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2022 AGNR Student Award Recipients

Outstanding Certificate Student- Brett Wilcom

Brett Wilcom is the living definition that if one is determined enough, they are resilient enough.  Brett began at the Institute of Applied Agriculture in 2018.  In 2019, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that would severely affect his coursework.  Brett held strong while battling chemotherapy and virtual learning simultaneously.  A lesser person would have simply thrown in the towel, but not Brett.  Brett's exemplified the purest form of grit to get him to this point. He is an active member of Alpha Gamma Rho and is extremely deserving of this honor. Congratulations Brett!

Outstanding Undergraduate Students

Department of Animal & Avian Science-Caitlin Ryan

Caitlin stands out as the only applicant in pursuit of developing a career in research. Caitlin has been accepted to our doctoral program and intends to continue studying liver metabolism during metabolic diseases at ANSC towards her PhD. Caitlin has worked hard to maintain an exemplary resume, and to be a strong advocate for AGNR as a student ambassador. Caitlin, just last week presented a first author poster at a national meeting (Experimental biology 2022) in Philadelphia, the only undergraduate student from our University at this meeting to do so. Congratulations Caitlin!

Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics- Brandon Canterberry

As a student who is keenly interested in all things agriculture, Brandon regularly attends guest lectures trying to utilize all of the great connections that the college has with government and the private sector. Brendan has worked as AREC's Academic Peer Mentor in the Academic Programs Office this past year. He has helped countless prospective and current AREC students with their schedules and concerns, sharing his great experiences that he has had in the major and in the college and maintaining a high scholastic record. He is also helping plan and organize this summer's Ag Discovery program! Congratulations Brandon!

Department of Environmental Science & Technology- Isabelle van Benschoten

Isabelle has served as an AGNR Peer Mentor for two academic years. She not only assists students develop and improve their academic plan to encourage their success but she also represents ENST and AGNR at recruiting functions. She is very approachable and gets along so well with all the students who reach out to her for help. From her nomination, “Students always provide me with such positive comments following their time with her. Our department wouldn't have so many successful and enthusiastic students without her.” Congratulations Isabelle

Department of Nutrition & Food Science- Samantha Lieberman

Samantha is graduating with a B.S. in Food Science. She was a member of the CIVICUS program, served as Co-President of the Food Science Club, a student representative for the Maryland section of the Institute of Food Technologists, a research assistant in UMD’s food microbiology lab, and representing UMD in the 2022 Ocean Spray Product Development Competition. She has also leveraged her business acumen to work internationally at the intersection of food and business. Samantha aspires to build on her diverse background to make nutritious food more equitable, accessible, and delectable by working with large CPG companies, the government, and business development teams. On campus and off campus, inside the classroom and leading clubs, Samantha has achieved academic and leadership success. Congratulations Samantha!

Department of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture – Teddy Ziolkowski

Teddy is a fourth year BLA student and has done a fantastic job in terms of  leadership with the Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (SASLA). Among the many activities that he has led, they  have included the PARK(ing) day exhibit on campus that advocated for better use of our  urban spaces to address urban heat island issue; leading a design program between  Landscape Architecture and Architecture students and leading funding efforts for students to attend two national conferences. Teddy represented the SASLA on the AGNR Student Council.  Teddy has also served the department by being an administrative assistant. Teddy is very positive, and his positivity has really motivated his fellow students. Congratulations Teddy!

Environmental Science & Policy Program- Nina Jeffries, who has also been selected as the overall Outstanding AGNR Undergraduate Student for 2022

Not only is Nina a strong student within the ENSP program, she is an engaged and effective leader in the College of AGNR and on campus. For the past few years, Nina has served the College of AGNR as a Peer Mentor. Nina is the Director of Sustainability for the UMD SGA, a Delegate for the MaryPIRG Student Climate Action Coalition, the Undergraduate Representative and Chair of the Fund Review Committee for the Sustainability Council, and the Secretary of MANRRS, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences and is a member of the ENSP Student Advisory Board. She has also interned at the U.S. Department of Justice, raises puppies for the Guide Dog Foundation, and volunteers at the UMD Community Learning Garden. Nina has proven herself to be THE definition of a well-rounded student. Her experiences on and off campus, intertwined with her strong desire to help our environment has enabled her to shine as a student in our program, and on campus.  Congratulations Nina!

Outstanding Graduate Student Awards

Department of Animal & Avian Sciences- Zoie McMillian

Zoie has a Graduate Assistantship in the department of Animal and Avian Sciences and has assisted with two courses.  Zoie is a naturally affable and gregarious person that the students respected and enjoyed in both courses.  The objective of Zoie's MS project was to evaluate the effect of industrial circulation fans on house litter moisture, temperature, relative humidity, noise volume, and broiler body weight, FPD prevalence and severity, hock burn prevalence, feather cleanliness, and behavior from 2 organic commercial flocks. The results of this study indicate that industrial circulation fans in commercial broiler houses could positively impact footpad dermatitis prevalence, footpad dermatitis severity, and overall broiler flock welfare and uniformity. Congratulations Zoie!

Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics- Tianqi Gan

Tianqi is unable to join us this afternoon, we will be sure to send her the award. Tianqi demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and leadership during her time with AREC. She is currently back in China.

Department of Veterinary Medicine- Ashley Strickland

Ashley is an outstanding graduate with exceptional creativity. She received either A or A+ for all classes she has attended during her graduate study. She works very hard in my laboratory. Since she joined my lab, she has made breakthrough in the field. In particular, she found that cytokines IL-10 and IL-27 play key roles in regulating immune responses in the brain during infection with Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen accounting for 181,000 deaths in the world per year. Her work significantly advanced our understanding mechanisms involved in immune regulations during brain infection with C. neoformans and provided scientific basis for treatment of cryptococcal meningitis.

Department of Nutrition & Food Science- Shraddha Karanth, one of our co-Outstanding Graduate Student Recipients. 

Shraddha has served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for nine semesters for a variety of subjects in the Food Safety and Quality domain. She has been the recipient of the University of Maryland Outstanding Teaching Assistant award twice (2018 and 2020). Outside the classroom she is active in the Food Science Club and President of the Nutrition and Food Science Graduate Student Organization. Shraddha’s dissertation employed a unique approach to quantify the food safety risk of microbial exposure to humans from a genetic perspective. The methods developed by Shraddha in her dissertation will have a deep impact on ensuring the safety and security of our food supply, by helping to revise and reinvent food safety risk management decisions in the government and industry level. From her nomination, “As her advisor and Director of our Graduate Program, I can attest to Shraddha being a dedicated, conscientious student, a patient, knowledgeable teacher, and a driven professional. She embodies all the principles of a successful researcher, and will undoubtedly do well in her professional life.”

Department of Environmental Science & Technology- Shannon P. Browne, our additional Outstanding Graduate Student Recipients.

Shannon has taught full-time through most of her PhD. She has gone out of her way to advise any student interested in her particular career path, including ENSP - Wildlife students, students in the UMD TWS chapter, and students interested in becoming certified Associate/Professional Wildlife Biologists. She served on numerous committees, pushed our DEIR initiatives, and directly helped numerous students in distress. Every year, she routinely held BatFest, an educational event she held here at UMD to teach kids and families in the local community about bats and bat ecology. Shannon studied cave-dwelling bat ecology across the urban-rural gradient from D.C. to the Chesapeake Bay. This is highly impactful work in terms of public and wildlife health, as well as creating a better understanding of ecosystem functioning in urban and suburban environments. In the face of major adversity, Shannon has been a resilient, determined student. She deserves to be recognized for all she has accomplished.

Outstanding Service to AGNR

Area of Academics: Shannen Auffarth

Shannen has served the Academic Programs team as a student worker for the last three and a half years. Over the years, our office has seen many changes but Shannen was always a constant. When the management of our student workers/peer mentors suddenly shifted hands, she gladly worked with the new manager to improve the student worker program and increase the potential for peer mentors. No matter what the situation was, she was there ready and willing to help us serve our students as best as possible. There was never a concern about her getting her work done and she could always be trusted to handle our day-to-day carefully and professionally. Furthermore, not only has Shannen been dependable as an employee, she has also been a compassionate coworker to both her peers and the professional staff in our office. 

Area of Research: Zoe Gurskin

Zoe Gruskin has contributed outstanding service and leadership to the College of AGNR through her research in Dr. Jin's Gastrointestinal Health and Physiology Lab in the Animal Science Department.

Zoe started an independent project in Fall 2021 focusing on the injury and regeneration of 2D/3D colonoids. Ms. Gruskin’s hard work resulted in the development of a wound healing model that will be used in a future publication and continued by other lab members for other applications after her graduation. The research Zoe has contributed to has clinical applications to help those with IBD, IBS, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.  Zoe is a natural leader and has trained other undergraduate students in cell culture and bench work techniques that she has mastered while working in our lab. She is an excellent teacher and mentor to other undergraduate students and is eager to learn in order to advance in her academic and professional career. 

Area of Service: Avital Slytski

Avital has been a dedicated member of the AGNR student council for the last two years. Her leadership, passion and dedication to the College is evident in her extracurricular activities. As president of the Maryland Equestrian Club, the club raised thousands of dollars to purchase new horses, tack and gear as well as to build the lesson program on the farm. Through AGNR student council she created the Cross-talks program in an effort to build collaboration and connections across departments and majors. Topics covered include Horse Racing, Intersection of Food production and sales and  dairy farming with an ice cream flavor competition this fall. This past year she served as president of the AGNR Student Council, leading clubs as we navigated our first full year on campus and the bringing back of AG Day and AGNR Student Council Year End Fiesta. She completed her undergraduate degree in 3 years and is headed to Veterinary School. THere is no doubt she will be a leader in service to her community at vet school and in life.

Elizabeth O’Keefe, Amanda Heilman, Robert Miller, Curtis Bennett, Emily Snyder, Ryan MacDonald, and Shelby Watson-Hampton

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