An “outstanding young investigator” and one of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences’ most senior faculty members were among those who received top recognition at an awards  ceremony which honored many faculty members with plaques, certificates and recognition for their research efforts during the 2020-21 academic year.

Shirley Hymon-Parker, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Research, opened the ceremony.

“Thank you for all that you have done. We are here to recognize you for some of the outstanding accomplishments that you’ve had,” said Hymon-Parker.

“This is an occasion that makes me very happy,” said Mohamed Ahmedna, Ph.D., dean of the college. “This is a moment, too, for us to stop, pause and recognize the hard work that you do. You, our faculty, make us look good.”

According to Ahmedna, CAES accounts for more than one third of external funding that comes to the university.

“You are bringing that reward that makes so much difference for our research here, our students here and the communities we serve,” said Ahmedna, “because a lot of the research that we do will find its way to the Extension communities that we serve.”

Among the awards presented during the ceremony was the Early Career Award, or “Outstanding Young Investigator” Award. This award, received by Uchenna Anele, Ph.D., associate professor of ruminant nutrition in the Department of Animal Science, recognizes a young investigator in their third-plus year as an A&T professor.

Conversely, Salam Ibrahim, Ph.D., research professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, was awarded the Outstanding Senior Researcher Award and recognized as a university award winner. Tahl Zimmerman, Ph.D., senior research associate in Family and Consumer Sciences, accepted the award on Ibrahim’s behalf.

Chyi Lyi (Kathleen) Liang, Ph.D., Abolghasem Shabazi, Ph.D., and Lijun Wang, Ph.D. were part of a group awarded the university’s Outstanding Interdisciplinary Award, which recognized two university groups with members from both the College of Engineering and the CAES.

The CAES Competitive Research Award, given to a researcher or research team receiving a competitive grant credited to the college of $200,000 or more, recognized 14 principal investigators and co-investigators. According to Hymon-Parker, the number of faculty awarded grants totaling $200,000 or more increased by 50 percent over the last year.

Recipients of this award included Shengmin Sang, Ph.D.; Ramine Alexander, Ph.D.; Yewande Fasina, Ph.D.; Obed Quaicoe, Ph.D.; Felicia Anike, Ph.D.; Omoanghe Isikhuemhen, Ph.D.; Misty Blue-Terry, Ph.D.; Kathleen Liang, Ph.D.; Gregory Goins, Ph.D.; Niroj Aryal, Ph.D.; Shannon R. Wiley, Ph.D.; Chantel Y. Simpson, Ph.D.; and Extension Associate Marianna Alyssa McKim.

Other departments in the college were recognized with the Research Support Unit award, including the University Farm staff, the Agricultural Technology Unit, Agricultural Communications and the Office of Agricultural Research.