Recent achievements for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln community were earned by Ulises Alaniz, Hassan Almokhreq, Antje Anderson, Chris Calkins, Pei-Ying Chen, Lory Dance, Derek Heeren, Shavonna Holman, Gracie Kerr, Carole Levin, Daniel Linzell, Lauren Millhorn, Grace Panther, Kenneth Price, James Schnable, Hayden Wulf, Jinliang Yang, Katie Youmans and The Daily Nebraskan.
Honors
Chris Calkins, professor emeritus in animal science, received the R.C. Pollack Award from the American Meat Science Association. The award recognizes an association member whose work in teaching, extension, research or service represents an extraordinary and lasting contribution to the meat industry. During his 40-year career, Calkins discovered new valuable cuts of meat that generated an annual increase of $1.5 billion for the industry and more than $6 billion impact in Nebraska alone. His international efforts as a speaker increased demand for Nebraska beef globally, and he mentored more than 50 graduate students. Calkins was recognized at the 2025 Reciprocal Meats Conference in Columbus, Ohio.
Lory Dance, associate professor of sociology and ethnic studies, and Hassan Almokhreq, a graduate student in political science, received the Best Paper Award from the Action Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association. The team was recognized for “Participatory Research and Approvals from Indigenous and Internationally Displaced Communities: Identifying Problems and Posing Solutions.”
Derek Heeren, professor of biological systems engineering, received the Excellence in Education Award from the Irrigation Association. The award recognizes outstanding educators who have made significant contributions to irrigation, water management and water conservation. Heeren was selected for his wide-ranging accomplishments in irrigation education, including development of innovative curricula, authorship of educational materials and design of Irrigation Educator GPT, an AI-powered tool to support learner engagement and professional development. At UNL, he also developed a fully online certificate program that broadens access to irrigation education.
Shavonna Holman, associate professor of practice in the College of Education and Human Sciences, earned the 2025 Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes exemplary teaching and is the highest teaching honor awarded in the college. The Swanson Award honors a professor who promotes critical and creative thinking, encourages engaged and continuous learning, holds high standards for student performance while providing ample support to all students, and consistently works to improve their teaching.
Carole Levin, professor emerita in history, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender. The award recognizes scholars who have made significant contributions and dedicated their careers to the study of women and gender in the early modern period. Levin was recognized for her scholarship focused on the history of early modern women and the women in Shakespeare; teaching at UNL, the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Newberry Library; service to multiple organizations that bring recognition to early modern women; and nearly 50 years of mentorship to Husker students and other young scholars in the field.
Daniel Linzell, professor of civil and environmental engineering, received the Dennis L. Tewksbury Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The award recognizes a member of the society’s Structural Engineering Institute who has enhanced its growth and visibility, established collaborations between the institute and other organizations or provided other valuable service to the profession. Linzell, a nationally recognized researcher in structural engineering, focuses his work on structural health monitoring and resiliency. He is currently director of the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation at the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering.
Grace Panther, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, along with graduate students Gracie Kerr and Hayden Wulf, received two recognitions from the American Society of Engineering Education. The team received the Best Paper Award from the society’s New Engineering Educators Division and the Best PIC II Paper Award from the Professional Interest Council II. For the latter, the paper was competing against the best papers from the 11 other divisions of the PIC II.
Kenneth Price, Hillegass Professor of English, along with Lauren Millhorn, who recently graduated with a master’s degree in English; Antje Anderson, a postdoctoral research assistant in University Libraries; and Stephanie P. Browner of the New School in New York City, received the 2025 Margaret Fuller Prize from The New England Quarterly. The award, which includes a $2,500 prize, recognizes an outstanding essay in literary studies on a New England subject in any period. The team was recognized for “Houghton Mifflin Readers’ Reports and the Shape of Charles Chesnutt’s Literary Career,” which will be published in an upcoming edition of the quarterly.
The Daily Nebraskan is one of seven finalists for the Pacemaker Award for its Press Play project, a collection of feature stories, behind-the-scenes looks and concerts centering on local bands. The project has generated thousands of views on YouTube and increased subscribers to the channel to more than 600. Winners of the award are announced at the National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18.
Appointments
Pei-Ying Chen joined the Libraries Research Partnerships as a digital scholarship and sciences research specialist librarian on Aug. 11. She received her doctoral degree in information science, with a minor in sociology, from Indiana University Bloomington, where she also earned a Master of Science in applied statistics.
Katie Youmans joined the Libraries' Teaching Partnerships as a sciences instruction librarian on Aug. 18. Youmans received her Bachelor of Arts in youth studies and leadership from Simpson University and her Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University. Her previous appointment was at the Cuyahoga County Public Library System, where she developed instructional materials to improve digital literacy and engagement with library services.
Publications
Ulises Alaniz, a doctoral student in Modern Languages and Literatures and Nicaraguan poet, has published his first bilingual poetry book, "Suma de Fracturas/Sum of Fractures." This Spanish-English poetry collection explores the dangers of the institutionalized use of violence to instill fear and erase memory.
A study published by the James Schnable and Jinliang Yang labs, “Leaf spectra can predict hybrid vigor in maize,” was featured in the October issue of ASA News. The lead author, Deniz Istipliler, trained with researchers at Nebraska and is now a professor of field crop research at Ege University in Turkey. The team found that the light reflected from a maize leaf holds clues about both genetics and the environment influencing crop performance. The journal article was first published May 9 at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America’s Wiley Online Library.
