Faculty Achievers' Highlights...

 

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is a scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St Joseph, Michigan, ASABE comprises 9,000 members representing more than 100 countries. ASABE members serve in industry, academia, and public service and are uniquely qualified to determine and develop more efficient and environmentally sensitive methods of cultivating food, fiber, and timber for an ever-increasing world population. www.asabe.org/.

This year a number of our faculty have received awards form this organization. Dr. Larry Stikeleather P.E., Dr. Robert Evans P.E., and Bio&Ag Emeritus Dr. Ronald Sneed P.E..

Stikeleather Named ASABE Fellow

Dr. L. Stikeleather

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has named Larry F. Stikeleather, PE, to its 2009 class of ASABE Fellows.  Stikeleather is one of fifteen individuals of extraordinary accomplishment who were inducted in a ceremony held June 23, 2009, during the ASABE Annual International Meeting, in Reno, Nevada.

Stikeleather, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at North Carolina State University, was selected for the honor in recognition of his many outstanding accomplishments in industry and academia as a researcher and professor.  Throughout his career, he has been involved in the area of machine design and the interaction of machines with their human operators. He spent 16 years in industry with Universal Oil Products Company and Allis-Chalmers Corporation, during which his contributions and service were focused on innovations in operator comfort and safety of agricultural equipment. He was actively involved in standards development at the national and international level in the area of operator whole-body vibration and ride comfort. 

Stikeleather pioneered and patented a concept for active seat suspension technology, along with an on-board computer control, which allowed the commercialization of active seats on agricultural tractors.  His work has received 11 patents in a wide range of topics, including active vibration control for seat suspensions for tractors and construction machinery, rapid extraction methods for bioactive compounds from plant material, and biofuels conversion processes. His current research involves processes for converting renewable oils and fats to “drop-in” transportation biofuels such as bio-gasoline and bio–jet fuel.  Funded by the NC Biofuels Center, the project involves the departments of biological and agricultural engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and chemical and biomolecular engineering.

For the past 24 years, Stikeleather has been training tomorrow’s innovative engineers though his outstanding teaching program at North Carolina State University; he is currently teaching Analytical Methods in Mechanical Design and Introduction to BAE Methods.  He has authored or coauthored more than 45 refereed journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, and technical publications. 

A 41-year member of ASABE, Stikeleather has contributed his leadership and expertise to various Society technical committees, including the Textbooks and Monographs and PE Exam review committees. He was an ASABE Distinguished Lecturer in the tractor design series entitled Operator Seats for Agricultural Equipment. 
Stikeleather’s previous awards and honors include a Society of Automotive Engineers Technical Board Certificate of Appreciation in Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to the ASAE Human Factors Committee, an Acoustical Society of America Certificate of Appreciation for Significant Contributions to ANSI Standards, and ASABE Wisconsin Section Engineer of the Year Award.  He has been an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers for more than 40 years. 

To be considered for election to the grade of Fellow, an individual must demonstrate unusual professional distinction, with outstanding qualifications and experience in the field of agricultural engineering. Twenty years' membership in ASABE is also required. Only about two percent of the active members of ASABE have achieved the grade of Fellow.

Evans Receives ASABE Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award

Dr. Robert Evans

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has named Robert O. Evans, Jr., PE, ASABE Fellow, winner of one of its most prestigious awards, the Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award. The award is given in recognition of noteworthy contributions to the advancement of soil and water engineering and was June 24, at the 2009 ASABE Annual International Meeting, in Reno, Nevada.

Professor and head of the biological and agricultural engineering department at North Carolina State University, Evans was selected in recognition of his outstanding contributions to soil and water engineering through teaching, research, and outreach.  He is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in water management, wetland restoration and water quality through his high-quality research, teaching and extension programs.  He has conducted interdisciplinary applied research that has led to significant publications and extension education in the area of design and evaluation of drainage practices, hydrologic evaluation and restoration of wetlands, design and management of riparian and constructed wetlands, and stormwater quality analysis.  Evans is a leading expert in the use of DRAINMOD, a simulation model used to evaluate the hydrology of high water table soils and the in situ measurement of soil and site hydraulic properties important to hydrologic evaluation.

For the past 25 years, Evans’ water-quality research and extension initiatives have resulted in the implementation of controlled drainage across eastern North Carolina.  His drainage control methods have increased net farm income and reduced unwanted agricultural nitrogen in streams and sensitive surface waters.  The results of his work have been incorporated in design or management standards for numerous North Carolina and National Resource Conservation Service Best Management Practices.

A 35-year member of ASABE, Evans was named a Fellow in 2005. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Irrigation and Drainage Council, International Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Society of Wetland Scientists. North Carolina Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists, Water Resources Association of North Carolina, American Society of Civil Engineers, and North Carolina Irrigation Society. Evans is a native of Edenton, NC.

Professor/Emeritus Ronald E. Sneed Named Winner of the ASABE Irrigation Engineering Award

Dr. Ronald Sneed

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has named Ronald E. Sneed, PE, winner of one of its most prestigious awards, the Heermann Sprinkler Irrigation Award. The award was presented June 24 at the 2009 ASABE Annual International Meeting, in Reno, Nevada.

Sneed was selected for the award in recognition of his sustained leadership and outstanding accomplishments in the development and application of efficient sprinkler irrigation design practices in agriculture and landscape applications. Professor emeritus, North Carolina State University, and part-time consulting engineer, Sneed has been involved in the irrigation industry for more than 49 years, spending 32 of those years as a faculty member in the biological and agricultural engineering department at North Carolina State University.  He has worked as a team member and facilitator in training students and working with faculty on various NCSU campuses and with federal and state agencies.  He has also been a consultant involved in a wide variety of irrigation-related projects for numerous clients in the U.S. and abroad. Within the irrigation industry, he has worked with manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, installers, consulting firms, and trade associations to effect major improvements for more efficient irrigation practices. He was instrumental in starting and promoting the North Carolina Irrigation Society and was a member of the initial Irrigation Association (IA) Certification Board, on which he served for 20 years.  He holds four irrigation certifications from IA.

Sneed’s main areas of irrigation work have included equipment selection, land application of wastewater and sludge using sprinkler irrigation, water quality and water management and environmental modification. While his major appointment was in extension, he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in water management.  As a member of the graduate faculty, he served on 26 graduate committees, chaired five master’s committees and co-chaired three Ph.D. committees.   He has authored or coauthored numerous refereed publications, books and book chapters, extension publications, proceedings, technical reports, and popular articles, and has presented papers at more than hundred professional meetings and technical conferences.

Sneed continues to be an active member of the Irrigation Association and the Irrigation Association Education Foundation.  He was recently named chair of the newly enacted North Carolina Irrigation Licensing Board, which provides licensing for landscape irrigation contractors. He was elected an ASABE Fellow in 1992 and is a retired Major General in the United States Army Reserves.

The Heermann Sprinkler Irrigation Award is given annually and honors professionals in research, development, extension, education or industry that have made significant contributions to the improvement of efficient and effective sprinkler irrigation. 

Skaggs Receives CAST Award

Dr. Wayne Skaggs

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has honored Dr. R. Wayne Skaggs of N.C. State University with the 2009 Charles A. Black Communications Award. Skaggs is William Neal Reynolds Professor and Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NCSU. He received the award in March from Dr. Henry L. Shands, CAST president, in Washington, D.C.

The Charles A. Black Communications Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his or her area of expertise within the agricultural, environmental or food sciences sectors.

Skaggs is an expert in drainage and subsurface water management. In 1980, he developed a computerized water management model, DRAINMOD, which helps predict how particular water management procedures will affect the water table depth, soil water regime and crop yields. The model has been reengineered to expand its capabilities and is used by consulting engineers, researchers and government agencies worldwide.

Author of more than 350 scientific publications, Skaggs was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1991. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award in 1986 from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE). He is a member of the Overholt Drainage Hall of Fame and a Fellow of the ASAE and in 1993 was presented the John Deere Gold Medal.

In 1994 N.C. State presented Skaggs its highest faculty recognition, the Alexander Quarles Holladay Award, and in 1997, he received the University of North Carolina's highest award, the O. Max Gardner Award. That same year, he received the Alexander von Humboldt award for contributions to U.S. agriculture.

Skaggs is a member of the Engineering Hall of Distinction at the University of Kentucky (1994) and a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus at Purdue University (1997). He was presented the Gamma Sigma Delta International Distinguished Achievement in Agriculture Award for 1999. He served as President of the ASAE for 2001/2002.

Charles A. Black Communications Award recipients are recognized by their peers as individuals who communicate the importance of their scientific achievements to policymakers, the news media and the public. Since its inception in 1986, the program has honored 22 outstanding scientists. CAST Web site: www.cast-science.org

Roberson Wins National Award at the Annual Conference of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA).

Dr. Gary Roberson

Dr. Gary T Roberson, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, received the NACTA Teacher Fellow Award at the Annual Conference of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture held at Oklahoma State University, June 2009. The theme for the Conference was “Making Assessment Work for You”. The purpose of the annual conferences are to provide for professional advancement of faculty engaged in classroom teaching. Participants have the opportunity to share teaching methods, philosophies, and styles of instruction. http://www.nactateachers.org/

 

Losordo Won the 2009 CALS Resource Development Award

Dr. Tom Losordo

Drs. Thomas Losordo, of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, and Jeffrey Hinshaw of the Biology Department have won the 2009 Resources Development Award given annually by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Losordo and Hinshaw were honored for their efforts to attract nearly $5 million in cooperate gifts to support the aquaculture program at NCSU.  The most exceptional gift is the bequeathment of controlling interest in La Paz, LLC, a caviar and sturgeon production facility in Lenoir, NC. Losordo was also instrumental in securing a $500,000 gift to CALS from Dr. I.J. and Sue Won to establish a marine aquaculture facility in Carteret County.

Hale Receives the College of Engineering George H. Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award for 2009

Dr. Andy Hale

The College of Engineering at North Carolina State University announced the 2009 recipients of the George H. Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award at the, spring faculty meeting. Dr. S. Andrew Hale was a recipient. The Blessis award honors engineering faculty members who consistently and willingly give their time and effort to advising, counseling and mentoring students and assisting student groups. The award is also a continuing memorial to George H. Blessis, a faculty member whose interest in undergraduate education and advising serves as an example for others to follow. http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/facultyandstaff/

Shah Won the 2009 "Special Specialist Award"

Dr. Sanjay Shah

A 2009 "Special Specialist Award" was presented by the North Carolina Associate Cooperative Extension Specialists Association to Dr. Sanjay Shah. NCACES Extension Education Awards recognize members of the North Carolina Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists who develop and deliver outstanding Extension Education Programs. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/ncaces/

 

 

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Faculty Awards and Honors Listing

Awards & Honors - 2009 - present
Charles A. Black Communications Award presented by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)	Dr. Wayne Skaggs, PE
ASABE, Fellow	Dr. Larry F. Stikeleather, PE
ASABE, Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award	Dr. Robert Evans, PE
Winner of Irrigation Engineering Award	Dr. Ronald E. Sneed, PE Emeritus Professor
North American colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Fellow Award	Dr. Gary Roberson, PE
CALS Resource Development Award	Dr. Thomas Losordo
College of Engineering George H. Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award	Dr. Andy Hale
Special Specialist Award presented by the North Carolina Associate Cooperative Extension Specialists	Dr. Sanjay Shah
Awards & Honors - 2008	Recipient
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Young Extension Award	Dr. William F. Hunt, PE
2008 NCSU BAE Outstanding Alumnus	Dr. Tom Whitaker
USDA Superior Service Group Award	Dr. Tom Whitaker
Campus EarthWise Award	Rhonda Sherman, Extension Specialist
Keynote Speaker, International Water Congress, Seville, Spain, "Advances in Waste Management in the U.S.	Dr. Robert Rubin Emeritus Professor
Serving on the Executive Committee of the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET	Dr. David Beasley, PE
Awards & Honors 2007	Recipient
ASABE Gunlogson Countryside Engineering Award	Dr. Greg Jennings, PE
ASABE Fellow	Dr. Phil Westerman, PE
ASABE Fellow  (Professor emeritus, Forestry, Biological and Agricultural Engineering)	Dr. Awatif Hassan
Outstanding Extension Service Award, North Carolina Tobacco Grower's Association	Dr. Michael Boyette
Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineers	Dr. John Classen
Inducted into the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension (AOFEE)	Dr. William F. Hunt
Governor's Award for Water Conservationist of the Year, NC Wildlife Foundation	Dr. William F. Hunt
NC State Alumni Outstanding Extension and Outreach Award	Dr. William F. Hunt
Who's Who in Engineering Academia	Dr. Albert Jarett Visiting Professor
Keynote Speaker, International Symposium on Greenhouse Cooling: Methods, Technologies and Plant Response, Almeria, Spain	Dr. Daniel Willits
Awards & Honors 2006	Recipient
ASAE Fellow-2006 Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE)	Dr. David Beasley, PE
FPSA Foundation FPEI Food Engineering Award at ASABE Annual Meeting	Dr. Brian Farkas
CALS Pride of the Wolfpack Recognition	Dr. David Beasley, PE
CALS Pride of the Wolfpack Recognition	Dr. Garry Grabow, PE
Awards & Honors 2005	Recipient
President's Citation from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers	Dr. David Beasley, PE
ASAE Fellow-2005 Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE)	Dr. Robert O. Evans, PE
2005 ASAE Massey-Ferguson Educational Award	Dr. James Young, PE
ASAE 2005 Gunlogson Countryside Engineering Award	Dr. Philip Westerman, PE
Gertrude Cox Lifetime Achievement Award	Dr. Roger Rohrbach
Inducted into the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering	Dr. David Beasley, PE
University Teaching Award 2005	Dr. Gary Roberson, PE
Awards & Honors 2004-03	Recipient
Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers	Dr. David Beasley, PE
NC State Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor 2003	Dr. Crowell Bowers
Honorary State FFA Degree	Dr. Crowell Bowers
Outstanding Extension Specialist for NCSU and NCA&T for support of county programs from the NCSU Association of Extension Specialists	Dr. William F. Hunt, PE
2003 NC State/Nancy G. Pollock Dissertation Award	Dr. Michael Burchell
NE Regional Directors "Honor Award" 2003	Dr. Roger Rohrbach

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