Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Alisha Baginski, Melissa Gomis, Taeyeon Kim, Katja Koehler-Cole, Matt Kreifels, Tierney Lorenz, Glennis McClure, Peter McCornick, Wayne Ohnesorg, Jenny Rees, Jay Storz and Husker Athletics’ Creative and Emerging Media team.
Honors
Taeyeon Kim, assistant professor in educational administration, received the Educational Change Special Interest Group Emerging Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association. The award is presented to an individual in the first eight years of their post-doctorate career as an educational scholar who has demonstrated a strong record of original and significant scholarship related to educational change. Kim’s research explores the intersections of leadership and policy, with particular focus on how leaders can challenge unjust systems and humanize practices to empower marginalized students and communities.
Katja Koehler-Cole, Nebraska Extension, received the Nebraska Achievement Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. The award is presented to extension professionals with less than 10 years of service. Koehler-Cole is a statewide soil health management Extension educator focusing on teaching and researching soil health and regenerative agricultural practices. Koehler-Cole also serves as the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education state co-coordinator, helping to raise awareness of sustainable agriculture resources.
Matt Kreifels, associate professor of practice in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, was recently honored by the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council with the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute’s Award of Merit during a special luncheon at the Nebraska East Union. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture oversees NAYC and NAYI.
Tierney Lorenz, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received a Rising Star Award from the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health, the preeminent scientific organization in their field. Lorenz's research examines the interaction between mental, physical and sexual health.
Glennis McClure, Extension educator, earned the National Search for Excellence Award in Farm and Ranch Business Management from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents for developing “It’s as Easy as ABC – Figuring Cost of Production Using the Agricultural Budget Calculator Program,” a unique enterprise budgeting tool that offers a suite of risk management decision tools with educational and technical support provided by extension educators.
Peter McCornick, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska and biological systems engineering, received the Sukup Global Food Security Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The award recognizes enhancement of food security by innovative engineering or the application of engineering in the production and distribution of food, including the storage and handling of grains, oilseeds and other food products.
Wayne Ohnesorg, Nebraska Extension, received the Nebraska Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. The award honors extension professionals with more than 10 years of service who have conducted outstanding programs and are held in high esteem by their fellow workers.
Husker Athletics’ Creative and Emerging Media team won a Heartland Emmy for “The Place” docuseries episode “92,003: Volleyball Day in Nebraska.”
Appointments
Alisha Baginski, assistant professor, joined the Libraries’ Digital Strategies team as the Digital Stewardship Librarian on May 20. Baginski most recently served as the interim director of digital curation and digitization projects coordinator at History Nebraska. Prior to that, Baginski held appointments or had internships with the Nebraska Library Commission, the Omaha Public Library, and museums in Indiana and Nebraska. Baginski received her Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis in 2020.
Melissa Gomis, associate professor of practice, has been appointed the new chair of the Collections Strategy and Open Scholarship unit within the University Libraries, effective Aug. 1. In her new role, Gomis will lead the unit’s efforts to build, develop and coordinate content and collections activities and open scholarly publishing. Gomis joined the Libraries in 2020 as a teaching and learning librarian with a focus on online learning and affordable content. She has a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jenny Rees, Extension educator, was selected as the vice chair for the North Central Region in Agronomy and Pest Management at the 109th Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agriculture Agents.
Jay Storz, Willa Cather Professor of biological sciences, was elected as a Fellow to the Explorers Club for his research in the South American Andes. Established in 1904, the Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation.
