Class Notes

Fred Sick (L) (DVM '74) has been honored by the Iowa State University Veterinary Medical Alumni Association with the 2020 Outstanding Service Award. Sick has been active in encouraging students in the veterinary field by initiating the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine White Coat Ceremony and advising student clubs at Dordt University and Northwestern College.

Brittany Sievers ('12 speech communication) has joined the law firm, Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor, & Fairgrave, P.C. Sievers is an associate within the litigation practice group and will represent clients in state and federal courts, handling cases from filing until potential appeals.

Lane Pralle ('20 architecture) was recognized by the Architectural Research Centers Consortium with the ARCC King Medal for Excellence in Architectural and Environmental Design Research. Pralle received this award because of this work as a graduate research assistant researching and creating an emergency response crate that is powered through solar energy.

Brandon Johnson (A) ('20 graphic design) has recently been recognized for his brand identity system, "Museo Storico Testaccino." In the 2020 Creativity International Awards, Johnson won a Silver Award in the Print-Banding Campaign category. This piece was produced during his time studying abroad in Rome during the fall 2019 semester.

Joel Goehner ('87 construction engineering) has recently been appointed the director of operations of Steelhead Building Group in Brentwood, Tennessee. In this role, Goehner will manage the entire construction process, from hiring project teams to completing client's objectives. Over his 33 years of experience, Goehner has completed over 50 commercial projects throughout the Southeast.

Rodney Benson ('83 journalism and mass communications) has been recognized by the American Political Science Association for his book, "Shaping Immigration News: a French-American Comparison." He will be receiving the Doris Graber Award of the Decade for writing the most outstanding book on political communication. He currently works as the department chair of media, culture, and communications for the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

The American Feed Industry Association has awarded Cassie Jones ('12 PhD nutritional science) with the Member of the Year Award. Jones is currently an associate professor of animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University.

Laynnea Myles (’04 industrial technology) was recognized by the National Safety Council as a 2020 Rising Star of Safety. Myles was chosen because of her novel and modern environmental safety communication methods as the director of health and safety for L'Oreal.

Katherine Polak (DVM '10) has been honored as 2020's American Hero Veterinarian during a broadcast of the Hero Dog Awards on the Hallmark Channel. Polak has worked with an international charity, FOUR PAWS, and runs programs that care for stray animals and stands against the dog and cat meat trade in Southeast Asia.

Amy Vincent (DVM '02) has been elected into the National Academy of Medicine. Vincent works as a research veterinary medical officer and manages scientists researching vaccines and swine influenza at the Agriculture Research Service in the USDA's National Animal Disease Center in Ames.

David Twedt (DVM '72) has been honored with the Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Currently, Twedt teaches small animal internal medicine as a professor at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Richard Hill (A) (MS '90, veterinary microbiology and preventative medicine), who works as a veterinary medical officer with the USDA, has recently been elected president of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine. This organization works to educate and promote the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment.

In joining one of St. Louis’s most influential economic and community developers at Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners, Joel Glasscock’s ('14 community & regional planning) every day consists of improving urban areas through smarter and better development. As a project manager, he guides projects and stakeholders, with their diverse priorities, toward shared goals, through complex approvals, and ultimately to tangible results. Glasscock resides in St. Louis, where he applies his understanding of and experience in economic and community development to the very communities where he grew up. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and a dedicated triathlete.

Kendall Lamkey (A)(PhD ’85 agronomy), professor and chair of Iowa State University's Department of Agronomy, received the 2020 Public Sector Plant Breeding Impact Award from the National Association of Plant Breeders. Lamkey's research focuses on corn breeding with an emphasis on the quantitative genetics of selection response, inbreeding depression and heterosis.

Jay Mattison (L)('81 dairy science, MS '83 animal science), CEO of the National Dairy Herd Information Association, was named this year's Guest of Honor by the National Dairy Shrine. The honor, the Dairy Shrine's highest recognition, is given to a contemporary dairy leader.

Marthina Greer (L)('78 distributed studies, DVM '81) has received the Dr. John Steiner Award for Excellence in Practice from the Society for Theriogenology. Greer is the co-founder of Veterinary Village in Lomira, Wisconsin, where she also established the International Canine Semen Bank.

Zadok Ruben ('69 zoology, MS '73 vet pathology, DVM '72) has been elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Toxicologic Pathology. He was also the recipient of the Robert L. Farrell Award from the Davis-Thompson Foundation for his 30 years of contribution to the advancement of international continuing education in veterinary and comparative pathology.

Molly Lee (DVM '14), associate director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health, has been named the recipient of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association Rising Star Award.

The Iowa Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA) has honored Ken May (L)('83 animal science, DVM '87), owner of the Ballard Veterinary Clinics, by naming him IVMA Veterinarian of the Year.

Rachel Allbaugh (L)('00 animal science, DVM '04), associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences, has been named the inaugural holder of the Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed Professor in Veterinary Medicine. The endowed faculty position is the first of three named professorships that the Talbots have established in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan (A)('91, PhD '95), professor of animal science at Iowa State University, was presented the 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Meat Science Association for the innovative teaching methods she uses to help students learn and prepare for their careers. Huff-Lonergan has been at Iowa State for more than 20 years.

Meg Thacher (MS '91 physics & astronomy) has a book coming out on Oct. 13, 2020. The title is "Sky Gazing: a Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planets, Stars, Eclipses, and Constellations." It's a guide for children 9-14 to observe the sky -- day or night -- from wherever they are. No telescope required. It's 132 pages, published by Storey (an imprint of Workman Press).

Brad Menard (MEd ‘06) was married to Jessica Messano on Sept. 19, 2020.

Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles, recently honored Mannava Sivakumar (PhD '77 agronomy) with inclusion in Who’s Who in the World. Sivakumar is a climate scientist and a leader in sustainable agricultural techniques. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process of individuals profiled.

"Art for the Sea," an exhibition of work by Brian Buckles (BFA '06 graphic design), was displayed in August at Bereskin Gallery and Art Academy in Bettendorf. The show featured 11 original oil paintings and four graphite studies displaying the beauty, variety, and power of sharks and marine life, with the goal of using art to inspire others to learn more and engage in protecting these amazing animals.