2022
Awards and Recognitions for FY2022
(Beginning July 1, 2021 — Ending June 30, 2022)
- Awards for Excellence
- 2021 Certificates of Service
- 2022 Certificates of Service
- Recent Retirees
- UGA Graduates
- Student Awards and Accomplishments
- Faculty and Staff Achievements (PDF)
Awards for Excellence
| Award | Recipient |
| Senior Scientist - Research | Karen Harris-Shultz |
| Junior Scientist - Research | Cristiane Pilon |
| Senior Scientist - Extension | No nominations |
| Junior Scientist - Extension | Yangxuan Liu |
| Teaching | Mickey Dunlap (Athens) |
| Technical Support - Senior | Mike Hudson |
| Technical Support - Junior | Shauni Nichols |
| Service Unit Support | Matthew Liles |
| Administrative Support | Lina Flor Paclibar Young |
| Student Employee | Mallory Marchant and Hannah Mosher |
2021 Certificates of Service
30 Years of Service
- Ulysses Flagg-retired
- Eric Goodwin
- Melissa Tawzer
25 Years of Service
- Sidney Cromer
- David Riley
- Phillip Roberts
- Lenny Wells
20 Years of Service
- Robert Brooke
- Peng Chee
- Esendugue Fonsah
- Ronald Jones
- Sherrie McBlanchett
- Lola Sexton
- Melissa Thompson
- Amanda Webb
- Catherine Wiggins
15 Years of Service
- Bradford Buchanan
- Tracey Cook
- Andy Dunn
- Robert Evans
- Joseph Laforest
- Edward Lubbers
- Thomas Smith
- Rebekah Wallace
2022 Certificates of Service
35 Years of Service
- Timothy Brenneman
- Dana Cheek-retired
- Peggy Ozias-Akins
25 Years of Service
- Larry Baldree
20 Years of Service
- Christopher Luke
- Alton Sparks
15 Years of Service
- Claudia Dunkley
- Bhabesh Dutta
- Kippy Lewis
- Amanda Smith
- Michael Toews
- Scott Tubbs
- Jenna Vance
10 Years of Service
- William Donahoo
- Charles Gruver
- Tiffany Lanier
- John Snider
Recent Retirees
Animal and Dairy Science
- John Bernard (2020)
- Gary Burtle (2021)
- Leslie Cromer (2019)
Assistant Dean's Office
- Joe West (2020)
Business Office
- Glenda Thomas (2022)
Crop and Soil Science/Entomology
- Jenny Granberry (2021)
- Cindy Hester (2021)
Entomology
- Debbie Rutland (2020)
Field Research Services
- Steve LaHue (2020)
- Michael Pippin (2020)
- Sephus Willis (2021)
FMO – Landscape and Grounds
- Amy Carter (2020)
- Dana Cheek (2022)
- Ulysses Flagg (2021)
FMO – Physical Plant
- Ronnie Kailing (2020)
- Robert Marchant (2020)
- Olivia Strawter (2022)
- Gary Whiddon (2020)
Horticulture
- Anthony Bateman (2020)
- Mike Crumley (2020)
- Paula Ivey (2020)
Library
- Duncan McClusky (2020)
Plant Pathology
- Katherine Stevenson (2020)
Tifton Campus Conference Center
- Gail Hargett (2020)
- Barbara Maw (2020)
- Mitchell Tyson (2022)
USDA ARS
- Freddie Cheek (2020)
- Chris Clegg (late 2019)
- David Clements (2020)
- Frank Davis (2022)
- Susan Drawdy (2020)
- Dinku Endale (2021)
- Thoris Green (2021)
- Tom Henricks (late 2019)
- Andy Hornbuckle (late 2019)
- Larry Jefferson (late 2019)
- Dawn Olson (2020)
- Deborah Osborne (2020)
- Debbie Padgett (2021)
- Pat Thomson (late 2019)
- Patricia Timper (2022)
Fall, 2020
Agricultural Education (BSA)
Austin J. Barnes
Agriscience and Environmental Systems (BSA)
Kasey L. Herrington, Summa Cum Laude
Jordyn K. Sumner
Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education (MAEE)
Sydney Pinder (Dr. Barry Croom, faculty advisor)
Master of Plant Protection and Pest Management (MPPPM)
Colton S. Moon (Dr. Phillip Roberts, faculty advisor)
Patrick B. Triana (Dr. Sudeep Bag and Dr. Alton Sparks, faculty advisors)
Master of Science (MS)
Kasmita Karki (Dr. Bhabesh Dutta and Dr. Abolfazl Hajihassani, faculty advisors)
Tanner C. Sparks (Dr. David Riley, faculty advisor)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Lavesta C. Hand (Dr. Stanley Culpepper, faculty advisor)
Ruth M. Orellana Rivas (Dr. Sha Tao, faculty advisor)
Anna Orfanou (Dr. Wesley Porter, faculty advisor)
Dimitrios Pavlou (Dr. George Vellidis, faculty advisor)
Spring, 2021
Agribusiness (BSA)
Courtney L. Conine
Owen G. Paulk, Cum Laude
Agricultural Education (BSA)
Kaitlyn E. Dukes
Marlyn R. Grantham
Makenna C. Mabrey, Cum Laude
Vyctoria D. Solomon
Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education (MAEE)
Callan J. Hand (Dr. Ashley Yopp, faculty advisor)
Alexandra N. Ikner (Dr. Barry Croom, faculty advisor)
Laura Lee Williams (Dr. Ashley Yopp, faculty advisor)
Master of Plant Protection and Pest Management (MPPPM)
Jackson C. Cloud (Dr. Jean Williams-Woodward, faculty advisor)
Allison K. Randell (Dr. Michael Toews, faculty advisor)
Master of Science (MS)
Lovepreet Singh Chahal (Dr. Joann Conner and Peggy Ozias-Akins, faculty advisors)
Yun Chu Chen (Dr. Sha Tao, faculty advisor)
S. Brad Davis (Dr. Scott Tubbs, faculty advisor)
Owen H. Hudson (Dr. Emran Ali and Dr. Pingsheng Ji, faculty advisors)
Gurjot Singh Sidhu (Dr. Joann Conner, faculty advisor)
Matthew M. Stuart (Dr. Cristiane Pilon and Dr. Scott Monfort, faculty advisors)
Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)
Kayla M. Eason (Dr. Timothy Grey, faculty advisor)
Lorena N. Lacerda (Dr. George Vellidis, faculty advisor)
Chandler M. Levinson (Dr. Peggy Ozias-Akins, faculty advisor)
Sara Beth Studstill (Dr. Scott Monfort, faculty advisor)
Fall, 2021
Agribusiness (BSA)
Summer L. Steele
Maribeth L. Tomberlin
Agricultural Education (BSA)
Josh E. Thrift
Agriscience and Environmental Systems (BSA)
Kameron E. Landeen
Carolyn G. Padgett
Samantha Wan, Cum Laude
Master of Plant Protection and Pest Management (MPPPM)
Allina Bennett (Dr. Bhabesh Dutta, faculty advisor)
Kasey L. Herrington (Dr. Robert Kemerait, faculty advisor)
Master of Science (MS)
Benjamin K. Agyei (Dr. Henry Sintim, faculty advisor)
Chinaza D. Nnamdi (Dr. Abolfazl Hajihassani, faculty advisor)
Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)
Logan C. Moore (Dr. Timothy Brenneman, faculty advisor)
Eddie K. Slusher (Dr. Jason Schmidt and Dr. Angel Acebus-Doria, faculty advisors)
Spring, 2022
Agribusiness (BSA)
Jordan M. Hall
Asante L. Parker
Agricultural Education (BSA)
Amy L. Deariso
James T. Maddox, Magna Cum Laude
Morgan Sysskind, Cum Laude
Evan Rimedio
Agriscience and Environmental Systems (BSA)
John A. Winkler
Master of Plant Protection and Pest Management (MPPPM)
April L. Skipper (Dr. Markk Abney, faculty advisor)
Kasey L. Herrington (Dr. Phillip Roberts, faculty advisor)
Master of Science (MS)
Nicholas J. Shay (Dr. Lisa Baxter, Faculty Advisor)
Luke M. Fuhrer (Dr. Wesley Porter, Faculty Advisor)
Hunter Slade (Dr. Lenny Wells, Faculty Advisor)
Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)
Leticia D. Moreno (Dr. Christian Pilon, Faculty Advisor)
2021 Student MVP Award - Makenna Mabrey
2021 Teacher of the Year - Barry Croom
2021 Marie Gaskins Prince Scholarship - Vyctoria Solomon
2022 Student MVP Award - Morgan Sysskind
2022 Tift Cultivar Study Abroad Scholarship - Carson Deal
2022 Marie Gaskins Prince Scholarship - Morgan Sysskind
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
Students advised by Dr. Yanxuan Liu
| Student Name |
Degree | Graduation Year |
Job Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Harkins | M.S. | Spring 2022 | Business Services Specialist, Wilbur-Ellis |
| Rachel M Judd | M.S. | Summer 2022 | Ph.D., Texas A&M University |
| Bishal Gaire | M.S. | Summer 2022 | Ph.D., University of Georgia |
Accomplishments and awards
- Rachel Judd [Dr. Yangxuan Liu and Amanda Smith’s M.S. Student] made into Finalist for AAEA Graduate Student Extension Competition, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, 2022.
- Madison Harkins [Dr. Yangxuan Liu and Amanda Smith’s M.S. Student] won Second Place Graduate Student Poster Competition in Sustainability Conference of Beltwide Cotton Conference, 2022.
- Shweta Adhikari [M.S. Student Mentored by Dr. Yangxuan Liu] was selected as one of the six Cultivators in the Nation as a future leader in agriculture by the Farm Foundation, 2021.
ANIMAL AND DAIRY SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Students advised by Dr. Jennifer Tucker
Kendall Whatley (M.S.)
- 2022 American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference – Wichita, KS; 1st place – Emerging Scientist Competition (poster)
- 2022 American Society of Animal Science Southern Section Meeting – Ft. Worth, TX; 3rd place – M.S. Student Three Minute Thesis Competition
Justin Burt (Ph.D)
- 2022 Gerald O Mott Meritorious Graduate Student Award in Crop Science
- 2022 North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference Graduate Student Award – Lansing, MI
- 2022 American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference – Wichita, KS; 1st place – Emerging Scientist Competition (oral)
- 2022 American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference – Wichita, KS; 1st place – Southeastern hay contest: Hay quality contest
- 2021 American Society of Animal Science Southern Section Meeting – Louisville, KY; 1st place – Ph.D Student Three Minute Thesis Competition
CROP AND SOIL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Students advised by Dr. Scott Tubbs
Hayden Godwin (MS)
- 1st place M.S. poster, Southern Branch American Society of Agronomy, 2021 Annual Meeting
- 2nd place M.S. oral, Southern Branch American Society of Agronomy, 2021 Annual Meeting
- 1st place M.S. poster, C-3 Division, Crop Science Society of America, 2021 Annual Meeting
Ana Julia Azevedo (Ph.D.)
- 2nd place (tie) Ph.D. oral, Southern Branch American Society of Agronomy, 2021 Annual Meeting
Savannah Banner Warren
- Southern Branch American Society of Agronomy (February 2022); 1st place in the MS oral competition
- APRES (July 2022); 2nd place in the MS oral competition
Macie Wheeler
- 2nd place at Southern Branch ASA in the Master's Oral Competition, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Started a podcast called "All About the Pod" through the Communication of Research and Scholarship Grant that is available on Apple and Spotify platforms
Students advised by Dr. John Snider
Devendra Chalise (MS)
- 3rd Place; Cotton Agronomy and Physiology Conference MS Poster Competition. Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio, TX, January 2022
Ved Parkash (PhD)
- 2nd Place; Southern Branch Agronomy Society of America Annual Meeting PhD Poster Competition. New Orleans, LA, February 2022
- Graduate Education advancement board fellowship for 2022/2023. University of Georgia Graduate School
- 2022 Summer Research Grant Award. University of Georgia Graduate School
Amrit Pokhrel (MS) - Co-Advised by Dr. Snider and Dr. Virk
- Outstanding Graduate Student Award, 15th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, June 2022, Minneapolis, MN
Gurpreet Virk (PhD)
- Outstanding Graduate Student Scholar Award, University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, April, 2022
- Gerald O. Mott Meritorious Graduate Student Award in Crop Science. University of Georgia Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Athens, GA, February, 2022
- Southern Branch Agronomy Society of America PhD Student Poster Competition-First Prize. (February, 2022)
- Southern Branch Agronomy Society of America PhD Student Oral Competition- Second Prize. (February, 2022)
- Beltwide Cotton Conferences PhD Student Oral Competition-Third Prize (January, 2022)
- Beltwide Cotton Conferences PhD Student Poster Competition-Third Prize (January, 2022)
Josh Lee (MS)
- Gary A Herzog Fellowship for Applied Research in Cotton Agroecosystems
- Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship, Sponsored by AMVAC. 2022 Recipient
- 2nd Place; Cotton Agronomy and Physiology Conferences MS Oral Competition. Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio, TX, January 2022
Student advised by Dr. Stanley Culpepper
Taylor Randell (PhD)
- Weed Science Society of America Graduate Student Competition: 2022: 1st place PhD poster presentation; 2021: 1st place PhD 3MT oral presentation grand champion
- Southern Weed Science Society Graduate Student Competition: 2022: 1st place PhD poster presentation; 2021: 1st place PhD oral presentation
- Beltwide Cotton Conference Weed Science Graduate Student Competition: 2022: 2nd place PhD oral presentation; 2021: 1st place PhD oral presentation
Students advised by Dr. Wesley Porter
Kaylyn Groce Reagin (PhD)
- Received an award in the Student Oral/Poster Presentation Competition at the 2021 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) annual meeting
- 1st place recipient in the Sustainability Student Poster competition at the 2022 Beltwide Cotton Conference
- Recognized at June 2022 Plenary Meeting hosted by Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture as a Project Spotlight Honoree
- Nominated for the 2022 American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) Bailey Award for authoring the paper “Measuring Peanut Sustainability Production Practices Using the Field to Market Fieldprint Calculator in Georgia”
- Named Vice President of the APRES Graduate Student Organization for 2022-2023
Luke Fuhrer (Rec’d MS-2021; PhD Program-2022)
- 2nd place in the Cotton Engineering Student oral competition at the 2022 Beltwide Cotton Conference
- Attended the USDA’s Graduate Summer Research Experience at Mississippi State University working on high performance computing
Andrew Russell (MS)
- 2nd place, Precision Agriculture Oral Competition, titled “Relationships Between Advanced Planter Components and Speed and How They Effect Stand Uniformity and Final Yield in Corn” at the Agronomy Society of America Annual Meeting, November 2021, Salt Lake City, UT
- 3rd place, poster competition, titled “Evaluating Downforce Treatments and Emergence Across Soil Texture Zones in Corn Planting” at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Ag Equipment Technology Conference, February 2022, Louisville, KY
Mary Logan Tostenson (MS)
- Awarded the Irrigation Association’s 2022 Anthony W. “Tony” LaFetra Scholarship Program sponsored by Rain Bird
CROP AND SOIL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT (continued)
Students advised/mentored by Dr. Simerjeet Virk
Michael Goodnight (MS)
- Fall 2022 Graduate, Crop and Soil Sciences
Madan Sapkota (MS)
- 1st Place, Graduate Student Poster Competition (Precision Ag Systems community) at the 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting. Poster title “Influence of Ground Speed on Spray Quality and Coverage for a Conventional Boom Sprayer without a Rate Controller”
- 2nd Place, Joe Sugg Graduate Student Competition (MS Poster) at the 2022 Annual APRES Meeting. Poster title “Spray Coverage and Quality as affected by Ground Speed for a Boom Sprayer without a Rate Controller”
Amrit Pokhrel (MS) Co-advised by Drs. Virk and Snider
- Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the International Society of Precision Agriculture at the 15th International Conference on Precision Ag. Presentation title “Potential of UAS Multispectral Imagery for Predicting Yield Determining Physiological Parameters in Cotton”
Matt Tucker (MS)
- Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the International Society of Precision Agriculture at the 15th International Conference on Precision Ag. Presentation title “Effectiveness of Different Precision Soil Sampling Strategies for Site-Specific Nutrient Management in Row Crops”
Madison Weekley-2022 UGA Tifton Young Scholar, Co-mentored by Drs. Virk and Tucker, and Shauni Nichols
- 2nd Place in UGA Tifton Campus Young Scholar Poster Presentation. Poster title “Assessing Spatial Yield Variability in Alfalfa Using In-Field Data and Spatial Variability”
UGA College of Engineering Capstone Design Team: Wyatt Beshara, Mathew Bowen, Sam Gignilliat, Gabriel Jean
- 1st Place, Innovative Computerized System of Software Design Award at the 2022 UGA College of Engineering Capstone Design Showcase. Capstone Project titled “Spray Quality Monitor for Informed Pesticide Applications”
Students advised by Dr. Cristiane Pilon
Chiara Rossi (PhD)
- 1st Place Poster Presentation titled “Effect of Fungicide Programs on Leaf Spot and Plant Growth of Peanut Cultivars”
- 2nd Place Oral Presentation titled “Effect of Dodine on Photosynthetic Efficiency and Yield of Peanut” at the 2021 Southern Branch of American Society of America, February 2021, Virtual
- 3rd Place Oral Presentation titled “Photosynthetic Efficiency, Leaf Spot Control, and Yield of Peanut Plants Treated with Dodine” at the 2022 American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES), July 2022, Dallas, TX
Kelvin Jimmy Awori (PhD)
- Received a scholarship from Alabama A&M to attend the 2022 National Conference on Next-Generation Sustainable Technologies for Small-Scale Producers, including a training titled ''Produce Safety Alliance Training Program''
Morgan Sysskind (MS)
- Received Georgia Crop Production Alliance “GCPA” Scholarship
- Received Georgia Plant Food Educational Society “GPFES” Scholarship
- Received Marie Gaskins Prince Scholarship – Ms. Heather Stripling from Prince Automotive Group
- Received Outstanding Senior “Student MVP Award” from the Georgia Cotton Commission
- UGA Top 100 Student Employees
- Selected as the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Ambassador in 2020/2021 and 2021/2022
- Graduated with BS in Agricultural Education with Cum Laude Institutional Honors 2022
- Recipient of the UGA Graduate School Master’s Fellowship Award.
Raphael Melo (PhD)
- Recipient of the UGA Graduate School Doctoral Fellowship Award in 2022
Student advised by Dr. Lisa Baxter
Nicholas Shay (MS)
- 2nd Place (Oral Presentation) in 2022 Emerging Scientist Competition American Forage and Grassland Council
HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT
Student advised by Dr. Patrick Conner
Gaurab Bhattarai (PhD)
- Won the “2022 John Ingle Innovation in Plant Breeding Award”
NESPAL/IPBGG
Students advised by Dr. Peggy Ozias-Akins
Stephanie Botton (MS)
- 2nd Place Poster Competition winner 2022 IPBGG Annual Retreat
Raegan Holton (MS)
- 3rd Place and $200 for research presentation, “Screening Various Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Genotypes for Aflatoxin Contamination Using in vitro Seed Colonization of Aspergillus flavus.” The competition was held in July as part of the 53rd Annual American Peanut Research and Education Society meeting.
ADDITIONAL STUDENT RECOGNITIONS
March, 2021
Owen Hudson (MS with Dr. Ali), Kayla Eason (Ph.D. with Dr. Grey), Camp Hand, Nicholas Hurdle (MS with Dr. Grey), Taylor Randell (Ph.D. with Dr. Culpepper), Hannah Wright (Ph.D. with Dr. Culpepper), and Chad Abbott (Ph.D. with Dr. Prostko) for recently winning awards at their respective professional society meetings.
September, 2021
The following UGA Tifton students won student competition awards at the summer APRES meeting: Alan Peper (Ph.D student co-advised by Dr. Tim Brenneman), Jessica Bell (MS student with Dr. Brenneman), April Skipper (MPPPM student with Dr. Mark Abney) and Ben Aigner (Ph.D. student with Dr. Abney).
May, 2022
The following students were selected as members of the top 100 student workers at UGA Abigail Turner, Kylie Whitworth, and Morgan Sysskind. These student workers were nominated by their employers including Dr. Brian Schwartz, Dr. George Vellidis/Dr. Cristiane Pilon, and Mr. Ethan Cobb.
The following graduate students under the leadership of Dr. Jason Schmidt, won awards for their poster/paper at the recent Annual Meeting of the Georgia Entomological Society; Kylie Lennon, Sarah Rezende, Pedro Toledo, Albertha Perkins and Swikriti Pandey.
July, 2022
Jessica Bell (MS with Dr. Brenneman), Savannah Banner (MS with Dr. Monfort), Nick Hurdle (Ph.D. with Dr. Grey) won awards for their presentations at the 54th American Peanut Research and Education Society meeting held in Dallas, TX.
September, 2022
UGA Tifton undergraduates Bailey Rayfield and Kylie Whitworth have been named 2022 Georgia Farm Bureau brand ambassadors. They will spend the next few months working and collaborating with the Georgia Farm Bureau to inform the public on what the Farm Bureau does and what it represents. Both students are also Tifton Campus Ag Ambassadors and do a fantastic job representing our campus at special events.