John Penson
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Year Awarded: 2011

Since Dr. John Penson joined the faculty in 1975, he has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including teaching the department’s introductory course to more than 7,000 students. He has also provided teaching leadership by co-chairing the committee appointed by the deans of COALS and Mays Business School that developed our popular Agribusiness major and cochaired the joint committee to explore establishing the recently approved Ph.D. program in Agribusiness with the Mays Business School. A prolific author of textbooks and research publications, he has received many prestigious awards for research and teaching, including the national Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award from the American Agricultural Economics Association. He has advised seven students completing their senior honors thesis in the University Undergraduate Fellows Program and tutored the department’s Academic Quiz Bowl teams preparing for national competition. Dr. Penson served as technical advisor to the Bryan High School Federal Reserve Challenge Team, which won the national Federal Reserve Challenge championship multiple times. Internationally, he served as Visiting Foreign Distinguished Professor at Korea University, presented an invited short course at Japan’s Kyushu University, has taught in the joint Masters Program between TAMU and Universidad Del Valle De Guatemala the past 15 years, and has taught in similar programs in Ecuador and Nicaragua. He received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Southern Illinois University and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association.

One former student wrote, “The best learning tool that Dr. Penson implements in his class is the team concept of learning. Dr. Penson breaks his class into small groups to work on team projects that he assigns. This technique allows students to build relationships outside of class and learn from one another.”



Another former student wrote, “… I developed a significant interest in economics and its impact on agriculture as Dr. Penson took us through the first semester of our introductory class. His course had a great deal to do with the fact that I never once changed my major and graduated with a degree in Agribusiness in the fall of 2009.”

College: Agriculture and Life Sciences

Award Level: Teaching

Christopher Pope
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Christopher N. Pope has been at TAMU for 22 years. His earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 1980. He was the recipient of the Tv son Medal and the Rayleigh Prize, from the University of Cambridge, and was awarded First Prize by the Gravity Research Foundation. He has been the recipient of the TAMU Physics Department Graduate Teaching Award four times, and the TAMU College of Science Award for Teaching Excellence. He was appointed as Honorary Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. His research is principally concerned with the unification of the fundamental forces in nature, and especially attempts to unify quantum theory with Einstein’s general theory of relativity to give a consistent theory of quantum gravity. This work included some of the earliest applications of topological methods to the area of quantum gravity in the l970s; the spontaneous dimensional reduction of supergravitv and superstrings to obtain four-dimensional physics from higher dimensions: and the derivation of string-theory corrections to Einstein’s general relativity. Subsequent research has included studies of duality symmetries in supergravities: the construction of manifolds of exceptional holonomy and their applications in M-theory compactifications; obtaining the exact solutions for rotating black holes in supergravity and higher-dimensional general relativity; the construction of the largest known class of Einstein-Sasaki manifolds for applications in string-theory compactifications; and new results on black-hole thermodynamics in higher dimensions. He has over 340 publications, with more than 275 in refereed journals: more than 11.800 citations to published work: and an index” exceeding 53.



One student wrote, “Dr. Pope’s problems are challenging and help develop physical intuition and mathematical comfort. Students seeking guidance to homework problems find Dr. Pope’s office door wide open. In his office he calmly guides student thinking. He answers questions patiently but demands that students solve the problems themselves.”



Another former student wrote, “It was his teaching that made me finally decide on a career in physics, and what I learned in his class is till beneficial to me today. Now I am teaching physics myself.”

College: Science

Award Level: Teaching

Edward Rister '74
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. M. Edward Rister ’74 has been on the Texas A&M faculty since June 1981 after receiving his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University. His teaching and research relate to Rural Entrepreneurship and Production Economics, with emphases on water and energy. He has been recognized for teaching excellence at the department, college, and university level, including The Association of Former Students’ University Level Distinguished Teaching award in 2002. His current teaching activities focus on the Rural Entrepreneurship capstone courses where students develop comprehensive business plans for rural business ventures. Because of the individual attention he gives to each student, these courses are recognized as not only being rigorous and applied, but serving an important role in their professional development. Appreciative former students have helped secure endowments to support student-learning activities in the courses and annual donations to support scholarships. During 2002-2006, he served as Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Agricultural Economics, leading curricular revisions and expanding development activities for students outside the classroom. His publication list includes 47 refereed journal articles; 80 research bulletins; 18 invited presentations; 173 presented papers and posters; 17 international presentations; and numerous other presentations, grant reports, and computer software programs. He has chaired 35 graduate programs plus involved 11 undergraduate students in his research programs. He has served as a committee member on an additional 38 graduate committees.



One former student commented, “You might include his uncanny and infamous ability to keep up with and regularly visit former students – those who have traveled with Dr. Rister know ... it doesn’t matter what state or what county, Ed has a former student there and he will call to touch base and arrange a visit! Though we affectionately harass Ed over this, it is a testament to the lasting impact and relationships Ed has with many of his former students ... including myself. ... He continually proves himself invaluable to the education, careers, and lives of many students.”

College: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Award Level: Individual Student Relationships

Daniel Romo '86
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Daniel Romo started his career at A&M seventeen years ago and has since been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Welch Foundation. One of his truly outstanding achievements was the total synthesis of the marine spongederived natural product, pateamine A (PatA), along with a designed and simplified but equally potent derivative. The synthesis of a PatA-biotin conjugate enabled identification of the protein receptor of PatA as eIF4A, an initiation factor involved in protein synthesis that has become an important target for the development of anticancer agents. Elegant and concise syntheses of fatty acid synthase and proteasome inhibitors have enabled numerous collaborations that continue to garner interest from pharmaceutical companies. In the area of synthetic methodology, his research is synonymous with a class of heterocycles known as beta-lactones given his contributions to asymmetric routes and applications of these strained ring compounds. A recent project is directed toward novel methods for natural product derivatization for mode-of-action studies. He has published close to a hundred papers and has five patents related to natural product-based therapeutic agents; such parents have led to research partnerships with several pharmaceutical companies. His awards include an NSF CAREER Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a Zeneca Award for Excellence in Chemistry, a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, a Novartis Lectureship, a Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Synthesis, and an Excellence in Innovation Award. He served as a regular NIH Study Section Member since 2004. A recent honor is the NIH Method-to-Extend-Research-In-Time (MERIT) Award.



One Distinguished professor wrote, “Consistent high regard has followed the research accomplishments of Daniel throughout his career. This can be gleaned from the abundance of awards that have been bestowed on him.” He continues, “The impact of Daniel's research extends beyond pure science. Daniel’s spectacular accomplishments, not only in chemical research but also in science education, help Texas A&M University fulfill its ambition for national and international prominence.”

College: College of Science

Award Level: Research

Courtney Schumacher
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Courtney Schumacher came to Texas A&M in 2003 after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Dr. Schumacher studies tropical and radar meteorology with the overall goal of understanding how storm systems interact with the large-scale atmospheric circulation and climate. She is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award and NASA's New Investigator Program award. Both of these awards require demonstrated dedication to the pursuit of being an exemplary teacher-scholar. She also actively works on projects funded by the Department of Energy and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Schumacher has been a strong advocate of students and has been recognized for these efforts through the College of Geosciences Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award and Robert C. Runnels Excellence in Advising Award. Her university-wide recognition includes being a Fish Camp Namesake and special recognition by the Women Former Students' Network. Dr. Schumacher has served on numerous national committees dealing with student awards and fellowships, is active in minority recruitment in the STEM fields, and was chosen as a science hero by the MY HERO project.



One former student wrote, “…her enthusiasm, energy, and passion for teaching and research are infectious and inspiring. She has the ability to get students excited about class material, challenge them to go beyond the classroom, and even inspire them to pursue research, which are qualities that only great professors possess.”



Another former student wrote, “Dr. Schumacher has demonstrated to me that she is an extraordinary communicator and an advocate for undergraduate research and training opportunities. On top of this, she is an amazing mentor and dedicated role model who is always just an email, phone call, or office visit away.”



Another student commented, “Her priority is clearly her students, and it is evident through the time and effort she devotes in making sure they succeed. She appeals to all learning styles through the use of her clear and concise notes, explanation of concepts, and visual aids such as radar images. Her lab assignments push students to think beyond the classroom and "think outside the box" by applying techniques and ideas learned in lecture to actual real time data.”

College: Geosciences

Award Level: Teaching

Jairo Sinova
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Year Awarded: 2011

Following his Ph.D. in condensed matter physics at Indiana University (1999) and two postdoctoral appointments in condensed matter physics at the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Jairo Sinova joined the physics faculty at Texas A&M University in 2003. His research interests lie primarily in the fields of spintronics, magnetism, spin transport, ferromagnetic semiconductors, and spin thermoelectric effects. Dr. Sinova is one of the leading researchers in spintronics, a field of physics with strong potential for future technologies. He and coworkers proposed the notion of intrinsic spin Hall effect and formed part of one of the teams that discovered the Spin Hall Effect. He has published in the top journals in science and is among the most prolific scientists in his field with over 60 publications in the past five years and close to 50 invited talks in international meetings around the world. He has mentored several students and postdoctoral fellows, most of who have gone on to academic careers and positions. He was recently elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in recognition for his ground breaking studies in spintronics. He has also received The Association of Former Students’ College-level Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, the NSF CAREER Award, the Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar, and the Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation.

College: Science

Award Level: Research

Alina Sorescu
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Alina Sorescu holds a B.S. in Mathematics from University of Bucharest, a Master of Statistics from University of Florida and Ph.D. in Business Administration from University of Houston. Dr. Sorescu's research focuses on radical innovations, product portfolio decisions, branding, acquisitions and alliances, business models and measuring the financial value of marketing actions. Her research appears in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Advertising and the Journal of Advertising Research. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Marketing. She is the recipient of research and teaching awards such as the Academy of Marketing Science Mary Kay Dissertation Award, the American Marketing Association John A. Howard Dissertation Award, the Montague Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar Award and The Association of Former Students’ College Level Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Sorescu teaches an undergraduate marketing research class, a research for marketing decision Master-level class and a doctoral seminar in econometric methods and multivariate techniques. In her nine years at Texas A&M she has chaired or co-chaired three doctoral dissertations, has been a member on four doctoral dissertation committees and has conducted research with many other doctoral students. She was invited by the Doctoral Student in Marketing SIG to serve as a mentor at the AMA Winter Educator's Conference. She also enjoys keeping up with her former undergraduate and MS students and occasionally assisting them with the marketing research projects that they are involved in after graduation.



A former student wrote, “She was approachable and made you feel very welcome, which is a rarity to find among college professors. When I would go to see her during office hours, 1 felt like I was chatting with a friend…. This provided my group with such a feeling of encouragement and a drive to learn!”



Another former student commented, “There is tremendous benefit to the rigors of her classroom because she is teaching her students how to methodically approach problems and think for themselves; the end result is a thorough understanding of her material and, more importantly, legitimate preparation for the business world.”

College: Mays Business School

Award Level: Teaching

Jim Varni
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Jim Varni has been a Professor at Texas A&M University since January 2003. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, and has published over 250 peer-reviewed research journal articles and numerous book chapters in pediatric behavioral medicine, and four books on children and families. He is a recipient of the Significant Research Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association. His areas of expertise are measurement instrument development, conceptual models and cognitive-behavior therapy interventions in pediatric chronic health conditions. During the past 30 years he has developed and field-tested the items comprising the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), which is being utilized internationally in research and clinical trials to measure health-related quality of life of children. The PedsQL has been translated into over 75 international languages worldwide, and there are over 550 peer-reviewed research journal publications on the PedsQL on approximately 120,000 children worldwide in the past decade. The PedsQL is the only empirically derived health-related quality of life instrument that has demonstrated databased evidence that children as young as 5 years of age, when given an age appropriate measure, can self-report their health-related quality of life. He is also conducting research and evaluation projects into the healing environment of children's hospitals, focusing on the effect of the built and natural environment on child, parent, and staff outcomes as a basis for evidence-based architectural design for pediatric healthcare facilities, including pediatric healing gardens.



Members from the College of Architecture Leadership team wrote “Dr. Varni has been instrumental in ‘hearing the voices of children’ in matters of their health and well-being. Using a sophisticated combination of state-of-the-art measurement science and clinical expertise (he practiced clinically as a pediatric psychologist for 20 years), Dr. Varni has opened up the opportunity for children with cerebral palsy and brain tumors to self-report on their health-related quality of life. Before Dr. Varni's clinical research, no quality of life measures existed that demonstrated that these children with severe chronic conditions could voice their perspectives on their health and well-being to their parents or healthcare professions.

College: Architecture

Award Level: Research

Lisa Whittlesey '89
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Year Awarded: 2011

Ms. Lisa Whittlesey received her bachelor and master’s degrees in horticulture from Texas A&M University and has been employed by AgriLife Extension for 20 years. The primary focus of her work is providing leadership and management for the Junior Master Gardener® (JMG) program, which “ignites a passion for learning, success, and service through a unique gardening experience." Under her leadership, the JMG program was created and trademarked in 1999. The program is a recognized 4-H curriculum project and targets youth ages 9 to18. By 2000, the program had 50 JMG groups in Texas, representing over 3,500 children. In 2010, children enrolled in the JMG program numbered more than 260,000. She has received several honors, including the Superior Service Award, the highest award presented by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Her grants total more than $6.2 million from organizations such as Houston Endowment, Meadows Foundation, Dora Roberts Foundation, Heep Foundation, Minute-Maid, Inc., and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). That includes a $5 million 2011 grant from the new USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, for which she serves as a coinvestigator. In 2009, Ms. Whittlesey was contacted by the Office of the First Lady, Michelle Obama, to provide information about the JMG program to her staff. The children who participated in the much-publicized White House Kitchen Garden were in fact youth who participated in the JMG program conducted by Washington, DC Cooperative Extension at local elementary schools.



One colleague wrote, “Perhaps the most important vision she has realized is proving the value and educational impact of the JMG curriculum and activities on youth. Millions of children, millions of dollars, and highly-recognized programming are not enough in today's environment of accountability. She has helped guide and support research to measure the impact of JMG on children. Research faculties at Texas A&M University, Purdue University, and Louisiana State University have shown increased science achievement among children in schools using the JMG program.”

College: Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Award Level: Extension, Outreach, Continuing Education, and Pro

Patsy Witter
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Year Awarded: 2011

Ms. Patsy Witter has served the Galveston campus since March of 2002. She is instrumental in the day to day operations of the largest academic department on campus. As the department front line, she is the primary interface for all students, prospective students and their families, faculty, and staff. She is a dedicated employee who performs above expectations but also goes beyond her job scope to care for the students, faculty, and the campus community. She has the broad and unanimous support of the faculty. During Hurricane Ike, Ms. Witter consistently served above the level of any expectation. She relocated to College Station for the full duration where she served as the administrative support for all faculties in the area. She was often the sole point of coordination to maintain office, faculty, and class schedules, which was no small feat with classes tucked in churches, dinning halls, classrooms, and even museums as well as faculty transiting between the campuses. She coordinated office supplies, copies, test proctors, parking issues, amongst many other important matters which were escalated in difficulty due to the extreme situation. More importantly, she created a port in the storm that offered both her students and her faculty a sense of continuity and stability.



The department head of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University-Galveston wrote, “I have observed Patsy's student interactions and am amazed at the patience and sincerity that comes forth. She displays a ‘motherly demeanor’ in guiding students most times, but if the situation warrants, will gently scold them while pointing out the error of their ways. Even when other advisors are immediately available, I have seen students wait for an hour or more to see ‘Ms. Patsy’. When a recent illness kept her out of the office, the concern of students for her well-being was very evident as judged by their numerous inquiries to the MARE office.

College: Texas A&M University at Galveston

Award Level: Staff

Ryland Young
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Ryland F. Young III earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 1975 for his studies as an NSF Pre-doctoral Fellow at U.T. Dallas and MIT, bracketing service as a line officer in the U.S. Navy during the Viet Nam era. After a NIH Post-doctoral Fellowship at Harvard, his 33 years at Texas A&M began in 1978 as an Assistant Professor in Medical Biochemistry in the College of Medicine, after which he transferred to his current department, Biochemistry and Biophysics in 1986. Dr. Young’s research, focused on the molecular biology of bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria, has resulted in more than 120 publications and book chapters, as well as in excess of 125 invited talks at conferences, universities and biotechnology industry sites. He was the first COALS recipient of an NIH MERIT Award and has been honored as a TAES Faculty Fellow as well as the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement in Research Award. Elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Science and also the Academy Society for Microbiology, he has served as Editor of the Journal of Bacteriology. He is currently the Sadie Hatfield Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Center for Phage Technology, a translational science center created in 2010 by the System Board of Regents.

He has taught undergraduates, graduate students, and medical students in a variety of courses, including Medical Biochemistry, for which he was selected as Instructor of the year in 1982, General Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics. He is now teaching a nationally-unique undergraduate course in viral genomics funded by the National Science Foundation. Twenty-six students have earned Masters or Doctorates under his mentorship and have gone on to careers in teaching, business, biotechnology, and research, including individuals now holding faculty positions at Harvard and Imperial College London.

College: Agriculture and Life Sciences

Award Level: Teaching

Asghar Zardkoohi
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Year Awarded: 2011

Dr. Asghar Zardkoohi is the T.J. Barlow Professor of Business Administration in the Department of Management at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. He came to Texas A&M in 1981. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of organizational architecture, corporate governance, decision making, business and public policy, industrial organization, financial intermediaries, and law and economics. His current research interests are in corporate governance, decision making under uncertainty, and executive compensation. His research has appeared in a variety of academic journals including American Economic Review; Journal of Finance; Journal of Law and Economics; Northwestern Law Review; Economic Inquiry; Journal of Banking and Finance; Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization; Harvard Journal on Legislation; Strategic Management Journal; and Academy of Management Review. He has received numerous teaching awards at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University: Mays Teaching Fellowship Award, 2010; Mays Teaching Performance Award, 2010; Executive MBA Teaching Excellence Award, 2009; Mays Business School MBA Teaching Excellence Award, 2009; Mays Business School, Executive MBA Faculty Recognition Award for Teaching, 2006; Association of Former Students, Mays Business School, Distinguished Teaching Award, 2003; Association of Former Students, Mays Business School, Distinguished Teaching Award, 1989. Dr. Zardkoohi team teaches a course on the economic analysis of contract law at EDHEC, a business school in Lille/Nice, France. In addition, he teaches an executive class in Saudi Arabia for Aramco's executives, at the company's Headquarters in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He has received research grants from NASA, the American Banking Association, AT&T, and the Small Business Administration. He has won the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University Distinguished Research Award, 1985. He is a Research Fellow at Texas A&M University's Private Enterprise Research Center

College: Mays Business School

Award Level: Teaching

Louise Abbott
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Award Level: Teaching

Marvin L. Adams
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Engineering

Award Level: Teaching

Mariam Al-Mannai
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Texas A&M University at Qatar

Award Level: Individual Student Relationships

Harold Boas
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Science

Award Level: Teaching

Kevin Burgess
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Science

Award Level: Research

Guy L. Curry
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Dwight Look College of Engineering

Award Level: Teaching

Patty Edwards '02
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Texas A&M University at Galveston

Award Level: Individual Student Relationships

Patricia Goodson
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Education and Human Development

Award Level: Teaching

Tonna Harris-Haller
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Science

Award Level: Staff

Jan Hughes
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Education and Human Development

Award Level: Research

Craig Kallendorf
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Liberal Arts

Award Level: Research

Sandi Lampo '93
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Mays Business School

Award Level: Teaching

Bruce A. McCarl
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Award Level: Research

Katherine I. Miller
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Liberal Arts

Award Level: Graduate Mentoring

William Murphy
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Award Level: Research

James Olson
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: The Bush School of Government and Public Service

Award Level: Teaching

Chloe Rape
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academics

Award Level: Staff

John Siebert
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Year Awarded: 2010

College: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Award Level: Teaching