By Blake Jackson
The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment recently recognized faculty members for excellence in research and Extension, highlighting their impact on agriculture and communities across the state.
“It is a great honor to recognize faculty at all career stages who are serving the people of Kentucky by excelling in the triad of activities critical to achieving the college’s research and extension missions — procurement of funding, generation and dissemination of scientific discoveries and application of these discoveries,” said James Matthews, associate dean for research at Martin-Gatton CAFE.
Tyler Barzee received the Early Career Faculty Research Award for his work using microbes in bioprocessing and circular bioeconomy systems.
“There are a lot of opportunities to question yourself when doing a job like this for the first time, and it was extremely fulfilling and validating to be recognized in this way,” Barzee said.
“I am proud of my lab and all the people who worked just as hard as me to do important work while upholding a supportive and happy team culture.”
“I am always excited to show our current students the huge breadth of topics I have been able to work on in this area and also spread the word to more students looking for a way to join engineering with food systems and sustainability,” Barzee said.
Nicholas Teets earned the Mid-Career Faculty Research Award for studying insect responses to extreme temperatures.
“So many awesome things are happening in the college, so it is an honor to be recognized with this award,” Teets said. “Mid-career can be a tricky time to navigate, and I’m glad our college leaders are dedicating an award to faculty who maintain their momentum during this period.”
“Much of the credit for this award goes to the fantastic people who carry out the studies in the lab,” Teets said.
Clare Rittschof was honored for excellence in grantsmanship.
“This is an exciting honor. Grant writing is a difficult part of the job; it feels great to be recognized for a job well done,” Rittschof said. “I’m looking forward to trying new things. Scientists have to take a lot of risks, which is daunting but exciting.”
Hongyan Zhu received recognition for research on plant-bacteria symbiosis.
“Root nodule symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria plays a vital role in sustainable agriculture,” Zhu said.
“A key feature of this partnership is its high specificity — only certain plant–bacteria pairs can form effective, nitrogen-fixing nodules. Our research focuses on understanding how this specificity is established, which is essential for overcoming these biological barriers.”
“I am grateful to my students, collaborators and colleagues for their support and contributions to this work,” Zhu said. “It is very encouraging to have our research recognized, and this recognition motivates me to continue pursuing meaningful discoveries.”
Michelle Arnold earned the Research/Extension Impact Award.
“I was honored to receive it and quite surprised. Veterinarians are familiar with me and our lab. There is no hesitation to reach out for help on tough cases when they need it. Diagnostic assays for food animals are changing rapidly across our industry,” Arnold said.
“I look forward to keeping up with the changes and offering those options to our veterinary community to enhance their service to producers.”
Photo Credit: university-of-kentucky
Categories: Kentucky, Business, Education