University Awards

Professor and chair, veterinary clinical sciences

• Expanded the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center's workforce by hiring 29 faculty members over four years, strengthening critical areas such as anesthesia, surgery, cardiology and oncology.
• Developed programs to support faculty success, including a mentorship program pairing early- with mid-to-late career faculty and a new faculty onboarding program with monthly seminars.
• Improved departmental culture by fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and welcomed while maintaining accountability.
• Led key facilities improvements and fundraising efforts, raising more than $6 million for projects like the Equine Expansion Project and the Comparative Cancer Center, enhancing clinical capabilities.
• Established research infrastructure initiatives such as the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Core Laboratory, Clinical Trials Research Service, rapid abstracts, works-in-progress seminars and departmental grants to boost faculty research productivity.
• Served as interim executive director of hospital operations while continuing as department chair, effectively managing daily operations, financial challenges and team morale during the transition.

Professor and chair, political science

• Revamped the political science undergraduate curriculum to be student-centered, organizing course tracks around clear career paths such as law, political campaigns and international affairs.
• Advocated successfully for two new faculty lines in public policy by aligning department hiring with the university's four strategic research areas, increasing departmental capacity in climate, sustainability and health policy.
• Improved department climate and collaboration by initiating faculty retreats and refining decision-making processes to include post-meeting polling for consensus and collective engagement.
• Launched a faculty research presentation series to build community awareness, encourage mentorship and promote collaboration within the department.
• Led the department through compliance with the college's "Reimagining LAS" initiative by managing budget cuts primarily through attrition and leading program improvement discussions, including assessment and curriculum mapping.
• In support of the Cyclone Civics initiative, assembled an interdisciplinary coalition across colleges and departments to integrate civic education into the undergraduate curriculum. 

Associate director for facilities operations, recreation services

• Spearheaded the renovation and expansion of State Gymnasium and had an important role in the Southeast Field Complex, significantly improving campus recreational facilities.
• In previous roles for recreation services (1979-2000), developed one of the largest and most successful student intramural programs in the country.
• Developed and maintains collaborative partnerships with athletics, facilities planning and management and student health and wellness to optimize the use of recreational spaces.
• For 45 years, has prioritized student needs by creating safe, welcoming and accessible recreational environments.
• Manages university funds responsibly while balancing deferred maintenance and new capital projects for long-term facility vitality.
• While his responsibility is facilities, his focus is on providing the best student experience.

Professor, School of Education; Willie and Kathleen Robinson ISU 4U Promise Faculty Professorship

• Developed (2013) and leads the ISU 4U Promise Program, a pioneering K-5 initiative that builds pathways to post-secondary education primarily for first-generation Des Moines elementary students.
• Established multiple engagement opportunities (for example, fifth grade campus field trip, family college night) to connect a larger group of ISU students, faculty and staff with K-5 students who may not see a clear path to college.
• Designs practicum experiences for ISU elementary education majors that better prepare teachers for multicultural classrooms.
• Created and teaches the Bilingualism and Schooling of Latinx Youth elective course, which enriches students' understanding of sociolinguistics, Latinx history and identity.
• Secured funding to support research and programmatic work that advances knowledge about schooling and culturally responsive education.
• Integrates dialogue-reliant strategies into her teaching to prepare faculty, staff and students for effective teaching and learning in varied educational settings. 

Associate professor, political science

• Collaborates on research projects that produce practical tools, for example a microaggressions scale, to identify and address barriers to student success.
• Applies research findings to his teaching to enhance critical thinking and civic attitudes while helping students reflect on the political and social impacts of their decisions.
• Seeks committee assignments where he can make a difference in fostering a welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff.
• Mentors early-stage researchers and Ph.D. students from varied backgrounds, promoting respectful and supportive environments that value different perspectives.
• Produces research that highlights the importance of equitable refugee integration policies.
• Provides public lectures and other community outreach on social justice, refugee crises and climate change adaptation for dialogue in the broader community.

Professor, agronomy; K.J. Frey Chair in Agronomy

• Directs the M.S. in plant breeding distance program (launched 2011), expanding access for international students and graduating more than 70 to date.
• Obtained funding from the Gates Foundation to adapt and further develop those plant breeding course materials for universities in Ghana, Uganda and South Africa.
• Developed doubled haploid (doubling the chromosome count) inducer technology for maize, licensed by 17 companies worldwide to accelerate plant breeding efforts.
• Established (2010) and manages the Doubled Haploid Facility, which develops and improves the technology and germplasm needed to create inbred lines in corn.
• Hosted and supervised 71 visiting scientists and students from more than 20 countries at Iowa State, fostering international collaboration and research on campus.
• Served as 2023-24 president of the National Association of Plant Breeders, elevating ISU's role in the international plant breeding community.
• Established collaborations with universities and research centers in Brazil, Thailand, Ghana, Tanzania and other countries to adapt advanced breeding technologies for tropical agriculture and improve food security.

Peter Hong, director; and Hannah Kirkendall, program specialist
ISU Startup Factory, Iowa Go-To-Market Accelerator

• Lead Iowa State's signature startup programs to move ISU discoveries to market, creating new businesses, jobs and economic impact statewide.
• Launched the Iowa Go-To-Market Accelerator (2021) in partnership with BioConnect Iowa and through a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, providing tailored support for scalable Iowa startups to reach revenue or capitalization milestones.
• Established the Venture Mentoring Service (2021), growing it to more than 60 mentors who provide expert guidance to startup founders, strengthening entrepreneurial success and ecosystem development.
• Guided 63 companies through the Startup Factory in just three years, representing more than 40% of total program participants since inception.
• Created and distributed the ISU Startup Continuum model (2022), a clear pathway for technology founders from research to commercialization.

Business services specialist, Center for Industrial Research and Service

• Conducted more than 450 technical engineering projects and nearly 100 educational events, resulting in $124 million of total reported economic benefits for Iowa companies.
• Mentored more than 50 engineering student interns, helping develop the next generation of skilled professionals for Iowa's workforce.
• Leads complex advanced materials and unique invention projects, providing innovative solutions for Iowa manufacturers.
• Secured funding and expanded capabilities for the civil, construction and environmental engineering department's Structural Engineering Research Lab, enhancing its ability to support Iowa-based industry projects.
• Manages the Iowa Economic Development Administration's University Center grant program, delivering technical assistance and education to rural Iowa manufacturers.

Teaching professor, apparel, events and hospitality management

• Led the Fashion Show Management and Production course since 2012, transforming it into a team-based, experiential learning opportunity for 80-100 students annually.
• Fosters a close-knit, supportive community as faculty advisor for the Fashion Show since 2011, which has grown to be one of the largest student-run fashion shows in the country.
• Earned several awards for her impact on students, including Faculty/Staff Alumni Inspiration Award (2024), Term Faculty Distinguished Service Award (2022) and the Outstanding Student Organization Advisor of the Year Award (2021).
• Served on multiple committees and leadership roles at department, college and university levels, influencing policies and programs that enhance student success broadly.
• From a nomination letter: "I know I speak for an abundance of other students around the AMD [apparel, merchandising and design] program and campus when I say that her guidance, encouragement and passion for helping students succeed have been truly transformative in our careers."

Director, Academic Success Center

• Implemented a free peer-to-peer tutoring program, Knack Tutoring (2024), expanding support from limited group sessions to accessible one-on-one and virtual tutoring for all students.
• Developed and implemented the Academic Success Navigator program (2023), enabling students to easily connect with tailored academic resources and make informed decisions about their educational journey.
• Secured $150,000 in provost office funding to expand Academic Success Center services, enhancing support infrastructure for student success.
• Designed and delivered training workshops on academic skills and motivational interviewing techniques, improving coaching effectiveness and increasing access to academic support for underrepresented students.
• Collaborated across campus on programming to support neurodiverse students through peer mentoring and accountability groups. 

Teaching professor, physics and astronomy

• Designed and implemented Iowa State's first fully online large-service physics course (2017), creating more than 100 interactive lecture videos and more than 150 demonstration videos.
• Improved more than 50 laboratory courses by updating lab manuals, technology and teaching practices to promote active student involvement and critical thinking, significantly improving student evaluations of labs.
• Developed innovative hybrid and remote lab solutions during the pandemic, including custom lab kits shipped to students, allowing uninterrupted hands-on learning when in-person labs were not possible.
• Mentors and trains graduate teaching assistants, equipping them with skills and confidence to excel as educators.
• Creates engaging and supportive classroom environments by fostering meaningful personal connections with students, encouraging questions and providing individualized support.

Pictured (l-r): Katelyn Swearingin, instructional designer; Angi Karthik, manager, instructional design; Melissa McCarthy, instructional designer; Misty Zimmerman, instructional designer; Suhan Yao, instructional designer; Jamie Niman, instructional designer; Catelyn Janda, instructional designer; and Lesya Hassall, course design and quality director. Not pictured: instructional designers Amy Austin and Todd Vens. 

• Through the Course Design Institute, empowered 246 instructors since 2018 to create learner-centered, accessible and engaging courses that enhance student learning experiences.
• Developed and implemented the ISU Canvas Course Template (2019), providing a consistent, intuitive and accessible course structure that improved navigation and organization for thousands of students.
• Certified more than 21 courses through the rigorous Quality Matters peer review process, ensuring high standards in course design, accessibility and student engagement.
• Collaborated with faculty to transform online courses into some of the highest enrolled in their departments, collectively reaching more than 1,000 students annually.
• Designed and supported Cyclone 101, an interactive online course for incoming first-year students, which enrolled 6,400 students in its first offering (2024) and received 90% positive comments for its relevance and accessibility.

Academic advisor, human development and family studies

• Served as lead advisor for the largest major in the department, coordinating advising efforts with other faculty and staff to improve student success and enrollment trends.
• Advises a caseload of about 180 students, dedicating about 65% of her time to personalized support through meetings, emails, phone calls and texts, ensuring each student's academic progress.
• Taught and improved orientation courses that help first-year and transfer students transition smoothly into college life and build connections within their major.
• Led recruitment initiatives, such as Popcorn with Professors and a postcard writing campaign to engage prospective students and increase program enrollment.
• Chairs the department's scholarship group, organizing scholarship reviews and training to secure financial support for students.
• Participates and has presented at professional advising organizations and conferences, including the National Academic Advising Association and Iowa Academic Advising Network.

Senior academic advisor, Ivy College of Business undergraduate programs

• Advises more than 375 business students annually on academic, career and life goals.
• Coordinates the college's orientation program for approximately 1,200 first-year and transfer students each fall, creating surveys, welcome videos and guidebooks, and transitioned the program to fully online during the pandemic.
• Teaches sections of the Business Learning Teams orientation courses for first-year students each fall about campus resources, graduation planning and life preparedness, and supervises her teams' peer mentors.
• Presented multiple workshops and sessions at Iowa State advising summits and National Academic Advising Association regional and national conferences, sharing best practices in academic advising.
• Serves as coordinator for the college's honors program, managing student information, advising a large portion of honors students and coordinating the Academic Standards Committee.
• Maintains an exceptional advising record with high student satisfaction scores -- 4.68-4.86/5 on listening, accuracy and helpfulness -- and received repeated recognition such as Advisor of the Year and Staff of the Month by student vote.

Academic advisor (humanities, communication, social sciences), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences academic services 

• Advises psychology, biology, political science and pre-law students, becoming indispensable in these program areas.
• Volunteered to cover colleagues' duties during absences, and taught an orientation course during a colleague's medical leave.
• Helped revitalize the pre-law seminar course and website, and co-teaches the seminar.
• Led the development of a first-year orientation course syllabus and learning outcomes aimed at improving retention. This required research and collaboration across departments.
• Receives outstanding student evaluations, including perfect scores on qualities such as providing a safe and welcoming environment, listening attentively and treating students with respect.
• "I am honestly not quite sure I would be graduating this May if I had never been placed under his advising. He makes everyone around him feel heard, accepted and valuable," wrote an advisee in Bonner's nomination.
   

Academic advisor, mechanical engineering

• Advises a caseload between 275 and 475 undergraduates annually, helping them navigate degree requirements, course registration and academic policies.
• Supervises 19 peer mentors in the mechanical engineering learning communities, supporting their responsibilities for more than 400 first-year students each year.
• Coordinates the Engineering Ambassador Network, advising 15-20 student leaders who conduct STEM outreach to K-12 students, securing grant funding and managing travel logistics.
• Supports student-athletes in mechanical engineering by staying current in National Collegiate Athletic Association rules and collaborating with athletics staff to help students balance their academic schedules and athletic commitments.
• Developed and teaches the Engineering orientation course, enhancing students' understanding of engineering careers, degree planning and campus resources.
• Led weekly Campus Visit Day sessions and participated in admissions events to engage prospective students and families.
• Served on multiple university committees such as the University Academic Advising Committee and Learning Community Task Team.

Professor, animal science; Tyrone D. Artz, M.D. Chair for Faculty Excellence in Animal Science

• As a certified Clifton Strengths coach, tailors her mentoring to help graduate students leverage their individual strengths for research and professional development.
• Uses structured support such as biweekly one-on-one and group meetings, weekly progress updates and writing sprints that promote accountability and timely degree completion among her students.
• Facilitates networking by introducing students to industry professionals at conferences and preparing them with elevator pitches and strategies to maximize these interactions.
• Engages students in grant writing and project development processes, equipping them with skills necessary for academic and research careers.
• Cultivates a collaborative lab culture that inspires confidence, promotes professional growth and prepares students to become future leaders in the beef industry and academia.

Professor, agronomy; G.F. Sprague Chair in Agronomy; associate dean for research and discovery, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

• Enriches the graduate experience by tailoring mentorship to students' career goals, encouraging independence while providing structure and guidance, such as progress checks and manuscript development, for timely degree completion.
• Co-authored a key textbook, "Plant Breeding and Cultivar Development," supporting education and training in plant breeding.
• Creates a collaborative, supportive and inspiring lab with a mentorship model in which senior graduate students have practice mentoring newer students.
• Dedicates significant one-on-one time for detailed feedback on scientific writing, encouraged autonomy in project ownership.
• Provides opportunities for professional skill development including grant writing, teaching and industry networking.

Associate teaching professor, chemistry

• Consistently achieves exceptionally high student evaluation ratings in challenging chemistry courses, surpassing departmental averages.
• Led curriculum restructuring efforts for a challenging chemistry course by collaborating with seven stakeholder departments to tailor content to better meet student needs.
• Mentored and supported numerous graduate teaching assistants over 20+ years through training programs, enhancing the quality of chemistry instruction departmentwide.
• Developed and integrated hands-on chemical demonstrations and relatable analogies into lectures, transforming complex concepts into accessible and captivating learning experiences for students.
• Volunteered to manage undergraduate chemistry office operations during staff transitions, ensuring continuity in course enrollment, classroom assignments and teaching assistant coordination.
• Offers personalized support to students, including those facing personal hardships or military assignments, by devising tailored study strategies and offering one-on-one assistance.

Associate professor, accounting; Roger P. Murphy Professor in Accounting

• Earned consistently outstanding student evaluations across multiple accounting courses (2006-24), with instructor ratings frequently exceeding department and college averages.
• Developed and redesigned Intermediate Managerial Accounting into a flipped, self-paced, mastery-based online course that significantly improved student learning outcomes.
• Serves as director of instructor development at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (since 2024).
• Authored and published multiple teaching-related materials, including textbooks, problem sets, test banks and peer-reviewed educational cases that contribute to curriculum development and instructional quality.
• Received numerous teaching awards, including ISU's Teaching Innovation Award (spring 2020) and Ivy College of Business Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award (2019, 2023).

Assistant professor, animal science

• Collaborated to create an artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring system for the Domestic Animal Anatomy and Physiology Lab that enhances personalized learning and is expanding to other courses.
• Transformed the approach to anatomical studies with the introduction of the Anatomage Table, a state-of-the-art virtual anatomy tool. Iowa State is the first animal science and pre-veterinary program in the nation to incorporate such technology in undergraduate anatomy and physiology teaching labs.
• Developed and launched the Entrepreneurship in Animal Science Farms course, empowering students to explore revenue-generating opportunities and partnerships with ISU animal science farms.
• Coordinated with Iowa PBS Education to create a series for elementary students to discuss how genetics and animal breeding practices are used to improve animal food production that feature the Iowa State dairy and poultry farms.
• Helped develop a suite of new majors related to the field of animal science as part of the Degrees of the Future task force.

Clinical associate professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine

• Transformed the veterinary toxicology course from one of the lowest ranked didactic courses to consistently the highest ranked in the core veterinary curriculum, with rising instructor evaluation scores consistently over multiple years.
• Adapted quickly and effectively to COVID-19 challenges by converting the toxicology course to an online format mid-semester in 2020, maintaining high student engagement and excellent evaluations.
• Created interactive case-based learning tools using platforms like Top Hat that enhanced critical thinking and clinical relevance, leading to adoption by other courses at Iowa State and another veterinary college.
• Designed and implemented a new clinical veterinary toxicology virtual rotation during the pandemic, which students praised as valuable and practical, continued now in a hybrid format.
• Mentored numerous students individually on preceptorships, grand rounds presentations and professional development.
• Earned multiple teaching awards early in his career, including the College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Excellence Award in Clinical Sciences and the Early Achievement in Teaching Award (2021).
• Supported by strong letters from faculty and former students highlighting his passion, accessibility and impact on student success.

Associate professor, finance

• Achieved a student rating of 4.47 in his first Principles of Finance class, surpassing department and college averages.
• Pioneered an online section of Principles of Finance, adopting innovative teaching technologies early in the department.
• Launched and led the study abroad program, Business for Global Good, enabling students to apply financial principles in real-world entrepreneurial settings internationally.
• Supervises Honors students' theses, advises the Investment Club and guides finance teams that won the Chartered Financial Analyst Iowa Research Challenge three consecutive years (2021-23).
• Shares expertise with colleagues by offering guidance on course content delivery and online tools, improving overall instructional quality within the department.

Associate professor, civil, construction and environmental engineering; Richard L. Handy Professorship

• Attracted more than $45,000 in funding from various institutions to implement game design-based learning to a course that requires students to design board games that teach fundamental geotechnical concepts.
• Incorporated cutting-edge technology, including augmented reality sandboxes and 3D printing technology, that has transformed how students visualize and understand geotechnical concepts, including infrastructure design and disaster mitigation.
• Developed widely used online instructional videos and resources for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, supplementary learning materials, independent studies, interactive workshops and community gaming nights.
• Led National Science Foundation-funded initiatives, including IrecognizeU, to increase retention and sense of belonging among women civil engineering students through targeted recognition activities.
• Committed to improving her teaching, as demonstrated in her participation in the American Society of Civil Engineers' Excellence in Civil Engineering Education program and on-campus teaching workshops. 

Professor, supply chain management; Ruan Chair in Supply Chain Management

• Published 48 peer-reviewed articles in leading supply chain management journals, demonstrating research productivity in the top 5% of scholars in his discipline.
• Recognized globally for his research in motor carrier safety and environmental management.
• Has served as co-editor-in-chief, senior editor and associate editor (often concurrently) at four of the top journals in his discipline and is known for prioritizing useful, timely feedback to authors.
• Served as chair of the Operations and Supply Chain Management Division at the Academy of Management, the leading professional organization for business scholars.
• Delivers invited research presentations at top institutions, including Ohio State University, Virginia Tech and University of Maryland.
• Mentored numerous doctoral students who have gone on to successful academic and industry careers, co-authoring 21 journal articles with them, illustrating his influence on the next generation of scholars and practitioners.
• Achieved Quality Matters certification (2020-23) for the three upper division department courses he teaches.

Professor, chemical and biological engineering

• Published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles with upwards of 18,900 citations, a sustained high impact in electrocatalysis and electrochemical engineering research.
• Secured research funding totaling $9.5 million as principal investigator and co-principal investigator, including major grants from the National Science Foundation and U.S. departments of Energy, Agriculture and Defense.
• Pioneered the use of carbon nanotubes for fuel cell applications, revealing unique advantages in activity and durability that influenced both academic research and industrial practice, such as Toyota.
• Developed paired electrolyzer technologies for production of valuable chemicals from biomass-derived feedstocks, advancing sustainable chemical manufacturing processes.
• Demonstrated his leadership in nitrogen fixation research by first proving that earlier studies mistakenly identified impurities, not actual nitrogen gas, as the source of ammonia, and created a new way to convert waste nitrogen into ammonia fertilizers.
• Praised by internationally recognized experts in support letters highlighting his pioneering contributions, extensive invited talks, editorial roles and mentoring of successful graduate students and postdocs.

Professor, veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine; W. Eugene Lloyd Chair in Toxicology

• Established the interdisciplinary field of microbial endocrinology by discovering direct bacterial-neurochemical interactions, which became an accepted translational medicine discipline internationally.
• Secured continuous National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for more than 37 years, including being a finalist for the NIH director's Pioneer Award.
• Published more than 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts and edited seminal books in microbial endocrinology, contributing foundational knowledge widely cited and respected by peers globally.
• Founded two biotech start-up companies based on patented intellectual property derived from his research.
• Established international collaborations, including the partnership between Iowa State and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute to address global challenges in fish health.
• Received multiple prestigious awards such as the Sir Henry Wellcome Commemorative Award for Innovative Research, Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence and Joseph Susman Memorial Award for Surgical Infectious Disease Research.

Associate professor, veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine; John G. Salsbury Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine; associate dean of graduate studies and research training, College of Veterinary Medicine

• Secured more than $38 million in grant funding since 2018, including more than $5 million as a principal investigator.
• Developed innovative vaccine strategies and immunomodulation approaches targeting bovine respiratory diseases, contributing to both fundamental science and practical applications in animal health.
• Published more than 45 peer-reviewed articles and authored 79 documents overall.
• Delivered more than 20 invited talks at prestigious national and international scientific meetings.
• Served as president of the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists and contributed extensively to professional societies and grant review panels.
• Mentored multiple graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have successfully advanced in academia and industry.

Professor, electrical and computer engineering

• Secured more than $24 million as principal investigator (PI) on 32 externally funded projects and an additional $1 million as co-PI.
• Published 124 journal papers, with 108 published after joining Iowa State in 2015, exceeding the norm of 55 for full professors in his field within a similar timeframe.
• Developed the Conservation Voltage Reduction assessment method, which became an industry standard referenced in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard P3102 and widely adopted by utilities and regulators.
• Received prestigious awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, IEEE Power and Energy Society Outstanding Young Engineer Award and multiple best paper awards at flagship conferences.
• Advised and mentored 11 postdoctoral researchers and 19 Ph.D. students, many of whom earned top honors, such as ISU Graduate College Research Excellence Awards.
• Delivered 107 invited talks at IEEE events, universities, national labs and power industry venues.

Associate professor, physics and astronomy

• Made breakthrough discoveries in a crucial step in the formation of planetary systems and played a key role in developing the current paradigm.
• Secured nearly $7 million in competitive external funding as principal investigator or co-investigator.
• Published extensively with 52 refereed journal articles, including highly cited papers and influential review chapters recognized as authoritative in planetary science.
• Collaborated closely with ALMA -- an astronomical observatory located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile -- observers to link theoretical models of disk turbulence and pressure bumps with state-of-the-art astronomical observations.
• Advanced understanding of protoplanetary disk physics by explaining the roles of magnetic fields, disk winds and turbulence in angular momentum transport.
• Mentored graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have made significant contributions to the field and progressed to prominent academic and research positions.

Associate professor, computer science

• Founded and developed the Autonomous System Laboratory at Iowa State, creating a research infrastructure with real-world autonomy platforms used for research, teaching, outreach and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Established recognized leadership in formal methods for autonomous, safety-critical systems, particularly self-driving cars, by developing formal frameworks that guarantee system correctness under uncertainty and machine learning components.
• Secured significant external funding including four grants totaling $2.8 million at Iowa State, notably receiving the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award for pre-tenure faculty.
• Published extensively including two journal papers, eight conference papers, five workshop/symposium papers, three book chapters, and six U.S. patents related to autonomous vehicle operations and temporal logic.
• Advanced novel specification formalisms such as "rulebooks" to handle conflicting safety requirements and minimum-violation planning, providing new ways to reason about risk and tradeoffs in autonomous system safety.
• Demonstrated strong professional service and visibility by organizing workshops, serving as associate editor for top robotics/control conferences, delivering multiple invited/keynote talks internationally, and mentoring numerous graduate and undergraduate students.

Soynomics team members: Asheesh (Danny) Singh, professor, agronomy; G.F. Sprague Chair in Agronomy; associate dean for research and discovery, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Aditya Balu, data analyst, Translational AI Center; Vikram L. Dalal Professorship; Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, professor, mechanical engineering; Joseph and Elizabeth Anderlik Professorship in Engineering; Adarsh Krishnamurthy, professor, mechanical engineering; Fernando Miguez, professor, agronomy; Daren Mueller, professor, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology; Matt O'Neal, professor, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology; Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture; Soumik Sarkar, professor, mechanical engineering; Arti Singh, associate professor, agronomy; Zaki Jubery, research scientist, Translational AI Center; and Greg Tylka, Morrill professor, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology

• Established research projects integrating plant science, economics and environmental studies to advance sustainable agriculture. The team has published more than 75 peer-reviewed manuscripts and developed more than 20 soybean varieties.
• Developed artificial intelligence (AI) models like InsectNet, WeedNet and PestIDBot to identify and classify plant diseases with pathologist-level accuracy.
• Secured interdisciplinary funding of more than $35 million that fostered partnerships between biology, engineering and business faculty.
• Established "Women in Agriculture and AI" at Iowa State to bring a group of women scientists together to work at the interface of agriculture and AI.
• Mentored more than 40 graduate students and postdocs in interdisciplinary approaches with many securing jobs at prestigious organizations like Intel, Bayer and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Team members: Todd Bell, professor, veterinary pathology; Eric Burrough, professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Phillip Gauger, professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Luis Gimenez-Lirola, associate professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Pat Gorden, professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Phillip Jardon, clinical associate professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine; Ganwu Li, professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Drew Magstadt, clinical associate professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Rahul Nelli, research assistant professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Ariel Nenninger, assistant professor, veterinary pathology; Chris Siepker, clinical assistant professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; David Verhoeven, associate professor, veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine; and Jianqiang Zhang, Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed Professor in Veterinary Medicine; professor, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

• Diagnosed the first case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAI) in dairy cattle in the U.S.
• Coordinated multidisciplinary efforts across veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, veterinary pathology and veterinary microbiology to develop comprehensive diagnostic tests including molecular, serologic and pathological tools.
• Initiated and led collaborative research projects with federal partners through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance understanding of HPAI pathogenesis, transmission and diagnostics.
• Secured significant external funding, including an $800,000 USDA cooperative agreement, to support urgent research questions and develop next-generation diagnostic technologies for HPAI response.
• Published high-impact, peer-reviewed research explaining viral genomics, receptor specificity and epidemiology of HPAI in dairy cattle, contributing to global scientific knowledge on emerging animal-to-human diseases.

Deputy director, Division of Critical Materials, Ames National Laboratory

• Developed a novel acid-free dissolution and separation process for rare earth metals, leading to multiple R&D 100 Awards (2018) and the TechConnect Innovation Award (2019).
• Disclosed more than 30 inventions to ISU's Office of Innovation Commercialization, resulting in five issued patents and nine pending patents.
• Licensed two key inventions to an Iowa company, facilitating technology maturation and contributing to local economic growth through job creation.
• Led research within the Lab's Critical Materials Innovation Hub, securing federal investment that could exceed $400 million for advancing critical materials relevant to energy efficiency and net-zero carbon goals.
• Collaborated with industry partners like TdVib to obtain U.S. Department of Energy awards, supporting commercialization of patented recycling technologies.

Scientist, Ames National Laboratory

• Secured substantial funding, including $2.6 million for capital improvements to cryogenic facilities essential for superconductivity research.
• Published nearly 290 peer-reviewed papers with more than 8,300 citations, reflecting exceptional research productivity and influence in condensed matter physics and materials science.
• Internationally known for his work in condensed matter physics and materials science, specializing in magnetic and superconducting quantum materials relevant to energy and quantum electronics-related technologies.
• Conducted groundbreaking research that contributed to his election as a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
• Performed the first direct optical visualization of structural domains in iron-based superconductors, leading to the discovery of electronic nematicity as a key mechanism behind unconventional superconductivity.

Senior manager, Beef Teaching Farm, animal science

• Helped develop a hands-on, senior-level beef production class project where students buy, manage and sell heifers, providing real-life business and risk management experience.
• Implemented a risk protection system for all Iowa State beef cattle by researching and securing insurance against market pricing loss, ensuring farm profitability and sustainability.
• Led innovative research and extension projects on swath grazing and cover crop grazing, pioneering winter feed cost reduction techniques in Iowa's beef industry.
• Served on the National Cattlemen's Beef Board, appointed by the secretary of agriculture, contributing expertise at the national level.
• Managed and supervised multiple teams including undergraduate student employees and full-time staff, overseeing daily operations, herd health protocols, equipment maintenance and facility management at the Animal Science Beef Teaching Farm.
• Authored or co-authored multiple research publications and reports advancing knowledge in beef cattle nutrition, grazing systems and herd management.

Research scientist, Iowa Beef Center, Agriculture and National Resources Extension and Outreach

• Developed or co-developed more than 40 software programs, including nationally recognized decision tools like the Beef Ration and Nutrition Decision Software (BRaNDS), the Estrus Synchronization Planner and the Feed Intake Monitoring System, significantly advancing beef cattle nutrition and management.
• Partnered with extension professionals across multiple states (Kansas, Montana, Missouri and Florida) to customize and implement BRaNDS software.
• Collaborated with multistate groups, such as the Beef Reproduction Task Force, to update and expand the Estrus Synchronization Planner, resulting in more than 37,000 downloads and national recognition.
• Secured funding for a mobile computer lab and led hands-on training for education outreach and user adoption of complex decision tools among producers and extension specialists.
• Provides expert consultation and technical support to livestock producers, logging nearly 21,000 individual contacts across 21 years.
• Held leadership roles in professional organizations and committees, including membership in the Beef Reproduction Task Force and National Swine Nutrition Guide multistate projects.

Librarian, university library

• Leads the Miller Open Education Mini-Grant Program, facilitating faculty development and publication of more than 44 open textbooks that saved students approximately $3 million.
• Coordinates open educational resources (OER) initiatives as Iowa's first statewide open education coordinator for the Iowa Board of Regents, organizing working groups, publishing surveys and fostering collaboration across the universities.
• Chaired the Open and Affordable Education Committee at ISU since 2017, overseeing management of the OER website, annual reporting and outreach efforts supporting affordable course content.
• Served in national and international leadership roles including the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, Open Education Advisory Group, and National Coordination for Open Education Steering Committee.
• Presents extensively at regional, national and international conferences and webinars, delivering keynotes and workshops to promote open education practices and accessibility.
• Authored or co-edited multiple influential books, peer-reviewed articles and practical resources such as the OER starter kit.

Technical project specialist, Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology

• Led the statistical estimation and management of major federal survey projects like the National Resources Inventory and Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Survey.
• Edits and contributes extensively to key publications, including serving as editor for a well-received book on statistical methods for handling incomplete data and co-authoring peer-reviewed journal articles in top-tier journals like Nature.
• Mentors and trains graduate students and staff within the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, providing expert guidance on complex statistical concepts and project management.
• Facilitates effective communication by leveraging her multilingual skills (Mandarin, English, French) to serve as translator and liaison with diverse clients, including federal agencies and international organizations.
• Actively participates in professional organizations such as the American Statistical Association and Institute of Mathematical Statistics.

STEM education specialist, 4-H Youth Development Extension and Outreach

• Developed and directs innovative STEM programs such as the Junior Science Fair and STEM in Motion, expanding hands-on STEM opportunities for Iowa youth.
• Co-chaired the National 4-H Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Group, leading national efforts to advance AI education and create cutting-edge resources.
• Secured more than $300,000 in grant funding, including a $225,000 Google partnership grant to support and expand computer science and AI programming for youth.
• Created STEM Sparks educational lessons based on STEM careers and established a STEM travel program exposing high school students to STEM experiences nationally and internationally.
• Led the first National Science Fair Director's Institute, providing professional development for more than 50 science fair directors nationwide.
• Collaborated with major partners like Microsoft Minecraft and the Raspberry Pi Foundation to bring innovative STEM resources and training statewide and beyond.

Research and development engineer, Nanovaccine Institute

• Developed the Payload Reduction and Encapsulation Technology, a novel manufacturing process critical for scaling up dry powder nanovaccine production, enhancing the Nanovaccine Institute's ability to bring products to clinical use.
• Led the design and creation of next-generation COVID-19 nanovaccines that induce durable, broad immunity and demonstrated protection in animal models, resulting in high-impact publications and patent applications.
• Mentors graduate students, postdocs and other scientists by providing rigorous training in advanced techniques like spray drying and flow cytometry.
• Collaborates effectively across disciplines and institutions, contributing substantially to large federal grant proposals totaling millions of dollars for vital funding for vaccine research.
• Transitioned vaccine formulations from liquid to stable dry powder forms, addressing cold-chain limitations and improving vaccine distribution globally.

Research scientist, chemical and biological engineering

• Developed novel nanoparticle-based chemotherapy delivery systems for treating aggressive cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer.
• Secured significant research funding as principal investigator from the Margaret B. Barry Cancer Research Program, advancing pioneering cancer therapies such as stem cell-targeted chemotherapy.
• Mentors and guides multiple undergraduate students through research internships and academic pursuits.
• Leads laboratory management efforts by maintaining equipment, ensuring safety compliance, stocking supplies and troubleshooting issues to uphold high-quality research standards.
• Engaged actively in professional development by attending national and international conferences, participating in seminars, and completing leadership workshops to enhance technical and leadership skills.
• Volunteers extensively in the broader scientific community as an associate editor and peer reviewer for multiple journals, supporting scholarly communication and research quality.

Registrar specialist, office of the registrar

• Built and led a high-performing team known for its high quality of work and service to students and campus partners.
• Spearheaded the successful implementation and transition to Workday for degree completion processes, managing complex technical and operational challenges.
• Developed innovative reports and tools, such as a new graduate advisor report in Workday, to improve advising efficiency and student support.
• Presented at regional and national professional conferences, sharing expertise and fostering engagement among peers.
• Fosters a supportive work environment for her team that encourages problem-solving and promotes professional development opportunities.
• Manages graduation details and commencement operations with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and positive student experiences.

Program specialist, Graduate College

• Led the development and ongoing enhancement of the Grad Success Program, including creating new graduate courses and launching a podcast to support academic and professional success.
• Created and managed the Graduate Competitive Funding Program and developed a curated database to help students identify relevant awards and fellowships.
• Designed and delivered workshops on advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence tools and digital accessibility, to improve scholarly and creative activities for graduate students.
• Spearheaded the transition to thesis and dissertation formatting requirements that comply with Iowa State's digital accessibility policy.
• Developed the Iowa State Interactive Individual Development Plan toolkit by acquiring programming skills independently, enhancing graduate student career planning resources.
• Engages in research, co-authoring open educational resources, publishing peer-reviewed work and presenting at national and international conferences.