Texas A&M faculty, student receive national honors

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION – Individuals from Texas A&M University will receive recognition during the upcoming “Synergy in Science: Partnering for Solutions” meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America.

The annual meeting of the three societies will be held Nov. 15-18 in Minneapolis, in conjunction with the Entomological Society of America.

The Soil Science Society of America announced Dr. Frank Hons, a professor and Texas A&M AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow in the department of soil and crop sciences at Texas A&M, will receive the Soil Science Education Award.

The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to soil science through education, national and international service, and research.

“Dr. Hons has truly made a difference for soil science around the world through his teaching and graduate student mentoring, as demonstrated by the large number of former students who point out his influence on their education and subsequent careers,” said Dr. David Baltensperger, soil and crop sciences department head in College Station.

Hons is a Fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Dallas and master’s and doctorate degrees in soil chemistry and soil science from Texas A&M. He has taught soil science classes for 37 years and has mentored 42 graduate students.

Hons previously received teaching awards at departmental and college levels and the Agronomic Resident Education Award from the American Society of Agronomy. He is internationally recognized for his research involving soil biogeochemistry, carbon sequestration and nitrogen dynamics, and he has authored 116 peer-reviewed publications, according to the association.

The Crop Science Society of America has elected Dr. Bill Rooney, an AgriLife Research plant breeder and soil and crop sciences professor in College Station, as a Fellow. Members of the society are elected as a Fellow based on their professional achievements and meritorious service.

“Bill Rooney has become one of the impact scientists in sorghum research and through his germplasm impacted the lives of many around the world,” Baltensperger said.

Rooney has develop improved parental lines of sorghum to create grain sorghum hybrids for feed and food uses, as well as forage sorghum hybrids for grazing, silage and hay production. His research has led to sorghum germplasm with enhanced resistance to disease and abiotic stresses for use in sorghum breeding programs.

As a professor, he provides graduate training in plant breeding and genetics with specific emphasis on sorghum breeding and genetics. He emphasizes applied science with significant interaction with molecular genetics and its application to breeding programs.

Rooney earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M in agronomy and plant breeding, respectively, and his doctorate in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Wayne Smith, associate soil and crop sciences department head in College Station, has been named as the Crop Science Society of America editor-in-chief, effective Jan. 1. As such, he will be responsible for coordinating the society’s publications and implementing editorial policies established by the board of directors.

The editor-in-chief also serves on the various society committees providing oversight of the journal and book publications and input and leadership in the implementation of appropriate policies.

Scientific journals published by Crop Science Society of America are: Crop Science; Crop, Forage and Turfgrass Management; Journal of Environmental Quality; Natural Science Education; The Plant Genome; and Journal of Plant Registrations.

Omar Elhassan, a Texas A&M student, will be recognized by the Golden Opportunity Scholars Institute through the Agronomic Science Foundation. This scholars program matches undergraduates with scientist mentors. The program encourages students to pursue careers in the agronomic, crop and soil sciences.

“The Golden Scholars program has developed a reputation of identifying undergraduates with potential to be leaders of science in the future and helping them chart a course to achieve that success,” Baltensperger said. “It is always a special time for a department to have one of their current students recognized with this potential.”