DEPARTMENT OF CROP AND SOIL SCIENCES
FACULTY NEWS
July 2006
Russell R. Hahn received the Northeastern Weed Science society Outstanding Educator Award in Providence, Rhode Island during the Society's 60th annual meeting this past January. The Outstanding Educator Award was established to recognize contributions to outreach education or resident instruction in weed science and weed management. Criteria for the award include: significant impact on an educational program on weed management practices in the Northeast; and/or enhanced weed managment systems in the Northeast and/or excellence in teaching of weed science and weed management, as evidenced by innovative teaching methods or significant impact on their audiences.
The Award presenter noted Dr. Hahn's many contributions as an extension educator and researcher providing the agronomic crop growers of the Northeast with valuable information for weed control programs. Dr. Hahn was also instrumental in establishing new methods to reach his audience such as What's Cropping Up?, a bi-monthly newsletter for New York field crops and soils in 1990, and has contributed 46 articles since that time. This publication was recognized with a "Certificate of Excellence" in the newsletter category by the American Society of Agronomy Educational Materials Awards Program in 1997.
Some of the other points mentioned include: 1) being faculty corrdinator for the annual edition of the Cornell Guide for Integrated Field Crop Management and Field Crop Dealer Meetings; 2) serving and chairing numerous committees in weed societies, college and state agencies and organizations that contributed to the education of growers in IPM and weed management.
Chuck Mohler received a 3 year grant (with Toni DiTommaso as co-PI) from SARE-NE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Educafion - Northeast Program). The title of the project is “Ecologically Based Weed Management: A Manual and Training Program for Farm Advisors”. The award is for $129,670.
Johannes Lehmann was invited by the Soil Science Department at North Carolina State University to give the annual Willie Woltz Endowed Lectureship on March 20 -21, 2006. Johannes presented one talk on Soil organic matter stabilization and destabilization: nano-scale observations; and a second lecture one day later on Terra Preta de Indio of the Amazon: prehistoric curio or future land use model? It was a stimulating and very interesting experience to meet the faculty and students of this department with a grand history of soil science research (and a lot of good stories from Stan Buol over a glass of beer).
At the Annual Meeting of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in St. Louis, MO, February 15-19, 2006.
Johannes Lehmann gave an invited presentation on Terra Preta: Meeting Challenges of Soil Degradation and Climate Change. The
session received much interest and a separate Press Conference was held that precipitated many press releases and newspaper
articles (http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/AAAS2006/AAASmeeting2006.htm). The participants also organized a great tour to the famous Cahokia settlements located right outside St. Louis, and made sure that enough drinks were available to combat the cold weather. And again, the rise of the supposedly largest settlement in North America during pre-European times had all to do with the
development of agriculture.
Johannes Lehmann was invited to give the opening keynote address at the Annual User Meeting of the newly operational Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on November 18-19, 2005. Johannes made a case for the importance of synchrotron light sources for the study of soils and the opportunities for such facilities to support soil science research during his talk Synchrotron- based Spectroscopy in Soil Research. The take-home messages: Saskatchewan is pretty flat and far away from Ithaca, but the CLS is a great facility.
Johannes Lehmann has been named the 2006 recipient of the Young Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognizes faculty who have been outstanding teachers in the first five years ofCALS teaching. Congratulations!
Art Lembo was awarded the 2006 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award from the State University of New York recognizes faculty for dedication and excellence in teaching, as well as sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of students.
Ralph Obendorf was awarded the 2006 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. This award is from the State University of NewYork and is based on peer nominations for excellence in research activities.
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