Edward
Rister '74
direct link to this listing
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
Kurt W.
Ritter
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2004
College: Liberal Arts
Award Level: Teaching
Charles
Rodenberger
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1962
College: Engineering
Award Level: Teaching
Jon E.
Rodiek
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2006
College: Architecture
Award Level: Teaching
Herbert
Roller
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1976
College: Science
Award Level: Research
Edward
Romieniec
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1977
College: Architecture
Award Level: Teaching
Daniel
Romo '86
direct link to this listing
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
Lloyd
Rooney
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1999
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Award Level: Research
C. Parr
Rosson
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1997
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Award Level: Continuing Education/Professional Development
Allen
Roussel, Jr.
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1999
College: Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science
Award Level: Teaching
Edward
Runge
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1988
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Award Level: Staff
Lynn
Ruoff
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1997
College: Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science
Award Level: Teaching
B. Don
Russell
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1999
College: Engineering
Award Level: Research
David H.
Russell
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2004
College: Science
Award Level: Research
James C.
Sacchettini
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2008
James C. Sacchettini joined Texas A&M University in 1996 and currently serves as a Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and holder of the Welch Chair of Science. Dr. Sacchettini is fundamentally involved in using structural biology in structure-based drug design. His research program focuses on eventually abating one of the worst diseases afflicting the third world, tuberculosis. An undisputed leader in the area of structural biology of tuberculosis, Dr. Sacchettini co-founded the TB Structural Genomics Consortium in 2002 and recently assumed leadership of this exciting international project. He was also elected to serve as one of the early chairs of the Gordon Conference on TB Drug Development, the biennial meeting that brings together all of the leading researchers in the fields.
Dr. Sacchettini has co-authored approximately 87 publications over the past 5 years, and his research grant expenditures during last fiscal year alone totaled over $4.3M. His research efforts have clearly benefited many students directly including 36 graduate students who earned their Ph.D. degree under Dr. Sacchettini’s supervision during the 11 years he has been at Texas A&M. A similar number of postdoctoral fellows have trained in his laboratory as well as a large number of undergraduate students.
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Award Level: Research
William
Sackett
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1976
College: Geosciences
Award Level: Research
Stephen
Safe
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1988
College: Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science
Award Level: Research
Stephen H.
Safe
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2005
College: Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science
Award Level: Research
William
Sager
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2009
College: College of Geosciences
Award Level: Research
Ghada
Salama
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2014
Ghada Salama earned her Ph.D. from Cairo University and completed postdoctoral study at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. She joined the faculty of Texas A&M University at Qatar in 2006. She has taught several undergraduate courses and has consistently received good student evaluations. She received the Distinguished Faculty Appreciation Award from the class of 2012.
Dr. Salama established a student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) at the Qatar campus. The chapter has been very active since its inception and has gained international recognition in a short time. Each year, Dr. Salama secures travel funds for student officers to attend the AIChE Annual Meeting in the U.S., encouraging them to take part in the poster competition. The TAMUQ team has done well. For two consecutive years, they won second place, and, this past year, they took first! With her support, the chapter has built its first ChemEcar and successfully participated in the AIChE ChemEcar competition. In support of women engineering students, Dr. Salama also serves as the advisor for the Society of Women Engineers, for which she received the advisor of the year award for 2013. But that’s not all. Dr. Salama also serves as advisor to the Engineers Without Borders student organization and works with the Student Affairs Department on outreach to high school students.
Her nominator writes, “As the only woman on the chemical engineering faculty, Dr. Salama occupies an especially important position in our program. She serves as an outstanding role model for our students, especially young women. Because of her Middle Eastern background, our students view Ghada as an Arab woman, much like themselves, who has achieved success in the international engineering community. Ghada provides a fine example which young women in our program can emulate as they build their own careers.”
College: Texas A&M Qatar
Award Level: Individual Student Relationships
Peter H.
Santschi
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2013
Peter Santschi earned his Ph.D. from the University of Berne, Switzerland. He joined the Texas A&M faculty with a joint appointment in the Department of Marine Sciences and the Department of Oceanography in 1988. His pioneering work and theories on the source and fate of radionuclides and colloids in the environment have become a research standard in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Santschi has received numerous awards and recognitions, including The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Research. During his career, he has advised 23 graduate students and 16 post-doctoral fellows. Many of his graduates now hold senior level positions in academia, government and the private sectors in different countries.
His nominator says that although Dr. Santschi’s achievements in research are extraordinary, his “highest achievement is the guidance he has provided to generations of students while at Texas A&M University.” He goes on to say that Dr. Santschi is true mentor in all respects of the word. And his commitment to the betterment of others is not limited to the workplace or to graduate students alone. A former student comments that Dr. Santschi challenged him intellectually to raise his understanding of the concepts taught in class. He describes Dr. Santschi as “a great mentor and role model in the classroom and in the laboratory” who has an open door policy and is always available to discuss ideas, or plan the direction of experiments and who knows the delicate balance between providing direction and allowing a student to discover. Another former student writes, “Peter instilled in me a need to give back as much as I can to colleagues, fellow students, and the public. I have mentored approximately 30 graduate students since I graduated from Texas A&M . . . . I am constantly grateful for the opportunities afforded me . . . .”
College: Texas A&M University at Galveston
Award Level: Graduate Mentoring
Peter H.
Santschi
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2004
College: Geosciences
Award Level: Research
Igor
Sarkissian
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1970
College: Science
Award Level: Research
Ronald
Sasse
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 1990
College: Student Affairs
Award Level: Student Relations
Polli
Satterwhite
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2005
College: Administration
Award Level: Staff
Ashley
Saunders '98
direct link to this listing
Year Awarded: 2016
Ashley B. Saunders, associate professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, received her D.V.M. from Texas A&M University. After completing a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Tennessee and a three-year residency in veterinary cardiology at Texas A&M, she joined the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2002. She teaches physiology, pharmacology, and small animal cardiology to first, second, and third-year veterinary students. She also teaches principles and techniques of cardiology to fourth-year veterinary students on their clinical rotations. Dr. Saunders has been recognized with the College’s Richard H. Davis Teaching Award and Bridges Teaching and Service Award, as well as The Association of Former Students College-Level Teaching Award and a Montague-CTE Scholar Award. Her research interests are cardiovascular imaging, interventional techniques, and novel teaching methods. Her enthusiasm and energy for teaching veterinary cardiology is focused around building the confidence of her students. She is relentlessly positive, supportive, and “can do” in her approach. When students work with Dr. Saunders they can feel her excitement and understand her commitment to them, which her nominator says communicates the powerful message that they can be successful. Here are two examples of comments from student evaluations. “The only negative thing I have to say about Dr. Saunders is that she does not fit in my pocket. She is a wonderful instructor.” And, “Dr. Saunders is one of the best teachers I have ever had! She explains things in a way that makes so much sense and she respects the students and their questions.” A colleague concluded her endorsement stating, “I am fortunate to have her as a colleague and collaborator, and our students benefit immensely from her teaching.”
College: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Award Level: Teaching