UT associate dean appointed to Presidential Advisory Council

WASHINGTON, D.C. — David White, associate dean for University of Tennessee AgResearch and a professor of food science in the UT Institute of Agriculture, has been appointed as one of four new voting members to the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB).

Originally established in September 2014 by executive order, PACCARB’s mission is to provide advice, information and recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services related to federal programs and policies intended to prevent and control illness and death related to antibiotic-resistant infections. The council also consults with the secretaries of Defense and Agriculture.

“There is an urgent need for implementation of global strategies to stem the rise of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, and I am looking forward to participating in the PACCARB to ensure these approaches are collaborative and coordinated among industry, academia, the federal government and the many stakeholders who have a vested interest in preserving the effectiveness of these therapeutics,” White said.

He holds a Ph.D. in veterinary science from Pennsylvania State University as well as M.S. and B.S. degrees in animal sciences from the universities of Kentucky and Vermont, respectively. He is currently serving as an associate dean for UT AgResearch and associate director of the ten UT AgResearch and Education centers.

White has been appointed to serve a four-year term. Information about additional voting members of the council is available at hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/paccarb/index.html

Hodges elected to global forestry leadership board

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Donald Hodges, James R. Cox Professor of forest economics and management with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has been elected to a five-year term to the Board of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the world’s largest forestry research organization.

His term will begin at the organizations’ World Congress, scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 5 in Curitiba, Brazil. IUFRO was established in 1892 in Germany and has grown into an international organization of some 15,000 scientists from more than 110 countries.

Hodges will also serve as coordinator of IUFRO Division 4, which specializes in resource inventory and informatics, forest management planning, and economics, and monitoring technology. With representatives around the globe, Division 4 further supports collaborative research efforts and maintains communication between working groups and the IURFO board.

Hodges, who earned his B.S. in forestry from UT and M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, has served as a faculty member in the UT Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries since 1999. He was named a Fulbright Teaching and Research Scholar to Slovenia in 2011 and continues to work with scientists from the University of Ljubljana and the Slovenian Forestry Institute.

Several students awarded pork industry scholarships

ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) at its annual business meeting, the National Pork Industry Forum, awarded scholarships to 10 college students who intend to pursue careers in the pork industry.

The Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship program is sponsored by CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation, and managed and administered by NPPC. The 2019 winners of the $2,500 scholarships – named after the late NPPC vice president from Mt. Olive, N.C. – include regional students:

•Holly Cook, William Mengler, and Sarah Heiller, Iowa State University

•Kathryn Helmink, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

•Mariah Huge, Purdue University

The scholarship program was introduced in 1990 by CME and NPPC to celebrate the 25th anniversary of CME hog futures. The scholarship was renamed in 2006 to honor the passing of NPPC board member Lois Britt, a lifetime supporter of agriculture.

To be eligible, students must be undergraduates in a two-year swine program or a four-year college of agriculture, provide a brief letter describing their expected role in the pork industry, write an essay on an issue affecting the pork industry, and submit two letters of reference from professors or industry professionals.

Maghirang to lead U of I Ag and Biological Engineering

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URBANA, Ill. — Ronaldo Maghirang has been named head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois. He will assume the position on May 1.

Maghirang comes to this position from a 25-year career at Kansas State University, where he serves as the associate dean of research and graduate programs for the College of Engineering. He also serves as an administrator of the Engineering and Leadership Innovation program at KSU.

He maintains an acclaimed research program focused on improving the scientific understanding of air-quality issues associated with animal feeding and grain handling operations, and he has received several national awards.

Maghirang received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and a master’s degree in agrometeorology, both from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and a Ph.D. in agricultural engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Southern Weed Science Society honors UT’s Steckel

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JACKSON, Tenn. — The Southern Weed Science Society (SWSS) recently honored Larry Steckel, a professor with the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences, with the Outstanding Educator Award.

The award is presented annually to a weed scientist who has made significant contributions to the SWSS and the discipline of weed science through education. Steckel has served as UT extension weed specialist since 2003. His responsibilities include conducting statewide educational programming and research in weed management for row crops.

In this role, his calendar stays full speaking at many field days, extension workshops, seminars or short courses, and making farm visits to meet with producers individually to answer questions and assess a situation. He coordinates an annual weed tour for farmers and industry and uses social media tools to quickly communicate new research with producers and extension agents.

A recent weed challenge in Tennessee involved dicamba herbicide drift. Steckel was charged with developing a training module to address the issue. Thanks in part to his extensive training efforts, Tennessee reported a significant reduction in dicamba-damaged crop acres in 2018.

OSU awarded $7,000 USPOULTRY student recruiting grant

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TUCKER, Ga. — The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded a $7,000 student recruiting grant to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. The grant was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from the Cooper Family Foundation.

A portion of the funds will be used by the Animal Sciences department to recruit potential students, as well as introduce current students to poultry-related opportunities in education, research, and employment. These opportunities will include trips to poultry judging contests nationwide and inviting industry representatives to speak in order to broaden students’ knowledge and interest in the industry.

The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded recruiting grants totaling $328,300 for the 2018-19 school year to 34 colleges and universities across the United States with either a poultry science department or a poultry studies program.

DR. MICHAEL D. CRESSMAN (right), assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, along with several OSU poultry science students, receiving a $7,000 student recruiting grant from the USPOULTRY Foundation.

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Nominations sought for Beard Research Excellence Award

TUCKER, Ga. — USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are accepting nominations for the Charles Beard Research Excellence Award through July 1. The goal of the award is to recognize outstanding completed research projects funded by USPOULTRY or the USPOULTRY Foundation, which have made a significant positive impact on the poultry industry.

The nominee may be recognized for multiple completed USPOULTRY research projects, all focused on the same subject area. Nominations can be accepted from the universities and research institutions that conduct poultry research, as well as from anyone in the research community or any USPOULTRY member, staff, and sponsored committee. Self-nominations are also allowed.

Nominations should focus on research projects completed within the past five years but may include projects completed at an earlier time if a project’s impact has only recently become recognized. To submit a nomination, email a letter to Dr. John Glisson (jglisson@uspoultry.org), Vice President of Research, which includes the nominee's name, a brief description of their research accomplishments, and the impact of the research.

The recipient of the Charles Beard Research Excellence Award will be the primary researcher who conducted the recognized research project(s) and will receive round-trip transportation to, and two nights lodging at, the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, Ga. A cash prize of $1,500 will also be awarded.