Provided

Professor Martha Mutschler-Chu, left, receives a CALS award from Dean Kathryn J. Boor Nov. 8.

One has been recognized as a pioneer in tomato disease resistance breeding, another has literally written the book on molecular biology of the gene, and others have helped shape the state's dairy industry. They were among various awards given Nov. 8 by Kathryn Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences, for outstanding achievements in their fields.

The recipients of awards at the college's seventh annual Research and Extension Awards, held in the Biotechnology Building, are:

• Martha Mutschler-Chu, professor of plant breeding and genetics. She received an award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Applied Research for her contributions to the improvement of tomato and onion crops. Mutschler-Chu is a pioneer in developing new methods to combine insect and virus resistance, breakthroughs that will dramatically reduce the use of fungicides and pesticides, which benefits farmers, consumers and the environment.
• Jeffrey Roberts, the Robert J. Appel Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology. Roberts received an award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Basic Research for leading work in the field of transcriptional regulation of gene expression and RNA polymerase termination. His lab has published more than 90 research articles.
• Stephen Reiners, professor of horticulture, for Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach for his work on virus infections in snap beans, on the spread of the Phytophthora blight and for evaluating new vegetable varieties for the processing industry. He leads the Vegetable Crops Program Work Team, coordinating the publication of the annual Cornell Vegetable Guidelines, which growers describe as "gospel."
• Peter Smallidge, professor of natural resources and director of the Arnot Teaching and Research Forest and the Cornell Maple Program. He received an award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach for his work on the effects of forest thinning on sugar maple sap production and wood-based biofuel production. He has also helped reach 57,000 individuals who manage 3.3 million acres of New York woodland through his ForestConnect program, providing up-to-date information on topics ranging from invasive pests to taxes and income generation.
• A team of 11 members of the PRO-DAIRY program in the Department of Animal Science for Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach. The nationally recognized program has had a tremendous impact on New York's $2 billion dairy industry, through results-driven education and research in areas like environmental stewardship, crop, herd and nutrient management, youth involvement, business management and financial benchmarking. They are: Kathy Barrett, John Conway, Karl Czymmek, David Galton, Curt Gooch, Debbie Grusenmeyer, Jason Karszes, Thomas Overton, Tim Shephard, Kim Skellie and Lee Telega.

Boor also recognized long-serving administrative assistant Debbie Spencer and the 10-member team of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station's Field Research Unit as part of the college's first Core Value Staff Awards, given to those who "continuously surpassed expectations and have made significant and unique contributions to the college," said Boor.

Spencer was described as "an outstanding asset to the college for 38 years." Members of the Field Research Unit, who help maintain hundreds of research projects across more than 700 acres, were praised for their dedication and ingenuity in helping turn faculty research ideas into reality, which often involves modifications to equipment like planters, sprayers, cultivators and plows, and long hours of labor-intensive work like trellising, netting, mulching, irrigating, putting up canopies, and constructing high tunnels. The team includes: William "Tim" Brightman, Matt Christiansen, Keith Czadzeck, George Disbrow, Steve Gordner, Pete Griner, John Keeton, Rob Lasher and Mark Scott.