Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE --A senior Mississippi State aquaculture scientist is receiving the university's 2007 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award.
Louis R. D'Abramo, a wildlife and fisheries professor, was honored Tuesday night during the university's annual spring research awards banquet. He was among 23 whose achievements were praised at the Hunter Henry Center program.
The Powe award annually recognizes faculty researchers making important contributions to the economic welfare or cultural growth of the university, state and nation. It is a campus memorial to the alumnus and longtime research vice president who died in 1996.
D'Abramo has received numerous tributes over his campus career, including inclusion as a W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor, the land-grant institution's highest faculty rank. He also has been named a John Grisham Master Teacher and Grisham Faculty Excellence Award selection.
Recently, the National Shellfisheries Association honored him with a meritorious service award for outstanding leadership and service. He currently serves as NSA president and previously held a similar office with the World Aquaculture Society.
Kirk Schulz, interim vice president for research and economic development, said D'Abramo represents the high caliber of faculty at MSU.
"He brings an international reputation to Mississippi State," Schulz said. "When he lectures in the classroom, he brings cutting edge research experience with him."
D'Abramo holds a 1979 doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from Yale University. Among others, his research areas include the development of management strategies to optimize fish production; crustacean and mollusk species for commercial aquaculture; and nutritional physiology of larval and juvenile crustaceans.
Schulz was joined by Vance Watson, vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine, in presenting the evening's honors.
The other honorees included (by college or unit):
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES AND MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY EXPERIMENT STATION
Faculty Research Award, K. Raja Reddy, research professor, plant and soil sciences department; Research Support Staff Award, Cathy Aultman, laboratory coordinator, animal and dairy science department; Graduate Student Award, Sang Min Lee of Starkville, doctoral student in entomology and plant pathology; and Undergraduate Student Award, Inju Kim, also of Starkville, senior animal and dairy science major.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Faculty Research Award, Noel Polk, professor, English department; Research Support Staff Award, Ben Ardahl, laboratory operator, physics and astronomy department; Graduate Student Award, Jaffar Ali Shahul Hameed of Starkville, a doctoral student in mathematics; and Undergraduate Student Award, senior chemistry major Margaret Corley of Yazoo City.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
Faculty Research Award, Franz Kellermanns, assistant professor, management and information systems department.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Faculty Research Award, Brenda Cavenaugh, research professor, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Blindness and Low Vision; and Graduate Student Award, Susan H. Eaves of Collinsville, a doctoral student in student counseling and guidance.
BAGLEY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Faculty Research Award, Philip Gullett, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering department; Research Support Staff Award, Barbara Matta, project coordinator, electrical and computer engineering department; and Graduate Student Award, Konstantin Borisov of Starkville, an electrical engineering doctoral student.
COLLEGE OF FOREST RESOURCES
Faculty Research Award, Eric Dibble, associate professor, wildlife and fisheries department; Research Support Staff Award, Chuan-Yu Hsu, research associate, forestry department; and Graduate Student Award, Aaron T. Pearse of Starkville, a doctoral student in forest resources.
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Faculty Research Award, Nikolay Filipov, assistant professor, basic sciences department; Research Support Staff Award, Timothy Brown, laboratory manager, basic sciences department; and Graduate Student Award, Chun-Hsi Chou of Starkville, doctor of philosophy student in veterinary medicine.
UNIVERSITY CENTERS AND INSTITUTES
Research Support Staff Award, William Monroe, research associate, Electron Microscope Center.
OFFICE OF RESEARCH
Research Support Staff Award, Terry Coggins, radiological safety officer.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.