UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recognized exceptional achievements in research during its fourth annual Research Awards Ceremony held Oct. 28 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.
“Our college excels at integrating all three functions — research, extension and education. This distinguishes us from every other college at Penn State,” said Dean Troy Ott. “While tonight we spotlight research, much of what we celebrate crosses into classrooms and reaches stakeholders across Pennsylvania and beyond.”
He added that over the past three calendar years, college faculty have published more than 2,100 research articles in journals, and that the last fiscal year marked a high point for the college in total research expenditures, exceeding $140 million and ranking among the top four highest-performing colleges at Penn State.
Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State, praised the college’s research excellence and impact, emphasizing the vital role of research funding — with $1.4 billion invested across the University last year, primarily from federal sources.
He noted that research extends beyond publications and grants, driving real-world impact through stakeholder engagement, translating scientific discoveries into practical solutions, strengthening national capabilities, and advancing student development — all of which are key areas of excellence for the University and the college.
The awards and recipients are as follows:
Alex and Jessie C. Black Excellence in Research Award
The Black Award honors tenure-track faculty for exceptional and original agricultural research. It is named after the late Alex Black, a professor of animal nutrition and associate director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, and his wife, Jessie Clements Black.
Alex Hristov, distinguished professor of dairy nutrition, was recognized for his career in dairy cattle nutrition, greenhouse gas mitigation and nitrogen use efficiency. His work on rumen function and microbial protein synthesis has influenced both academic and commercial feeding systems and is globally recognized.
Early Achievement in Research Award
Liana Burghardt, assistant professor in the Department of Plant Science, received the Early Career Research Achievement Award. Burghardt holds the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair and directs the Huck Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology.
Her research explores ecological and evolutionary processes behind legume-rhizobia interactions to enhance agricultural sustainability.
She has secured nearly $4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. Burghardt received the International Tansley Medal for Excellence in Plant Science and leads a collaborative team studying the genomics of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and plant-microbe relationships.
Research Innovator of the Year
David Huff, associate professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics, earned the Research Innovator Award for research and entrepreneurial leadership that led to the founding of Penn Poa, a startup transforming the turfgrass industry through the commercialization of elite Poa annua seed varieties.
Huff’s three decades of work resulted in PA-33, the first commercially available seeded variety of Poa annua — a resilient, fast-germinating strain ideal for golf courses. Through Penn Poa, Huff has enabled course superintendents to establish the grass without waiting decades for natural colonization. The startup earned the People’s Choice Award at the Ben Franklin Big Idea Contest.
Research Professional Staff Awards
Brosi Bradley, research technologist, and Suzy Watson, proposal and award generalist, received Research Professional Staff Awards.
Bradley supports multiple faculty programs in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, leading the Cover Crop Cocktails Experiment and contributing to $17 million in successful grant proposals and nine research papers.
Watson, of the Department of Food Science, streamlines grant submissions and reporting. She piloted a Teams-based tracking system that improved departmental efficiency and serves on committees that strengthen research and administrative systems across the University.
Land Grant Research Impact Fellows
Four faculty members were selected as the inaugural Land Grant Research Impact Fellows. Each will receive $30,000 per year for three years to advance research that turns scientific discoveries into practical solutions with real-world impact.
The fellows, who were nominated by their respective department heads, are Jeffrey Catchmark, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and of bioethics; Paul Esker, a professor of epidemiology and field crop pathology; Tara Felix, associate professor of animal science and beef extension specialist; and Charles White, associate professor and extension specialist in soil fertility and nutrient management.
Interdisciplinary Research Team Award
The BeeSuite Research team received the Interdisciplinary Research Team Award for integrating expertise in entomology, agroecology, data science and stakeholder engagement to study pollinator populations in changing environments.
Led by Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the team includes Anthony Robinson, professor of geography and director of Online Geospatial Education Programs at Penn State, Heather Grab, assistant professor of entomology, Dave McLaughlin, research and development engineer in the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, and collaborators at other institutions, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, the University of Pittsburgh, Emory University, Dickinson College and EcoData Technology.
The team develops interactive decision-support tools — Beescape, BeeSpatial and BeeWinterwise — to help growers, beekeepers, conservationists and policymakers forecast how climate and land use affect pollinators and crop yields.
Integrated Team Award
Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology, Adrian Barragan, associate research professor and extension veterinarian, and Maria Gorgo-Simcox, horticulture extension educator, received the Integrated Team Award for research and outreach benefiting Spanish-speaking farmworkers in Pennsylvania’s dairy, mushroom and fruit industries.
Their work addresses housing access, English language training and workplace safety. Projects include a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture grant on farmworker housing and a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal on workforce microcredentials. They also engage students in community-based learning and English tutoring programs.
High-Impact Research Publication Awards
Five research groups received High-Impact Research Publication Awards, recognizing peer-reviewed research that demonstrates significant impact. The award categories, papers and departments are as follows:
Biodiversity: “Leaf shelters facilitate the colonisation of arthropods and enhance microbial diversity on Plants,” published in Ecology Letters. This research was led by faculty in the Department of Entomology.
One Health: “Preexisting immunity to the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus reduces susceptibility to H5N1 infection and disease in ferrets,” published in Science Translational Medicine, and led by faculty in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.
Human and Community Dynamics: “Women farmers and community well‐being under modeling uncertainty,” published in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. Faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education spearheaded this study.
Integrated Ecosystems: “Quantifying soil moisture and evapotranspiration heterogeneity within a solar farm: Implications for stormwater management,” published in the Journal of Hydrology and conducted by faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.
Nutritional and Food Security: “Light intensity and zinc biofortification differentially impact the metabolomic profile of pea microgreens,” published in Food Chemistry. This study was conducted by faculty in the Department of Plant Science.
Roy C. Buck Award
Ryan Thombs, assistant professor of rural sociology, received the Roy C. Buck Award for research in the social sciences. His paper, “Do industrial decarbonization policies deliver? A global assessment of policy effectiveness across 150 nations, 1990-2020,” published in Environmental Research Letters, evaluated more than 700 policies over 30 years.
The study found that fiscal tools, such as payments, financing and taxation, along with strategic planning, are most effective in reducing emissions, with lasting impacts of up to 18 years.