Saluting Academic Excellence: UW CALSNR honors faculty and staff at annual spring awards ceremony

On April 30, the University of Wyoming’s (UW) College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources (CALSNR) honored outstanding faculty and staff during its Annual Spring Awards Ceremony, held at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie. 

“Tonight we gather to celebrate the exceptional achievements of our faculty and staff in what we do best, which is teaching research and impacting communities,” stated UW CALSNR Dean Kelly Crane, who emceed the event. “We are going to recognize faculty and staff who really serve as the backbone of our college.”

Outstanding staff awards

To begin, Crane recognized four individuals as outstanding staff member awardees.

The first honoree called to the stage was Plant Science Department Master Technician David Claypool, who Crane noted “has been the go-to person for faculty, staff and students alike, offering expert technical guidance, mentoring future scientists and solving problems before many even knew there was a problem.”

Hannah Korsmeyer, office associate senior for the CALSNR Dean’s Office, was the second awardee.

“She plays a critical role in our day-to-day activities, and her professionalism, attention to detail and organizational talent are second to none,” Crane stated. “She handles every task with efficiency, care and grace, and she approaches every challenge with enthusiasm and initiative, always stopping in when she is needed and often before anybody asks. She is not just reliable, she is a person we all count on to keep things moving forward.” 

Academic and Student Programs College Relations Representative Hannah Rasmussen was also recognized with the Outstanding Staff Award. 

Crane noted Rasmussen has brought energy, dedication and creativity to her role and has strengthened CALSNR recruitment since joining the team.

Last but not least, Crane called Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Office Associate Senior Christopher Weber to the stage. 

“Since joining the department, Weber has made an extraordinary impact through his dedication, professionalism and positive spirit,” Crane said. “Whether managing complex administrative tasks, creating new processes to improve efficiency or helping market our programs to prospective students, he approaches every challenge with energy, innovation and a deep commitment to our colleges success.” 

Extension awards

After congratulating the Outstanding Staff Award honorees, Dr. Mandy Marney presented several awards to UW Extension personnel. 

First, she recognized Johnson County Extension Office Manager Donna Nelson as the recipient of the UW Extension Administrative Professional of the Year, while Sublette County Extension Administrative Assistant Amy Calhoun received the UW Extension Bright Future Award. 

Marney also presented the UW Extension Newer Employee Award to Johnson County Extension Educator Micah Most, whom she noted received four separate nominations for the award. 

Additionally, the UW Extension Sheep Task Force was honored with the UW Extension Team Excellence Award.

The task force is made up of Dean’s Office Project Coordinator Senior Lindsay Conley-Stewart, Crook County Extension Educator Sara Fleenor, Park County Extension Educator Makayla Getz, Converse County Extension Educator Jedidiah Hewlett, Lincoln County Extension Educator McKenna Julian, Albany County Extension Educator Brenna Litynski, Sublette County Extension Educator Dagan Montgomery, Johnson County Extension Educator Micah Most, Washakie County Extension Educator Dan VanderPloeg, UW Extension Animal Science Specialist Dylan Laverell, Agricultural and Applied Economics Senior Research Scientist Dr. Brian Lee, UW Extension Sheep Specialist Dr. Whit Stewart and Agricultural and Applied Economics Educator Assistant Rob Ziegler.

The final Extension award presented during the ceremony was the Jim DeBree Excellence in Extension Award, the highest honor Extension bestows on its educators. 

The winner of this year’s prestigious award was Kimberly Fry, Campbell County 4-H youth development.

Experiment station awards

Next, Associate Dean and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station Eric Webster presented four awards to ag experiment station personnel. 

Out of three nominees, Laramie Research and Extension Center Arena and Equine Assistant Farm Manager Elias Hutchinson was chosen as the recipient of the Kathleen Bertoncelj Agricultural Experiment Station Outstanding Staff Award. 

Three individuals were also nominated for the Agricultural Experiment Station Early Career Research Award, and of the trio, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor Grace Shearrer received the award. 

Additionally, Animal Science Department Head and Associate Professor Dr. Bledar Bisha received the Agricultural Experiment Station Outstanding Researcher Award, and the Agricultural Experiment Station Outstanding Research Support Award was presented to Ecosystem Science and Management Research Associate Timm Gergeni. 

Other awards 

Three awards were announced to round out the ceremony.

Two Reflections Student Author Awards were presented in memory of Lynn Feltner. 

Anne Beeman of the Botany Department was the master’s awardee, while Baizar Alamiri of the Zoology and Physiology Department was the PhD awardee. 

Two individuals were also presented the CALSNR Outstanding Educator Award. These include Liana Boggs Lynch, an assistant professor in the Botany Department and Mary Evans, an Extension educator for the Cent$ible Nutrition Program.

According to Crane, the pinnacle of the awards ceremony is the Andrew Vanvig Outstanding Lifetime Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, which is given in honor of a senior faculty member for their lifetime achievements in teaching, scholarship, creative activity and service. 

This year’s awardee is Zoology and Physiology Professor Quin-Quan Sun. 

Crane stated, “His scientific leadership has been absolutely transformative, particularly through his role as director and principal investigator of the Wyoming Sensory Biology Center of Biomedical Research Excellence. Under his leadership, the center secured nearly $21 million in federal funding and provides critical support for junior faculty, training over 50 students and establishing state-of-the-art core research facilities.” 

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.