Charles F. “Chip” Aquadro, a professor with joint appointments in Molecular Biology and Genetics and in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has been named the Charles A. Alexander Professor of Biological Sciences. A world leader and pioneer in the study of DNA sequence variation in Drosophila population genetics, Aquadro is an elected fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. Most recently, he has advanced the analysis of synonymous codon usage, an important application in the analysis of the 12 completely sequenced Drosophila genomes. A member of the Cornell faculty since 1985, Aquadro has played a major role in shaping the University's efforts in the areas of population, computational, and evolutionary biology. He also chaired the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and has served on numerous university, college, and departmental committees.
Mark Bridgen, professor of horticulture and director of the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, has received the 2008 Herbert Medal from the International Bulb Society for meritorious achievement in advancing knowledge of bulbous plants. Bridgen is recognized for his contributions as a plant breeder, particularly of geophytes from Chile. He has patented six plant cultivars for the genus Alstroemeria, the Inca lily. His most recent patent, for Alstroemeria “Mauve Majesty,” was awarded in November 2007. The award includes honorary life membership in the society.
David L. Brown, professor of development sociology, was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Bulgaria's University of Rousse in recognition of his leadership in helping the university develop a 15-course curriculum for an on-campus master's degree program and an off-campus educational certification program, both in regional development management. The first group of master's degree students graduated this year.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Oct07/Bulgaria.masters.sl.html
Kerry Cook, professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has been elected to a three-year term on the board of trustees of the University Corporation for Academic Research, a nonprofit consortium of North American member universities and international affiliates that manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research. A founder of Cornell's undergraduate major in earth system science, Cook is a leader in the study of tropical climate dynamics with an emphasis on understanding the processes of continental climate change and variability using regional and global models. She joined the Cornell faculty in 1991.
Elizabeth Earle, professor of plant breeding and genetics, and Wendell Roelofs, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Insect Biochemistry, were honored with the Outstanding Faculty Award at this year's Outstanding Alumni Awards banquet in November. Recipients of the awards are chosen by the ALS Alumni Association and CALS on the basis of success in business, professional, or other vocational endeavors; leadership on behalf of the college and the university; and significant contribution to the betterment of society through community service. Nearly 200 alumni, faculty, and staff have been honored since the awards' inception in 1977.
Robert Foote, the J. G. Schurman Professor of Animal Science, emeritus, was honored along with fellow CALS alumni Richard Keene '57 and Dale Van Vleck, PhD '60, at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, with membership in the National Dairy Shrine in Atkinson, Wisconsin. Foote studied animal reproduction; his research led to the discovery of more efficient methods of semen harvest, processing, and analysis. He also researched embryo transfer and cloning. His Cornell research is now standard practice in artificial insemination and dairy operations across the globe.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov07/Foote.html
Kenneth Gall, a Cornell University Sea Grant senior extension associate and seafood specialist, received the Earl P. McFee Award of the Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference. The award recognizes excellence in fishery technology involving all aspects of seafood science and technology, including administration of research and development and active research. The award is open to all private industry, government, and university personnel on a worldwide basis. Gall was cited for his leadership and technical support of the New York Seafood Council; his work developing a HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) training program for the seafood industry nationwide, including an online course; his work with the smoked fish industry on Listeria control; and his extension program on seafood nutrition and safety.
Robert B. Gravani, professor of food science, became the first recipient of the New York State Association for Food Protection's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Award at their annual meeting in September. He was recognized for his incorporation of the principles of IPM into the undergraduate courses he teaches and his outreach programs with the food industry.
Gemma Osborne, production coordinator for Communications Services at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, was named Outstanding Employee for 2007 at the annual Station Banquet in early November. She led the planning and execution for the Station's yearlong observance of its 125th anniversary, which culminated in an exceptional two-day open house in September that attracted nearly 5,000 visitors. Osborne has worked for the Station since being hired as an accounts representative in 1993.
Jennifer Rivera, a January 2007 PhD graduate of the Department of Education's Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy Program, has been chosen to receive the Omicron Tau Theta Outstanding Dissertation Award. Rivera will receive the award and summarize her dissertation, titled “Test Item Construction and Validation: Developing a Statewide Assessment for Agricultural Science Education,” at the annual OTT Conference in Las Vegas this December. Omicron Tau Theta is the international honor society for career and technical education.
Owen Shieh '07 has been named the 2008 recipient of the Father James B. Macelwane Award from the American Meteorological Society as the winner of an undergraduate research paper contest. The winning paper, "Local Minimum in Tropical Cyclogenesis over the Eastern Caribbean Sea," was based upon the senior honors research project he conducted under the supervision of Professor Stephen Colucci in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Adam Siepel, assistant professor of biological statistics and computational biology, is one of 20 early-career scientists nationally to be named recipients of this year's David and Lucile Packard Foundation fellowship grants. Each Packard fellow receives $625,000 over five years in unrestricted research support. The purpose of this fellowship program is to further the work of unusually creative young research scientists and engineers as a means to develop scientific leaders and help draw talented graduate students to careers in university research in the United States. The 2007 awardees were nominated by the presidents of 50 participating universities. The fellowship will support Siepel's research to use comparative genomics, statistical models of molecular evolution, and novel algorithms to identify previously unannotated "functional elements" in mammalian genomes.
Cindy Van Es, senior lecturer, Applied Economics and Management, is one of ten members of Cornell's faculty and staff who were recently elected honorary members of Sphinx Head, Cornell's oldest senior honor society, and recognized at a reception, Nov. 15, in the Harkness Room of Lynah Rink for "their unique contributions to undergraduate student life."
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov07/sphinx.head.html