Quarterly CFANS awards roundup | Q3 2026

October 12, 2026
Campus Affairs

In our quarterly celebration of award recipients across CFANS, we recognize students, faculty, staff, and alumni who've received significant accolades. Congratulations to all — we're #CFANSProud of you! The list below highlights awards received and/or announced in July through September 2026.

University Awards

  • Distinguished Extension Faculty Award: Vasudha Sharma, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate — Honored at the 2026 All Extension Conference.
  • 2026 Research Technical Staff Award:
    • Samantha (Sam) Getty, Bell Museum — Recognized for transformative operational leadership, standardizing specimen curation across bird and mammal collections, and founding the "Carcass Crew" student mentorship program.
    • Taylor Otness, Department of Food Science and Nutrition — Honored for exceptional technical expertise, facility management, and operational leadership across pilot plant operations and industry scale-up projects at the Plant Protein Innovation Center.
    • Kelley Wells, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate — Recognized for pioneering contributions to satellite-based atmospheric chemistry modeling, federal research leadership, and sustained educational service.

Beyond the University

  • 2026 Distinguished Mycologist Award: Bob Blanchette, Department of Plant Pathology — Bestowed by the Mycological Society of America in recognition of a truly distinguished career in mycology research and service. 
  • Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators Presidential Award of Merit: Mary Buschette, CFANS Director of Alumni & Constituent Relations — Awarded to individuals who have served Ag Ed in some type of administrative nature, gone above and beyond the normal, or have made a significant contribution to Ag Ed in Minnesota.
  • National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo: University of Minnesota Dairy Cattle Judging Team — Placed 1st Team Overall, winning their fourth consecutive national championship by a 41-point margin, along with 1st Team Oral Reasons, 1st Team Placings, 1st Team Brown Swiss, 1st Team Jersey, 1st Team Milking Shorthorn, 2nd Team Guernsey, and 5th Team Holstein. Individual highlights include Jacob Harbaugh (1st Overall), Rachel Visser (4th Overall), Evan Hathaway (9th Overall), and Tyler Ratka (13th Reasons). Coached by Dr. Les Hansen, Dr. Isaac Haagen, Eric Houdek, and Gabriella Houdek.
  • National Turkey Federation Research Award: Anup Kollanoor Johny, Department of Animal Science — Honored by the Poultry Science Association for advancing turkey microbial food safety through practical, science-based Salmonella mitigation strategies across the preharvest–postharvest continuum.
  • SSSA Fellow: Julie Grossman, Department of Horticultural Science — Named Fellow by the Soil Science Society of America, the society's highest honor recognizing outstanding achievements, service, and leadership in soil science.
  • Yidan Prize for Education Research: Paul Glewwe, Department of Applied Economics — Awarded the highest accolade in global education research for groundbreaking work promoting evidence-based education solutions and collaboration. 

 

To submit awards for inclusion in the next roundup, please complete this form and select "Share an award recipient and corresponding award information." The next roundup will include awards received and/or announced in October through December 2026.