Winners of 2020 UM System President’s Awards Announced

Since joining Mizzou in 2014, Dr. Landor has pushed researchers, academics and the public to think in new and more complex ways about discrimination. Her nationally-recognized work seeks to understand how skin tone and colorism (discrimination based on how dark or light a person is) are related to family functioning, romantic relationships and personal health. As one of few experts in this area, Dr. Landor has made a major impact, publishing on average more than four articles of primary research each year and receiving recognition from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) and the Society for Research in Child Development, two of the most prominent organizations in the field of human development and family science. She also engages in mentorship of African American undergraduate and graduate students on campus and works tirelessly to inform public discussions around race and skin tone. Dr. Landor’s work in Ferguson and at the University during moments of unrest over racial issues has built a community dialogue that encourages critical thinking and empathic rationality when facing emotionally volatile and often divisive issues. Dr. Landor is one of Mizzou’s finest scholars, recognized by her peers and students as an expert, and dedicated to improving society by helping our community think carefully about race, colorism and relationships.

Soon after joining the MU College of Arts and Science in 2018, Dr. Kim was recognized as an exceptionally brilliant and productive young faculty member. He studies the fundamental physics of magnetism and superconductivity, shedding light on how the technology can be applied in practical fields. Dr. Kim has conceived several energy-efficient devices that minimize or even eliminate energy losses that are a problem for conventional electronic devices, and developed an experimentally-confirmed theory that has opened new doors for using magnetic domain walls in information storage. Dr. Kim’s work is published in premier journals, including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Electronics and Nature Communications, is increasingly cited in the field and brings important recognition to the University. His research stature is affirmed by invitations to speak at prestigious institutions such as the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Northwestern University and others. He is also recognized for extensive collaborations with institutions across the world, such as UCLA, MIT and Kyoto University in Japan. Dr. Kim’s research performance, vivid imagination and creativity are an outstanding asset for the University of Missouri System and the worldwide physics community.

Dr. Bo tackles a crucial problem to the future of our nation: finding optimal, economically efficient strategies to operate, upgrade, protect, and manage our power infrastructure. He is uniquely qualified, with 8 years of industry experience with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) in addition to his academic career. Dr. Bo began at S&T in 2017, and since then he has been successful in securing external funding, gathering nearly $6 million in grant awards, including a prestigious DARPA Young Faculty Award. He works closely with collaborators, including those from top universities and companies in the field. As a productive researcher, he has published a book translation, a patent application, and over 40 articles in high-quality journals, in addition to supervising six PhD students. Dr. Bo is also the Founding Chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Task Force on Advanced Methods for Computational Intensive Power System Planning Applications, serves as an editor or associate editor for three top journals in the power area, served on the program committees of international conferences, served on multiple technical review panels, and much more. In all, Dr. Bo’s accomplishments are extraordinary for someone who has only been a faculty member for a few years.

Dr. Rezaei joined Missouri S&T in fall 2014, and works to develop advanced materials and processes for generating clean energy and sustainably producing chemicals. In her short time at S&T, she has proven to be a dedicated mentor by graduating three PhD and four MS students, and is currently managing six graduate students. Dr. Rezaei is an impressive and ambitious researcher whose endeavors include successful grant submissions to NSF and NASA, and also extend to industry outreach and collaborations with universities across the UM System and other institutions. Her work is widely recognized, including receiving the 2018 American Chemical Society (ACS) Energy & Fuels for Excellence in Publication award and the 2018 Young Scientist Paper Award from the International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology.Dr. Rezaei has filed 2 patents, 3 invention disclosures, 2 book chapters, and published 55 papers from her research lab at Missouri S&T. She was recently invited by International Adsorption Society (IAS) to give a webinar on structured adsorbents as part of IAS inaugural webinar series. She has been actively involved as session chair and organizer at ACS and AIChE conferences and serves as an editorial member of four journals. Her considerable research output is already making an impact. For example, NASA is interested in evaluating the novel contactors developed in her lab for their spacecraft life support system. The Early Career Excellence award is a testament to Dr. Rezaei’s remarkable achievements.

Dr. Rodgers has demonstrated exceptional talent and productivity during her long career at Mizzou. Her publications over the past 20 years attest to her prolific research in internet advertising, marketing and communications. Her work on grants has yielded nearly $30 million in federal and foundation grants from agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Cancer Institute and Missouri Foundation for Health. Dr. Rodgers has contributed to scholarship by serving on editorial boards for numerous journals and was recently selected as editor of the Journal of Advertising, the top journal in her field. She is an influential member of the academic community, serving as president of the American Academy of Advertising in 2010 and winning the 2019 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. Dr. Rodgers is also dedicated to student education, designing nine classes in her career, including a pioneering course in interactive advertising. Her work with hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students was recognized when she received the Kemper Award. Of all of these accomplishments, her continued growth and productivity speak most about her character. Despite being in the second decade of her career, Dr. Rodgers demonstrates her aw-inspiring dedication to scholarship by continuing to find a way to do more each year.

Dr. Spencer is an internationally recognized and respected leader in the fields of reproductive and developmental biology. The long-term goal of his work is to improve fertility and pregnancy outcomes in domestic animals and women. Indeed, he has a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health in the MU School of Medicine and is a Faculty Research Leader in the Precision Health Initiative.  In his 23-year career, he has originated widely accepted concepts and paradigm shifts, presented over 120 invited talks, and authored or coauthored over 330 scientific publications with a h-index of 100. In recognition of his significant contributions, he was inducted as a member of the highly prestigious National Academy of Sciences, selected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and received a Curators’ Professorship from the University of Missouri System. Impressively, Dr. Spencer has been funded without interruption by the National Institutes of Health and United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture since 1996, and his current active funding is over $14 million. He has collaborated with 28 graduate students and 7 postdoctoral fellows during his career, and is recognized for his research training philosophy. Most importantly, Dr. Spencer is known as a faculty member who brings success to the entire institution by willingly providing expert perspective, guidance, and service to his colleagues and trainees.

Since coming to S&T in 1999, Dr. Fahrenholtz has made outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of ceramic engineering. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in the area of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). Over his sustained career, he has published more than 170 research articles and is arguably the most highly-cited author in the UHTC field. Dr. Fahrenholtz is one of Missouri S&T’s most prolific grant writers and generators of research funding. Over the past 20 years, his shared credit for research expenditures is roughly $8.9 million out of $25.4 million in grants and contracts wherein he has played a major role. Most importantly, Dr. Fahrenholtz has passed on passion and enthusiasm for research and learning to the next generation of students, post-docs and faculty. He has graduated 9 PhD and 13 MS students to date, and is currently mentoring another 4 PhD students. Further, renowned ceramic scientists and engineers from around the world are among his most ardent supporters. In conclusion, Dr. Fahrenholtz has clearly demonstrated significant academic impact and international advocacy through his amazing amount of research and scholarship activities.

Dr. Khayat has been an amazing scholar and academic in his field, with a sustained record of publishing high quality articles, securing external funding, impacting his field globally, and graduating excellent PhD students that are setting the bar for Missouri S&T. He has succeeded in securing research expenditures of approximately $29 million as a principal investigator (PI) and $13 million as co-PI. He has advised 40 PhD students, 44 MSc students, and 22 post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars. He has co-authored over 450 publications and was featured by Elsevier as one of 150 world’s most cited researchers in civil engineering. His impact has been fundamental. For example, he was instrumental in establishing the Advanced Construction and Materials Laboratory (ACML), which will bring equipment and a batching plant that can produce precise and novel concrete mixtures in a manner not yet available in the Midwest. Not only did Dr. Khayat lead conception and design efforts for the ACML, he secured a critical $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to initiate the project. He also led the Advanced Materials for Sustainable Infrastructure (AMSI) signature area cluster-hire effort, by assembling a unique team of material scientists, chemists, and engineering experts to build a new cornerstone of Missouri S&T’s research capabilities. Notably, Dr. Khayat’s activities demonstrate that he is committed to collective success, such as acting as chair of the Dean search committee, leading departmental workload policy assessments and actively mentoring and recruiting faculty. Without question, Dr. Khayat has demonstrated distinguished career-long sustained excellence.

Professor Oliveri's research focuses on civil rights, with emphasis on fair housing law and sexual harassment. From the time she joined MU, Professor Oliveri has been deeply involved in community outreach and education as well as working with government officials and civil rights advocates at the local, state and national level. Recently, Professor Oliveri published a groundbreaking paper on the sexual harassment of low-income women by their landlords, showing that 10% had been victims of actionable sexual harassment by their landlords. Her work in providing education about housing law has played an integral role in the City of Columbia's fair housing efforts, and she has also worked with the Missouri Human Rights Commission, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). In addition to a full teaching load, she regularly teaches Continuing Legal Education sessions for state and local bar associations and has taught many seminars for high school civics teachers as part of the Missouri Bar's Law Forum for Teachers. Professor Oliveri’s research and teaching efforts provide an invaluable resource for social service workers, lawyers and government officials who are committed to establishing fair housing practices.

Dr. Westenberg has a national reputation as someone entirely committed to community engagement, particularly engagement with K-12 educators and their students. Locally, he has worked with organizations and activities such as Girl Scouts, Expanding Your Horizons, Seventh Grade Science Day, Kaleidoscope Discovery Center and the Newburg Children's Museum. For nearly ten years, he served as co-director of the S&T Science Education and Quantitative Literacy (SEQL) professional development program and helped bring valuable STEM activities to high-need schools with limited access to the resources available in larger communities. However, his reach extends far beyond the Ozark region. His work as chair of the American Society for Microbiology K-12 outreach committee, appointment as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biointeractive Teaching Ambassador, and work with the Biobuilder Foundation and National Association of Biology Teachers, has impacted hundreds of educators and their students around the country. He has developed and disseminated educational materials, given numerous presentations and public exhibits targeted to children and the general public, and has communicated extensively through news media, science blogs and interviews. In summary, Dr. Westenberg’s impact is extensive as a result of devoting much of his 22 year career at Missouri S&T to passionate outreach and engagement with K-12 educators, their students and the general public.

Dr. Segal has heightened the international reputation of UMSL and its School of Social Work by advancing the university’s mission and facilitating countless international and cross-cultural engagements for students, faculty and staff. In addition to teaching classes at UMSL on globalization and cross-cultural communication, she has supported student interest in cross-national issues through independent projects, courses taught in India, Portugal, and Vietnam as well as university seminars delivered in a diversity of nations such as Bulgaria, China, Greece, Japan, Mauritius, and Peru. Professor Segal received a prestigious Fulbright award to develop a School of Social Work in India, fostering enormous amounts of goodwill for UMSL. She also serves as a Fulbright Specialist, and as her research focus is on immigrant integration, she was specifically requested by the Portuguese government to help identify best practices for the Portuguese government's refugee resettlement program. Her work on migration extends to presentations in Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Italy for the World Health Organization. She was recently awarded UM System funding to collaborate with a faculty member in theater in interviewing refugees resettled in St. Louis and developing and producing an educational refugee story told through puppetry.  Notably, Uma Segal is recognized as a humble, kind and supportive mentor to junior faculty. For over three decades, Dr. Segal’s service, teaching and research have resulted in meaningful engagement at home and around the globe.

Dr. Lin has spent the past 7 years working to transfer research inventions to industrial applications. His collaborative efforts have successfully launched startups based on research in agricultural production, chemical remediation, biofuels and much more. One example, Elemental Enzymes, is now a self-sustaining company active in six countries, holding over 114 patents and employing 37 workers in offices in Missouri and Florida. In 2019, Elemental Enzyme’s products were applied to more than 7 million acres of crops in the U.S. alone, producing more than a billion additional pounds of corn. Dr. Lin is also co-founder and lead scientist of Tiger Enzyme Solutions at the MU Life Science Incubator. Among other projects, the company is developing bioreactor technology to convert blood types to produce the universal donor type O. In addition to 17 patent applications that have generated revenue for MU, Dr. Lin collaborates with and strengthens the economic impact of regional biotechnology companies, including SCD Probiotics, Proviera Biotech, Kelly Foods Corporation, and AgriGro. Dr. Lin credits Mizzou’s innovative culture for fostering his work and allowing him to make a considerable impact on industries within Missouri, across the United States and around the world.

The Thomas Jefferson Award is reserved for faculty who rise above excellence and demonstrate clear distinction, not only in their career, but in service to the University of Missouri and humankind. Over his long career as a beloved instructor at the university, Dr. Miles has made a major impact on student education. Beyond that, his profound passions for soil science, human health and community well­being have led him to make fundamental contributions to the development of small rural towns. He has leveraged his expertise in wastewater treatment to help smaller municipalities to recycle water back into the local watershed while recycling nutrients for onsite crop utilization and generate income through the installation of low-cost irrigation systems that promote biofuel production. He has also elevated the reputation of the university by establishing the Missouri Onsite Wastewater Training and Research Center, which has served as a major educational resource for regulators, soil scientists, installers, engineers, designers, land-use planners, home inspectors, and home owners. As an expert in both teaching difficult concepts and putting them into action, Dr. Miles is a rarity. The fact that he has applied his considerable talent to elevate the quality of life in small-town America make him exceptional, and worthy of the Thomas Jefferson Award.

The Ratchford Fellowship recognizes a University of Missouri faculty member who demonstrates commitment, dedication, and effectiveness in advancing the land-grant mission through extension, international education, and agricultural economics programs. In these respects, Dr. Massey has performed at the highest levels throughout his career. His work in agricultural economics has improved lives worldwide and he is well-recognized for his contributions to Missouri producers and MU students. Since beginning work at the University of Missouri in 1995, he has provided farmers and agribusinesses with timely and relevant risk management information, won numerous awards for his work and developed relationships with the Republic of Korea, the Czech Republic, Scotland, China and Argentina. Notably, his efforts with the USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service in Argentina built an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship with the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange and facilitated important study abroad experiences for 20 MU students. Dr. Massey has also distinguished himself by working at the forefront of creative thought for agricultural risk management and bringing Midwest farmers insight into behavioral economics to enhance their own decision making. Enthusiastic recommendations from university leaders, major Missouri agribusiness stakeholders, USDA partners and international colleagues speak to Dr. Massey’s considerable impact. As an educator and researcher who has shared knowledge widely and effectively, Dr. Massey is undoubtedly the measure of a Ratchford Fellow.

Since 2013, Dr. Carver has been the Chair of the MU Department of Theatre, overseeing an academic degree-granting program and year-round theatre production season. In this role, she manages a $1.8 million budget and oversees more than two-hundred personnel. In addition to these sizeable intellectual and administrative duties, Dr. Carver has led the department through extraordinary challenges and developed a coherent vision for the program's future. She has steered the department through the loss of eight faculty members and one staff member due to retirements and budget cuts. Notably, she accomplished this feat by developing interdisciplinary partnerships, such as those established with the MU School of Music, the MU College of Education and the UM System Office Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s Faculty Development Program. As a researcher in the field of Performance Studies, she has edited and co-authored three books and numerous articles on issues of performance and social justice, in addition to her creative composition and theatrical staging of solo and dramatic scripts on women’s health.  Faculty colleagues are open about their admiration for Dr. Carver’s ability to spin positives out of adversity in a way that serves the broader university community. As a leader, Dr. Carver is exemplified by her ability to motivate, build morale and produce positive results by uniting her community around a vision focused on equity, diversity and inclusion.

While serving as department chair from 2011 to 2019, Dr. Drallmeier’s leadership contributed enormously to the growth and reputation of the largest academic unit of Missouri S&T. Recognized as a truly a great thinker and leader, Dr. Drallmeier developed a shared vision with the department faculty and then forged an ambitious strategic plan when he became chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department in 2011. The plan and execution were grounded in principles of excellence, transparency and fairness, and the results were amazing: research expenditures doubled, the number of Ph.D. students tripled, a third of the tenure-track faculty he hired received an NSF CAREER award or an ONR/AFOSR Young Faculty award, and most of the new faculty developed careers with metrics rivaling faculty at top research universities. Impressively, during the same period the number of undergraduate students in the department increased by 35%, and the number of students on probation and deficiency decreased from over 5% to less than 2%. These successes were attributed largely to his personal character and integrity. Dr. Drallmeier has also made outstanding leadership contributions to Missouri S&T at large, beyond the MAE department. He served as a co-chair to develop a Missouri S&T strategic plan in 2012-2014, which included developing a plan to hire 100 new faculty and identifying four best-in-class signature areas. Jim’s clear vision, methodical planning, collaborative spirit, transparency and inclusiveness are the basis for the respect he has earned among peers.

For over 20 years, Mizzou’s Dr. Kingsley has demonstrated inspirational leadership, outstanding service, and unparalleled support of students. Her work has led to positive outcomes for faculty, students and youth in Missouri public schools. She has created professional learning opportunities for university students working toward state teaching certification and led peer professional development efforts that reignite a collective passion for teaching by drawing out expertise and enthusiasm among colleagues. Her commitment to engagement is shown by her service on the MACTE (Missouri Association for College Teacher Educators) board and on the MoTEP (Missouri Transforming Educator Preparation) team, working in conjunction with MoDESE (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education). Dr. Kingsley also started a local BAR-WE (Becoming Anti-Racist White Educators) group to improve cultural competence and understanding, and serves on the Faculty Institute for Inclusive Teaching (FITT) Advisory council, which brings faculty together to explore promising practices around diversity and inclusion and identifies specific improvements. Additionally, she has been instrumental in time-consuming accreditation processes that are necessary for the university. To put it simply, Dr. Kingsley is a university leader who works tirelessly to benefit students and the broader community.

In Dr. Delaware’s own words: “We must encourage our students to reason actively, not blindly master mathematical tools, and to trust to their own innate originality. Mathematics is a quintessentially human endeavor.” Dr. Delaware teaches mathematics courses that integrate history, writing, immersion and active learning principles. His students have published dozens of expository mathematics publications and won numerous national and local writing awards. In a class with Dr. Delaware, students engage with the subject by working together on mathematical proofs and posting them on online learning platforms. He has also created YouTube-based courses that can supplement high school and college lectures. Importantly, his methods of educating middle school mathematics teacher majors inspire them to re-create empowering education experiences for their future students. Dr. Delaware’s innovative teaching encourages students to take ownership of their learning and apply creativity to all aspects of life.

Student comments repeatedly note Dr. Sheppard's passion for teaching, preparedness, approachability, and ability to make students see history through different perspectives. Her signature area of innovative teaching is the Wikipedia project used in her History of Science class. Over three years, her undergraduate students have edited 141 Wikipedia articles that have been viewed more than 8 million times. While the Wikipedia project may be Dr. Sheppard's most innovative teaching endeavor, she constantly strives in her classes to incorporate other novel teaching strategies. Well before the UM System's recent push for eLearning, Dr. Sheppard was incorporating gamification strategies in the online version of her History of Science course. The strategy allowed for students to choose their own path through the course material while "levelling up" through assignment completion, effectively motivating students. Dr. Sheppard's impact extends well beyond Missouri S&T. Her work inspires colleagues worldwide and she has given papers on her Wikipedia project at conferences in Toronto, Seattle, and at the Teaching and Learning Technology Conference in Rolla. She also serves as Chair of the Technology and Communication Commission for the international History of Science Society. In all these efforts, Dr. Sheppard's unwavering commitment to engaging students in the classroom in any way possible shines through.

Ginny Ramseyer Winter

Sarah Pilgrim