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Staff Awards

This page highlights achievements of staff in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State University.

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See: list below for a list of
All Staff Awards

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Staff Achiever Highlight...

Heather Austin, Student Services Coordinator Receives 2009 SPA Award

Photo of L.T. Woodlief with presenter Dr. Evans

Heather Austin

As the Student Services Coordinator, Heather Austin has had an important and positive impact on student recruitment to BAE.  Heather routinely goes the extra mile to assist and welcome students to our department.  Without Heather, neither the graduate student recruitment weekend nor the environmental engineering camp used to attract undergraduates would succeed. Heather has written and received grants to support the grad student recruitment weekend for the past 5 years.  She is the “first face” that many students meet when they visit and she immediately helps “woo” them to Raleigh.  Heather is extremely personable and potential students notice that.  Students who come here have repeatedly cited Heather’s help before, during, and after the recruitment weekend as one of the main reasons they chose NCSU-BAE because they felt very welcomed.  Heather’s involvement with BAE’s Environmental – and other  – Engineering camps that we host each June is invaluable. She interfaces with these top-notch high schoolers and, like the prospective grad students, makes them feel wanted. Heather’s knowledge of our undergraduate programs and very friendly disposition are so important to our success.  In part due to Heather’s efforts, our undergraduate enrollment has increased every year since our recruitment program started.  Rewarding her with the BAE SPA Award for Excellence is a very much deserved honor.


About the staff awards: The award process began in 1998 under Department Head Dr. David Beasley P.E.. It was established to recognize the good work of Bio&Ag staff in a particular year.

Department Award Recipients

2009 Heather Austin Student Service Coordinator
2008 L.T. Woodlief Research Specialist
2007 Mike Adcock Research Specialist

Outstanding Award : Mike Adcock Recipient of the 2007
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Annual Award for Excellence

2006 David Buffaloe Research Shop Supervisor
2005 Betsy Maness Administrative Assistant
2004 Kathy Logan Student Service Assistant
2003 Lesley Hubbard Student Service Assistant
2002 Brenda Wahab Accounting Technician
2001 Wilson Huntley Engineering Research Technician II
2000 Carolyn Mitkowski Multimedia Designer
1999 Ann Griffin Administrative Assistant
1998 Robert Gaines Instrument Shop Supervisor