2008

Awards for Excellence

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Special Achievements

John Beasley, Crop and Soil Sciences - Past Presidents Award from Southern Branch - American Society of Agronomy. Chair-Elect of Seed Physiology, Production, and Technology Division of the Crop Science Society of America.

John K. Bernard, Animal and Dairy Science - Senior Advisor, Dairy Calf & Heifer Association, 2008-2009. Director, Production Division, American Dairy Science Association (2005-2008). Member, Journal Management Committee, Journal of Dairy Science (2005-2009).

Bill Branch, Crop and Soil Sciences - Released Georgia-07W peanut cultivar.

Tim Brenneman, Plant Pathology - Received the Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award from the Southern Division of the American Phytopathological Society for 2008.

Amy Carter, Support Units - Received Georgia Certification as Landscape Professional. Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Dana Cheek, Support Units - Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Debbie Coker, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Promoted from Laboratory Tech II to Laboratory Tech III.

Patrick Conner, Horticulture - 2007-2008 ASHS Fruit Breeding Working Group Chair. 2006-2008 ASHS Temperate Nut Crops Working Group Chair.

Vanessa Ann Corriher, Animal and Dairy Science - International Stockmen's Educational Foundation Travel Fellowship to the 2007 International Livestock Congress in Denver, CO (Jan. 2008). Outstanding Teaching Assistant from Animal & Dairy Sci. Dept. (2008). UGA Broadus-Browne Graduate Award PhD Student Nominee from ADS (2008).

Albert Culbreath, Plant Pathology - Past President of the American Peanut Research and Education Society. Serves as Disease Management Section Chair for American Phytopathological Society Scientific Programs Board.

Dewayne Dales, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Promoted from Research Tech III to Research Professional I.

Josh Drawdy, Support Units - Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

James Dutcher, Entomology - Received the Fellow of the Georgia Entomological Society Award for 2007.

Greg Fonsah, Agricultural and Applied Economics - Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

Ronnie Kailing, Support Units - Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Terry Kelley, Horticulture - Received the 2007 Distinguished Service Award - National Association of County Agricultural Agents. Received the 2007 Distinguished Service Award - Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents. Received the 2007 Extension Communications Award (Pepper Bulletin) - Southern Region - ASHS. Southeast Extension Research Agricultural Information Exchange Group Chairman - 2004-2007. Jan-Dec, 2007. Awards Committee, UGA-CAES Tifton Campus-Chair. 2002-2007. Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents Historical Committee Chairman. 2007-2008. Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Vegetable Section Vice Chair.

Gerard Krewer, Horticulture - 2007 Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium Liaison.

Curt Lacy, Agricultural and Applied Economics - Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

Dewey Lee, Crop and Soil Sciences - USDA-ARS Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Dedication and Support for Conservation Tillage Programs in the Southeast U.S.

Chris Luke, Support Units - Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Tim Grey, Crop and Soil Sciences - Co-developed and released with Jerry Johnson in Griffin the Clearfield wheat cultivar GA-CT7. This is the first Clearfield soft red winter wheat cultivar developed in the southeastern U.S.

Huo Hequang, Horticulture - Graduate Student. Plant Center Retreat, 25-26 Oct, poster award. (Ozias-Akins, P.)

Andrew Mehring, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Ecology Ph.D. student working with Drs. George Vellidis and Richard Lowrance won first place with his presentation at the Odum School of Ecology's 14th Annual Graduate Student Symposium held 18-19 January, 2008. Andrew's presentation was titled "Floodplain forests and oxygen demand in blackwater streams: Differential effects of leaf litter species" and highlighted the research he has been conducting in the swamps of the Little River near Tifton.

Andrea Milton, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Served as co-coach for the Tift Co. 4-H poultry judging team. There were 2 teams with 4 members each. One team won 1st at State and will compete in Nationals in KY. The other team won second and will compete in the avian bowl (quiz bowl) in KY at the national contest. The students made up the top 11 individuals at the State contest.

Brenda Ortiz, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - BAE Ph.D. student working with George Vellidis, Calvin Perry, and Dana Sullivan was awarded 3rd place and a cash prize of $100.00 in the Engineering Student Paper Competition at the 2008 Beltwide Cotton Conferences held January 8-11, 2008 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. Brenda's presentation was titled "Cotton yield response to variable rate nematicides according to risk zones."

Peggy Ozias-Akins, Horticulture - 2007 NESPAL Advisory Committee, Tifton Campus-chair. 2007 One post-tenure review committee - Chair.

Calvin Perry, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Promoted from Public Service Representative to Public Service Assistant.

David Riley, Entomology - Promoted to Professor.

Phillip Roberts, Entomology - Promoted to Professor; and Awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension, Southeastern Branch Entomological Society of America.

Tim Ross, Support Units - Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

John Roberson, Entomology - President of the Georgia Entomological Society for the 2008-09 term.

John Ruter, Horticulture - Received the 2007 Award of Excellence for Senior Scientist, Tifton Campus. 2007 Coastal Plain Research Arboretum, Tifton Campus-Chair. 2007 REI Rep Horticulture - Tifton Campus. State Representative - 2007 SERA/IEG-27, Nursery Crops and Landscape Systems. Chairman - 2007 Research Committee, Holly Society of America. Board of Directors - 2007 - Center for Applied Nursery Research. 2007 Plant Patent #17,728 for Pennisetum purpureum 'Princess'. 2007 Hibiscus acetosella 'Panama Red' released through the Athens Select Program. 2007 Rhaphiolepis umbellata 'RutRhaph1' approved by CAES Cultivar Release Committee.

Nathan Smith, Agricultural and Applied Economics - Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

Paul Sumner, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Awarded the Walter B Hill Award, Distinguish Achievement in Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia, February 2008.

Jason Todd, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Ecology Ph.D. student working with Drs. George Vellidis, Richard Lowrance, and David Bosch was invited to submit a paper to a special issue of the journal Wetlands following the presentation of his paper titled "Low dissolved oxygen levels in Georgia floodplain swamps: Effect of sediment oxygen demand" at the Floodplain Ecosystem Symposium in Little Rock, AR from March 4-6.

Michael Toews, Entomology - Awarded the O.I. Snapp Award for outstanding non-student paper at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Georgia Entomological Society, April 2-4 at Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club, Cordele, GA.

Lenny Wells, Horticulture - Program Chair at the 2007 Pecan Session, Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers' Association. Program Chair at the 2007 Georgia Pecan Growers Association Annual Meeting. Program Chair at the 2007 Georgia Pecan Growers Association Fall Field Day.
Committee Chair 2006-2007, Communications Awards, Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents.

Kell Whitley, Support Units - Earned Level 1A Certification in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Zeng Yajuan, Horticulture - Graduate Student. Plant Center Retreat, 25-26 Oct, 3rd place presentation. (Ozias-Akins, P.)

USDA-ARS

Bill Anderson, Wayne Hanna and Ron Gates, Crop Genetics and Breeding - Released ‘Tifquik”, a bahiagrass cultivar with faster germination and field establishment.

C. Corley Holbrook, Albert Culbreath, Patty Timper and Craig Kvien, Crop Genetics and Breeding - Released ‘Tifguard’, the first peanut cultivar that has resistance to both the peanut root-knot nematode and tomato spotted wilt virus.

Joe Lewis (Retired), Crop Protection and Management - One of three Recipients of the 2008 Wolf Foundation Prize in Agriculture for their remarkable discoveries of mechanisms governing plant-insect and plant-plant interactions.

Richard Lowrance, SE Watershed - Served on the EPA's Federal Advisory Committee - Science Advisory Board on Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dana Sullivan, SE Watershed - Promoted to grade GS-13.

Clint Truman, SE Watershed - Promoted to grade GS-15.

Don Wauchope (Retired), SE Watershed - Recently named as the recipient of the International Research Award which is presented by the Agrochemicals Division, American Chemical Society.

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