Newsroom

CORVALLIS - Excellence in research, teaching, advising, and Extension was recently honored by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences during its annual recognition program.

The awards were made possible in part by donations to the E. R. Jackman Foundation and the Agricultural Research Foundation.

Charlotte Vickers, an advising specialist in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, received the $1,000 F. E. Price Agricultural Research Foundation Award for Excellence in Student Advising and Counseling. A member of the department since 1983, she assists students in finding financial aid and summer employment, is the primary contact for both employers and students, and operates an orientation course.

Janine Trempy, an associate professor of microbiology, received the $1,000 Savery Outstanding Young Faculty Award. At OSU since 1990, she has been widely recognized for her teaching and conducts research on molecular mechanisms of bacteria exposed to environmental stresses, including work with the dairy and other food product industries.

David Sugar, an Ashland resident and associate professor at OSU's Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Medford, received the $1,000 Briskey Award for Faculty Excellence. He was cited particularly for his research work in the horticulture and post-harvest pathology of pears, which has led to the development of new red pear cultivars and improved production methods.

Myron Shenk, an Extension specialist with the Integrated Plant Protection Center, received the $1,000 College of Agricultural Sciences Excellence in Extension Award. A pesticide applicator and farm safety training coordinator, Shenk was cited for his work in reaching the growing Spanish-speaking farm labor population with information about pesticide safety, and developed programs that have helped train more than 6,000 laborers.

Christopher Mundt, a professor of botany and plant pathology, received the $1,000 Excellence in International Agriculture Award. His research studies the effect of host plant resistance on the epidemiology of plant disease, the population genetics of plant pathogens, and has included work on rice pathogens in the Philippines and Vietnam, and potatoes in Peru.

Neil Forsberg, a professor of animal science, received the $1,000 Earl Price Award for Excellence in Research. He studies basic mechanisms of protein catabolism that provide an understanding of the regulation of muscle and protein accretion, which is important to domestic livestock and meat production, and may be relevant to human myocardial function and disease.

The OSU Dairy Unit, involving faculty from animal sciences, veterinary medicine and the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, received the $1,000 James and Mildred Oldfield - E.R. Jackman Team Award recognizing team and interdisciplinary work. The team has worked to successfully identify research needed by the industry, improve research facilities, extend knowledge to producers and attract students to study dairy science. Participants include Diane Carroll, Troy Downing and Lloyd Swanson in the Department of Animal Sciences; Mike Gangwer, a Salem resident and OSU Extension agent; Mike Gamroth, associate director of the OSU Extension Service; Robert Van Saun in the College of Veterinary Medicine; and Jim Krahn, a Portland resident and program manager with the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association.

David P. Froman, an associate professor of animal science, received the $1,100 R. M. Wade Award for Excellence in Teaching. Froman's classes and graduate seminar receive high marks from students and he chairs the department's curriculum committee. Froman; Lee Cole, professor and head of OSU's Department of Agricultural Education and General Agriculture, and lead advisor in the College of Agricultural Sciences; and Stanley Gregory, professor of fisheries and wildlife; will be added to the college's Registry of Distinguished Teachers.

Erling Jacobsen, a Moro resident and manager of the Sherman Station of the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center; and Robert Williams, a Philomath resident and farm services supervisor for the Department of Animal Sciences; received the College of Agricultural Sciences $500 Classified Employee Awards. Jacobsen was cited for his work assisting scientists with research plots at the station while maintaining equipment and grounds, and Williams was recognized for efficiency improvements on the 12 different livestock units on 5,000 acres that he supervises.