Recent accomplishments by the university community include honors earned by Jonis Agee, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Dallas Doane, Jenny Dauer, Regina Frey, Christoper Gustafson, David Hansen, Emily Herrick and Fred Luthans.

Faculty/Staff

- Jonis Agee, professor of English, had her book, “The Bones of Paradise” picked as the Omaha Public Library’s 2017 Omaha Reads selection. The annual program selects one book for the entire Omaha community to read together. The library purchases multiple copies of the winning book and hosts a series of events and discussions centered on the publication. Finalists are determined by write-in suggestions with a winner selected by public vote. Agee’s book beat out nominees “1984” by George Orwell, “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend” by Katarina Bivald and “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead. Read more about the selection.

- Dawn O. Braithwaite, professor of communication studies, will receive the Samuel L. Becker Distinguished Service Award during the National Communication Association’s annual convention, Nov. 16-19 in Dallas. The honor recognizes a lifetime of outstanding service to the association and the profession during a career in research, teaching or service. In most cases, the individual selected will have made outstanding contributions in all three areas. Braithwaite was the president of the national association in 2010 and the Western States Communication Association in 2009. Learn more about this award.

- Jenny Dauer, assistant professor of natural resources, has received a three-year, National Science Foundation grant of nearly $300,000 to develop assessments and hone a foundation science course that focuses on teaching students science and decision-making skills. The course, Science Literacy 101: Science and Decision-making for a Complex World, is required for all Institutes of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources students. The course uses a novel approach to teach students how to understand science and resources to apply to complex personal, professional, local and global issues on food, water, energy and health. Learn more about the grant and course.

- David Hansen’s Child Maltreatment Lab has been selected as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies inaugural featured lab. Hansen is a professor of psychology and director of the clinical psychology training program. Read more about the selection.

- Emily Herrick, a lecturer for Programs in English as a Second Language, is co-author of a new book, “New Ways in Teaching with Music.” The book is a collection of 101 approaches for incorporating music into English as a second or foreign language classrooms. It is accompanied by a website which includes an extensive bibliography and an annotated collection of online resources. Herrick co-authored the book with Jean Arnold, a former member of Nebraska’s Programs in English as a Second Language team.

- Christopher Gustafson, assistant professor of agricultural economics, is lead author on an article that was a best-of-the-year selection by the Journal of the International Association of Agricultural Economists. The winning paper, “Consumer Sorting and Hedonic Valuation of Wine Attribution: Exploiting Data from a Field Experiment,” was co-authored by University of California, Davis colleagues Travis Lybbert and Dan Sumner. The paper will be profiled on the journal website and made available for free download.

- Fred Luthans, emeritus professor of management, and Regina Frey, lecturer in business, contributed a chapter to the book, “Positive Psychology: Established and Emerging Issues.” The book is a comprehensive review of theoretical and empirical research in positive psychology. The chapter by Luthans and Frey explores “Positive Psychology in the Workplace.” Learn more about the publication.

Students

- Dallas Doane, a graduate student in educational administration, has been awarded NASPA’s Rising Star award in the graduate student category for Nebraska. Doane has served the College of Education and Human Sciences as a graduate assistant working with undergraduate recruitment and is currently working with the advising center. He also completed an internship in Nebraska’s First-Year Experience and Transition Program. NASPA is the leading association for the advancement of the student affairs profession. Learn more about the award.

This column is a regular Friday feature of Nebraska Today. Faculty, staff and students can submit their achievements to be considered for this column via email to achievements@unl.edu. For more information, call 402-472-8515.