Showing Their Teachers Some Love

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

Everyone who has ever attended school has memories of one or more teachers who really made a difference in your life. Maybe he or she sparked your creativity, helped you over a difficult academic hurtle, forced you to question your assumptions, or took an interest and let you know that you and your success mattered.

Every year, NC State University gives our students an opportunity to honor teachers who have made a difference in student’s lives with the “Thank A Teacher” program.

The College of Natural Resources is excited that students have honored 14 of our faculty this year. Our students expressed appreciation for – “Unwavering loyalty to students, Professionalism, Going beyond the call to ensure that students are successful, Making a difficult course as fun as possible, A good attitude, approachability and fairness, Enthusiasm and dedication, Taking the time as an advisor to get to know what I’m looking for in terms of college goals and post-graduation activities, Keeping me motivated, Making learning easy and fulfilling, Ready response to all our questions and emails,” and more. One student wrapped up his comments with, “Thanks a million for everything that it is you do, keep giving, it makes a difference.”

Our congratulations to:
Gary Blank, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Kim Bush, Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management
Heather Cheshire, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Chris Deperno, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Thomas Easley, Dean’s Office/Community for Diversity
Ryan Emanuel, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Richard Lemaster, Forest Biomaterials
Terrie Litzenberger, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Melissa Mchale, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Annette Moore, Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management
Janell Moretz, Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management
Stacy A.C. Nelson, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Larry Nielsen, Forestry & Environmental Resources
David Tilotta, Forest Biomaterials

“We are proud of our tradition of teaching excellence and the welcoming and supportive environment engendered by the faculty and staff of our college. On behalf of our whole faculty, staff, students and alumni, I thank these teachers for their excellent effort.”
– Dean Bob Brown

“Thank A Teacher” recipients receive a letter of congratulations from the University Provost which includes one or more quote from student letters of appreciation, and recognition at the Office of Faculty Development’s Teaching and Learning Symposium during Spring Semester.

Learn more about NC State’s commitment to teaching excellence at the Office of Faculty Development website.

Learn more about the College of Natural Resources at NC State University

College Welcomes Distinguished Visitors

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

The conferring of honorary doctorate degrees at NC State’s Winter Commencement brought the opportunity to welcome two distinguished visitors to the College of Natural Resources.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and NC State alumnus Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, a worldwide leader in the study of climate change, was on campus to accept his honorary degree and to deliver the commencement address. While campus he visited CNR to greet old friends and to learn more about the innovative work our scientists, policy experts and extension professionals are doing in the areas of forest biomass and renewable energy.

After accepting an honorary doctorate at university commencement, Robert G. Stanton, joined CNR for the college diploma ceremony where he addressed our new graduates and their families. Stanton is senior advisor to the secretary of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior and was both the first African-American director of the National Park Service and the first director to have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Renowned for his dedication to parks, his advocacy of opportunities for youth and his efforts to increase diversity in our national parks – Stanton shared a bit of his own experiences and commended the graduates on their achievements. In his inspirational remarks, he stressed education and service as the crucial foundation upon which to build successful lives and careers.

Conifer Translational Genomics Network Project Receives USDA Secretary’s Honor Award

Posted on September 21, 2011 by

Conifer Translational Genetics Network team with United States Department of Agriculture 63rd Secretary’s Annual Honor Awards held in the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

Front Row, L to R: Fikret Isik(NC State), Deputy Secretary Merrigan, Nicholas Wheeler(adjunct - NC State & Oregon State), and Jill Wegrzyn(UC-Davis). Back row, L to R: Ross Whetten(NC State), Konstantin Krutovsky(Texas A&M), and Randy Johnson(US Forest Service) USDA photo by Bob Nichols

The Conifer Translational Genomics Network Coordinated Agricultural Project (CTGN -CAP) was honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC on September 14, 2011 with the prestigious 2011 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary’s Honor Award in the category of Ensuring our national forests and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change, while enhancing our water resources.

Dr. Nick Wheeler with USDA Sec, Vilsack and Dept. Sec. MErrigan

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (l) and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan (r), with Dr. Nick Wheeler (c) representing the CTGN Team. USDA photo by Lance Cheung

These awards are the most prestigious Departmental awards presented by the Secretary of Agriculture and recognize exceptional leadership, contributions, or public service by individuals or groups who support the mission/goals of the USDA.

The CTGN CAP is an integrated research, education, and extension project aimed at maintaining or restoring healthy forests and ecosystems by bringing genomic-assisted breeding to applications in the United States. The multi-state, multi-institution project is funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the USDA Forest Service. The CTGN draws from or delivers to virtually all conifer genomics scientists and tree breeders in the United States.

Project team members represent five universities, the Texas Forest Service, and the United States Forest Service. Additional guidance and feedback comes from advisory committees: a Scientific Advisory Board, an Extension Committee, and an Education Committee. Project evaluation for extension and education activities is provided by an independent evaluator from Cedar Lake Research Group, LLC.

Team members from NC State University’s Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources include: Dr. Steve McKeand, Dr. Ross Whetten, Dr. Fikret Isik, Dr. J.B. Jett, Dr. Nicholas Wheeler, Joshua Steiger, Jaime Zapata, Funda Ogut, W. Patrick Cumbie, Jin (Sherry) Xiong.

Drs. Whetten, Isik and Wheeler from the NC State team made the trip to DC for the awards ceremony and reception with Secretary Vilsack.

More Information about The Conifer Translational Genomics Network Coordinated Agricultural Project

See more photos from the US Department of Agriculture 63rd Secretary’s Annual Honor Awards in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Septemeber 14, 2011.

NC State Environmental Technology and Management student receives Environmental Scholarship Award from RTP Chapter of AHMP

Posted on September 10, 2011 by rwgonzal

Emily Forbes, junior in Environmental Technology and Management, is presented with her scholarship award from the RTP Chapter of the Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals.

News Release – The Research Triangle Park, NC Chapter of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP-RTP) announces the selection of Ms. Emily Forbes as the recipient of the Chapter 2011 Environmental Scholarship Award. This annual $500 scholarship is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student demonstrating outstanding academic merit and a strong interest in pursuing a career related to protecting the environment.

Ms. Forbes is an undergraduate student in the Environmental Technology and Management program at North Carolina State University, entering her junior year in the fall of 2011. Her interests include monitoring, assessing, remediating, and managing water resources.

In addition to a $500 award, the Environmental Scholarship includes a complimentary one-year RTP Chapter of AHMP membership and free attendance to Chapter luncheon meetings. Winners of the Environmental Scholarship Award are encouraged to participate in RTP Chapter activities and present on a topic associated with their studies at a general membership lunch meeting.

The AHMP was established in 1985 as the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) and is a non-profit membership organization for Certified Hazardous Materials Managers and hazardous material professionals. The AHMP fosters expertise in the fields of environmental health and safety, regulatory compliance and policy, science and technology, as well as materials handling, chemical emergency response, and remediation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Todd Thornton, AHMP-RTP Chapter Secretary
todd.thornton@arcadis-us.com

Terrie Litzenberger, Program Coordinator, Environmental Technology and Management
terri_litzenberger@ncsu.edu

Henderson Honored for Revolutionizing Leisure Studies Research

Posted on August 25, 2011 by

Dr. Karla Henderson accepts an honorary doctorate from the University of Waterloo in 2011

Karla Henderson poses with (left to right) Prem Watsa, chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and Feridun Hamdullahpur, president of the University of Waterloo.

According to the University of Waterloo in Canada – Dr. Karla Henderson, a professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at North Carolina State University, is widely regarded as the dominant scholar in examining leisure and gender and leisure and people on the margins of society.

This summer, Waterloo awarded Henderson an honorary doctor of science degree in recognition of her many contributions as scholar, advocate, academic leader and community builder.

During Waterloo’s convocation ceremony, Henderson addressed graduates of the Faculties of Applied Health Sciences and Environment.

Henderson has a lengthy relationship with Waterloo’s recreation and leisure studies department. A leading researcher – Henderson has published more than a dozen books, four dozen book chapters and about 150 peer-reviewed papers, has held leadership positions in professional organizations and has received numerous prestigious awards for both teaching and research. She teaches primarily graduate courses in recreation and leisure theory and qualitative research methods in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at North Carolina State University .

About Waterloo
The University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada’s Technology Triangle, is one of Canada’s leading comprehensive universities and is known for the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, supports enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery.

More About Dr. Henderson

Read the Waterloo Press Release