2009
Tifton campus folks celebrated their own May 7, 2009 at the annual University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Tifton Campus Awards Ceremony.
Awards and Recognitions presented for FY2009
(Beginning July 1, 2008 — Ending June 30, 2009)
- Awards for Excellence
- Certificates of Service
- Recent Retirees
- Student Accomplishments
- Sigma Xi Awards
- Special Achievements
Friend of the UGA Tifton Campus Award
The 2009 Friend of the UGA Tifton Campus Award was presented to Bill Brim, Tift County farmer.
Awards for Excellence
| Award | Recipient |
| Senior Scientist - Research | Bob McPherson |
| Senior Scientist - Extension | Keith Douce |
| Junior Scientist - Research | Ye Chu |
| Junior Scientist - Extension | Curt Lacy |
| Teaching | John Ruberson |
| Technical Support | Evelyn Morgan and Ronnie Pines |
| Service Unit Support | David Tyson and Earl Whitley |
| Administrative Support | Sandra McNeil |
| Tifton Campus Ambassador | Rocky Jones |
Certificates of Service
35 Years of Service
- Carol C. Walker - Facilities Management and Operations
30 Years of Service
- William D. Branch - Crop and Soil Sciences
- Jackie E. Davis - Entomology
- James D. Dutcher - Entomology
- James W. Graham - Facilities Management and Operations
- Kerry Harrison - Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Charlie R. Hilton - Crop and Soil Sciences
- James E. Hook - Crop and Soil Sciences
- E. Bruce Shiver - Facilities Management and Operations
- Mary Jo Townsend - Entomology
25 Years of Service
- Paul M. Fowler - Assistant Dean's Office
- Gary M. Hill - Animal and Dairy Science
- Carol S. Ireland - Entomology
- Marilyn M. Law - Crop and Soil Sciences
- Julian N. Ragan - Southwest Research and Education Center
20 Years of Service
- Mike H. Hudson - Horticulture
- Stevan S. Lahue - Facilities Management and Operations
- J. Michael Moore - Crop and Soil Sciences
- George W. Stone - Animal and Dairy Science
15 Years of Service
- Michael W. Beggs - NESPAL
- Henry Dewayne Dales - Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Rodney Hill - Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- W. Terry Kelley - Horticulture
- Neal J. Roberson - Entomology
- John Thomas Robinson - Southeast Research and Education Center
10 Years of Service
- Denne E. Bertrand - Horticulture
- William L. Bronson - Animal and Dairy Science
- Gayle H. Cox - Facilities Management and Operations
- A. Stanley Culpepper - Crop and Soil Sciences
- Vickie H. Garrick - NESPAL
- Ronnie D. Kailing - Facilities Management and Operations
- Evelyn Perry Morgan - NESPAL
- Robert Pippin - Crop and Soil Sciences
- Alice H. Pitts - Agricultural and Applied Economics
- Eric Prostko - Crop and Soil Sciences
- Glen Rains - Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Floyd Hunt Sanders - Plant Pathology
- Karen E. Shannon-McBrayer - Tifton Campus Conference Center
- Earl Whitley - Facilities Management and Operations
- Tina H. Wood - Tifton Campus Conference Center
Recent Retirees
Gayle Cox - Facilities Management and Operations
Ernest Cravey - Facilities Management and Operations
Keith Douce - Entomology
Kerry Harrison - Biological and Agricultural Engineering
M. Lynn Henderson - Crop Protection and Management Research Unit / USDA-ARS
Gary Hill - Animal and Dairy Science
Gerard Krewer - Horticulture
Robert McPherson - Entomology
Tony Roberts - Southwest District Extension Office
Mike Stephenson - Crop and Soil Sciences
Paul Sumner - Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Sheran Thompson - Entomology
June Womack - Animal and Dairy Science
Student Accomplishments
Fall 2008 Graduates
- Burt Calhoun - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Wheelus (Trey) Davis - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- David Griner - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Bradley Hall - Agricultural Education
- Russ Worsley - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
Spring 2009 Graduates
- Ryan Andrews - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Jeci Crane - Agricultural Education
- Brice Crawford - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Dustin Engel - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Abraham Fulmer - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Jonathan Hardeman - Agricultural Education
- Derek Heath - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Lee Henthorn - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Casey Horton - Agricultural Education
- Josh Markham - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Brittany New - Agricultural Education
- Cruz Olalde - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Will Powers - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Jesse Thompson - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Erin Vickers - Agricultural Education
- Perry White - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
- Travis Woodard - Agriscience and Environmental Systems
Special Awards and Scholarships
Brandon Coker received a Certificate of Achievement as one of the top 100 student workers at the University of Georgia.
Johnathan Rhodes received a scholarship from Georgia Crop Production Alliance.
Brittany New and Jesse Thompson received J. Fielding Reed Scholarships.
Lee Henthorn and Lindsay Godfrey represented the Tifton Campus at the National Agricultural Ambassador Conference.
Heath Herndon and Lindsay Godfrey attended the Leadership and Education for Ambassador Development conference.
Abraham Fulmer was named the 2009 Tifton Campus Student MVP.
Sigma Xi Awards
Dr. Jim Hook - Distinguished Service Award
Awarded to recognize scientific achievement regardless of time period. Intended to acknowledge sustained contributions or high originality and impact by scientists.
Dr. Greg Fonsah - Creative Research Award
Awarded to recognize an especially significant research accomplishment, discovery, or scientific achievement within the last five years.
Mr. Stanley Diffie - Outstanding Technical Support Award
Awarded to recognize outstanding technical support of research and contribution to scientific achivement.
Ms. Waldene Barnhill - Service to Research Award
Awarded to recognize individuals who would not normally be eligible for other Sigma Xi Awards, but who have, through unusual initiative and effort, made a contribution to science above and beyond that expected.
Special Achievements
John Beasley, Crop and Soil Sciences - Chair for the Seed Physiology, Production, and Technology Division in the Crop Science Society of America. Appointed to a term as an Associate Editor for the Crop Science journal.
Juliet Chu, NESPAL - APRES Bailey Award
Patrick Conner, Horticulture - Program Chair - 2008 Southeastern Pecan Growers Assn. 2007-2008 ASHS Fruit Breeding Working Group Chair. 2006-2008 ASHS Temperate Nut Crops Working Group Chair. 2008 Tifton Campus Library Committee member. 2008 Plant Breeding Institute Initiation Committee. 2008 Graduate student applicant evaluation committee member.
Juan Carlos Diaz-Perez, Horticulture - 2005-Present Board of Directors of Georgia Organics. 2006-2008 Chair of the Seed and Transplant Establishment Working Group, ASHS. 2007-Present U.S. Delegate to the CIDAPA (Ibero American Committee for the Development and Application of Plastics in Agriculture). 2004-Present Hispanic Extension Initiative member. 2005-Present Soil test calibration position committee.
Jean English-Hurst, Tifton Campus Conference Center - Member, by invitation, of the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Corley Holbrook, NESPAL - APRES Bailey Award
Jason Jackson, Crop and Soil Sciences - Received 2nd place award for best oral paper presentation for graduate students at the Southeastern Branch - American Society of Agronomy annual meeting. Major professor is Dr. John Beasley.
Gerard Krewer, Horticulture - 2008 Outstanding Sr. Scientist-Extension, UGA Tifton. 2008 Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium liaison. 2008 Organic and Sustainable Agriculture committee.
Dan MacLean, Horticulture - 2008 Multi-state working group for postharvest physiology of fruit NE-1018/NE-1422 Meeting.
Joshua Mayfield, Horticulture - 2008 Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition committee.
Duncan McClusky, Library - Serves on the editorial board for the CABI Environmental Impace information service.
Brenda Oritz, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - A BAE graduate student working with George Vellidis, graduated with Ph.D. in December 2008. Now Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Soils at Auburn University.
Peggy Ozias-Akins, Horticulture - 2008 Bailey Award, APRES. 2008-2010 Society for In Vitro Biology, Plant Biotechnology Section Chair. 2008 Society for In Vitro Biology, Symposium on Highlights of Plant Biotechnology in the Southeast, Organizer. 2008 Society for In Vitro Biology, Award Committee. 2008 APRES, Peanut Science Editor. 2008 Plant Cell Reports, Editor. 2008 Symposium co-organizer, 2009 Intl Plant Molecular Biology meeting. 2008 Ad-hoc member of Biosafety Committee.
Calvin Perry, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Named Superintendent of Stripling Irrigation Research Park. Continues to be faculty member w/BAE.
David Riley, Entomology - Awarded the O.I. Snapp Award (Outstanding Paper by a Non-student) by the Georgia Entomological Society. Awarded a $1.75 million RAMP Grant ("A Reduced-Risk System for Managing Thrips and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus in Tomato and Pepper in the Southeastern U.S.A."), and serves as the Project Director.
Phillip Roberts, Entomology - Awarded the Walter B. Hill Award Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach.
John Ruberson, Entomology - Appointed REI Coordinator, Entomology.
John Ruter, Horticuture - 2008 Creative Research Award, Sigma Xi. 2008 State Representative, SERA/IEG-27, Nursery Crops & Landscape Systems. 2008 Member, Center for Hardy Landscape Plants. 2008 Chairman, Research Committee, Holly Society. 2008 Board of Directors, Center for Applied Nursery Research. 2008 United State Plant Patent 18, 509 for Pennisetum purpureum 'Prince'. 2008 United States Plant Patent 19,415 for Campsis xtagliabuana 'Rutcam'.
Stormy Sparks, Entomology - Awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension by the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America. Promoted to Professor.
Paul Sumner, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - Received the Donnie H. Morris for Excellence in Extension from the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, January 2009.
Jason Todd, Biological and Agricultural Engineering - An Ecology graduate student working with George Vellidis, graduated with Ph.D. in December 2008. Now a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Dept. of Environmental Engineering at Princeton University.
Bruce Tucker, Horticulture - 2008 Outstanding Technical Support Sigma Xi.
Lenny Wells, Horticulture - 2008 Hutchison Extension Award, ASHS, SR. 2008 Outstanding Presentation, S.E. Pecan Growers Assoc. 2008 Blue Ribbon Publication Award, ASHS, SR. 2008 Program Chair, Pecan Session, Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers' Assoc.