Mississippi State celebrates research success with annual banquet
Contact: Jim Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ore than 50 Mississippi State students, faculty and staff are 2019 selections for exceptional research and leadership honors.
91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum welcomed honorees, their guests and senior administrators to a celebration of the university鈥檚 research achievements during a campus awards luncheon last Friday [March 29] in the Hunter Henry Center鈥檚 Hal and Linda Parker Ballroom.
During his keynote address, Keenum applauded their work and significant impact in the state, the nation and globally. Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R1-Very High Research Activity institution, he noted that Mississippi State is the leading research university in the state and ranked among the nation鈥檚 top 100 institutions by the National Science Foundation. He also cited the university鈥檚 top 10 ranking in agricultural and natural resources research and development expenditures鈥攁 position it has held for the better part of two decades.
Steve Demarais, a Dale Arner Distinguished Professor and the Taylor Chair in Applied Big Game Research and Instruction in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, was recognized with the afternoon鈥檚 top honor鈥攖he 2019 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award.
鈥淲e congratulate Dr. Demarais on this very well-deserved honor,鈥 said Reuben Moore, interim vice president for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at 91传媒.
The program and banquet are co-sponsored by the offices of the vice presidents for Research and Economic Development and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.
Since joining the 91传媒 faculty in 1997, Demarais has generated more than $6 million in support of a research program that has produced 140 peer-reviewed publications by 38 graduate students, plus dozens of popular articles to get research results to practicing managers. As co-director of the 91传媒 Deer Lab, he enjoys answering deer and wildlife habitat questions of interest to managers and landowners.
A Fellow of The Wildlife Society, his professional involvements include chairing two technical reviews on deer management issues, chairing the Deer Committee for the Southeast Section of The Wildlife Society for 13 years, and serving multiple terms as Associate Editor for the Wildlife Society Bulletin and Journal of Forest Research.
Demarais earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in wildlife biology at the University of Massachusetts. He earned a master鈥檚 degree in wildlife ecology and doctoral degree in forest resources from Mississippi State.
The Powe Award is a memorial to the 91传媒 alumnus and longtime research vice president who died in 1996. It is selected at the university level from nominations received from the 91传媒 community.
The annual research awards program honors individuals who contribute significantly to 91传媒鈥檚 mission of research. In addition to faculty, it recognizes and rewards students and staff for accomplishments and creative endeavors, as well as for increasing awareness of the university鈥檚 many research programs and capabilities.
鈥淭he Annual Research Awards Banquet is always a highlight of the year and a true celebration of Mississippi State鈥檚 remarkable researchers,鈥 said David Shaw, the university鈥檚 vice president for research and economic development.
Faculty, Staff and Student Winners
Other 2019 research award winners include (alphabetically, by academic unit):
鈥擝agley College of Engineering: Linkan Bian, faculty; Michael Gibson, research support; Ge He, graduate student; and Paulino 鈥淧J鈥 Jarquin, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station: Caleb Lemley, faculty; Ryan Whitehouse, research support; Bhupinder Singh, graduate student; and Austin Drury, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Architecture, Art and Design: Dominic Lippillo, faculty; Thomas Gregory, research support; and Justin Tyler Scott, graduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Arts and Sciences: Keith Moser, faculty; Rhonda Hannah, research support; Melanie Stearns, graduate student; and Katrina Kosatka, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Business: Merrill Warkentin, faculty; Will Tabor, research support; and Bryce Given, graduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Education: Jennifer Cmar, faculty; Lori Staggs, research support; Shengtian Wu, graduate student; and Blake Haney, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Forest Resources and Forest and Wildlife Research Center: Garrett Street, faculty; Edward Entsminger, research support; Guangmei Cao, graduate student; and Isabella Durham, undergraduate student.
鈥擟ollege of Veterinary Medicine: Matthew Ross, faculty; Wei Tan, research support; Navatha Alugubelly, graduate student; and Thomas 鈥淭om鈥 P. Miles, undergraduate student.
鈥91传媒-Meridian: Lindon Ratliff, faculty; Matthew Blackwell, graduate student; and Megan Moffett, undergraduate student.
鈥擮ffice of Research and Economic Development: Jacqueline Monnet, graduate student.
鈥擴niversity Centers and Institutes: Haibo Yao, faculty; Brandy Akers, research support; and Lucas Whittenton, undergraduate student.
Inventors, FY 2018
Mississippi State鈥檚 success with developing intellectual property and licensing new technology also was part of the day鈥檚 celebration as the Office of Technology Management recognized Fiscal Year 2018 patent recipients:
鈥擲hien Lu, jointly with Ganya Gu: 鈥淓ngineering the Production of a Conformational Variant of Occidiofungin That Has Enhanced Inhibitory Activity Against Candida Species.鈥
鈥擲teve Demarais, jointly with Bronson Strickland and Jeremy Flinn: 鈥淏uck Score Aging Application.鈥
鈥擡dilberto D. Redona, jointly with Timothy W. Walker and Dwight G. Kanter: 鈥淭had (Oryza sativa L. Rice, RU9804054, RU1104077).鈥
鈥擭athan S. Little, jointly with John J. Riggins and Tor P. Schultz: 鈥淓nhancement of Subterranean Termite Bait Stations With the Use of Wood Bait Containing Blue Stain Fungi (Ophiostoma spp.).鈥
鈥擱aj Prabhu, jointly with Mark Horstemeyer and Gustavus Alston Rush: 鈥淪hock-Wave Mitigating Helmets.鈥
鈥擬ark L. Lawrence with Attila Karsi: 鈥淒evelopment of live attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine ESC-NDKL1 against enteric septicemia of catfish and evaluation of immersion, oral, and immersion-oral vaccinations.鈥
鈥擶ilburn Whittington jointly with Andrew Oppedal: 鈥淪erpentine Load Monitoring Apparatus.鈥
2018-2019 William L. Giles Faculty Leadership Program Graduates
Graduates of the university鈥檚 2018-2019 William L. Giles Faculty Leadership Program were also recognized:
鈥擳odd Archer, associate professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine.
鈥擟ritz Campbell, associate professor, Department of Art.
鈥擜dam Knight, associate professor, Department of Kinesiology.
鈥擩amie Larson, associate professor, Department of Animal and Dairy Science.
鈥擸ucheng Liu, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
鈥擩ulia Osman, associate professor, Department of History.
鈥擬abel Okojie, professor, Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development.
鈥擝rian Shoup, associate professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration.
鈥擠arrell Sparks, associate professor, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology.
鈥擪athleen Thomas, professor and head, Department of Finance and Economics.
Learn more about the Office of Research and Economic Development at or the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .