Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Moe Alahmad, Byron Chaves, Jennifer Davidson, Betsy Emmons, Chris Graves, Bradley Greathouse, Taeyeon Kim, Chistian Stephenson, Alison Uecker and Janos Zempleni.
Honors
Moe Alahmad, associate professor of architectural engineering and construction, received the Outstanding AE Educator Award from the Architectural Engineering Institute. The award honors outstanding teaching in architectural engineering. Alahmad focuses his research on electrified transportations, building load profiles and load modeling analysis, consumption and conservation in the built environment, and real-time monitoring and control for smart buildings. He has received numerous teaching awards from the university, including the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Architectural Engineering Student Leadership and Advisory Committee.
Byron Chaves, associate professor and food safety extension specialist, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Emerging Leader Award in Food Safety by the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. The national award recognizes early-career researchers who are making significant contributions in food safety and nutrition through research, leadership, collaboration, and communication. Chaves will be honored at the institute's Annual Summer Science Symposium in Washington, D.C. June 10–11, where he will also present his research.
Jennifer Davidson, associate professor of practice in economics, was honored by the National Association of Economic Educators as the 2025 Bessie B. Moore Service Award recipient. The award given at its spring conference recognizes someone who has had a significant impact on the delivery and enhancement of economic education nationwide.
Betsy Emmons was selected to participate in this year's Association of National Advertisers' Educational Foundation Visiting Professor Program in New York City. Emmons was also chosen for the Institute for Public Relations' prestigious ELEVATE program.
Bradley Greathouse, a doctoral horn performance student in the Glenn Korff School of Music, placed second in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Performance competition in brass. The competition was March 17-18 during the MTNA National Conference in Minneapolis. Greathouse will have his first doctoral recital at 1:30 p.m. May 4 in Westbrook Music Building, Room 119 with a program of 20th and 21st century music. The recital is free and open to the public.
Taeyeon Kim, assistant professor in educational administration, received the 2025 Emerging Scholar Award from Division A of the American Educational Research Association. The award recognizes pre-tenure scholars in the first five years of their career who have made outstanding contributions to the field of leadership, administration or organizational theory. Kim’s scholarship explores the intersections of leadership and policy, with a particular focus on how leaders can challenge unjust systems and capacities for more equitable and humanizing education. Kim also received the 2025 Teaching Comparative and International Education Innovative Curriculum Development Award from the Comparative and International Education Society. It honored the innovative design of her course, Comparative International Education (EDAD 930).
Christian Stephenson, assistant professor of practice in agronomy and horticulture, earned the Lancaster County 4-H's Heart of 4-H Award in recognition of outstanding volunteer service. Stephenson has taught plant science to 4-H youth for two years. He led short-term 4-H STEM clubs on East Campus and taught “Green Thumb Science” workshops at 4-H Clover College.
Alison Uecker, a third-year student in the College of Law, has been selected as a 2025 Next Generation Leader by the American Constitution Society. Launched in 2007, the Next Generation Leaders program recognizes and supports law school students who have shown exceptional leadership in their work with their American Constitution Society student chapters. The program offers various opportunities that empower the students to develop their leadership skills and make a long-lasting impact in their communities.
Janos Zempleni, Willa Cather Professor of nutrition and health sciences, was named a distinguished fellow of the American Society for Nutrition, which is the organization’s highest accolade. Distinguished fellowship honors individuals for significant contributions and outstanding lifetime achievements in the field of nutrition. Zempleni has pioneered studies of extracellular vesicles and their RNA cargos in milk and their biological activities. He is one of 21 scientists who will be inducted as distinguished fellows in June in Orlando, Florida.
Appointments
Chris Graves, assistant professor of practice and a Deepe Family Chair in Depth Reporting at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, was appointed to a three-year term on the Nebraska Writing Project advisory board. The project is a network of educators, kindergarten through college, committed to the teaching of writing across disciplines and 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.
