CALS celebrates excellence at Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony

“A rare combination of strategist and practitioner.” “A natural encourager.” “Unfailingly generous with expertise and support.”

These are some of the phrases members of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences wrote when nominating colleagues for the 2025-26 CALS Faculty and Staff Awards, which recognize outstanding work in teaching, research, extension and service, as well as contributions to fostering a positive, welcoming environment for all.

Forty-nine members of the college were honored March 2 at the third annual awards celebration in the Statler Ballroom. Award winners received certificates, and a gallery of posters featuring photos, biographies and quotes from colleagues were displayed.

“CALS is more than a college—it’s a state of mind focused on service, determination and universal excellence. But the only way to bring that mindset into reality is through the amazing people who make the college what it is. I am so proud of the faculty and staff in CALS who continue to work tirelessly on our mission of making the world a better place than we found it,” said Benjamin Z. Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean.

Nominations for the 2026-27 CALS Faculty and Staff Awards will be accepted Sept. 1-Oct. 15, 2026, and the awards celebration will be held in spring 2027.

Congratulations to this year’s CALS Faculty and Staff Awardees:

CALS Core Value Staff Awards Recipients

• Communication | Dustin Page, financial reporting specialist, Departments of Communication and Landscape Architecture, and Facilities
• Growth | Zora Blitz, administrative manager, Department of Computational Biology
• Inclusion | Jana VanHouten, administrative assistant V, Director’s Office, Cornell AgriTech
• Initiative | Roxana Usturoi, appointments coordinator, School of Integrative Plant Science
• Integrity | Michelle Morse, administrative assistant, CALS Dean’s Office
• Judgment | Cait Costello, research associate, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
• Unsung Hero | Angie Putnam, operations and project manager, CALS Dean’s Office
• Unsung Hero | Tracy Chapman, assistant director for finance and budget, School of Integrative Plant Science
• Vision | Alex Chang, director of integrated marketing, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

CALS Early Achievement Award

• Abigail Snyder, associate professor, Department of Food Science

CALS Career Accomplishment Award

• Bryan Danforth, professor, Department of Entomology

CALS Early Career Faculty Teaching Award

• Lori Huberman, assistant professor, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science

CALS Kathy Druckman Berggren Diversity and Inclusion Award

• Tory Hendry, associate professor, Department of Microbiology

CALS Louis and Edith Edgerton Career Teaching Award

• Syed Rizvi, international professor of food process engineering, Department of Food Science

CALS Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach Award

• Nicole Martin, assistant research professor, Department of Food Science

CALS Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach Award

• Team: Cornell CALS Nutrient Management Spear Program
  • Quirine Ketterings, professor of nutrient management in agricultural systems, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Olivia Florence Godber, research associate, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Kirsten Workman, nutrient management and environmental sustainability specialist, PRO-DAIRY, Department of Animal Science
  • Karl Czymmek, associate director, Dairy Climate Leadership Specialist, PRO-DAIRY, Department of Animal Science
  • Asmita Gautam, postdoctoral associate, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Subhashree Srinivasagan, postdoctoral associate, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Manuel Marcaida III, crop and soil data specialist, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez, on-farm research coordinator and graduate student, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Gurpreet Kaur, graduate student, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Issa Fernanda Diaz Flores, graduate student, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Helen Solecki, graduate student, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Marcos Velludo Junqueira Filho, graduate student, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Carlos Ismael Irias-Barahona, graduate student, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Karolyn Auer, dairy sustainability research aide, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Abraham Hauser, assistant data analyst, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Madeline Hanscom, communications assistant, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Julianna Kyungjune Lee, dairy sustainability research assistant, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Sara Rebeca Mach Tomas, research technician, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Sadiel A. Negron Santiago, research technician, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science
  • Sanjay K. Gami, research associate, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science

CALS Outstanding Accomplishments in Research Award

• Julio Giordano, professor of dairy cattle biology and management, Department of Animal Science; co-director of Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture; director of Cornell Agricultural Systems Testbed and Demonstration Site for the Farm the Future

CALS Outstanding Accomplishments in Science and Public Policy Award

• Team: Alejandro Calixto, director of Cornell Integrated Pest Management, and Scott McArt, associate professor, Department of Entomology

CALS Outstanding Service to the CALS Community Award

• Jocelyn Rose, director, School of Integrative Plant Science

CALS Robert H. Foote Mid-Career Teaching Award

• Julie Goddard, professor, Department of Food Science

Donald C. Burgett Distinguished Advisor Award

• Maegan Puzas Kessen, assistant director of inclusive academic advising, Office of Academic Programs, CALS Student Services

Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Students in Independent Research Award

• Heather J. Huson, associate professor, Department of Animal Science

Professor of Merit Award

• Dwayne Bershaw, senior lecturer, Department of Food Science - Viticulture and Enology
   

CALS nominees for the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards
 

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

• Christopher A. Wolf, E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship

• Diana Hackett, digital literacy librarian, Mann Library

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service

• Rajni Aneja, managing director, Cornell Institute for Food Systems Industry Partnership Program, Cornell Institute for Food Systems

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities

• Jonathon Schuldt, professor and executive director, Department of Communication and Roper Center

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

• Terence J. Alexander, senior lecturer, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

• Toby Ault, associate professor and director of graduate studies, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences