National Experiment Station Section Awards Top Honors

Denver, CO — The Experiment Station Section (ESS), a unit of The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources, Board on Agriculture Assembly, recognized individuals and teams for its excellence in diversity and inclusion, leadership, and multi-state research. Following a national solicitation for nominations and rigorous evaluation, these national awards were presented at ESS’ annual meeting in Baltimore.

Experiment Station Section Diversity and Inclusion Awards

The ESS has undertaken efforts to increase diversity across its constituencies and foster inclusive environments. These awards annually recognize the activities of one individual and one team at the local, state, regional, or national level that empower groups and effectively enhance inclusion within organizations. The award recognizes efforts that aspire to achieve consistent, holistic, inclusive excellence. The award winners are:

Individual Award
Anna Katherine Mansfield, Associate Director, Cornell AgriTech

Team Award
The Mississippi Small Farm and Agribusiness Center led by Dr. Elizabeth Myles, Associate Director, Alcorn State University

Experiment Station Section Excellence in Leadership Awards

These awards are bestowed upon those who have personified the highest level of excellence by enhancing the cause and performance of the Regional Associations and ESS in achieving their missions and the land-grant ideal. Each ESS region selected a winner for the 2022 national award. The award winners are:

Moses Kairo, Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

David Benfield, Retired Associate Vice President of Agricultural Administration and Director of the Wooster Campus, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Associate Director, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University

Jody Jellison, Director, Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, Massachusetts Extension Service, and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, University of Massachusetts

Jean-Francois “JF” Meullenet, Senior Associate Vice President for Agriculture-Research, Director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Interim Dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, University of Arkansas

Milan Shipka, Retired Director, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Extension, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

National Excellence in Multistate Research Award

This award recognizes Experiment Station scientists who are conducting exemplary research and outreach efforts across multiple states. The award winner is:

Research and Extension for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Applications in U.S. Agriculture and Natural Resources

Over the past five years, this project has evaluated and identified reliable, cost-effective, and user-friendly drone platforms and sensors for monitoring and managing stressors in agriculture and natural resources. To maximize the accuracy of the data collected, project members have developed hardware, software, and detailed protocols for calibrating and using drones. New drone-based strategies are helping address many different issues in agriculture.

Administrative Advisor: Randy Raper, Oklahoma State University

Technical Committee Chair: Lav Khot, Washington State University

Participating institutions: Auburn University, University of Arkansas, Arkansas Cooperative Extension, Clemson University, Cornell University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Illinois, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, Montana State University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Dakota Cooperative Extension, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Washington State University.