Quarterly CFANS awards roundup | Q4 2024

January 23, 2025
Student Life
Campus Affairs
Roundup award winners
Left to right: Featured award recipients Roger Becker, Patrice Banks, Jacob Harbaugh and Rebecca Swenson

In our quarterly celebration of award recipients across CFANS, we recognize students, faculty, and staff who've received significant accolades. Congratulations to all recipients — we're #CFANSProud of you! The list below highlights awards received and/or announced in October through December 2024.

University Awards

Beyond the University

  • National Teaching Award for Food & Agricultural Sciences, USDA: Rebecca Swenson, Agricultural Education, Communications, and Marketing
  • Finance & Commerce’s “Rising Young Professionals” for 2024: Patrice Banks (‘14, B.S. Animal Science, ‘21, M.S.), Program Director for Spark-Y 
  • 2024 Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) Presidential Award: James Anderson, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
  • 2024 Crop Science Society of America Meeting, 1st Place Graduate Student Oral Presentation: Jonathan Cors, Horticultural Science
  • 2024 Excellence In Dietary Guidance Award - The American Public Health Association |  Food and Nutrition (FN) Section: Abby Gold, Food Science and Nutrition
  • 20th Merle Howard Award, 2024 World Dairy Expo: Jacob Harbaugh, sophomore, Animal Science
  • Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award, Izaak Walton League of America: Julia Bohnen, MAISRC
  • Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council (MISAC) Carol Mortensen Lifetime Achievement Award: Roger Becker, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
  • North Central American Association for Agricultural Education Outstanding Teacher Award: Laura L. Rice, Agricultural Education, Communications, and Marketing
  • North Central Weed Science Society Weed Contest 2024
    • 3rd place Best Team Award in the North Central region: Sithin Mathew, Navjot Singh, Eric Yu, Datta Chiruvelli, Debalin Sarangi (Coach), Agronomy and Plant Genetics
    • Individual Best Student for Weed Identification: Sithin Mathew
  • Entomological Society of America (ESA) 2024 Awards: 
    • Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension: Elaine Evans, Entomology
    • P-IE Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology Award: Jenalyn Ostendorf, Entomology
    • P-IE Lifetime Achievement Award in Entomology: William Hutchison, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Graduate P-IE: Biocontrol - Parasitoids: Sarah von Gries, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Graduate P-IE: Insecticide Resistance, 1st Place: Tatum Dwyer, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Graduate P-IE: IPM - Field Crops 1, 1st place: Hunter Ness, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Graduate SysEB: Ecology, 2nd place: Alyssa Gooding, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Graduate SysEB: Systematics and Evolution, 2nd place: Laura Fricke, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Undergraduate PBT: Behavior, Chemical Ecology, and Physiology, 2nd place: Pablo Stilwell, Entomology
    • Presidents Prize for Undergraduate P-IE: Behavior, Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Conservation, 1st place: Jenalyn Ostendorf, Entomology
  • North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) Professional Development Program Award: Adria Fernandez, Horticultural Science

To submit awards for inclusion in the next roundup, please complete this form and be sure to select the "Share an award recipient and corresponding award information" drop-down option. The next roundup will be published on our website in early January and will include awards received and/or announced in January through March 2025.