The CFAES Awards are a very special time of year to all faculty & staff within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. In a lovely award ceremony this March, the 2022 Awards were given out to CFAES Faculty & Staff across both of our campuses (Columbus + Wooster). Our department, Horticulture & Crop Science, was overjoyed to have 5 of our very own receive CFAES Awards this year.
Each of our award winners took the time to let us know how impactful receiving their award was; as well as give us an update on their accomplishments that contributed towards their awards - keep scrolling to learn about all of HCS's 2022 CFAES Award Winners or click below to learn more about each individual.
- Kimberly Nolletti received the CFAES 2022 Shirley Brooks-Jones Citizenship Award
- Dr. Alex Lindsey received the CFAES 2022 Distinguished Undergraduate Academic Advisor/Mentor Award
- Dr. Laura Lindsey received the CFAES 2022 Distinguished Junior Faculty Research Award
- Dr. Clay Sneller received the CFAES 2022 Distinguished International Research and Engagement Award
- Dr. Wendy Klooster received the CFAES 2022 Rodney F. Plimpton Distinguished Early Career Teacher Award
Kimberly Nolletti
Kimberly Nolletti received the CFAES 2022 Shirley Brooks-Jones Citizenship Award
Kimberly is the HCS Grants and Contracts Specialist, she is based out of our Wooster Campus. She specializes in post-award grant administration for research faculty in HCS.
When did you start working at OSU?
June 2007
What does winning this award mean to you?
I am truly honored to have been selected for the prestigious Shirley Brooks-Jones award and humbled to join a group of other staff who have been recognized for their outstanding citizenship activities within CFAES.
How do you approach being a good team player?
I adhere to the mantra “If I don’t know, I’ll find out” which has helped create a great rapport with faculty, staff, students, and other campus personnel. I truly enjoy seeing the passion that drives the faculty’s research, the staff’s loyal support, the students’ enthusiasm, and the international visitors’ global perspective.
Dr. Alex Lindsey
Dr. Alex Lindsey received the CFAES 2022 Distinguished Undergraduate Academic Advisor/Mentor Award
Dr. Lindsey is an HCS Associate Professor based out of our Columbus Campus. He specializes in crop ecophysiology & agronomy.
When did you start working at OSU?
I began in this role at OSU in August of 2015.
What does winning this award mean to you?
When I was notified I won the undergraduate advising/mentor award I was honored and pleased. Working with undergraduates to achieve their academic and career goals is very rewarding, and I feel a great sense of responsibility to help all students succeed. It is a privilege to serve in this role, and I appreciate the opportunity.
How do you approach advising/mentoring undergraduates?
I work with students to help them navigate their degree program, and work to find the electives that best suit their career goals and interests. I am happy to speak with them about careers or graduate training, and work to connect them with faculty at OSU or industry professionals to help answer questions I cannot. Mentoring independent projects and research also helps me learn through their experience and discovery process. I help them formulate their research question through active discussion, and work to provide the tools and freedom for them to conduct the investigation. Regular check-ins help to ensure their progress and direction is on track to answer their objectives, and it is always exciting to find out what they learned through the experience.
I’d like to thank those that participated in the nomination process, the reviewers of this award, and CFAES for providing these recognition opportunities.
Dr. Laura Lindsey
Dr. Laura Lindsey received the CFAES 2022 Distinguished Junior Faculty Research Award
Dr. Lindsey is an HCS Associate Professor based out of our Columbus Campus. She specializes in soybean & small grain crop management.
When did you start working at OSU?
July 2012
What does winning this award mean to you?
It feels great to receive this award from the College. I really enjoy my job at Ohio State, and I appreciate the recognition.
Tell us a bit about your recent research efforts
I have an applied, field-based research program to develop best management practices for soybean and small grains so that farmers can maximize yield and profitability. Recently, my lab has been working on research related to soybean, wheat, and hybrid rye planting dates and seeding rates. We are also looking at 'ultra early' soybean planting with and without a cover crop.
My lab motto is 'team work makes the dream work'. So, having great students, technicians, research stations, farmer cooperators, and colleagues makes my job easy and enjoyable. I'm also very appreciative of funding from commodity groups, Ohio Corn and Wheat and Ohio Soybean Council, which allows me to conduct applied research to meet the needs of Ohio farmers.
Dr. Clay Sneller
Dr. Clay Sneller received the CFAES 2022 Distinguished International Research and Engagement Award
Dr. Sneller is an HCS Professor based out of our Wooster Campus. He specializes in plant breeding with a focus on breeding efficiency, molecular plant breeding, & genomic selection.
When did you start working at OSU?
January 2001
What does winning this award mean to you?
The work itself is the reward, but it is also very regarding to be recognized by your peers and colleagues.
Tell us a bit about your recent international research/engagement efforts
Most of my recent efforts have focused on Africa. I was the senior scientist on a project to establish a high-throughput genotyping lab in Nairobi. My role was to work with African breeders to set up breeding programs and research projects that would utilize the technology so they could benefit from molecular plant breeding. In the past two years I have been a consultant for the Excellence in Breeding project. With EiB I have evaluated breeding programs in Kenya and Uganda, made recommendations to improve their programs, and worked on site to help implement the recommendations.
Dr. Wendy Klooster
Dr. Wendy Klooster received the CFAES 2022 Rodney F. Plimpton Distinguished Early Career Teacher Award
Dr. Klooster is an HCS Assistant Professor of Professional Practice based out of our Columbus Campus. She specializes in forest ecology, houseplants, vegetable production, plant growth & physiology.
When did you start working at OSU?
I’ve been at OSU in various capacities since 2008 (grad student, post doc, Entomology program coordinator, etc.). But I started my current position as an HCS faculty member in August 2018.
What does winning this award mean to you?
Winning this award, especially after a couple of really challenging years of teaching, has been extremely motivating for me. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if I’m actually making a difference, and if all the time and effort is truly worth it. But being recognized in this way inspires me to keep striving and connecting with students in meaningful ways.
Tell us a bit about your approach to teaching
I’m really passionate about broadening students’ perspectives and helping them synthesize information in new ways. These days it’s easy to access information, but how to properly evaluate and apply that information is not always apparent. So my approach to teaching is to help students find and integrate accurate information to develop more advanced concepts and systems.
Congratulations to all the 2022 CFAES Award Winners & a special thank you to CFAES Dean Dr. Cathann A. Kress & the entire event coordination team for such a special night!