Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Eric Einspahr, Heath Mello, Traci Robison Leah Sandall, Susan Swearer, Adrian Wisnicki and the Department of Biological Systems Engineering’s quarter-scale tractor student design team.
Faculty/Staff
Eric Einspahr, academic adviser in the College of Education and Human Sciences, has received the Excellence in Advising Award from the National Academic Advising Association. The awards recognize individuals who demonstrate qualities and practices that make significant contributions to the improvement of academic advising.
Heath Mello, the University of Nebraska system’s chief lobbyist, has been appointed NU’s associate vice president and director of state relations. The change, announced June 6 by Hank Bounds, NU president, is pending approval by the Board of Regents. He is expected to assume the new role on July 1.
Traci Robison, photograph and exhibits specialist, recently began a new position as an outreach archivist for the University Libraries Archives and Special Collections. In the position, Robison will seek to increase the use of and engagement with the collections held in the Archives and Special Collections. She will work on exhibits, events, archival instruction and making connections with faculty and students.
Leah Sandall, distance education coordinator in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, has co-authored an article in the journal Global Food Security titled “Risks and opportunities of GM crops: Bt maize example.” The article provides an overview of the risk assessment process used to determine the potential hazards of genetically modified crops and help people understand how genetically modified crops have been evaluated.
Susan Swearer, Willa Cather Professor of School Psychology and expert on bullying, was a keynote speaker at the World Anti-Bullying Forum in Dublin, Ireland, June 4-6. The international and multidisciplinary forum was started in 2018 as a way to broaden understanding of bullying, harassment, discrimination, ostracism and other forms of degrading treatment and violence among children and youth. The forum is designed to share knowledge and explore new perspectives, while acknowledging that bullying and other forms of inhumane or degrading treatment have to be understood as a complex interplay between individual, interpersonal and contextual factors. Learn more about the event and Swearer’s research.
Adrian Wisnicki, associate professor of English, has been recognized by the Modern Language Association’s Committee on Scholarly Editions for his digital archive “Livingstone’s 1870 Field Diary and Select 1870-1871 Manuscripts.” The document earned the seal of Approved Edition by the MLA, which signifies excellence in editing and recognizes the archive as a reliable text based on accuracy, adequacy, appropriateness, consistency and explicitness.
Students
- The Biological Systems Engineering Department student A-team was recently named the winner of this year’s International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Peoria, Illinois. After designing a tractor for a year and submitting a written report ahead of the competition, it was tested in front of a panel of industry experts for innovation, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, sound level and ergonomics.
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.
