Media contact: Sally Gifford, 202-720-2047
WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 12 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today honored several
land-grant university partners during
its annual Day of Appreciation ceremony. Those honored were recognized for
supporting NIFA’s mission to advance agricultural research, education, and
extension to solve significant societal challenges.
“NIFA is committed to supporting
the research, education, and extension efforts of its land-grant university
partners,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “We value the
contributions of the teams of researchers, educators, and extension
professionals whose scientific discoveries and educational efforts positively
impact our nation’s food and agricultural systems.”
The 2017 NIFA Partnership
Awards were presented in three different categories to institutions whose work with NIFA support has resulted in
exceptional impacts.
The Mission Integration
of Research, Education, and Extension award honors teams of individuals who work across
all three of NIFA’s mission areas to produce positive outcomes in agriculture,
the environment, communities, or people. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli
(STEC) cause illness in both humans and cattle, and STEC-related illness and
death cost the U.S. more than $400 million each year. The STEC CAP grant executive
management team at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln led a team
from 18 institutions to develop integrated approaches to prevent STEC
contamination and outbreaks throughout the beef production and processing
chain.
The Multistate Efforts award
recognizes partnership projects that respond to critical needs important to
each project leader’s state. Field corn (Zea mays) is one of the world’s most important cereal grains,
and 40 percent of global supply is produced in the United States. Heat stress
during the growing season can reduce field corn yield, which may lead to higher
prices and food shortages. The Corn Heat Stress Adaptation Team, led by the University of Florida, developed multiple corn lines that produced greater
yields under high-temperature conditions.
The Innovative Programs and
Projects award acknowledges a
project that uses a unique combination of resources and disciplines to enact
positive outcomes in response to important regional or national issues. Each
year in the U.S., there are approximately 20 million cases of norovirus that
result in up to 800 deaths. North Carolina State University leads the NoroCORE Food
Virology Collaborative, a group of researchers and stakeholders in basic, food,
and environmental virology working to reduce the burden of foodborne disease
associated with viruses, particularly noroviruses. In a major breakthrough, the
team successfully cultured the human norovirus in intestinal cells, which may
lead to new vaccines and treatments.
The agency also inducted four individuals into NIFA’s Hall of
Fame, established in 2011 to recognize exceptional contributions to NIFA’s
mission at the local, regional, national, or international level and have made
a positive impact on humans.
Michel Desbois served as deputy director of NIFA’s Office of
Information Technology (OIT) and chief information officer and was responsible
for all information technology (IT) resources and applications for the agency. He
provided strategic leadership and direction in overall IT, including
anticipating future needs and requirements to help NIFA meet its goals and
objectives. Desbois holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a master’s degree
in information systems from George Mason University.
Dr. John Phillips is executive director of First
Americans Land Grant Consortium (FALCON) and the land-grant director at the
American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Dr. Phillips also served
as the first liaison between 1994 land-grant institutions and the USDA. He has
been instrumental in representing the interests of the 1994 land-grant
institutions and contributing to the social and economic well-being of their communities.
Dr. Phillips earned his doctorate in rural sociology at the University of
Missouri-Columbia, a Master of Science in environmental systems from Humboldt
State University, California, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from
California State University, Sacramento.
Dr.
Catherine Woteki served as USDA undersecretary for Research, Education
and Economics and chief scientist where she provided leadership responsibility
for advancing scientific knowledge through research, extension, and education
and elevated the stature of agricultural science. Woteki also served as the
USDA’s first undersecretary for Food Safety. An active member of the National
Academy of Medicine, she returned as a professor to Iowa State University’s
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, where she previously served as
dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the
Agriculture Experiment Station. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and
chemistry from Mary Washington College and a doctorate in human nutrition from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Michael
Young retired this year as the USDA budget officer and director of the
Office of Budget and Program Analysis (OBPA). He also served as chief of the
Budget Control and Analysis Division of OBPA. Prior to his leadership roles, he
was a program analyst for USDA Research, Education and Extension programs and a
budget analyst for the Food and Nutrition Service. During his tenure with OBPA,
Mr. Young facilitated the advancement of USDA research and the NIFA mission as
evidenced by his conscientious review and management of NIFA's program budgets.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in botany from Colorado State University and a
Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.
NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance
agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges.
NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term
prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural sciences, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for email updates, or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.
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