Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Ajai Ammachathram, Kate Brooks, Jaden Carlson, Dean Eisenhauer, Yufeng Ge, Loren Giesler, Rosie Gomez, Jessica Groskopf, Derek Heeren, David Jones, Rachel Kingston, Fabio Mattos, Maggie McCoy, Gregory Moran, Peng Peng, Joshua Puppe, Robert Tigner, Cory Walters, Harriet Wintermute, Julie Wu and the university’s chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Faculty/Staff

• Ajai Ammachathram, assistant professor of hospitality, restaurant and tourism management, and Nebraska Extension specialist in food and beverage management, presented on “Latest Food and Beverage Trends in the Hotel Industry” on July 11 at Asan Memorial College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He discussed latest beverage trends, menu management, food as entertainment, food and social media, multi-cuisine establishments, boarding and lodging packages, food waste, plant-based menus, educated consumers, farm-to-table diets and modern food service equipment.

• Kate Brooks, Jessica Groskopf, Fabio Mattos, Robert Tigner and Cory Walters, all faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics, earned honors at the Western Agricultural Economics Association’s annual meeting. Mattos received the association’s Teaching Award (Less than 10 Years of Experience). Brooks, Groskopf, Tigner and Walters combined for an Outstanding Extension Program Award for developing an interactive grain marketing simulation game, a free grain marketing smartphone application and a face-to-face educational curriculum.

• Dean Eisenhauer, emeritus professor of biological systems engineering, Yufeng Ge, assistant professor of biological systems engineering, and Derek Heeren, associate professor of biological systems engineering, were recognized Aug. 1 as major award recipients at the annual American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers awards luncheon. Eisenhauer was honored among the ASABE Fellows Class of 2018. Ge received the New Holland Young Researcher Award, which recognizes the dedicated use of scientific methodology to discover facts or principles significant to the agricultural engineering profession. Heeren received the A.W. Farrall Young Educator Award. The award, honors ASABE members under 40 years of age for success in motivating others in the application of engineering principles to the problems of agricultural engineering.

• Loren Giesler has been named head of the Department of Plant Pathology, effective Sept. 1. Giesler is currently a professor and extension plant pathologist within the department.

• David Jones has been named head of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Jones, a professor in the department, has served in the role on an interim basis since July 1, 2017.

• Peng Peng, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, earned the 2018 Early Career Award for Contributions to Research from the International Dyslexia Association. The award is given in recognition of innovative research that is likely to have a positive impact on the lives of individuals with dyslexia. As the 2018 recipient, Peng Peng will be presented with the award at the Reading, Literacy and Learning Conference in October.

• Harriet Wintermute, catalog and metadata librarian, received a Presidential Citation from The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services at the annual American Library Association conference in New Orleans. Wintermute was recognized here for her exceptional leadership and service over the course of four years on the association’s fundraising committee.

• Julie Wu, assistant professor of finance, co-authored a study that examines the importance of shareholder approval in mergers and acquisitions. The study, recently published in Review of Financial Studies (Vol. 31 Issue 8), was also featured in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.

Students

• Jaden Carlson, a graduate student in veterinary science, was awarded a 2018 Angus Foundation Graduate Scholarship at the National Junior Angus Show in Madison, Wisconsin. Carlson was one of five graduate students selected for the honor nationally. The scholarship recognizes students who are actively involved in the Angus breed, particularly those pursuing an advanced degree related to the beef industry.

• Rosie Gomez and Rachel Kingston are the first two Lincoln elementary education students from the College of Education and Human Sciences to complete student teaching internationally. They are working in Monteverde, Costa Rica, as student teachers at the Cloud Forest School.

• Maggie McCoy, a fourth-year interior design student, was awarded the 2018 Angelo Donghia Foundation Senior Student Scholarship Award. McCoy is one of 12 candidates to receive this national award. McCoy’s winning submission, “Nebraska Art Therapy Collective,” was a project from a design studio taught by Nebraska’s Erin Miller. The project proposes the creation of a built environment designed to retain the creative class in rural American communities by providing a place for healing, learning and self-discovery through expressive arts therapy.

• Gregory Moran, a May 2018 Nebraska Law graduate, won the 2018 Sidney M. Perlstadt Memorial Award in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel’s 14th Annual Employee Benefits Writing Competition. Moran’s winning submission was titled “Breaches Within Breaches — The Crossroads of ERISA Fiduciary Responsibilities and Data Security.” He will receive the award at the college’s annual induction dinner Sept. 15 in Nashville, Tennessee.

• Joshua Puppe, an architecture master student, received accolades from Autodesk’s Rookies 2018 awards program. He collected four Excellence Awards in the program’s architectural visualization competition. Puppe is also a finalist in the Rookies 2018 Awards’ competition and for two scholarships. The Rookies program offers young architectural designers an opportunity to showcase their work with top-rated industry professionals.

Organizations

• The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars has been named a Gold Star Chapter. The award is reserved for society chapters that are leaders in implementing engaging, student-centered events on campuses and local communities.

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