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Department News

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AEC folks win prestigious college awards

Posted April 11, 2008

We are pleased to announce that four people with AEC connections have recently been selected to receive major college awards. Five teaching assistants from the AEC Department have been selected to receive a UF Graduate Student Teaching Award since 1999. The following recipients won awards this year:

Roslynn Brain, a third-year PhD student in AEC with a focus in extension education, will receive the Jack L. Fry Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching presented by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). Only one such award is presented annually in the College to a graduate student who has demonstrated exceptional skill as a teacher. Ros is from Ontario, Canada and serves as the lead instructor for AEE 3030C, Effective Oral Communication. Dr. Tracy Irani serves as her academic advisor.

Kelvin Moreno, a junior in the agricultural education specialization, has been selected as a finalist for the E. T. York Jr. Medal of Excellence. This award is presented annually to a junior enrolled in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences with an exemplary academic record and outstanding leadership experiences. Kelvin transferred into our department last fall from Miami-Dade College and has quickly assumed leadership roles in Collegiate FFA, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and numerous other campus and industry organizations.

Brittney Saranko, a senior in our agricultural communication specialization, has been selected as a finalist for the J. Wayne Reitz Medal of Excellence Outstanding Senior Award. This award is made annually to a senior within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in recognition of an exemplary academic record and outstanding leadership. Brittney is from Plant City, Florida and entered our program as a freshman in 2004.

We are very pleased to announce that Ros Brain, has also been selected to receive a 2007-08 UF Graduate Student Teaching Award for her outstanding teaching performance in AEE 3030C, Effective Oral Communication. Each year the campus selects only 20 graduate assistants for this recognition from among the nearly 2,000 TAs eligible for this award. AEE 3030C enrolls approximately 225 students each semester in a lecture/lab format, and Ros is serving as the lead lecturer for the second time this semester. This is the second major teaching award that Ros will receive this semester, having recently been announced as the recipient of the of the Jack L. Fry Graduate Teaching Award presented by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

In addition to the above recognitions earned by current AEC students, Emily Eubanks has been selected to receive the CALS Alumni and Friends Horizon Award, which is presented annually to a CALS graduate within the last 10 years who has made outstanding contributions as a leader in agricultural and life sciences industries and professions. Emily holds the B.S. (2001) and M.S. (2004) degrees in AEC with a focus in agricultural communication and is currently an Educational Media and Communications Coordinator in the Department of Environmental Horticulture, Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology. She previously worked as an educational training specialist for Publix. Emily will receive her award at the 2008 UF/IFAS TailGATOR event on November 15.

Wedgworth Leadership Institute Class Visits Tallahassee

Posted April 11, 2008

The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources recently held Class VII’s Seminar IV in Tallahassee, Florida. Participants were able to learn about the state legislature process, meet with lobbyists and members of the legislature, learn about some of the major issues of this legislative session, and attend the Florida Farm Bureau Reception. During this seminar, Dr. Hannah Carter was interviewed by an AgNet Online reporter to discuss the opportunities of the program. To learn more about the experiences from the Class VII members, visit the WLIANR website to read the “Let’s Reflect” newsletter.

AgNet interview with Dr. Carter

WLI Newsletter

Students and Faculty Win Awards at SAAS in Dallas

Posted Feb. 15, 2007

Ag Ed Section of SAAS (American Association for Agricultural Education)

Posters 2nd Runner Up, Innovative Division – Lucas Maxwell, Developing a Comprehensive Recruitment Program: The Top Ten Things Deans/ Department Chairs Should Know

grad students with poster

1st Runner Up, Research Division – Matt Benge, Diane Mashburn, Dr. Amy Harder, Extension Education Within the Land-Grant University System

Outstanding Poster, Research Division – Dr. Brian Myers and Dr. Anna Ball, Codifying the Wisdom of Expert Teacher Practice in Agriscience Fair Projects Research Paper Presentations

2nd Runner Up (graduate student division) – Dr. Shannon Arnold and Drs. Nick Place, Ed Osborne, Glenn Israel, and Saundra TenBroeck - Influences on Florida Agricultural Extension Agents’ Decisions to Remain in the Extension Organization

2nd Runner Up (graduate student division) – Ann De Lay and Dr. Shannon Washburn, Identifying Early Career Secondary Teachers’ Needs and Preferences for Support Awards

Southern Region AAAE Outstanding Teaching Award – Dr. Anna Ball Elections (Southern Region AAAE faculty representatives)

Program Improvement Committee – Amy Harder Research Committee – Nicole Stedman

Professional Development Committee – Tracy Irani

In addition, Jim Dyer completed his second and final year as AAAE Southern Region Vice President

Ag Communication Section of SAAS (Association for Communication Excellence)

Outstanding Research Poster – Katie Chodil, Courtney Meyers, and Dr. Tracy Irani Cultivating Communication: Evaluation of an Extension Home Horticulture Radio Show

Outstanding Student Research Paper - Courtney Meyers and Katie Chodil, Feeding the Debate: A Framing Analysis of the News Media Coverage of Organic Food

Outstanding Professional Paper - Lisa Hightower, Dr. Ricky Telg, Courtney Meyers, Dr. Tracy Irani, Dr. Maria Gallo, UF’s Scientific Thinking and Educational Partnership: An Approach for Genetics Outreach

WLI Hosts International Leadership Meeting

Posted Nov. 29, 2007

The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLI) hosted the annual directors meeting for the International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leaders (IAPAL) in Miami, Florida in October. Directors and staff from all over the world came together to discuss their own programs and to learn what each other are doing to continually improve their own programs. Continuing directors look to help new directors and upcoming programs such as South Carolina and Alberta to gain more knowledge and advice in developing their new programs in order to sustain the growth and development of leaders in agriculture throughout the US and other countries across the world. The director of WLI brought in speakers to present issues surrounding the Miami area as well as the rest of Florida, as well as motivational speaker and the sister of an alumnus from WLI, Dr. Mary Guy Miller of Blacksburg, Virginia.

Hartmann in Ethiopia

Posted Oct. 4,2007

At the invitation of PROLINNOVA International our own Marta Hartmann participated in the three-week “Participatory Innovation for Development (PID): A Training of Facilitators” course in Addis Ababa this summer. In mid-July, Hartmann and 17 other participants representing 7 African and 3 Latin-American countries convened at the Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA) Training Center for the event.

hartmannThe International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) facilitated the PROLINNOVA-sponsored training. The course primarily focused on the competencies in supporting local innovation in agriculture and natural resource management. It provided participants an understanding of socio-organizational arrangements needed to regulate the use of natural resources, tap into the social capital within communities and discover new ways of stakeholder interactions that encourage local innovation development.

Throughout the course PID specialists from ETC EcoCulture and the Centre for International Cooperation, NGOs from the Netherlands, as well as the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) visited with the participants. Hartmann regards the required field practicum as one of the most valuable components of the course. Elected team leader, Hartmann and her group conducted fieldwork in communities in the vicinity of the city of Ambo, west of the Ethiopian capital. While in Addis Ababa, Hartmann was invited by PROLINNOVA-Ethiopia to participate in a panel discussion on innovation systems approach.

“The PROLINNOVA/PID network developed in Ethiopia represents a tremendous resource for future potential collaborations” Marta Hartmann stated.

At the invitation of the Red de Acción en Agricultura Alternativa, one of PROLINNOVA’s major collaborators in South America, Hartmann will participate in the Technologies and Participatory Innovation Development (PID) for Rural Development in Latin-America international seminar next month in Lima, Peru.

STEP launches videos on YouTube

Posted August 16, 2007

step logoSTEP (Scientific Thinking & Educational Partnership) videos are up on YouTube. STEP is a special program hosted by our department. 40 videos have been produced and 16 are up for viewing on YouTube. See the videos.

ACLT members successful at National ACT Conference

Posted August 16, 2007

The following UF Agricultural Communicators and Leaders of Tomorrow members received awards at the 2007 National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow conference in Louisville a few weeks ago:

  • Sara Shepherd: 1st, other photo
  • Megan Crandall: 2nd, animal photo
  • Angelina Toomey: 2nd, advertisement

Katelyn Crow was elected 2nd vice president for the National ACT organization for 2007-08.

UF’s ACLT chapter also will be in charge of the Livestock Publications Council’s Critique and Contest for the next three years.