University Park, Pa. -- Two faculty members in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences were recognized for outstanding teaching and other contributions by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities at its recent 123rd annual meeting in Dallas, Texas.
Rama Radhakrishna, professor of agricultural and extension education, received the 2010 North Eastern Regional Teaching Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences. Claudia Mincemoyer, associate professor of agricultural and extension education, was part of a national team that received the Special Recognition Award from the association's Extension Committee on Organization and Policy for developing the "Managing in Tough Times" National Extension Initiative.
Radhakrishna teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in program design and delivery, program evaluation, and research methods. His research centers on integrating the teaching, research and extension missions of land-grant institutions. He has published more than 86 refereed journal articles and presented more than 250 refereed papers. He also has twice received the College of Agricultural Sciences' Community of Teaching Excellence Award and a Teaching Award of Merit from the Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta honor society.
The Regional Teaching Award recognizes six outstanding faculty members on the basis of their ability as classroom teachers, use of innovative teaching methods, service to students and their profession, and scholarship. The award carries a $2,000 stipend and is sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Mincemoyer provides statewide leadership to 4-H curriculum development and is the director of the Penn State Better Kid Care program. Her research and extension programs focus on the development, implementation and evaluation of strength-based child and youth-development programs. She has presented more than 100 invited and refereed papers and presentations and developed more than 115 national and statewide youth-development curricula and resources.
Mincemoyer is also a co-investigator on the PROSPER project, a program aimed at helping youth avoid substance abuse and other behavioral problems. PROSPER received a National Program of Distinction award from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Founded in 1887, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is an association of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and many state public university systems. Its 218 members enroll more than 4.7 million students and award nearly 1 million degrees annually. With nearly $30 billion in research, association member universities comprise 10 of the top 20 universities in total federal spending on research and development in science and engineering. For more information, visit www.aplu.org.