From equestrian racing to research methodology, NC State students, faculty and staff are racking up awards and honors in all sorts of subject matter areas. Keep your submissions coming by filling out this simple form.
The NC State student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers was named Outstanding Student Chapter by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The annual award recognizes chapters around the country that maintain a highly active role on campus and strive to embody the national organization’s values. This is the NC State student chapter’s 20th award recognition in the past 22 years.
Bragaw Residence Hall won the 2018 NC State Alpha Award for its success with the RecycleMania program. RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. NC State participates in RecycleMania through various competitions. Students living on campus at NC State will determine their current waste diversion rate and challenge other academic and residence halls on campus to recycling competitions. An overall champion, the Alpha, is chosen based on the highest diversion rate at the end of the competition. Bragaw Residence Hall won the 2018 Alpha Award with a 25.4 percent diversion rate.
Professors of psychology S. Bart Craig and Adam W. Meade won the Sage Publications/Robert McDonald Advancement of Organizational Research Methodology Award from the Academy of Management. This award recognizes the single paper in the past five years with the strongest contribution to the advancement of research methodology.
For her dedication to advancing the field of agricultural information, Debbie Currie won the USAIN 2018 Service to the Profession Award. Currie is the collections and research librarian for agricultural and environmental sciences at NCSU Libraries.
University Mail Services Supervisor Amanda Franklin won the Zero Waste Workplace Champion award from the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling for her commitment to reduce waste at the source. Though her team in Mail Services already recycles a lot of unsolicited mail items — more than 3,441 pounds in the last three months — Franklin is instituting measures to make sure this material doesn’t reach campus at all. Her proactive approaches include using online mail management systems and instituting a data-driven approach to tracking the group’s waste diversion.
Dana Hanson, associate professor and extension meat specialist in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, won the American Meat Science Association’s Distinguished Extension-Industry Service Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in meat science extension and service to the industry.
Master’s student Esther Kentish has been granted travel funding by the English department to present her research in the Technical Communication Summit next spring in Colorado.
Don Meuten, emeritus chair of pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, won the heavyweight division of the American Endurance Riding Conference national championship. The 50-mile equestrian race took place on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate.
Crafts Center Director Carol Fountain Nix won the Graphis International Design Award: GOLD for her design and calligraphy work on a promotional campaign titled “MusicMakers.” She collaborated with NC State alumnus and photographer Jimmy Williams.
The International Coaching Federation awarded LeNelle Patrick the designation of associate certified coach. Patrick, an academic coaching coordinator, advisor and lecturer in the Exploratory Studies program of the university’s Office of Academic Advising Programs and Services, completed the ICF Accredited Coach Training Program, which requires a minimum of 100 hours of coaching experience and completion of the Coach Knowledge Assessment.
The city of Raleigh gave Environmental Awards to three members of the NC State community who participate in the Zero Waste Wolfpack program: Lani St. Hill, outreach coordinator with the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling; Derek Liles, facilities supervisor with NC State Athletics; and interns Alex Hornaday and Mary Valverde of the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling. The Zero Waste Wolfpack program aims to integrate fan experience with student leadership and community engagement to promote sustainability at NC State athletic events. Since its launch in 2015, the program has increased recycling by 70 percent and collected nearly 41,230 pounds of compost.
Lani St. Hill also won the Carolina Recycling Association Annual Award for her work with Zero Waste Workplace, a strategic operational and educational program that strives for zero waste within the academic/administrative buildings at NC State. In its first year, the program increased monthly recycling rates by 32 percent and diverted more than 5,600 pounds of waste. More than 20 buildings are waiting installation.
The University of Nebraska named Olivia Vila a Minority SURGE Capacity in Disaster Scholar. Vila is a doctoral student in parks, recreation and tourism management. SURGE focuses on two grand challenges: the under-representation of STEM racial and ethnic minorities in hazards and disaster research and the disproportionate impacts of disasters on underserved racial and ethnic minorities. SURGE is a pilot project for the National Science Foundation’s Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science initiative.
