2013-14 Distinguished Service Award winners announced

May 20, 2014

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the 2013-14 recipients of the ANR Distinguished Service Awards, which are given biennially for outstanding contributions to the teaching, research and public service mission of the Division.

Awards were given in six areas:

  • Outstanding Extension – Eric Mussen, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis for bees.
  • Outstanding Research – Mark Battany, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara countiesfor viticulture.
  • Outstanding New Academic – David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Merced County for nut crops
  • Outstanding Team – Ken Tate, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, and Rob Atwill, director of Veterinary Medicine Extension at UC Davis, are the recipients of the Outstanding Team Award. Since 1994, Tate and Atwill have collaborated on a series of projects assessing the potential risk to rangeland surface-water quality and human health from livestock associated pollutants. 
  • Outstanding Leader – Pamela Geisel, former director of the statewide UC Master Gardener Program. Although Pam retired recently, since this nomination package was very strong, I believe it's appropriate and important to give Pam this much-deserved award. 
  • Outstanding Staff – Michael Yang, UCCE agricultural assistant in Fresno County for small farms.

Each of the recipients will receive $2,000 and a certificate, except for the team award recipients, who will receive individual certificates and share $5,000.

The DSA nominations were reviewed by the Academic Assembly Council Program Committee, which gave me its recommendations. The committee was chaired by Joe Grant and included Rachel Surls, Becky Westerdahl, Scott Oneto and Jennifer Heguy.

On behalf of ANR, I thank the DSA recipients for providing excellent service to the people of California. I hope you will join me in congratulating them on this well-deserved recognition.

Barbara Allen-Diaz
Vice President

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