Class Notes

Ryan Chapman ('08 landscape arch, MLA '08) recently graduated in the sixth class of the Nebraska Water Leaders Academy, a 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. Chapman is a water assessment supervisor at the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in Lincoln. A project of the Water Futures Partnership-Nebraska, the Academy sessions feature classroom as well as field trip experiences presented by acknowledged experts in leadership and natural resource topics. The Water Leaders Academy is partially funded through a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and more than 25 other organizations and individuals. More information can be found at www.waterleadersacademy.org.

Lt. Col. Breea Lisko (L)('00 meteorology) of the U.S. Air Force enjoyed a Thanksgiving visit from fellow Iowa State alumna and veteran Joni Ernst ('92 psychology), currently a U.S. Senator representing the state of Iowa. "Whether near or far, Cyclones are truly family," Lisko writes.

Utah State University professor Lisa Berreau has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the nation’s top national science honors. One of 391 honorees recognized nationwide, she will be formally honored in a Feb. 18 ceremony during the association’s 2017 annual meeting in Boston. An inorganic chemist, Berreau is recognized for her innovative work in understanding reaction involving metals and dioxygen that led to carbon-carbon bond cleavage and the influence of hydrogen bonding on metal-centered reactivity. Her work investigates the role metal ions play in human health, the environment and catalysis. “Dr. Berreau is a most deserving awardee and Utah State is thrilled she is receiving this prestigious recognition,” says Maura Hagan, dean of USU’s College of Science. “She promotes the role of science not only as an accomplished researcher, but also as a dedicated educator and administrator.” In addition to her administrative and research efforts at Utah State, where she teaches and supervises a team of graduate and undergraduate students in research, Berreau serves as treasurer of the American Chemical Society of Inorganic Chemistry. At USU, Berreau was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Research Fellowship and was also named a Herman Frasch Foundation Fellow. In 2006, she was named “Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year” for USU’s College of Science. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of a number of academic journals, including the association’s flagship publication “Science.”

Charles Hagedorn (MS '72 bacteriology, PhD '74), professor of crop and soil environmental sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive an emeritus certificate from the university. A member of the university community since 1986, Hagedorn made significant contributions to the management of fecal bacteria and viruses in waste treatment and land-based application systems, on the impacts of environmental release of genetically modified microorganisms, and to determining sources of fecal pollution in contaminated water. He led more than 40 research projects in Virginia, 16 in other states and the District of Columbia, as well as others in Puerto Rico, Canada, Egypt, Spain, Tanzania, and China. For his work, Hagedorn received distinguished service awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Society for Microbiology, the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, and the Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Support for his environmental microbiology research program included 78 state, private, and federal competitive research grants totaling more than $5 million. He was the co-editor of two books and published 142 peer-reviewed journal articles; 18 invited review articles; 10 invited book chapters; 82 invited presentations at international, national, and state conferences; 12 peer-reviewed bulletins; and 142 abstracts and presentation papers. Hagedorn taught environmental microbiology for more than 25 years. Fourteen Ph.D. and 22 master’s degree students completed their degrees under his direction and more than 80 undergraduate students worked in his laboratory to gain an out-of-the-classroom experience.

Tyler Marshall ('96 civil engr, MS '98) has been promoted to Technology Innovation Leader for Stanley Consultants' Environmental and Urban Design Market. With three locations in Iowa, Stanley Consultants is a consulting engineering firm with offices worldwide. Marshall will lead market practice leaders in developing innovative and technology-driven client solutions in the areas of air quality; investigation/remediation of contaminated sites; natural resources and environmental planning; pollution prevention; urban design and landscape architecture; and waste and water quality. Marshall, a licensed professional engineer, joined Stanley Consultants in 2006. He has nearly 20 years of civil/environmental consulting experience with a focus on regulatory issues and water quality compliance.

Adriana Chavez Moe (A)('12 pol sci) and Christopher Moe ('11 management info systems) were married April 23, 2016 in Ames.

David Leibold ('94 forestry) has been named fiber supply manager at International Paper's mill in Pine Hill, Ala., effective Sept. 1. A 22-year International Paper veteran, Leibold in his new role is responsible for the procurement of 2.6 million tons of pine and hardwood pulpwood and 500,000 tons of fiber fuel annually.

Members of the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) have elected Clay Lindstrom (L)('74 indus engr) as president of its board of directors. Lindstrom currently serves as director of utilities for the Fort Pierce (Fla.) Utilities Authority.

Ryan Haaland ('05 philosophy) recently joined Davis Brown Law Firm in Ames, Iowa, as special counsel with a general practice.

Patty Scallon ('95 pol sci) recently joined Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, Iowa, as special counsel in the public finance and real estate departments.

Seth Berbano (L)('11 materials engr) has joined Murata Electronics North America, Inc., as a research scientist in State College, Pa.

Jonathan Lang (PhD '92 physics and astronomy) has been appointed division director of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) X-ray Science Division at Argonne Photon Sciences Directorate. As part of the senior management team of the directorate, Lang is responsible for leading a division that provides critical expertise and support for the APS user community, as well as mentoring the next generation of x-ray scientists and fostering a vibrant research environment.

Jared F. Knight (A)('13 pol sci) has joined Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as an associate attorney in the firm's corporate transactions and business counseling practice.

Brian Wegerer, P.E. ('94 elec engr), has joined the global consulting firm Stanley Consultants as a business development manager in the company's Muscatine, Iowa, office.

Patrick E. Pinkston (L)('77 mech engr) recently retired after 40 years of service to Deere & Co. as vice president for information technology.

Randall A. Wirtz (MS '92 civil & construction engr, PhD '94), an engineer with Strand Associates, Inc., in Madison, Wis., recently received the prestigious Schroepfer Innovative Facility Design Award from the Water Environment Federation, an international not-for-profit technical and educational water quality organization, for his role in the City of Dubuque's water and resource recovery center project.

Tom Thompson (PhD '91 agronomy), department head and professor of crop and soil environmental sciences at Virginia Tech University, has been named associate dean and director of international programs in VT's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

John Leahy ('87 civil engr) of Springfield, Va., and his wife, Mary, welcomed their first grandchild, Aaron Zak of Omaha, Neb., in February 2016.

Carl J. Bern, P.E. (A)(PhD '73 ag engr), was the inaugural recipient of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers' (ASABE) Sukup Global Food Security Award at the ASABE's annual international meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Jami Larson (L)('74 indus admin & accounting) has been named Delta Upsilon Fraternity's 2016 Chapter Advisor of the Year for his work as advisor of Iowa State University's DU chapter and leader of the chapter's recent 80-year-old house restoration at 117 Ash Ave.

Arkansas Deputy Secretary of State Joseph Wood (L)('87 management) has been selected to participate in one of the nation's premier leadership development programs for state government officials, The Council of State Governments' Henry Toll Fellowship program. Wood said that ongoing leadership development is critical for state officials. Through the Toll Fellowship program, he hopes to learn from other policymakers who are leading the way in solving complex problems in their own states.

At the National Association of Regional Councils' 50th annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, this summer, R. Todd Ashby (L)('92 community and regional planning) -- executive director of the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization -- received the organization's Walter Scheiber Leadership Award. The award recognizes the significant impacts an executive director has made at the local, state, and national levels.

Janika Eckert ('74 distributed studies), a breeder for Johnny's Selected Seeds in Fairfield, Maine, was awarded the All-American Selections Breeder's Cup at the AAS annual summit in Madison, Wis. Eckert produced four AAS-winning varieties: 'Diva' spineless sweet cucumber, 'Carmen' early sweet red Italian pepper, 'Escamillo' early sweet golden Italian pepper, and, most recently, 'Cornito Giallo' -- a half-size sweet golden Italian pepper.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad presented James M. Schipper (L)('72 ag bus) with the Iowa Bankers Association's James A. Leach Leadership Award during the IBA's annual convention Sept. 19 in Des Moines, Iowa. Schipper has 40 years of experience in community banking and currently serves as chairman of American State Bank in Des Moines.

Delta Tau Delta Fraternity presented its Alumni Achievement Award to Daniel J. Reschly (L)('66 history) at its 93rd biennial convention in Orlando, Fla.