Distinguished, University and Morrill Professors
September 16, 2025
- Recognized as the world leader on bamboos, a major subfamily of grasses, and internationally for her expertise in plant systematics (how plants are classified).
- Organized the international Bamboo Phylogeny Group (2004), which established a globally accepted classification system for bamboos based on modern molecular and morphological data, pioneering phylogenetics in a particularly challenging plant group.
- Achieved influence in her field as reflected in more than 11,000 research citations, including 748 for her book, "American Bamboos," and 526 for a key paper in the "Journal of Systematics and Evolution."
- Honored by other researchers worldwide with six species of grasses named for her, a rare tribute underscoring her lasting impact on grass taxonomy.
- Served as director of Iowa State's herbarium since 1989, strengthening this resource for all plant biologists.
- Received prestigious awards, including the Bamboo Pioneer Award (2022) from the World Bamboo Organization and the Peter Raven Award (2016) from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists for her efforts to increase non-scientists' understanding and appreciation of plants.
- Recognized internationally for his significant and sustained research contributions to improving weather forecast models.
- Led the development of the first non-hydrostatic version of the National Weather Service's computer forecasting model in the 1990s, identifying critical flaws that guided the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a replacement, the Weather and Research Forecasting model.
- Builds the bridge between atmospheric science research and weather forecasting. Since 2001, participated 19 times in NOAA's Hazardous Weather Testbed Spring Forecast Experiment, influencing severe weather forecasting practices nationally.
- Secured continuous federal funding since 1997 of approximately $33.8 million across 70 awards, including leading or sole PI roles on 46 awards.
- Mentored 47 graduate students (33 M.S. and 14 Ph.D.), served on the committees of 60 more and supervised 140 undergraduate research projects, demonstrating exceptional dedication to student growth and success.
- Co-developed and taught a popular storm chasing course in 2024 that included an eight-day field trip, giving students hands-on experience observing thunderstorms and tornadoes.
- Known internationally for his work in second-language pronunciation, which includes seven books and edited collections, 70 book chapters and refereed articles in leading language-learning journals. Another book and co-edited collection are in progress.
- Founded the "Journal of Second Language Pronunciation" (2015) and served as editor through December 2024, creating the first specialized journal dedicated to second language pronunciation research. The journal achieved Q1 status in 2024.
- Created a conference, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (2009), which grew from a small gathering on campus to a major international conference attracting 300 attendees from 25 countries.
- Developed and maintains the website Pronunciationforteachers.com, providing reliable, research-based resources to language teachers and practitioners, countering misinformation and supporting evidence-based teaching practices.
- Edited an oft-cited special issue of TESOL Quarterly in 2005 that significantly advanced the field by framing second language pronunciation as a vital area of research and pedagogy.
- Taught 20 different courses at Iowa State (and developed several of them), from a 100-level introductory linguistics course to Ph.D. seminars, impacting linguistics instruction at all levels.
- Recognized internationally for her interdisciplinary work in landscape ecology -- or how ag landscapes can meet society's goals for clean water, healthy soil, abundant wildlife and recreation opportunities for humans.
- Co-founded the multi-decade STRIPS project, which integrates prairie strips in crop fields as a conservation practice now widely applied across the Midwest and included in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill as a Conservation Reserve Program-eligible practice.
- Directs the Grass2Gas project at the Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE), assessing strategies for using perennial and winter crops as feedstock to promote anaerobic digestion.
- Led interdisciplinary teams that secured more than $111 million in external funding, including more than $16 million as lead investigator, in support of transformative research and outreach programs.
- Developed a simple web-based simulation tool, People in Ecosystems Watershed Integration, used in classrooms globally to help people understand the impacts of 15 agricultural and natural land uses.
- Earned recognitions such as MacArthur Fellow (2021), American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow (2024), Ecological Society of America Fellow (2021) and (co-recipient) Top Agrifood Pioneer from the World Food Prize Foundation (2024).
- Demonstrates a commitment to service, for example, her work on the editorial board of BioScience, as a member of the Ecological Society of America Rapid Response Team and the boards of directors for Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Iowa Wildlife Federation, among others.
University Professor
- Known for broadening student participation in the STEM fields.
- Founded the ISU chapter of the American Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (2013), a national organization for undergraduate and graduate STEM students and served as advisor until 2021.
- Recruited graduate students to Iowa State by his involvement in the society's national conferences.
- Serves as both formal and informal mentor for underrepresented faculty in the biochemistry and molecular biology fields, in all career stages.
- Established and co-led a National Science Foundation fall grant writing workshop (2016-19) for students at Iowa State and the University of Kansas that supported students' successful applications for prestigious student fellowships, enhancing their academic and professional opportunities.
- Leads a research lab that focuses on understanding how plants respond to insect attacks and the mechanisms insects us to avoid plant defenses, specifically soybeans.
- Elected president of the American Society of Plant Biologists (2022-23).
Morrill Professor
- Earned an international reputation for her expertise in educational technology and inextricably links her research to her teaching.
- Led the development of the Teacher Educator Technology Competencies (2017), a common set of proficiencies to address a critical need in teacher preparation.
- Spearheaded development of a research-based assessment tool, TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) and uses it to guide her students' understanding of the interplay between content and technology in designing learning activities for students.
- Developed and leads the School of Education's only minor, Learning Technologies, which enrolls about 100 students interested in future leadership roles in educational technology.
- Earns consistent, strong student course ratings across diverse class sizes and delivery formats, including undergraduate courses of 80-140 students, small graduate seminars and online classes.
- Innovates her course design continuously by updating syllabi and integrating evolving technologies, including pursuing Quality Matters certification for her online courses.
- Redesigned the first-year aural music theory course to include asynchronous, student-driven online components and a new approach to harmonic dictation, resulting in improved student comprehension, test performance and sight-reading skills in that course and subsequent courses.
- Piloted a "lesson partners" program in her applied flute studio to increase repertoire exposure, promote informal mentoring and build strong community and accountability among the levels of students.
- Mentored students into prestigious graduate programs and professional careers with major orchestras and educational institutions.
- Compiled and edited "The Melody Book," a teaching resource used by flute faculty on four continents that clarifies and provides context to Marcel Moyse’s 1962 flute technique treatise for modern students.
- Completed certification in body mapping and the Alexander Technique and integrates these industry standards for musician health in her teaching (as well as invited clinics at other universities), improving students’ physical awareness and performance health.
- Recognized as a Miyazawa Artist (support from one of the world's top flute makers), performs as a soloist with groups around the world and is the "go-to" flautist for touring performances and opera productions in Iowa.
- Recognized internationally as an expert on swine welfare, using her academic research to improve production practices via extension and outreach.
- Since 2011, lent continued guidance and input to Iowa Select Farms to improve and modernize its on-farm welfare program, helping raise it to a "gold standard" shared with other pork producers.
- Designed humane handling tools for finishing pigs, on-farm and in transport, that became part of the Transport Quality Assurance program the nation's top three commercial producers require for their drivers.
- Helped shape vital industry programs such as the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program and the Common Swine Industry Audit, which standardize welfare practices across the U.S. swine industry.
- Serves as a member of, or advisor to, 17 animal welfare committees, including the World Organization for Animal Health's animal welfare committee, where she helps develop global policy and standards that guide international trade agreements.
- Delivered 164 invited talks internationally, expanding her educational influence.
- Received more than $39 million in external funding from federal agencies and private industry for research focused on four areas in animal welfare: longevity, environmental enrichment, on-farm welfare tools and animal-human interactions, and resulting so far in 135 peer-reviewed published papers.
- Helped elevate the College of Veterinary Medicine' animal welfare curriculum to the top spot among North American veterinary colleges.
- Developed and teaches five core courses in the professional program and a graduate course that attract students from multiple departments and practicing veterinarians pursuing animal welfare credentialing.
- Created innovative learning experiences such as the two-week Clinical Animal Welfare rotation for fourth-year professional students, which draws veterinary students from across North America.
- Redesigned the Introduction to Animal Welfare course for virtual delivery through a USDA grant, making it accessible to other veterinary colleges nationwide.
- Served (by invitation) as lead author of the chapter on pain in the sixth edition (2019) of the "Large Animal Internal Medicine" textbook and co-authored the chapter on behavior and welfare in the 2024 edition of "Diseases of Swine."
- Serves as faculty advisor and coach for student clubs and teams focused on animal welfare and behavior.
- Received the 2022 Humane Award from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
- Has taught 10 different supply chain management courses across undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. levels, half of which he developed or co-developed, including the unique -- and annual -- "War and Peace and Supply Chains" to look at the societal implications of supply chain decisions.
- Developed a unique course that lets students experience international supply chains firsthand and work on real company projects, and has led it seven times to countries in Asia, Europe and South America.
- Invited to join the author team for the sixth edition of a popular supply chain management textbook, "Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management," used each year by students at 56 universities and colleges.
- Taught or co-taught six Honors seminars, and advised seven students in their Honors capstone research projects and another 10 in their first-year research projects, earning the W. Robert Parks Commendation (2018) for contributions to the Honors Program.
- Maintains consistently high student teaching evaluations despite being known as a demanding instructor with high standards.
- Keeps an active research portfolio that focuses on sustainable supply chain management, including forced labor issues, which has attracted Ph.D. students to the department.