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Dean recognizes top professors for excellence
The following professors have been recognized for professorial excellence. From left, Dr. Yongming (Simon) Sang, Dr. Matthew Blair, Dr. William “Bill” Sutton, Dr. Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge, Dr. Fulya Baysal-Gurel, Dr. Ankit Patras, Dr. Jianwei Li, and Dr. Karla Addesso (lower right photo courtesy of Karla Addesso). Photo by Joan Kite
Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of the College of Agriculture, has recognized eight professors for their excellence this year in research, teaching, grant funding, and publishing.
The honored professors are: Dr. Karla Addesso, associate professor in Entomology; Dr. Fulya Baysal-Gurel, interim associate dean of Research and associate professor; Dr. Matthew Blair, professor in Advanced Plant Breeding; Dr. Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge, associate research professor specializing in Microbial Safety of Food; Dr. Jianwei Li, associate professor specializing in Climate Change; Dr. Ankit Patras, associate professor of Food Science; Dr. Yongming Sang, associate professor of Animal Genomics and Immunology; and Dr. Bill Sutton, assistant professor of Environmental Sciences.
“The College of Agriculture thanks and congratulates these outstanding faculty for their excellence in research,” said Dr. Reddy. “They successfully competed at the national level to secure grant funds, partnered with colleagues within and outside the college, trained graduate students, and published their research findings in elite journals in their respective fields. Their research is in the forefront of solving some of today’s challenges in agricultural sector.”
Dr. Fulya Baysal-Gurel, one of the professors identified for her excellent work, was recently named interim dean of Research, and is now overseeing the research faculty.
“We have great faculty in the College of Agriculture,” Dr. Baysal-Gurel said. “Last year, even during the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions and tornado damage to the campus agriculture facilities, some faculty demonstrated exceptional performance as exhibited in the productivity of their programs and strong national/international reputation. Their
Professorial Excellence
Dean recognizes faculty members for quality work
By JOAN KITE
extraordinary accomplishments and dedication to their research program and College of Agriculture are appreciated.”
“It was a nice surprise,” said Dr. Patras, who spent part of the pandemic researching UV light and its potential affects to destroy the COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge said there is no secret to the hard work that she has put in researching antimicrobial drug resistance of foodborne pathogens, microbial safety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the characterization of microorganisms in consumer homes.
“I like working so when I get my check , I feel like I did something to earn it,” Dr. Kilonzo-Nthenge said.
