CORVALLIS - At a campus ceremony on Thursday, May 20, Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences presented three students with annual $1,000 awards that recognize outstanding performance.

Geoffrey Habron, a Ph.D student from Keizer, received the Savery Outstanding Graduate Student award. Mellissa Rae Nartz, a senior from Madras, received the $1,000 Burlingham Undergraduate Student of Excellence award. Destinee K. Chapin of Salem was named the Capital Press Outstanding Senior in Agriculture.

The Savery award, given by the Agricultural Research Foundation, recognizes graduate students whose research benefits Oregon agriculture and natural resources. For his Ph.D dissertation in OSU's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Habron is comparing restoration activities in three watersheds that are tributaries of the Umpqua River, assessing socio-cultural and ecological variables.

One OSU professor praised the former Peace Corps volunteer, a graduate of Montclair High School in Montclair, N.J., for his ability to "integrate diverse people's ideas and scientific facts into possible actions."

After graduation, Habron said, he hopes to "develop holistic, participatory approaches to the sustainable conservation and development of natural resources while improving human welfare." He is the son of James and Juanita Habron of Pleasantville, N.J.

In winning the Undergraduate Student of Excellence award, given by the Burlingham family of Woodburn, Nartz, a senior in OSU's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, was cited for excellent grades, student leadership and "work as an emerging spokesperson for Oregon agriculture."

During her sophomore year at OSU, the Madras High graduate interned with the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture in Washington, D.C., and was promoted to a temporary staff position with the committee. Following graduation from OSU, she hopes to earn a law degree and work in "some area of agricultural politics." She is the daughter of Jim Nartz and Lynn Hair of Ashwood, Ore.

The Capital Press Outstanding Senior in Agriculture award recognized Chapin, a senior in OSU's Department of Crop and Soil Science, for "boundless energy and enthusiasm," including leadership in numerous student organizations and serving on an undergraduate research team that proposed a plan for salmon recovery at an Environmental Protection Agency conference in Seattle this spring.

After graduation from OSU, Chapin, a graduate of Gervais High School, plans to study for a master's degree in agricultural and resource economics, then raise filberts and "be an activist for agricultural interests." Chapin is the daughter of Bruce and Velan Chapin of Salem.

The three awards were among many presented on the OSU campus at the College of Agricultural Sciences' annual Great Achievements of Students Celebration.

Source: 

Liz Webb, 541-737-5656

Click photos to see a full-size version. Right click and save image to download.