Don Wilhite, Shripat Kamble, Tim Carr and Dann Husmann were honored with faculty awards this year by the Nebraska Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture.
Wilhite received GSD’s Award of Merit for his pioneering work in drought mitigation. He founded the National Drought Mitigation Center, headquartered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wilhite was among the first to publish research findings on drought, in the early 1980s, and quickly gained an international reputation for his expertise.
Through the NDMC, Wilhite believed it critical to help societies develop risk-based management approaches to drought, to prepare for drought before it hits. Over the years since it was established, the drought mitigation center has developed a number of key tools to help policy makers and government leaders at all levels assess the risk of drought, plan for it and lessen its impacts. One example of this effort, the Drought Monitor, is known around the nation for its tracking of drought trends.
Kamble received GSD’s Excellence in Extension Award. Kamble, a professor of entomology, has specialized in the field of urban entomology; his educational programs have emphasized safe use of insecticides and use of nonchemical control alternatives.
Since 1999, Kamble has been coordinator of the annual Nebraska Urban Pest Management Conference. More than 150 people attend the conference annually to learn about pest management in household and structural areas, stored grain, food processing, public health, residential and commercial, schools, institutions and child care centers.
Husmann received GSD’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Husmann is associate dean of UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and a professor in the Department of Agricultural Leadership Education and Communications.
Husmann teaches undergraduate courses in teacher preparation, supervises student teachers of agricultural education; develops new curriculum and courses including providing lab management in-service instruction for teachers in agricultural education. Husmann advises undergraduate, graduate, and the Agricultural Education/Alpha Tau Alpha Club. As one former student who is now teaching at Mead High School wrote “Dr. Husmann always wanted us to think outside of the box when creating lessons for students and his teaching styles were always that of what he taught us.”
Carr, a professor of nutritional biochemistry, received GSD’s Excellence in Research Award. Carr’s research focuses on cholesterol transport in the body and how dietary factors influence cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Carr currently advises three PhD and seven master’s graduate students and, as major adviser, has seen seven doctoral and 16 master’s candidates through to completion of degree programs. He has also advised 20 undergraduate student research projects. Major support for these students has come from almost $2.5 million in funding from 26 research grants. With his students and collaborators, Carr has published over 60 research articles, two textbooks, nine book chapters for textbooks, and numerous magazine and newspaper articles on diet and health issues.
Two students also were honored by GSD. Amanda Hare received the Outstanding Undergraduate Award. Hare, of Alliance, is majoring in biochemistry.
Daran Rudnick received the Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant honor. Rudnick is pursuing a doctorate in biological systems engineering.
