Department News
Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity
Jordan Lestina's presentation was awarded College Honors at CURC 2013
Outstanding Senior Awards 2012-2013
Robyn Bartling- Red Leonard/ASA Outstanding Senior
Emily Delorean- Scotty Robertson Outstanding Crops Senior
Toney Davis- Rocky Mountain Agribusiness Association
Graduate Student Awards 2012-2013
Arina Sukor, MS- Hunter Follett Award
Luis Villalobos, PhD- Hunter Follett Award
Wahid Awad, PhD- Tak Tsuchiya Award
Jessica Cooper, PhD- Tak Tsuchiya Award
Raj Khosla honored by the Soil Science Society of America
Raj Khosla
Applied Research Award. Khosla, a professor of precision agriculture in the CSU Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, has developed an undergraduate program in applied information technology in agriculture. He has served as president of the International Society of Precision Agriculture. Khosla also serves on a federal panel, called the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board. The board, sponsored by NASA, helps develop national policy on the use of space-based technologies. In 2012-13, Khosla holds an appointment as a Jefferson Science Fellow. The fellowship program, coordinated by the National Academies, allows Khosla to work with the U.S. Department of State to shape federal policy on global food security.
Gary "Pete" Peterson honored by the Soil Science Society of America
Distinguished Service Award. Peterson is a professor emeritus and former head of the CSU Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. He served as president of the Soil Science Society of America in 2008. Peterson also has served as editor-in-chief of American Society of Agronomy publications, and as editor, soils-technical editor, and soils-associate editor for Agronomy Journal. His research has focused on the application of soil science principles to management problems in the field, with emphasis on dryland cropping systems that conserve water and minimize soil erosion. He has been a major professor dozens of graduate students and has authored or co-authored numerous scientific papers.
Patrick Byrne honored by the Crop Science Society of America
Patrick Byrne
Society fellow. Byrne is graduate studies coordinator and a professor of plant breeding and genetics. His research program has focused on understanding the genetic basis of drought tolerance and bread making quality in wheat, disease resistance in common bean, and insect resistance in maize. He has evaluated the risks and benefits of transgenic wheat and maize, and has been active in agricultural biotechnology education, both on-campus and in outreach programs. Earlier in his career, Dr. Byrne spent 10 years in international agricultural development, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Please Welcome Rick Novak, Director of Colorado Seed Programs
Rick Novak
Rick Novak is the new Director of Colorado Seed Programs. He is the Manager of the Colorado Seed Growers Association and will provide leadership and oversight to the Managers of Seed Certification, Agronomy Foundation Seed, and the Colorado Seed Lab.
Rick attended North Dakota State University where he received a B.S. in Soil Science with a minor in Crop Science. Prior to being hired as the Director of Seed Programs at Colorado State University, he was with Syngenta for 10 years as the Production and Supply Manager for North America Cereals. Before coming to Colorado, Rick worked for North Central Research Extension near Minot, North Dakota as the Seed Production Specialist.
Raj Khosla Selected for Jefferson Science Fellowship Program
Raj Khosla
Congratulations to Raj Khosla who has has earned an influential national fellowship that will allow him to work with the U.S. Department of State to shape federal policy on global food security.
Khosla is among only 13 university professors nationwide to gain new appointments through the unique program, which draws upon some of the country’s best minds in science, engineering and medicine to hone federal policies on a wide range of complex issues.
“We are delighted that Dr. Khosla has been selected for the prestigious Jefferson Science Fellowship program,” said Rick Miranda, CSU provost and executive vice president. “Not only will he be very valuable to the effort, but following the appointment Colorado State will benefit for years to come from his experience.”
Read the full story.
Emily Hudson Receives CAS Distinguished Research Associate Award
Emily Hudson
Each year, the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) recognizes employees with outstanding achievement at a Winter Reception held in December. One employee is selected from three categories; State Classified, Administrative Professional and Research Associate. This year Emily Hudson received the CAS Distinguished Research Associate Award based on the following nominations from her colleagues:
“In the five short years that Emily has been with us she has become an invaluable and indispensable member of our wheat breeding team. Emily is a key member of our team in all aspects of our field research. During preparation for planting Emily is the primary person that keeps the project moving. She is extremely conscientious, motivated, and organized. She recognizes what needs to be done and systematically assembles the resources necessary to get it done.”
“Emily constantly amazes me with her demeanor and positive attitude. She tackles the most omplicated of projects, one after another, and makes it all look so easy!”
“Emily has been a key contributor to the success of wheat breeding and genetics efforts in the college. Her competence, trustworthiness, and positive attitude make her a very deserving recipient of the Distinguished Research Associate award.”
Congratulations Emily, for your contributions to the department and a well-deserved award!
Tori Valdez Receives 2012 Jeannie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum Award
Tori Valdez
Tori Valdez, a research associate in the CSU Wheat Breeding Program, has received the 2012 Jeannie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Award. This award, established in 2010, provides professional development opportunities for women working in wheat during the early stages of their career. The award is named after Jeanie Borlaug Laube, mentor to many, and daughter of Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug. Jeanie Borlaug Laube has served as Chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) since October 2009. Tori is among a group of five women internationally who will be receiving the award in 2012.
Recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube WIT award are invited to the annual Borlaug Global Rust Initiative technical workshop, to be held in Beijing, China in September 2012. Award recipients are also eligible to attend a training program at CIMMYT in Obregon, Mexico, in 2013, along with the 2013 Jeanie Borlaug Laube WIT Award recipients.
Dr. Peterson Receives 2011 Distinguished Career Award
Gary Peterson
Dr. Peterson was the 2011 recipient of the College of Agricultural Sciences Distinguished Career Award and received his award at the College’s 2011 Spring Recognition Reception.
This annual award was developed to recognize an outstanding faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and outreach throughout his or her academic career.
Congratulations Dr. Peterson!
Dr. Scott Haley Named 2010 ASA and CSSA Fellow
Scott Haley
Congratulations to Dr. Scott Haley for being nominated as an ASA and CSSA Fellow for 2010. ASA has been selecting outstanding members as Fellows since 1924. Members of the Society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Only .3 percent of the Society’s active and emeritus members may be elected Fellow.
Scott Haley is a professor and wheat breeder in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department at Colorado State University. Dr. Haley received a B.S. from Washington State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Colorado State University. His research focuses on winter wheat cultivar development for eastern Colorado and the High Plains region. Haley has served as associate and technical editor for Crop Science and has been active in service with the Hard Winter Wheat Improvement Committee and the National Wheat Improvement Committee.
Dr. Nora Lapitan Selected as Program Director for the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Nora Lapitan
Dr. Lapitan has been selected as the National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Director for the newly formed “BREAD” (Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development) Program. This is a very prestigious honor for Nora and for the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
Dr. Lapitan will assume her NSF Director role in Washington D.C. in August 2010 and will return to CSU in August 2011. If you would like more information about BREAD, see National Science Foundation.
Dr. Raj Khosla Nominated for Conservation Research Award from SWCS
Raj Khosla
The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) has nominated Dr. Khosla as the Conservation Research Award recipient for 2010. The Conservation Research Award is conferred on SWCS society members or teams of members whose research has led to exceptional improvements in soil conservation, water conservation, and/or related natural resources research. This award is given for research excellence first and foremost. The award may be given for research excellence or results of the research that have led to significant conservation improvements.
Dr. Khosla will receive his award at the 2010 SWCS Annual Conference in Saint Louis, MO on Monday, July 19th, 2010.
Dr. Sarah Ward Receives Award from Weed Science Society of America
Sarah Ward
Sarah Ward was presented an award for outstanding Paper in Invasive Plant Science and Management on February 8, 2010 at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Weed Science Society of America in Denver, Colorado. The award is given to authors of the paper judged as the outstanding contribution to this new journal of the society. Only one paper was selected.
Sarah Ward is Associate Professor of Plant Genetics in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University. She received a BS in Applied Plant Sciences from the University of London (UK), and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Colorado State University. Sarah started her academic career as a plant breeder working with new crops and alternative cropping systems, but collaboration with the CSU weed science group convinced her that weeds were much more interesting. Sarah’s current research focuses on the population genetics of weeds and invasive plants. She is a faculty member of the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at CSU, where she teaches graduate courses in crop/weed and plant population genetics, as well as an undergraduate genetics course. Sarah has been an Associate Editor for Weed Science since 2007, chairs the WSSA Professional Development Committee, and will join the WSSA Board of Directors as a Member-at-Large in 2010.
Dr. Gary Peterson Elected AAAS Fellow
Congratulations to Dr. Peterson for his recent election to the rank of AAAS Fellow where he is being honored for distinguished applications of soil science principles to the solution of field related soil management problems and as president of the Soil Science Society of America.
Each year members are elected whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. The honor of being elected a Fellow of AAAS began in 1874 and is acknowledged with a certificate and rosette which will be presented to Dr. Peterson at the Feb. 20, 2010 AAAS Fellows Forum in San Diego.
Dr. Neil Hansen Coordinates First Annual Conference for Western Great Plains Sustainable Feedstock Development Partnership
This first annual conference was held on September 16-17 in order to establish a regional partnership for sustainable feedstock development. The conference provided a unique venue for crafting creative solutions for renewable energy and the exchange of information on biomass production, processing, economics, and policy. Read Full Story >>
Jessica G. Davis receives Fellow Award from Soil and Water Conservation Society
Jessica Davis
The designation of Fellow is conferred on society members who have performed exceptional service in advocating the conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources. This award is given first and foremost for professional excellence. Professional achievement may be in practicing, investigating, administering, or teaching soil and water conservation or closely related fields. Only society members with at least 10 years of membership are eligible.
Jessica Davis has spent much of her career helping livestock producers manage manure as a resource to improve soil quality while protecting water quality. Her research and extension efforts have been targeted toward solving real-world resource problems in practical ways. Dr. Davis has been very active and effective in service and leadership within Colorado State University, the state of Colorado, much of the Great Plains and the Latin American countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala.
Dr. Davis has been active within the Soil and Water Conservation Society by serving as a Director of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Chapter, as well as making presentations at SWCS functions in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and SWCS International annual meetings. By transforming the complex science of nutrient management into practical information on managing manure as a crop nutrient resource, Dr. Davis continues to provide exceptional service that gets conservation on the ground, the hallmark of a true SWCS Fellow.
Graduate student award winners at the Western Society of Crop Science and Western Society of Soil Science annual meeting in Fort Collins, June 22-23, 2009
Front row: Winners of the oral crops presentation competition. From left, Tori Valdez, CSU; Lindsey Voigt, Montana State University; Adam Heuberger, CSU; David Favero, CSU. Back row, from left, Dr. Mark Brick, CSU, president of the Western Society of Crop Science; Kendall DeJonge, CSU, soil science poster competition; Austin Hawks, Utah State University, soil science poster presentation; Edwin Moshia, CSU, soil science oral presentation; John Nelson, Texas Tech University, soil science oral presentation; Kathy Doesken, CSU, soil science poster competition; Dr. Raj Khosla, CSU, president of the Western Society of Soil Science.
Colorado State University Soil Chemistry Professor Wins Prestigious National Science Foundation Career Award
Thomas Borch
Thomas Borch, assistant professor of environmental soil chemistry in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation. The honor is considered one of the most prestigious for up-and-coming researchers in science and engineering.
The nearly $500,000, five-year CAREER award will support Borch’s research on climate change impacts on the interrelationship between iron cycling and organic carbon.
In particular, Borch will use the grant to investigate how climate change, and especially the projections of increased precipitation and flooding, may impact important biogeochemical cycles such as that of iron. Iron is the most abundant redox-active metal ion in the earth’s crust. Iron minerals are among the most important reactive solids in earth surface environments, acting as natural filters of inorganic contaminants and nutrients, sorbents for organic matter, and poising the redox potential of groundwater. Lack of biologically available iron in soils can also lead to iron deficiency anemia which is a major public health and financial problem in Central Asia, with primary impact on woman and children.
Iron minerals are responsible, in part, for stabilization of organic matter in soils. Consequently, any changes in iron chemistry may also result in changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and the global climate. One of the research objectives is to determine the impact of increasing water content on the iron mineralogy and chemical structure of humic substances along subalpine moisture gradients at the Fool Creek Watershed at the USDA Forest Service Fraser Experimental Forest in Colorado. In high-elevation watersheds of the Rocky Mountains, more than 95 percent of spring snowmelt infiltrates through soils and moves along shallow groundwater flow paths before merging with stream water. In fact, one-sixth of the world’s population depends on water released from seasonal snowpacks and glaciers, so an improved understanding of the soil processes that sustain the supply of clean water from mountain headwaters is critical to current and future human natural resource demands.
“This award will allow us to initiate a new important research area in environmental biogeochemistry at CSU, attract high-caliber postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and develop a set of new courses targeting undergraduate students interested in environmental biogeochemical processes from the molecular scale to field scale,” said Borch. “In addition, the proposed research will involve the use of advanced synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopy which will allow us to bring CSU students to the National Laboratories and teach them about state-of-the-art techniques which will help them become more competitive for future research and teaching careers.”
Borch earned his doctorate degree in 2003 from Montana State University in environmental soil chemistry. He also did a postdoctoral fellowship (2004-2006) at Stanford University in soil and environmental biogeochemistry from 2004-2006. Borch earned his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Copenhagen in environmental chemistry in 1999 and 1997, respectively.
Borch joined Colorado State University in 2005 to initiate a program in environmental soil chemistry. Borch, who also holds a joint appointment to the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State, is a member of CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability; an associate with the Institute for Environmental Solutions; is listed among the AcademicKeys Who’s Who in Sciences Higher Education; and Marquis Who’s Who in America. He is a member of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Chemical Society and the Danish Chemical Society.
Congratulations to the following students for being recognized by the College of Ag and the Department of Soil & Crop Sciences for their outstanding achievements during school year 2008-2009:
- ASA-Red Leonard Oustanding Senior: Michael Johns
- Scotty Robertson Outstanding Crops Senior Award: Katie Strand
- Rocky Mountain Agri-Business Oustanding Senior Award: Sally Jones
- Brewbaker Outstanding Junior Award: Mariko Matsuda
- Golden Opportunity Scholar: David Favero
- Tak Tsuchiya Graduate Student Achievement Award: Bethany Econopouly and Marie Turner
- Hunter Follett Graduate Student Achievement Award: Matthew Booher
- Byrd Curtis Scholarship Award: Victoria Valdez
Monfort Professor Award Recipients Announced; Award is one of Colorado State's Top Honors
Rajiv Khosla
Colorado State University today announced Rajiv Khosla, associate professor of agricultural science; Venkatesan (Mani) Manivannan, associate professor of engineering; Frank Dinenno, associate professor of health and exercise science; and Jacob Roberts, assistant professor of physics, as recipients of the prestigious Monfort Professor Award, one of the university's top honors.
Each will receive $75,000 annually for two years to support innovative teaching and research. The awards, established through a gift from the Monfort Family Foundation, are in addition to salary and support the professors currently receive from Colorado State.
"The recipients embody the excellence of Colorado State's faculty," said CSU Interim Provost Rick Miranda. "The selection process is extremely rigorous and rewards faculty members who are making a difference not just at the university but around the world."
Governor Brian Schweitzer receives the College of Agricultural Sciences Honor Alumnus Award
Governor Brian Schweitzer
Montana's Governor Brian Schweitzer will receive the College of Agricultural Sciences Honor Alumnus award. Schweitzer was elected as Montana's 23rd governor in 2004. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Agronomy from Colorado State University and later earned a Master of Science degree in Soil Science from Montana State University. Schweitzer's business and agricultural experience is broad and deep, including extensive farming and ranching experience in Montana, and successful agricultural business projects on five continents. He began a career of irrigation development that took him to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. In 1993, Schweitzer was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the Montana State USDA Farm Service Agency committee. He served for seven years with the FSA, and his three-person committee was responsible for the operation of 46 county offices, 300 employees and a budget of more than $300 million.
The Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Awards program recognizes CSU alumni and friends who have distinguished themselves professionally, brought honor to the University, and have made significant contributions of time and/or philanthropy to the university or their community.
Congratulations, Dr. Neil Hansen
Dr. Neil Hansen received the Charles N. Shepardson Meritorious Teaching award at the College of Ag Sciences Spring Award event. This award is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated innovation in teaching agriculture related courses or curricula. This award recognizes the meritorious efforts of a faculty member who uses an approach that is innovative and contributes significantly to the learning-teaching process.
CSU Clean Energy Supercluster Seed Grants
Post-doc Shusong Zheng and Dr. Pat Byrne received a CSU Clean Energy Supercluster seed grant for $15,300 to continue research on Brassica oilseed biofuels for Colorado. The project title is “Overcoming the Bottleneck of Oilseed Crop Development for Biofuels through Mutagenesis and Interspecies Crosses”.
Drs. Nora Lapitan, Joe Brummer, and Junhua Peng received a CSU Clean Energy Supercluster seed grant for $18,000 to study a new bioenergy crop, Miscanthus. The project title is "Evaluation of Miscanthus as a Bioenergy Crop in Colorado and Development of Genetic Resources."
National Academy of Science Committee
Keith Paustian is serving on a committee commissioned by the National Academy of Science to produce a report on Methods for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The committee is composed of 13 scientists from academia, national laboratories and private industry. The report will be used to inform the new Administration and Congress on current and future capabilities to monitor and verify greenhouse gas emissions and emission reductions, in conjunction with potential international treaty commitments and US national policy initiatives. The report will be released in early 2010.
Congratulations, Shusong Zheng
The International Presidential Fellows program was launched earlier this year in February as a way to honor graduate students and visiting faculty for their international involvement.
There are three Fellows from the College of Agricultural Sciences: Oleksandr Byelashov (Ukraine), Animal Sciences; Mawill Rodriguez-Marval (Venezuela), Animal Sciences; and Shusong Zheng (China), Soil and Crop Sciences.
Colorado Senator Ken Salazar Receives Soil Stewardship Award -
Award Recognizes His Support for Agriculture, Conservation
Colorado Senator Ken Salazar (right) and Department Head Gary Peterson.
“It is a great honor to present the Soil Science Society of America’s 2008 Excellence in Soil Stewardship Award to Senator Ken Salazar,” said SSSA President Gary A. Peterson, Colorado State University. “As a farmer and rancher, Senator Salazar has learned the importance of proper soil management to ensuring the long-term productivity of agricultural lands.”
Peterson presented the award to Senator Salazar at a luncheon in the U.S. Capitol and was joined by the leadership of SSSA and the Crop Science Society of America, both scientific societies based in Madison, WI. Read Full Story
Congratulations, Dr. Paustian
Keith Paustian, Professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences is one of the Colorado State University scientists who has been closely involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the Nobel Peace Prize.
Congratulations, Dr. Haley
Scott Haley, Professor and Wheat Breeder in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University, received the Millers Award from Tim Aschbrenner of Cereal Food Processors for the best set of wheat lines in this year’s evaluations at the 2008 Wheat Quality Council annual meeting.