: Nathan R. Boles ’63 Norman Borlaug Endowed Scholarship, Dr. Cleveland & Frances Gerard Scholarship, Dick Holland Endowed Scholarship and Texas Trade Association Scholarship
Christopher Barron: Joe S. Campise Memorial Scholarship, Luther Jones Outstanding Junior Scholarship, Pat & Ed Runge Future Leaders Scholarship
Keegan Crawford: Cleveland & Frances Gerard Scholarship and Morris G. Merkle Endowed Scholarship
Arturo Espana: James Hubert Foster Scholarship, Dr. Cleveland & Frances Gerard Scholarship, Candelario ‘Cande’ Gonzalez ’74 Scholarship, and the Martha F. & Albert Novosad ’47 ’54 Scholarship
Ty Jansky: Warren and Helen Church Scholarship, Cecil & Ola Beasley Goodman Undergraduate Scholarship, Milton and Carolyn McDaniel ’75 Scholarship, Charles A. Schneider ’70 Memorial Scholarship, and the Sunoco Energy Development Endowed Scholarship
Alejandro Macias: Henry Jean Mills Memorial Scholarship, Dean Ide P. Trotter Sr. Memorial Scholarship, and Billie B. and Gloria S. Turner Production Scholarship
Jenna Mark: Allen and Joan Wiese Endowed Scholarship
Andrew Marchetti: Frances & Miles Hall ’39 Endowed Scholarship, Dick Holland Endowed Scholarship, and Olin & Thelma Smith Endowed Scholarship
John McCurdy: Kenneth Lindsey Memorial Scholarship and Charles ’63 & Lynann ’66 Simpson Memorial Scholarship
Megan Muesse: Kenneth Lindsey Memorial Scholarship and Milton and Carolyn E. McDaniel Scholarship and the Sequor Foundation Endowed Turfgrass Scholarship
Maverick Raesz: Charles A. Schneider ’70 Memorial Scholarship
Ryan Schronk: C. and Judy Blue Undergraduate Scholarship and J.F. Mills Endowed Scholarship
Chadwick Watters: Billy, Gloria and Gerry Conrad Scholarship and the Billie B. and Gloria S. Turner Production Scholarship
Will Hauser: W. and Barbara Crain Scholarship, Bill McLaughlin Texas Turfgrass Scholarship, Jack Hulgan Memorial Scholarship, and the Sunoco Energy Development Scholarship
Ted Machacek: Keith Ebanks Memorial Scholarship, Joseph D. Whitaker ’63 Scholarship, Texas Turfgrass Association Scholarship, and the Paul Drummet Texas Turfgrass Scholarship
Carson Reed: Texas Turfgrass Research Education Extension Scholarship

The 2022-2023 Freshman and Transfer Scholarship recipients are:

Will Hauser and Carson Reed: Texas Turfgrass Research Education Extension Scholarship
Christopher Barron, Brandon Bei, and Andrew Marchetti: H&H Ranch Scholarship
Logan Vincent: Kenneth and Marion Porter Endowed Scholarship

Attendees also learned about many of the of the department’s student organization activities and the department’s annual accomplishments and achievements throughout the year.

Read the complete list of donors and other awards that were mentioned during the banquet from our booklet. View all the photos of the banquet at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10159155044167955&type=3

SCSC announces awards during annual meeting

20Jan

Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students who received awards during the Soil and Crop Sciences’ annual meeting held on January 14 in College Station.

Two faculty members were recognized with pins for their years of service. Professor Hongbin Zhang, Ph.D. was recognized for 30 years of service and Wayne Smith, Ph.D., professor and associate department head, for 50 years of service.

The department also gave 18 additional awards that included the following:

Administrative/Extension

B.B. Singh Administrative Staff Award: Judy Young
Young is a senior administrative coordinator and serves as the personal assistant to the department head and provides planning and scheduling and other administrative duties.

Administrative Support: Moji Olokode
Olokode is the administrative assistant to the Associate Department Head/Extension Program Leader. She assists with travel, maintains promotion and tenure files, and manages the front desk in the department’s business office.

Extension Awards

Extension Faculty Team Award: John Smith and Joel Pigg
Smith is an Extension Program Specialist and specializes in water resources and sustainable agriculture. Pigg is an Extension Program specialist that specializes in water well safety.

Collaborating County Extension Agent: Dennis Tyler Mays
Mays is an Extension Agent-IPM that serves Hill and McLennan Counties.

Technical/Extension Staff Support: – Field Support: Katrina Horn
Horn is a research associate and crop testing coordinator with the Texas A&M AgriLife Crop Testing Program based in College Station.

Special Service/Recognition: Beau Henderson
Henderson is the farm services manager at the AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock.

Research and Extension Collaboration: Meghyn Meeks, Ph.D.
Meeks is a Research Associate at the AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas.

Research Awards

Research Faculty: Katie Lewis, Ph.D
Lewis is an associate professor in Lubbock whose specialty is soil fertility and soil chemistry.

Graduate Student Research – Agronomy: Shilpa Singh
Shilpa is a Ph.D. student in Agronomy, focused on weed science, advised by Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan.

Graduate Student Research – Plant Breeding: Catherine Danmaigona Clement
Catherine is a Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding advised by Drs. Steve Hague and Jane Dever and Libo Shan.

Graduate Student Research – Soil Science: Joseph Burke
Burke is a Ph.D. student in Soil Science advised by Drs. Katie Lewis and Julie Howe.

Research Support – Field Support: Shannon Baker
Baker is a Research Associate at the AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Amarillo specializing in wheat and UAVs.

Research Support – Lab Support: Josh Doria
Doria is a Master’s student in Soil Science and a lab technician in Dr. Julie Howe’s lab

Postdoctoral Research: Vanaja Kankarla, Ph.D.
Kankarla is a postdoctoral research associate in Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan’s lab. She is responsible for project/program management, planning research, design and implementation, and student mentoring.

Teaching Awards

Teaching – Faculty: A. Peyton Smith, Ph.D.
Smith is a professor of Soil Science. Her specialty is soil carbon dynamics. She teaches Soil Science 301, mentors several graduate students and oversees undergraduate research projects.

Graduate Student Teaching: Brody Teare, Ph.D.
Teare received his Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences in December 2021. He completed his research under Dr. Dirk Hays.

Student Awards

Undergraduate Student Support: Miles Marburger
Marburger is a senior Agricultural Communications and Journalism major who works in the department’s administration office.

The photos can be viewed on the Soil and Crop Sciences Facebook page

Redmon, Adak Receive Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence

14Jan

Congratulations to Larry Redmon, Ph.D. and Ph.D student Alper Adak who received Vice Chancellor Awards in Excellence this year. These awards recognize the commitment and outstanding contributions displayed by faculty, students and staff members across Texas A&M AgriLife.

Extension Education Awards

The Extension Specialist or Program Specialist Award was presented to Larry Redmon, Ph.D., professor and associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader. Redmon’s educational presentations and seminars bring participants into the conversation, along with his expertise and ability to entertain audiences. The Ranch Management University, which draws participants from around the world, is one example. Evaluations have proven the annual event is highly effective in helping people adopt ranch management practices and land stewardship with an economic impact of $84 million. Redmon also spearheads the Bennett Trust programs. One of these programs caters specifically to women, providing them with the knowledge needed to make land stewardship and natural resource management decisions. Many attendees are new landowners and have little knowledge of where to begin with land ownership.

Research Awards

The Graduate Student Research Award recipient was Alper Adak, a doctoral student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Since enrolling in his doctoral program in 2018, Adak has been the primary author of four peer-reviewed research articles, greatly exceeding the standard for students in his department. He has given invited talks at international conferences and been sought out as a peer reviewer for publications in his field. One of his accomplishments was to conceive of and create a way to utilize unmanned aircraft systems data from the corn breeding and quantitative genetics program to predict yield and flowering times. However, his primary project is to identify genes responsible for the late flowering of Texas A&M AgriLife germplasm in northern climates. His poster on that work won first prize in the largest division at the Crop Science Society International Meeting in 2019.

A full list of awards was announced in AgriLife Today.

Charles Simpson honored for lifetime dedication to peanuts

7Jul

Story by Kay Ledbetter

For 54 years, Charles Simpson, Ph.D., has been making a difference in the peanut products America eats – and on July 1, he was honored by the American Peanut Council with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award at the USA Peanut Congress in New Orleans.

Simpson, peanut germplasm explorer and breeder for Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Stephenville, was recognized “for his tireless efforts in peanut germplasm collection and preservation.”

Charles Simpson, peanut germplasm explorer, breeder and Texas A&M AgriLife Research emeritus (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Simpson, a professor emeritus in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences plant breeding program, retired in 2003 but still maintains an extensive germplasm collection at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville.

“This award is the most prestigious honor in the industry,” said Shelly Nutt, executive director and leadership in the Texas Peanut Producers Board, who nominated Simpson. “Dr. Simpson has been recognized internationally for his efforts in collection preservation, maintenance, distribution and use of wild and exotic germplasm.

“Still today, he remains one of the leading experts in wild species peanuts and his accomplishments have opened the possibility of using the vast reservoir of genes in wild peanuts to improve cultivated peanuts,” Nutt said in her nomination.

Simpson still diligently “volunteers” daily at the greenhouses to preserve and utilize the peanut collection, mentor colleagues and students, and provide expert advice to industry partners, said Bill McCutchen, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife center director at Stephenville.

“Dr. Simpson is a treasure of knowledge for the industry and very deserving of this award,” McCutchen said. “Even almost 20 years after his retirement, he actively remains involved in maintaining the collection here, making him the foremost authority in the U.S. with respect to collection, evaluation and preservation of genetic resources of peanuts.”

The Texas Peanut Producers board has pledged funds to the Charles Simpson Endowment for the AgriLife Research peanut collection, one of the largest, most diverse collections worldwide, and can no longer be replicated, McCutchen said.

A lifetime dedicated to peanuts

Simpson has spent over 50 years serving the peanut industry as a breeder, successfully transferring at minimum seven different disease resistances as well as high oil content into over 23 cultivars and an additional seven germplasm releases.

One of his major accomplishments over his long career occurred when his program released the first root-knot nematode-resistant peanut cultivar created from a wild species peanut introgression. He introduced resistance genes from wild species collected in east-central Bolivia in 1980 to address root-knot nematode, a serious threat to peanut production in parts of Texas.

He released COAN, the first root-knot resistant peanut cultivar in the world, as well as Webb, the first high oleic nematode-resistant peanut released by the AgriLife Research program. The gene introgression for nematode resistance was made from a complex hybrid involving three wild species peanuts.

But Simpson might be most renowned in peanut breeding circles for his lifelong passion for collecting and preserving wild and cultivated Arachis germplasm. His extensive germplasm-gathering forays have included trips to Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

In 1980, Simpson assumed the role as co-leader of the Arachis – flowering plants in the pea family – germplasm project and traveled annually until 2004. His desire to collect and preserve the peanut species carried him to remote and inaccessible areas of South America on over 28 collection expeditions, his nomination stated.

His work was funded by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, a part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. Through his collection trips, Simpson and his colleagues collected over 1,800 wild peanut accessions, over 5,500 cultivated landraces and over 500 Rhizomatous accessions.

Charles Simpson, Ph.D., stands among his collection in the greenhouse. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by John Cason)

Today, his research continues to influence. In a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant, Plant Breeding Partnerships: Genomics-Assisted Introgression and Molecular Dissection of Resistance to Pests and Diseases in Peanut, the breeding team will transfer novel wild species alleles from a population developed by Simpson into a set of back-crossed breeding lines sharing a common, popular genetic background. Each possesses a small segment of chromosomal DNA inherited from the wild species parents.

Sharing knowledge for future generations

Simpson has been author or co-author on 22 species descriptions and was a leader in translating the peanut monograph describing 69 of the 81 wild species into English. In addition, he was co-editor of subsequent supplemental publications with new species descriptions.

He also has authored or co-authored 133 refereed journal articles, 179 scientific presentations, 131 popular press articles and 19 book chapters.

“I am deeply grateful for this recognition of the work I have loved doing for the past 53 years,” Simpson said. “There are no plans on my part to stop doing the work to aid the younger generation in utilizing the valuable plant collection we have assembled. The collection will be the lifeblood of peanut improvement for many years into the future.”

Student Receives Senior Merit Award

22Apr

The Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences congratulates the outstanding students receiving 2021 Senior Merit Awards. Presented by the College for over 50 years, these awards recognize the best of the best graduating seniors.

Walker Crane

Walker Crane

Walker Crane is a Plant & Environmental Soil Science major. In his free time, Walker enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing golf. Upon graduation this May, he will continue his education with a Masters in Soil Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Congratulations Walker on your hard work and dedication!

Baldi, Hague, Ibrahim receive Vice Chancellor Awards in Excellence

14Jan

Congratulations to Heather Baldi, LeAnn Hague, and Amir Ibrahim, Ph.D. who all received Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence this year. These awards recognize the commitment and outstanding contributions displayed by faculty, students and staff members across Texas A&M AgriLife.

Teaching Awards

The Graduate Student Teaching Award was presented to Heather Baldi, graduate research assistant, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Baldi’s duties as a graduate teaching assistant involved directing, mentoring and advising student-led science projects and presentations. She also helped train graduate students and undergraduate student workers on the perennial grass breeding and genetics lab procedures. She also served as an officer in the Soil and Crop Sciences Graduate Organization. Her research advisor said, “I believe Heather will be a superior instructor and researcher in the future, and I have no doubt she will be successful in her career.”

Staff Awards

The Office and Administrative Staff Award was presented to LeAnn Hague, senior academic advisor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences dean’s office. Hague helped develop/coordinate the Distance Education Program in Plant Breeding in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, provided administrative support for the Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences graduate program, and coordinated several symposia for the Plant Breeding Grand Challenges initiative. A nominator said Hague, “has the unique ability to counsel students who are excelling as well as students who are struggling. Her counsel is practical, with the appropriate levels of compassion, empathy and kindness, but with sternness when necessary.”

International Achievement Award

The International Involvement Award was presented to Amir Ibrahim, Ph.D., professor and AgriLife Research small grains breeder, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Ibrahim is an international leader in wheat breeding, known for his work as an educator, graduate student advisor, geneticist and expert in end-use quality characteristics. Ibrahim served as an ambassador for the U.S. Wheat Industry in seven countries. In addition to his duties as a professor and researcher, he serves as the department liaison for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas.

A full list of award winners was announced on AgriLife Today.

Two Texas A&M students named Borlaug Scholars by plant breeders association

3Jul

By: Beth Ann Luedeker
Two students from the Texas A&M University’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Tia Dunbar and Ammani Kyanam, were among those named as Borlaug Scholars for 2020 by the National Association of Plant Breeders, NAPB.

“Both Tia and Ammani’s resumes reveal outstanding students with the potential to follow closely in the footsteps of Dr. Norman Borlaug in relieving hunger and poverty through plant breeding,” said Don Jones, chair, NAPB Borlaug Scholars committee.

The scholars program is named after Dr. Norman Borlaug, a plant breeder known as the Father of the Green Revolution.

The NAPB Borlaug Scholarship awards are given to exceptional students aspiring to careers in plant breeding and genetics and who have a strong desire to contribute to the improvement of the plants that we all depend upon for our daily needs, according to NAPB.

This is especially critical in this age of continually increasing populations, climate change and uncertain global food security – issues Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution and also a plant breeder, cared about deeply. Plant breeding uniquely addresses these challenges through applied research and improving technologies, according to the association.

Dunbar is a master’s student under Michael Thomson, Ph.D., professor and HM Beachell Rice Chair with Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Kyanam is a doctoral student working with Bill Rooney, Ph.D., AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow and sorghum breeder.

Each wants to help improve agriculture through plant breeding, but they are approaching it from different angles.

Tia Dunbar

Dunbar is working to optimize “in planta” gene-editing techniques using nanotechnologies, while Kyanam is mapping quantitative trait loci, or QTL, for sugarcane aphid tolerance and evaluating a chemical male gametocide.

Tia Dunbar

“Most gene editing methods for crop improvement require time and labor-intensive in vitro tissue culture techniques,” Dunbar said in her application. “Bypassing the in vitro regeneration processes could facilitate gene editing and expand its use.”

“If we are successful, our optimized gene-editing protocol will enable accelerated improvement of rice,” Dunbar said.

While her research currently focuses on rice, Dunbar hopes to pursue a career that applies gene-editing techniques to a broader range of organisms.

“Growing up, my family did not always have access to healthy food, so I chose to major in plant breeding to learn more about crop improvement,” Dunbar said. “I see biotechnology as the key to manipulate agriculture to better serve the growing population and ease the suffering caused by hunger and malnutrition.”

Ammani Kyanam

Kyanam said she chose to pursue agriculture because of Borlaug, “but I chose plant breeding when I learned how direct an impact it had on the livelihoods of farmers, especially small farmers.”

Ammani Kyanam

As an undergraduate at the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University in Hyderabad, India, Kyanam participated in the Rural Agricultural Work Experience Programme, RAWEP, where she shadowed a small farmer for a crop season.

“My inquiries showed me that farmers had progressive views about purchasing seed, and the boon that was BT cotton,” she said. “It also helped that my father was a seed salesman, and I had learned how important quality seed is to a farming operation.”

Fortunately for Kyanam, she not only loved plant breeding as a subject, but also has a knack for it. Her current focus is streamlining the sorghum breeding process.

“For my doctoral research, I am testing a chemical gametocide, triflouromethanesulfonamide, to assess its potential in generating testcross hybrid seed,” she said. “Hybrid seed production relies on male-sterile seed parents, and the current process to develop those parents is tedious and time consuming.”

Kyanam plans to pursue a career in an applied breeding program, developing new breeding materials and commercial hybrids, as well as evaluating pre-commercial hybrids.

“My secondary goal is to work in science communication and to contribute to clearing up the misinformation that is so prevalent,” Kyanam said.
Students making a difference

Both young women are active outside the classroom as well.

Dunbar is an officer in the Texas A&M Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science chapter and the University’s Women in Science and Engineering organization. She is an active member of Texas A&M’s Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences and was on the organizing committee for the Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium in 2020.

Kyanam is a founding member of the Corteva Plant Science Series’ Student Advisory Council and a graduate student liaison for NAPB’s communication committee. She has chaired several plant breeding symposia at Texas A&M and was a founding officer in the Soil and Crop Sciences Graduate Organization.

Redmon among Texas A&M honorees at annual crop, soil science conferences

11Nov

Writer: Kay Ledbetter

A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service leader will be honored along with other Texas A&M faculty and students for their professional achievements Nov. 10-13 in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio.

The recognitions will be made by the Crop Sciences Society of America, or CSSA; the American Society of Agronomy, or ASA; and the Soil Sciences Society of America, or SSSA, during their annual conference.

ASA Fellow

Dr. Larry Redmon has been named a Fellow of the Agronomy Society of America.

Larry Redmon, Ph.D., will be named an ASA Fellow on Nov. 12. Redmon is the associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader for the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M, administering one of the largest agronomic extension units in the country.

He also serves as the AgriLife Extension state forage specialist, where he participates in educational programs across the state; and he serves as AgriLife Extension’s first endowed specialist responsible for oversight of the Bennett Trust Endowment and associated land stewardship programs in the Edwards Plateau.

ASA’s annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education, national and international service, and research. Fellow is the highest recognition bestowed by ASA. Members nominate colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service.

Redmon is a certified professional in forage and grassland, wildlife biology, turfgrass management and rangeland management. His research and educational outreach focus on establishment, management and utilization of forages to improve production systems and protect valuable natural resources.

Internationally recognized for his work in forage management, he has made presentations to delegations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Poland, Tunisia and Venezuela.

Redmon has garnered $7.8 million in grants, produced 32 refereed journal articles and 98 Extension publications, helped to train 35 graduate students, and has participated in 1,275 educational programs with over 82,000 attendees.

He has provided leadership for both ASA and CSSA, and at the regional, state and local levels in educational program and materials development in both Oklahoma and Texas. He currently serves as associate editor for the Agrosystems, Geosciences and Environment publication.

Redmon previously received two Certificate of Excellence awards from ASA for the Lone Star Healthy Streams program, as well as for his electronic newsletter, “The Pasture Gazette.”

He earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Stephen F. Austin State University and a doctorate in range science from Texas A&M. He spent six years with Oklahoma State University before joining AgriLife Extension in 1999 as a forage specialist at Overton. He moved to College Station in 2004.

Other Award Winners:

Golden Opportunity Scholars – Kade Flynn, a College Station native, is a junior geology major who works in the soils lab at Texas A&M.

Nicole Shigley

Frank D. Keim Graduate Fellowship – Nicole Shigley, of Spring, TX, is working on her master’s degree in soil science. Shigley was a Golden Opportunity Scholar last year, and recently coached the soil judging team as they qualified for nationals.

Gabriel Janish

Greenfield Scholars – ASA – Gabriel Janish, of Bellville, is a junior working toward his plant and environmental soil science degree. He was part of the Champion Aggie Quiz Bowl team at the Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences conference a year ago.

Aniruddha Maity

Gerald O. Mott Award – CSSA – Aniruddha Maity, of Kolkata, India, a doctoral student in plant breeding. His research is focused on the physiological and molecular aspects of seed dormancy and shattering in ryegrass.

Sarah Marsh

National Association of Plant Breeders Borlaug Undergraduate Scholars – Sarah Marsh, Arbuckle, California, a senior plant and environmental soil science student. She is a member of the undergraduate Agronomy Society, along with participating in a study abroad program to Brazil. She has been recognized with the Texas A&M President’s Endowed Scholarship, as well as numerous department-level scholarships.

Julie Howe, Ph.D.

Lloyd R. Frederick Soil Teaching Travel Study Award- SSSA – Julie Howe, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil chemistry and fertility associate professor, College Station.

Boaxin “Bob” Chang

Chris Stiegler Turf Science Student Travel Award and Fellowship – CSSA – This award will be presented to both Boaxin “Bob” Chang, a doctoral student in soil sciences from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, and Will Bowling, a master’s student in turfgrass science from Suwanee, Georgia.

Will Bowling

Caitlin Lakey

Caitlyn Lakey of Porter, TX, received a U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture internship earlier in the year and will be recognized at the meetings. Lakey is working on her master’s degree in plant breeding. She also has previously been a Golden Opportunity Scholar.

Undergraduate Awards Banquet

23Apr

By: Beth Ann Luedeker

Congratulations to all the scholarship and awards recipients recognized at the awards banquet held April 11 at the Hildebrand Equine Center. While officially an undergraduate banquet, many graduate students received recognition and awards that night as well.

Dr. Kim Dooley, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Associate Dean for Academic Operations, delivered the keynote address. During her address Dooley outlined what she feels it means to be an Aggie.

Being an Aggie means being Authentic, being Grateful, setting Goals, having Integrity and having Enthusiasm, Dooley said.

Attendees also heard from student leaders about the array of extracurricular learning activities available, including the Agronomy Society, Turf Club, Soil and Water Conservation Society, and the Soil Crop Graduate Student Organization.

Awards and Recognitions

The primary purpose of the banquet is to recognize the efforts of students through the presentation of travel awards and scholarships. This year the department presented over $86,500 in scholarships and awards. Graduate students who had received other fellowships and awards were also recognized.

Outstanding Plant and Environmental Soil Science (PSSC) and Turfgrass Science (TGSC) were recognized. They are:

student receiving award from department head

Outstanding Freshman – PSSC: Eduardo De La Garza

Outstanding Freshman – TGSC: Ty Riley

Gabriel Janish receiving award from Dr. David Baltensperger

Outstanding Sophomore – PSSC: Gabriel Janish

Outstanding Sophomore – TGSC: Bailey Simmons

Outstanding Junior – PSSC: Nickolas Frisbee

Outstanding Junior – TGSC: Ryan Earp

Outstanding Senior – PSSC: Caitlyn Lakey

Outstanding Senior – TGSC: Kaitlin Tanner

A complete list of the undergraduate scholarship recipients, donors, and other awards earned by the students, faculty and staff can be found on the department’s website:
https://soilcrop.tamu.edu/academics_files/2019UGAwardsBanquet.pdf

Two Soil and Crop Sciences faculty members recognized at Beltwide Cotton Conference

31Jan

Writer: Kay Ledbetter

Two Texas A&M AgriLife faculty members brought back honors from the recent National Cotton Council’s 2019 Beltwide Cotton Conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state cotton specialist, College Station, was presented the 2019 Outstanding Career Research Award for Cotton Agronomy. The award is sponsored by BASF.

Dr. Katie Lewis, Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil scientist, Lubbock, was presented The Dr. J. Tom Cothren Outstanding Young Cotton Soil Scientist Award. One is given each year, and the recipient must have earned a doctorate within the past 10 years and demonstrate a strong research, teaching and advising program. The award is sponsored by PhytoGen Cotton.

Texas A&M AgriLife faculty Dr. Gaylon Morgan, College Station, and Dr. Katie Lewis, Lubbock, brought back honors to Texas from the annual Beltwide Cotton Conference. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Dr. Gaylon Morgan

“Dr. Morgan is a catalyst who is known to develop teams and working groups across agencies to support the cotton industry in Texas and across the Cotton Belt,” said Dr. Randy Boman, senior technical service manager in cotton for Indigo Ag, in a letter of support.

“He and his team do an outstanding job of integrating outreach programming, applied research efforts, student training and grant acquisition to provide cutting-edge information to the clientele through county agent-led programming, professional meetings and various media outlets.”

In just two years, Morgan and his collaborating AgriLife Extension specialists across the state made more than 14,600 educational contacts in 278 cotton variety educational meetings on variety performance alone. Approximately 9,000 test-plot trial reports have been distributed to producers, cotton gins and consultants via educational meetings also during that time.

Morgan helped develop enterprise budgets to assess the per-acre costs of using herbicides rather than mechanical means to destroy stalks in two regions of the state. He also researched new herbicides for destroying stalks of the new auxin-tolerant cotton varieties and worked to obtain a state label and make it available to Texas cotton growers.

Another area of concentration for Morgan is nitrogen fertilizer, the nomination stated. Surveys indicate more than 19,000 producers have seen presentations on crediting soil residual nitrogen based on his work since 2007.

“I am very honored to win this award,” Morgan said. “I have witnessed many great and internationally recognized colleagues win this career award at the Beltwide. I was completely surprised and humbled by just being nominated for the award, much less to win it.”

Morgan has been recognized with three Superior Service Awards by AgriLife Extension as a member of the Auxin Herbicide Educational Team, the Cotton Variety Evaluation and Education Team and the Cotton Root Rot Management Team, and one individual award.

Additionally, he has been honored by the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association with the Statewide Extension Specialist award, as the Beltwide Cotton Specialist of the Year by Bayer Crop Sciences and with the Academic/Agency Award by Texas Plant Protection Association.

Dr. Katie Lewis

“As the daughter of a South Texas cotton and grain farmer, Katie was introduced at a young age to the challenges of cotton farming and how they can drastically change the bottom line,” said Dr. Jaroy Moore, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director at Lubbock.

“Naturally, cotton is the central focus of her research program where she concentrates on soil fertility responses in both dryland and irrigated soils,” Moore said. “Her work is vitally important to the Southern High Plains, Texas and the nation, while helping educate future scientists, farmers, society and policymakers.”

While only in her third year with AgriLife Research, Lewis is continually striving to enhance her understanding of the critical challenges currently facing agriculture and society, her nomination stated.

“Dr. Lewis considers soil to be one of our most valuable natural resources, with the ability to produce food, feed and fiber, recycle wastes, filter and break down contaminants, and sequester carbon,” said nominator Dr. Glen Ritchie, AgriLife Research and Texas Tech University cotton physiologist, Lubbock.

Lewis has a joint appointment with Texas Tech, so she is engaged in research, teaching and service. In her first three years, she obtained federal, state and private research funding, taught at a graduate and undergraduate level, attracted and advised high-quality graduate students, and served her community, universities and professional organizations.

“Even though Katie does not have an official AgriLife Extension appointment, she passionately serves her community by participating in grower meetings and field days and consulting farmers on soil and nutrient management decisions,” Ritchie said. “Her passion and desire to enhance the profitability and sustainability of farming operations is evident to her students, colleagues, industry partners and farming community.”