Mississippi State celebrates research success with annual banquet
Contact: Jim Laird
![Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum (l-r) congratulates 2018 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award winner Wes Schilling, a professor of food science, nutrition and health promotion. Joining them at today's [April 16] annual research awards banquet for faculty, staff and students are Greg Bohach, the vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine, and David Shaw, the vice president for research and economic development. (Photo by Beth Wynn)](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/inline-images/Powe_Award-Wes_Schilling_20180416_B5W0777news-full.jpg "Powe research award")
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ore than 50 Mississippi State students, faculty and staff are 2018 selections for exceptional research and leadership honors.
汤头条 President Mark E. Keenum welcomed honorees, their guests and senior administrators to a celebration of the university鈥檚 research achievements during a campus awards luncheon today [April 16] in the Hunter Henry Center鈥檚 Hal and Linda Parker Ballroom.
Keenum praised them for their work and far-reaching impact in the state, the nation and globally 鈥 noting that each one is a 鈥渢ruly outstanding contributor.鈥
Wes Schilling, a professor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, was recognized with the afternoon鈥檚 top honor鈥攖he 2018 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award.
聽鈥淲e congratulate Dr. Schilling on this very well-deserved honor,鈥 said Greg Bohach, vice president for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at 汤头条.
The program and banquet are co-sponsored by the offices of the vice presidents for Research and Economic Development and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.
Since joining the 汤头条 faculty in 2003, Schilling has developed five courses that focus on hands-on experiences and real world examples that greatly benefit his students. He also has completed a sabbatical at Johnsonville Sausage, which helped him learn to better design research projects to impact business decisions. He has served as the graduate student advisor for 34 students, with 28 graduate degrees conferred to these students to date.
His research focuses on sensory science, meat processing (poultry, beef, pork and catfish), meat quality, flavor chemistry, proteomics and statistical methods. His specific research program on sensory research, broiler meat quality, and relationships between sensory quality, flavor chemistry, and consumer science studies have earned him numerous university and national awards.
Schilling has secured more than $2.8 million in funding for his laboratory, while working in conjunction with administrators and scientists in securing over $6 million. He has published more than 125 peer reviewed journal papers since 2003, and more than 60 since 2012. Since 2008, he also has published 15 chapters in textbooks, including eight in the 6th edition of 鈥淧rinciples of Food Sanitation,鈥 which was published this spring. He has presented more than 120 papers at professional meetings. He has written more than 50 invited articles for trade magazines.
In addition to the Powe recognition, the Virginia Tech doctoral graduate has been awarded the 汤头条 Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award, the Achievement Award by the American Meat Science Association, the MAFES Outstanding Research Award, the Rosalind and Rodney Foil Teamwork Award, the Gamma Sigma Delta Excellence in Research Award, the Recent Alumnus Award for CALS at Virginia Tech, and the 汤头条 CALS/MAFES Outstanding Research Award.
The Powe Award is a memorial to the 汤头条 alumnus and longtime research vice president who died in 1996. It is selected at the university level from nominations received from the 汤头条 community.
The annual research awards program honors individuals who contribute significantly to 汤头条鈥檚 mission of research. In addition to faculty, it recognizes and rewards students and staff for accomplishments and creative endeavors, as well as for increasing awareness of the university鈥檚 many research programs and capabilities.
鈥淭he Annual Research Awards Banquet is a highlight of the academic year at Mississippi State, and it showcases the extraordinary diversity of our research portfolio,鈥 said David Shaw, the university鈥檚 vice president for research and economic development.
Other 2018 research award winners include (alphabetically, by academic unit):
鈥擝agley College of Engineering: Yucheng Liu, faculty; Sandra Ortega-Achury, research support; Zhiyong Gong, graduate student; and Dennison Iacomini, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station: Raja Reddy, faculty; Thomas Horgan, research support; Cathurika Wijewardana, graduate student; and Hunt Walne, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Architecture, Art and Design: Jamie Burwell Mixon, faculty; Jacob 鈥淪cott鈥 Hudspeth, research support; and Carly Melton, graduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Arts and Sciences: Adam Skarke, faculty; Elizabeth Miller, research support; William David Harris, graduate student; and Nic Ezzell, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Business: Frank Adams, faculty; Schanna Beckham, research support; and Christian Barney, graduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Education: Daniel L. Gadke, faculty; Latara Arterberry, research support; Kasia Gallo, graduate student; and Allison Moore, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Forest Resources and Forest & Wildlife Research Center: Heather Alexander, faculty; Landis Herrin, research support; Carolina Baruzzi, graduate student; an Steven Wood, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Veterinary Medicine: Barbara Kaplan, faculty; Leslie A. Shack, research support; Adef Kordon, graduate student; and Ethan T. Woodyard, undergraduate student.
鈥斕劳诽-Meridian: Mark Fincher, faculty, and Chris Kelly, graduate student.
鈥擮ffice of Research and Economic Development: Stephanie Hyche, research support, and Erin Walker Dillard, graduate student.
鈥擴niversity Centers and Institutes: Joby Czarnecki, faculty; Louis Wasson, research support; Chris Zarzar, graduate student; and Cary McCraine, undergraduate student.
Mississippi State鈥檚 success with developing intellectual property and licensing new technology also was part of the day鈥檚 celebration as four inventors were recognized for obtaining patents in Fiscal Year 2017:
鈥擲hien Lu, professor, biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology.
鈥擬ark White, professor emeritus, Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.
鈥擩ilei Zhang, professor, Forest & Wildlife Research Center, sustainable bioproducts.
鈥擜nd the late William P. 鈥淏ill鈥 Henry, a longtime member of the faculty in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Chemistry.
Also honored were new graduates of the university鈥檚 2017-2018 Dean Wallace Colvard Faculty Leadership Program:
鈥擲hrinidhi Ambinakudige, associate professor, geosciences.
鈥擝rian Baldwin, professor, plant and soil sciences.
鈥擟indy Bethel, associate professor, computer science and engineering.
鈥擥uihong Bi, research professor, plant and soil sciences.
鈥擲tephen Brain, associate professor, history.
鈥擩enny Du, professor, electrical and computer engineering.
鈥擠avid Hoffman, associate professor, anthropology and Middle Eastern cultures.
鈥擳.J. Jankun-Kelly, associate professor, computer science and engineering.
鈥擝indu Nanduri, associate professor, College of Veterinary Medicine Basic Science Department.
鈥擬ichael Seymour, associate professor, landscape architecture.
鈥擫esley Strawderman, associate professor, industrial and systems engineering.
鈥擩ohn Wyatt, associate professor, instructional systems and workforce development.
Learn more about the Office of Research and Economic Development at or the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .