PULLMAN, Wash. — Fifteen Washington State University faculty and staff were honored Saturday at the 38th annual awards banquet of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.
Gary Piper, associate professor of entomology, received the R. M. Wade Excellence in Teaching Award. Piper has served as coordinator of his department’s undergraduate integrated pest management curriculum since 1978, the only curriculum of its kind in the state.
Charles Gaskins, who has a joint appointment with the program in statistics and the animal sciences department, received the College of Agriculture Alumni Association and Friends Outstanding Undergraduate Advising Award.
Gaskins, has advised an average of 21 undergraduates the past five years. He also serves as advisor of the student Block and Bridle Club and has played a key role in arranging student internships in the cattle industry.
Alan Berryman, professor of entomology and natural resource sciences, received the college’s annual Faculty Excellence in Research Award.
Berryman’s research on conifer interactions with bark beetles and their pathogenic fungi was one of the first demonstrations of induced plant defensive responses to insects and has led to a unified concept of plant defense against enemies and the evolution of plant defense systems.
Ronald Hermanson, Cooperative Extension agricultural engineer, received the college’s Faculty Excellence in Extension Award.
Hermanson provides leadership for extension’s water quality educational program. In addition, he has worked on statewide educational programs concerning disposal of livestock and poultry manure, nonpoint source pollution and stewardship of water as a natural resource.
David Kudrna, a research technologist supervisor in the crop and soil sciences department, received the Staff Excellence Award.
Kudrna oversees research in the laboratories of two faculty. He serves as technical research leader for the map-based cloning of barley stem rust resistance genes and the North American Barley Genome Mapping Project for Andris Kleinhofs, professor of agronomy, and the isolation and characterization of nitrate transporter mutants for Robert Warner, professor of crop and soil sciences.
Judith Wutzke, administrative manager of the crop and soil sciences department, received the college’s Administrative-Professional Excellence Award. Wutzke supervises six classified and five temporary employees and supervises and processes more than 2,500 departmental orders while managing more than 250 separate accounts.
The Family Focus Project of Spokane County Cooperative Extension received the college Team Excellence Award.
The nine-member team of employees designed an award-winning project that has helped revitalize Spokane’s West Central neighborhood.
The project provided esteem and self-reliance skill building activities by strengthening and expanding the programs of a community center; provided in-depth parenting and life skills training for parents; and strengthened community institutions through parent involvement, volunteer training and coalition support.
In three years, the neighborhood’s crime rate fell dramatically, more than 80 percent of the drug houses disappeared and tons of garbage were removed during neighborhood cleanup.
The project has received national recognition, including a DeWitt Wallace award for Outstanding Programming in Serving Youth at-Risk Communities.
Members of the team include Brenda Cook, Linda Costich, Lynette Frye, Christian Koehler, Debra Marple, Elaine Mir, Jonathan Newkirk, Velma Riddle and Marilyn Trail.
Hermanson, Berryman, Kudrna, and Wutzke each received a plaque and $1,000 to be used for professional development. Each member of the Family Focus team received a plaque. The team received $1,000 for professional development. Piper and Gaskins each received a check for $1,000 and a plaque.
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