The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences cleaned up at the university’s Celebration of Faculty Excellence in the spring. CAES faculty members won six awards for community engagement, intellectual property and teaching:
Terrence Thomas
Professor
Terrence Thomas, a professor in the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, won the Community Engagement Award for his leadership of a local initiative designed to address the negative health consequences of a food desert affecting residents of northeast Greensboro. The project offers nutrition workshops to promote healthier eating and has created an urban farm to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Shengmin Sang
Associate Professor
Shengmin Sang, an associate professor in the Center for Excellence in Post-harvest Technologies, won the Intellectual Property Award for his research investigating the potential of bioactive components from functional foods and herbal medicines to prevent chronic diseases.
Guochen Yang
Professor
Guochen Yang, a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, and Sang each won a 2016 Patent Award. Yang received a patent for “Micropropagation of Alexandrian Laurel”; Sang received a patent for “Ginger Metabolites and Uses Thereof.”
Chastity Warren English
Associate Professor
Chastity Warren English, an associate professor in the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, won an Outstanding College Teaching Award. She is a mentor and role model to her students, who describe her as dedicated, tech-savvy and innovative.
Devona L. Dixon
Associate Professor
Devona L. Dixon, an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, won a Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. She strives to create an environment where students feel empowered by their skills and knowledge, optimistic about their future, and supported in their academic and professional growth.
Additionally, Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi, a professor in and interim chair of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, served as major professor for Dissertation Award winner Nana Abayie Boakye-Boaten, who was recognized for her dissertation “Sustainable Production of Bioproducts from Giant Miscanthus: A Biorefinery Approach.”
The awards were presented at a May 4 ceremony recognizing faculty excellence throughout the University.
