Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
Sophia Wilcox, an AREC professional track faculty member, and Dave Newburn, an AREC assistant professor, both received awards at the AGNR 2017 Convocation and Awards Ceremony held on May 23, 2017.
Wilcox received was the On-Campus Professional Track Faculty Award. She was hired in 2013 and served as the regional site manager for the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP). She lived full time in Afghanistan and managed a team of approximately 20 local Afghans.
“Thank you to my wonderful team and the University of Maryland, especially Dr. Hanson, the PI(Principal Investigator) on the project for guiding me and allowing me to make my own mistakes anyway,” said Wilcox at the event. “Thank you for my team backing me up. It’s a group award.”
Pictured here are team members Taryn Devereux, Melekte Truneh, Sophia Wilcox and Professor Jim Hanson.
She led the development of the AREC department’s international Women in Agriculture (WIA) approach, which focuses on women-led demonstration farms and Farmer Field Schools (FFSs).
Newburn received the Integrated Research and Extension Excellence Award. He created a extension and research program that addresses problems related to Maryland agriculture, collaborating with both regional and national organizations. As a result, Newburn has become a leader in stormwater management and land use.
“I want to thank my mom, who got me interested in agriculture, playing in creeks in Columbia, Maryland,” said Newburn after receiving the award. “I came to the University of Maryland, and have been here in Maryland a long time; the college gives me an opportunity to work with land use research.”
Truneh, who is director of financial services at AREC, also received a Years of Service Award for 5 Years of employment by the university.
