Congratulations 2015 AGNR Alumni Award Winners!

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2015 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Awards! The honorees were celebrated at an awards banquet held at the University of Maryland's Riggs Alumni Center on April 16.

The College of AGNR Alumni Chapter selected the award winners from a pool of nominations.

The 2015 honorees are:

Brian Hogan: Outstanding Student, 2-year program

Turfgrass and Golf Course Management

Brian Hogan completed the Turfgrass and Golf Course Management program at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) in December. He was selected as a National Student Scholar by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) in 2013 and received scholarships in both 2013 and 2014 from the Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents. Hogan was a member of the highly successful University of Maryland Turf Bowl team, helping to secure national championships in the GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl in 2014 and in the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Student Challenge in both 2014 and 2015. Hogan is currently employed at Laytonsville Golf Course.

Angela Perantoni: Outstanding Student, 4-year program

Environmental Science and Technology

Angela Perantoni will graduate in May 2015 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Technology with a concentration in Ecological Technology Design. She will also complete three minors in soil science, sustainability studies and Spanish language. During her four years at the University of Maryland, Perantoni has built an impressive resume of research experience. She was selected to participate in a highly competitive NSF program during which she led a pilot research study measuring erosion control of riparian saltgrass in an ecological rehabilitation zone at Sunland Park, New Mexico. Perantoni also studied abroad researching plant taxonomy in Costa Rica and worked in Dr. Stephanie Lansing’s anaerobic digestion laboratory on the College Park campus assisting with water quality data collection and analysis. Perantoni plans to pursue a graduate degree in ecological engineering.

Nicole Fiorellino: Outstanding Graduate Student

Environmental Science and Technology

Nicole Fiorellino is a Ph.D. candidate researching the accuracy and sensitivity of the University of Maryland’s Phosphorous Management Tool (PMT) as well as subsurface phosphorus dynamics in the Maryland Coastal Plain Region. Fiorellino has been invited to translate and present her research findings at a number of national and international scientific professional meetings and works closely with Extension educators to bring her research directly to practitioners across the state through trainings, workshops, instructional videos and presentations. Fiorellino also served as a Graduate Assistant for four different courses in both animal science and soil science and received the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the AGNR Student Council in 2010. Fiorellino was a member of the 2015 Class of LEAD Maryland – a professional development and leadership program for young professional leaders involved with agriculture, natural resources and rural communities.

Abani K. Pradhan: Excellence in Instruction

Nutrition and Food Science

Abani Pradhan, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science where he teaches multiple undergraduate and graduate level courses including Food Science and Technology, Food Safety and Nutrition Risk Assessment and Food Quality Control. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the Food Science Club and helped organize the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists Student Assocation’s Central Atlantic College Bowl hosted on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. Pradhan, who has advised and mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students, describes teaching as his “passion” and says he enjoys incorporating various approaches to learning to keep students engaged and performing at high levels.

Lynn Little: Excellence in Extension

University of Maryland Extension, Washington County

Lynn Little is a Family & Consumer Sciences educator based in Washington County. Little spearheaded the Health Insurance Literacy Initiative (HILI) to help Maryland citizens navigate the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Lynn co-developed curricula and training modules with Dr. Bonnie Braun and the rest of the HILI team which resulted in vital education for Maryland residents and national notoriety for the initiative. Little and the HILI team have now trained Extension professionals in Kansas, Colorado, Oregon, Missouri, Minnesota and Virginia and have offered multiple web-based trainings. Since 1993, Little’s Extension programs have reached nearly 13,000 individuals on topics including financial literacy, financial management, nutrition and health, food safety, food preservation, food-for-profit, health insurance literacy, parenting, child care, child development, stress management, and healthy homes.

Erik Lichtenberg: Excellence in Research

Agricultural and Resource Economics

Erik Lichtenberg, PhD, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resources Economics, is known for his expertise on the economics of pesticide use and for his research on the interface between agriculture and the environment. He has attracted substantial grant funding from prestigious sources including the Rockefeller Foundation, USDA’s National Research Initiative, the EPA, the USGS, and the Lincoln Institute – an impressive accomplishment in a discipline where research does not require a lab. Lichtenberg also headed the socioeconomic component of the National Center for Manure and Animal Waste Management, a $5 million multi-state consortium. He has served on two National Research Council Committees and as Senior Staff Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association acknowledged Lichtenberg’s contribution to the profession by awarding him its highest honor, Fellow in the Association in 2010.

Govindarajan Dhanasekaran ’05: Outstanding Alumnus – Early Career:

(Advanced degree earned at Maryland)

Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA

Govindarajan Dhanasekaran, PhD, is currently employed as an Associate Principal Scientist for Merck Research Laboratories at Merck & Co., Inc. Dhanasekaran’s work as team leader for the development and characterization of novel vaccines for diseases not currently preventable by vaccines could potentially save billions of lives around the world. He has been co-inventor of two methods since 2008. Dhanasekaran received his PhD from the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland in 2005. While studying in the department, he became the first scientist to determine the complete genome sequence of the avian pneumovirus (APV) – a virus that causes severe disease in turkeys and is considered the number one problem in the turkey industry. His research led to two major grant awards for the department.

Peter May ’92: Outstanding Alumnus

Biohabitats, Inc. Baltimore, MD

Peter May, PhD, is currently a Senior Environmental Scientist with the consulting firm BioHabitats located in Baltimore, Md. and previously worked as an Environmental Specialist in the Watershed Protection Division for Washington, D.C. May helped construct and operate an ecologically-engineered algal production system on the Baltimore Inner Harbor as a contribution to Baltimore’s Clean Harbor Initiative. As a result of that work, the Chesapeake Stormwater Network gave May their Best Urban BMP in the Bay Award in 2014. He also coordinated an algal production system project in New York City, which received recognition from Mayor Bloomburg’s office. In the last few years, May has returned to his roots in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology, where he is now teaching a course in Ecosystem Ecology.

Circle of Friends

Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources recognizes the Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents (MAAGCS) for contributions to turfgrass research within the College and for its annual support of student scholarships. The MAAGCS routinely waive registration fees at local educational meetings for Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) students and make contributions to off-set the travel expenses of students attending national meetings. The MAAGCS also maintains an active employment referral system that supports interns and graduates of the IAA.

Honorary Alumni

Dr. Cheng-I Wei and Mrs. Wen Pei Wei

The AGNR alumni chapter chose to honor Dean Wei and his wife for their support and service of the College by naming them both honorary alumni.

Honorable Mention Undergraduate and Graduate Students:

Rebecca Creighton: Senior, Agricultural Science & Technology

Delaney Honeyford: Senior, Animal & Avian Sciences

Jiarui Li: Senior, Agricultural & Resource Economics

Charles Milrod: Senior, Environmental Science & Technology

Halli Sigal-Weiner: PhD Candidate, Animal & Avian Sciences

Alexis Smith: PhD Candidate, Veterinary Medicine