United States Department of Agriculture 1 Agricultural Research Service

August 2011 www.ars.usda.gov

ARS Researchers Host Science Camp

Copyright, 2011, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, used 

here with permission. No additional reproduction or distribution of this photo in any form is permitted without the 

written approval of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers 

(http://www.tcpalm.com).

For 10 consecutive years, scientists at the ARS U.S. 

Horticultural Laboratory in Fort Pierce, FL, have 

teamed with local public school teachers to host a 

2-week science camp called “Science Institute of 

Discovery Inc.,” for at-risk middle school kids. The 

camp targets minority children and immerses them 

in scientific activities with ARS scientists and staff. 

ARS Research Plant Pathologist Dan Chellemi, PostDoctoral Scientist Paul Robbins, Research Entomologist Steve Lapointe, and others were on-hand to 

help the children learn more about the benefits of science in a fun and educational way, and to spark career 

interests in science. Former campers have gone on 

to take higher level math and science courses. Still 

others have sought college degrees in science-related 

areas, and are employed in the agricultural and health 

science fields. 

New Outreach Tool for Your Toolbox

ARS Information Staff has added a new Web alert 

subscription feature to its current list of product offerings for consumers and stakeholders. The Web alert 

subscription highlights and encourages subscribers to 

access the new digital version of Agricultural Research magazine—now available online. Subscribers will be notified by e-mail when a new issue is 

uploaded to the site. The Information Staff plans to 

add other features to the digital version in the future. 

Save paper, and encourage your audiences to sign up 

for the digital version of Agricultural Research magazine at www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/alert.htm.

Need other outreach tools? Web alerts are also available for Food and Nutrition Research Briefs, Healthy 

Animals, and Sci4Kids at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/

lists.htm. 

Around ARS

www.ars.usda.gov/yourtwocents

Your Two Cents 

(Y2C) continues to 

see a great deal of 

traffic daily, with well 

over 1,000 ideas and 

comments that have 

come to us since May 

2010. Questions about the Administrative and Financial Management’s restructuring (Admin Transformation) seem to be on everyone’s mind. Y2C is the 

centerpiece of the ARS Cultural Transformation 

effort and, as such, is included in the new ARS 

Cultural Transformation Web site (http://www.ars.

usda.gov/culturaltransformation). This new Web site 

is a ‘one-stop-shop’ for ARS employees to get all the 

information they need about what’s going on with 
ARS & You August 2011

United States Department of Agriculture 2 Agricultural Research Service

cultural transformation in our agency from Y2C to 

Admin Transformation, to personal career development and staff development resources. Early reviews 

of the ARS Cultural Transformation site are positive, 

with most reviewers finding the consolidation of 

many sites into one and the personal development 

resources the most beneficial. Please visit and let us 

know what is helpful, and give us your ideas to 

improve the site.D

A student enjoys pesto made with 

freshly harvested basil for an afternoon snack.

ARS employees 

in Ithaca, NY, 

worked for 

months on 

preparing and 

cultivating a 

People’s Garden—in its 

second season—

and it’s paying 

off. The garden 

is a joint effort 

between ARS 

employees from 

the Robert 

Holley Center for 

Agriculture and 

the Cornell Child 

Care Center 

(CCCC), oper

Students help in the garden.

ated by Bright Horizons 

Family Solutions. This 

year’s garden contains 

okra, sweet corn, string 

beans, tomatoes, 

gourds, pumpkins, 

cucumbers, basil, and 

dill, and is surrounded 

by a border of flowers. 

It is one of three official 

gardens at the CCCC—

one for infants, one for 

toddlers, and one for 

preschoolers. CCCC 

students—who also 

helped with planting and picking—get to enjoy fresh 

produce from their “own” garden at snack time. The 

success of Ithaca garden has inspired the company to 

develop a specific gardening curriculum for their 

more than 600 schools and day care centers that will 

enhance science activities, promote healthy eating, 

and develop lifelong habits that lead to wellness. This 

effort will also reinforce Bright Horizons’ support of 

the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative and the Partnership for a Healthier America. In 2012, Bright 

Horizons hopes to increase the number of People’s 

Gardens to include day care centers nationwide with 

the help of USDA. D

“Leaders of Tomorrow” Summer Interns. 

The Beltsville Area’s summer intern committee, the 

“Leaders of Tomorrow,” celebrated their “Fourth 

Annual Summer Program,” on August 3 at the ARS 

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC).

This year’s program focused on raising awareness 

about the diverse career options within USDA and 

cultural transformation. Since its inception, Joseph 

Spence, Beltsville Area Director, and the Friends of 

Agricultural Research-Beltsville (FAR-B) have supported this effort, and continue to provide summer 

intern opportunities at BARC. The program featured 

a keynote motivational speech given by ARS Intern 

Jojuann Gross, who will be attending the University 

of Maryland in College Park this fall, majoring in 

molecular biology and genetics. An interactive panel 

of distinguished ARS speakers represented a variety 

of career backgrounds, including molecular biology, 

hydrology, law, microbiology, veterinary medicine, 

physical security, human resources, journalism, 

public relations, computer science, and information 
United States Department of Agriculture 3 Agricultural Research Service

ARS & You August 2011

technology. The USDA interns were enthusiastic to 

have the opportunity to ask work- and life-related 

questions of panel members who worked in their 

potential fields. D

On July 5–6, 2011, the USDA Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program’s Future Scientists Program 

held a 2-day workshop at the ARS Range Management Research Unit (at the Jornada Experimental 

Range) and the ARS Southwestern Cotton Ginning 

Research Laboratory, both in Las Cruces, NM. Nineteen science teachers from New Mexico and Texas 

schools learned how to raise corn earworm and how 

to conduct entomological research in their classrooms—the makings of interesting hands-on student 

projects! Supervisory Research Range Management 

Specialist Kris Havstad, Research Molecular Biologist Mary Lucero, and Research Physical Scientist 

Dawn Browning all gave presentations and information that the teachers could incorporate into class 

activities. The teachers also toured the cotton gin 

and learned about cotton ginning and its history of 

ginning from Supervisory Agricultural Engineer Ed 

Hughs, Research Textile Technologist Carlos 

Armijo, and Textile Equipment Operator Ernest 

Herrera. The workshop was funded by the CHS 

Foundation. D

 Photo Corner

Students from a local Puerto Rico school pose in front of a 

Giant Canoe Tree at the ARS Tropical Agriculture Research 

Station in Mayaguez, PR.

Plant Geneticist Tim Porch, ARS Tropical 

Agriculture Research Station in Mayaguez, PR, 

points out heat-tolerant beans to visiting 

students.
ARS & You August 2011

United States Department of Agriculture 4 Agricultural Research Service

Notable Awards

Greg Hanson, Research Leader, ARS Hydraulic 

Engineering Research Unit, Stillwater, OK, received 

the Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award. This 

award recognizes members of the American Society 

of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) 

who have made noteworthy contributions to the advancement of soil and water engineering. D

Sherry Hunt and ASABE President Ron McAlister. 

Research Hydraulic Engineer Sherry Hunt, ARS 

Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit, Stillwater, 

OK, received ASABE’s Gale A. Holloway Professional Development Award. This award recognizes 

outstanding leadership and active involvement of 

early career ASABE members. D 

Agricultural Engineer Dennis C. Flanagan, ARS 

National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, West 

Lafayette, IN, was named a 2011 ASABE Fellow. He 

is being recognized for his outstanding leadership in 

developing and implementing new erosion prediction 

technology, and for his ASABE leadership in soil and 

water conservation. D

Supervisory Agricultural Engineer Jeff Arnold, 

ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, 

Temple, TX, was also named a 2011 ASABE Fellow. 

D

All award recipients were recognized at the ASABE 

Annual International Meeting in Louisville, KY, held 

on August 7–10. D

Rocky Smiley with channel catfish captured while 

sampling an Ohio stream. 

Research Ecologist Peter (Rocky) Smiley, Jr., ARS 

Soil Drainage Research Unit, Columbus, OH, was 

selected as the winner of the Society for Ecological 

Restoration’s (SER) 2011 John Rieger Award. He is 

being honored for vital contributions to re-establishing and re-invigorating SER’s Midwest-Great Lakes 

Chapter. This award honors those who have dedicated their time and skills to advancing ecological 

restoration and/or to developing the organization. He 

was honored at SER’s Gala Awards Banquet, held on 

August 23 in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. D

The Florida Entomological Society presented its 2011 

Annual Achievement Award for Team Research to 

Research Entomologist Wayne Hunter, Research 

Molecular Biologist Robert Shatters, and Research 

Leader David Hall, all with the ARS U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, FL. The 

team completed the first draft of the Asian citrus psyllid genome. This award recognizes that research and 

is for outstanding contributions to help combat the 

global threat of citrus psyllids, an exotic pest responsible for spreading citrus greening disease that results 

in severe fruit decline. The team was honored at the 

Society’s annual meeting in Fort Myers, FL, on July 

26, 2011. D

Research Molecular Biologist Hyun Lillehoj, ARS 

Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, 

MD, was given the 2011 Phibro Animal Health Excellence in Poultry Research Award by the American 

Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP). She is 
United States Department of Agriculture 5 Agricultural Research Service

ARS & You August 2011

being honored for sustained excellence in poultry 

disease and health research for the past 20 years. This 

is the most prestigious award that AAAP presents.

Microbiologist Michael Day, ARS Endemic Poultry 

Viral Diseases Research Unit, Athens, GA, received 

the Bayer-Snoeyenbos New Investigator Award. This 

award is given to an AAAP member or associate 

whose career as an independent investigator in poultry medicine began less than 7 years ago and who, 

during that time, made meritorious research contributions to the avian field. 

Supervisory Research 

Geneticist Hans 

Cheng, ARS Avian 

Disease and Oncology 

Laboratory, East Lansing, MI, received the 

2011 Embrex Fundamental Science Award 

given by the Poultry Science Association (PSA). 

This award is given to a PSA member who has made 

sustained high-quality contributions to fundamental 

science that has advanced poultry science. 

Microbiologist Robert Silva, ARS Avian Disease and 

Oncology Laboratory, East Lansing, MI, was awarded the 2011 P.P. Levine Award for the best paper 

published in the Journal of Avian Diseases in 2010. 

The above awardees were honored at the joint meeting of the American Association of Avian Pathologists and the Poultry Science Association, held on 

July 16–19, 2011, in St. Louis, MO. D

 Michael Tunick.

Research Chemist Michael 

Tunick, ARS Dairy and 

Functional Foods Research 

Unit, Wyndmoor, PA, was 

named a 2011 American 

Chemical Society (ACS) 

Fellow. This honor recognizes ACS members who 

have demonstrated excellence in their contributions 

to the chemical science field 

and the profession. 

Laura McConnell.

Research Chemist Laura 

McConnell, ARS Environmental Management and 

Byproduct Utilization 

Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 

was awarded the ACS Agro 

Division Fellow Award. She 

is being recognized for her 

continued and substantial 

contributions to the agrochemical science field and to 

the Society. 

Cody Howard.

Environmental 

Engineer Cody 

Howard, ARS 

Environmental 

Management 

and Byproduct 

Utilization 

Laboratory, 

Beltsville, MD, 

won the 2011 

Agro New 

Investigator Award sponsored by the ACS AGRO 

Division and DOW Agrochemicals. This award 

recognizes scientists who obtained their doctoral 

degree within the last 5 years and who have significant research or professional accomplishments. 

All three ACS award winners will be honored at the 

242nd ACS National Meeting in Denver, CO, on 

August 31. D

Poultry Research Physiologist Murray Bakst, ARS 

Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory, 

Beltsville, MD, is the recipient of the 2001 George 

Hammell Cook Distinguished Alumni Award, presented by Rutgers University’s Cook Community 

College. This award is presented annually to alumni 

whose outstanding accomplishments in professional 

or volunteer work reflects dignity and distinction 

on their alma mater. The Cook Award is the highest 

honor presented by the Cook Alumni Association to 

undergraduate alumni. D
ARS & You August 2011

United States Department of Agriculture 6 Agricultural Research Service

Did You Know?

When you buy a loaf of freshly baked bread or a 

bowl of cereal or a box of crackers, you barely think 

about the work the baker put into it. And you almost 

certainly never think beyond the baker, say to the 

ARS research labs strategically placed in different 

wheat growing regions of the country. These labs 

work to ensure there will always be a continuous supply of wheat to meet world demand for products like 

flour, breads, cereals, cookies, crackers, pasta, beer, 

and other wheat-based products. 

For more than half a century, ARS scientists have 

helped elevate wheat’s status as a high-quality, nutritious food. You know that “San Francisco” sourdough bread that many people find so irresistible? 

Researchers at the ARS Western Regional Research 

Center in Albany, CA, made it possible for San Francisco-style sourdough bread to be baked anywhere 

in the world—thanks to an ARS discovery of how to 

grow a certain yeast used in sourdough. 

Among the different wheat classes are hard, soft, 

white, red, and durum. Soft wheats are used to make 

pastries, cookies, crackers, Asian noodles, and flat or 

hearth breads, such as pita bread. Researchers at the 

ARS Western Wheat Quality Laboratory in Pullman, 

WA, and the ARS Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory 

in Wooster, OH, evaluate soft white wheat. Hard 

wheats are used to make the everyday loaves of bread 

we’ve come to love. This is because hard wheat has 

higher gluten, which is what gives bread its mixing 

strength. ARS’ Center for Grain and Animal Health 

Research Laboratory in Manhattan, KS, evaluate hard 

wheats, and researchers at the ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit in Fargo, ND, evaluate durum and hard 

wheat quality.

ARS scientists helped the wheat industry create 

a new subclass of soft wheat with higher protein 

content—a multifunctional soft wheat. This creation makes it possible for the baking industry to 

use soft wheat for a range of consumer products to 

take advantage of extended commercial markets. It 

gives crackers and other “delicate” wheat products 

their crispness without having to blend in hard wheat, 

thereby reducing production costs. 

Still other ARS labs are identifying ways to fight 

and prevent major wheat diseases and pests, and are 

breeding new wheat varieties to ensure wheat growers worldwide meet crop demands. They know that 

U.S. wheat quality and sustained production is key to 

competing in the world market. 

By Don Comis, ARS Information Staff. 

Please submit story ideas and national award items to 

Tara T. Weaver-Missick, tara.weavermissick@ars.usda.gov

or call 301-504-1663.