Distinguished Faculty Award

Stuart H. Gage
Department of Entomology and Department of Zoology

Stuart H. Gage is a world leader in complex biological systems analysis. His multidisciplinary research program addresses issues of organism distribution in space and time such as gypsy moth invasion into the Midwest, corn phenology across the United States, and patterns of human development in Michigan and elsewhere. His contributions range from modeling the effects of environmental conditions on pest and natural-enemy ecology to examining atmospheric transport of insects and developing cutting-edge computational methods for predicting biological events. As a result of a unique research collaboration with the San Diego Supercomputer Center, he is at the forefront of assessing ecosystem health and predicting future pressures on natural resources. He now directs the application of his techniques in New Zealand.

“It is a great honor to receive the University Distinguished Faculty Award. I am proud to be a member of the MSU community. I thank my colleagues within the university as well as those beyond MSU who consider me worthy of receiving this prestigious award. I thank the university administration and my colleagues for encouraging me to pursue research, outreach and teaching across disciplinary boundaries.”

Katherine L. Gross
W. K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Plant Biology

Katherine L. Gross is one of the leading plant ecologists in the United States. Her research integrates population, community and ecosystem ecology. Her early work on colonization success and species composition after disturbance of ecological communities established a new and distinct research area, and her publications on this topic have become classics in the field. Subsequently, she has been making fundamental contributions to our understanding of how nitrogen availability and species composition affect species success or failure. Her recent work on applied issues in agriculture and restoration ecology is likely to result in more environmentally sound management practices. She is a leader and visionary in national and international organizations and was elected president of the Ecological Society of America.

“I have been serving as acting director of KBS since January 2004 and so being recognized with this award is a confirmation that the choices I have made in balancing my career with my family and community activities is recognized as valuable to the university. I am pleased that Phil Robertson has also been selected. KBS is an important part of MSU and to have two of us recognized in the same year is a tremendous honor.”

Stephen B. Harsh
Department of Agricultural Economics

Stephen B. Harsh is well known nationally and abroad as one of the first researchers to pioneer and advance the use of information technology and decision support systems in agriculture, especially in outreach programs for Michigan farmers. Harsh takes educational ideas and develops them into curriculum-based programs that have helped hundreds of Michigan producers accomplish short- and long-term goals. His income-tax-management computer program saves producers more than $1 million each year. He is coauthor of “Managing the Farm Business,” widely used in U.S. and European universities as a standard text. He often collaborates with U.S. and European colleagues on scientific articles and has helped organize international conferences on agricultural decision support systems and computer applications to policy formulation.

“It is indeed an honor for my college, department and me. I am particularly pleased that the university has chosen to honor scholarly efforts that stress teaching, research and outreach which are encompassed in the land- grant mission.”

Robert P. Hubbard
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Osteopathic Surgical Specialties

Robert P. Hubbard has achieved international acclaim for his bioengineering research on human spinal mechanics and product development to improve seating posture and reduce human injury. His contributions clarify human musculoskeletal function as it relates to teaching and research in biomechanics, physical medicine, rehabilitation, and human factors. Recognizing that real bioengineering problems are essentially interdisciplinary, he has collaboratively developed unique enabling technologies in human biomechanics, office and automotive seating, and life-saving devices for racing crash safety. He has written a significant number of publications, holds many patents, and has been awarded research grants for his work.

“Several years ago, I decided to reach beyond traditional academic boundaries and try to influence people by helping design products that provide biomechanical benefits. My primary applications have been to develop biomechanical design and evaluation tools for seating and to invent the HANS® head and neck support for racing safety. Technologies that I fostered have led to products that enjoy international success. In receiving this award, I’m deeply honored and grateful to MSU.”

Hira L. Koul
Department of Statistics and Probability

Hira L. Koul’s prolific and profound investigations have won him international acclaim as a research leader in nonparametric and semiparametric statistical inference, time series analysis and weighted empirical processes and their application. His research has led to the solution of many outstanding problems in statistics and opened up new directions for further study. An invited participant in many international conferences, he has been a visiting professor to many universities, including La Trobe University in Australia, Australian National University, the Indian Statistical Institute at New Delhi, the University of Pune in India, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, North Carolina State University, the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

“I view this as an honor not just for me but for the entire faculty, students and staff of the Department of Statistics and Probability. Recognitions such as these enhance the support provided by MSU toward achieving excellence.”

G. Philip Robertson
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

G. Philip Robertson is an international leader in the developing field of agroecology. He is founding director of the MSU Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program at the Kellogg Biological Station, funded by the National Science Foundation. The LTER program is an internationally recognized leader in applying ecological concepts to agricultural systems to foster economic sustainability and minimize environmental impact. He is also a leader in devising management processes that minimize agriculture’s contribution to global warming and has effectively communicated this knowledge to policy makers. His pioneering work on geostatistics applied to agroecosystems and on understanding how multiple factors affect global warming is pace setting.

“I’m deeply honored to have been nominated and then selected for this award - truly a highlight of my career at MSU. It’s an honor that reflects as much on my colleagues and their generosity and willingness to collaborate as on any merit of my own, and I thank them, my students, and the MSU community at large for their support through the years.”

Cheryl L. Sisk
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program

Cheryl L. Sisk’s research on the manner in which sex hormones influence brain function has received national and international attention. She leads a research group that investigates hormonal effects during early development, puberty and old age, using methods ranging from molecular biology to analysis of behavior. Since 1998, she has directed the Neuroscience Program at MSU, developing a loosely engaged multidisciplinary group of faculty into a coherent and nationally prominent graduate training and research program in neuroscience. She has received two National Institutes of Health (NIH) training grants for this program.

“It’s an honor to receive this award, and I appreciate the many opportunities MSU and the Department of Psychology have given me for professional development. I’ve also had great neuroscience colleagues inside and outside of my home department, and it has been a privilege to work at an institution that fosters interdisciplinary research and supports interdepartmental graduate training programs like the Neuroscience Program.”

Alvin J.M. Smucker
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Alvin J. M. Smucker is internationally recognized for his research in the fundamental mechanisms of soil science. His multidisciplinary projects have emphasized plant root responses to complex soil physical and environmental stresses. His research collaborations have resulted in a soil core seedling test, a new approach for washing roots, and computer imaging of video-recorded root systems-methods that have become the standard for many root and soil research programs. More recently, his laboratory teams have identified new and novel mechanisms for increasing terrestrial carbon sequestration.

“Collaboration with many excellent colleagues and students at MSU has provided me with unlimited opportunities for scientific exploration and education. This award acknowledges advances in our understanding of new ecological mechanisms within the plant root and soil aggregate interface that enhance both the production of healthy food products and the sequestration of more carbon from the atmosphere. Research into God’s complex ecosystems continues to be an exciting professional and personal adventure.”

Michael Thoennessen
Department of Physics and Astronomy and National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory

Michael Thoennessen, a researcher and member of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), has achieved worldwide renown for his pioneering work in the field of experimental nuclear physics, in particular the area of exotic nuclei. His group constructed two cutting-edge research instruments at the NSCL, the Superconducting Sweeper Magnet in collaboration with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Modular Neutron Array involving many undergraduate institutions. The Modular Neutron Array, funded by the National Science Foundation, serves as a model for collaboration between research universities and undergraduate institutions. He has given about 100 invited presentations and has published more than 100 scientific journal articles. In addition, he has written review articles and edited proceedings of international conferences.

“I give a lot of credit for this award to my colleagues at the NSCL. They created a stimulating and invigorating environment where striving for excellence in teaching and research seemed natural and easy.”