Class Notes

Larry Ebbers (L)('62 ag and life sci ed, MS '68, PhD '71 education) is a 2018 recipient of the John L. Blackburn Distinguished Pillar Award from NASPA, the national organization of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. It is the NASPA Foundation's highest honor.

Carla McCullough ('97 ag engr) has been accepted into the Nebraska Water Leaders Academy. She is a native of Bernard, Iowa. The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy is one-year program that provides leadership training and educates participants about the vital role of rivers, streams and aquifers play in the economic sustainability of the state.

Aaron D. Gross (MS '10 toxicology, PhD '14) has been named assistant professor of entomology in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He is one of a number of new faculty members hired in the college this academic year. New positions were identified to bring talent to the college's focus areas, including food, health, the environment, and community viability. The new faculty members are distributed across teaching, research, and Extension. Gross' research program focuses on controlling arthropod pests that have a significant impact on human health, animal health, and agriculture. His research interests focus on the discovery and mode of action of natural and synthetic pesticides at underutilized targets (GPCRs and ion channels). Additional research interests include investigating the mechanisms involved in host-vector interaction. Gross received a U.S. EPA-STAR fellowship to investigate the mode of action of natural terpenoids against ticks. Additionally, he received the American Chemical Society's (Agrochemical Division) New Investigator Award for research on the mode of action of a pyrazole oxime at mosquito muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.

C. John Basner ('95 speech comm) will line up with other elite athletes from around the world for a great cause this July 22, 2018 for the iconic IRONMAN Lake Placid as part of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Team for Cures. IRONMAN Lake Placid is the oldest and one of the most prestigious of the IRONMAN events in North America, with this year marking the race’s 20th running. The MMRF Team for Cures raises funds for cancer research. The MMRF was created to accelerate cancer research, particularly for multiple myeloma, and speed the development and approval of new treatments. Multiple myeloma, currently an incurable blood cancer, is the second most common blood cancer after non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Thomas B. Griffin (A)(MS ’82 phys ed) was recently inducted into the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Excellence. He received his B.A. from U.N.I. in 1971. The Hall of Excellence honors graduates who have demonstrated mastery of the knowledge base within their profession; contributed significantly as a teacher, leader, executive or administrator and widely recognized for the quality of that contribution; demonstrated scholarly activity through publications and presentations related to their profession; contributed significantly to their profession while holding offices in professional organizations of state, regional, national and international scope; and demonstrated a cumulative record (including awards and honors) of effective and enthusiastic service to their profession. In addition to receiving his B.A. from U.N.I., he received his M.S. from Iowa State University; and taught Physical Education in the Ames Community School District until his retirement in 2004.

Michael Pochop ('91 civil engr), P.E., a vice president and project manager at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Kansas City metropolitan office, recently celebrated 20 years of service with the company.

Chris Wiewiora (MFA '14 creative writing & the environment) is the new discovery assistant at the Museum of Northern Arizona. He will continue guiding kids in environmental education on the Colorado Plateau.

Brianna Schwind (A)('13 advertising) has been named marketing manager of the Iowa State Center, managed by VenuWorks. In this role, Schwind will expand the Center’s already extensive marketing efforts. She will be responsible for planning media buys and placement, the digital image of the facilities, promotions and graphic design.

Danny O'Neill (L)('83 pol sci & intl. studies) is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Kansas City-based coffee business, The Roasterie.

Rachelle Justice ('04 chemistry) has published the children's picture book, Steampunk A to Z, under the pen name of R.E. Lane.

Reks Mouk ('16 MIS) is debuting a business model development platform called Modest Wealth. "Our goal is to develop business acumen for high school and college students so they have the intuition to recognize opportunities for their ideas and have the knowledge and preparation to open new doors for themselves," Mouk said. "As we build our platform, we'll be working with local high schools in the Twin Cities starting this fall and begin branching out to colleges and universities." Learn more online at https://vimeo.com/252435686 and http://www.modestwealthco.com.

Joseph Lally (A)('72 farm op, MS '99 professional ag), a certified crop adviser, received the Secretary's Iowa Ag Leader Award from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Lally received the award at the Agribusiness Association of Iowa's Showcase and Conference at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Feb. 16, 2018.

Mary Kay Thatcher (L)('79 ag business & animal sci) has joined Syngenta as senior lead of federal government relations in Washington, D.C.

Erik Ervin ('89 hort) has been named chair of the University of Delaware's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and professor of turfgrass and horticulture.

Carrie Tauscher ('09 hort), urban forestry coordinator for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, has been named president of the Indiana Arborist Association.

George R. Mulholland (L)('86 civil engr) has been promoted to associate principal with Raths, Raths & Johnson, Inc., a national architecture, engineering, and forensics consulting form headquartered in Willowbrook, Ill.

W. Mark Saltzman ('81 chem engr) has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest distinctions accorded to an engineer. Saltzman is the Goizueta Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and Physiology at Yale University.

Charles E. Sukup (L)('76 ag engr, MS '82) has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest distinctions accorded to an engineer. Sukup is the president of Sukup Manufacturing Co.

Dennis A. Muilenburg (L)('86 aero engr) has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest distinctions accorded to an engineer. Muilenburg is chairman of the board, president, and CEO of The Boeing Company.

Cory Allison (M.Ed. '13) of Carlisle Elementary School in Carlisle, Iowa, was named the 2018 Iowa Assistant Elementary Principal of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa.

Jerald Jones Woolfork (M.Ed. '84) has been named president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., effective June 1, 2018. Lincoln University is a historically black public land-grant university that enrolls about 2,700 students.

Jason Ellis (MS ’03 meat science, food science and technology, PhD ’06 ag and life sciences education) has been named head of the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education at Kansas State University.

Mike Retallick (L)(PhD ’05 ag and life sciences education), professor and chair in the ISU Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education Research.

Scott Smalley (MS ’06 ag and life sciences education, PhD ’11), assistant professor in the ISU Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, received the Outstanding Beginning Scholar Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education Research.

Matt Romoser (’15 animal science, MS ’17 animal physiology) is a new technical service specialist for Fast Genetics in Ames.