Awards

2008 NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AQUACULTURE BEST PAPER NOMINEES Each year, the American Fisheries Society selects one outstanding paper from each of the society's journals to receive an award as best paper of the year. Seven papers were nominated for the 2008 best paper in the North American Journal of Aquaculture. Of these seven, five were from the National Warmwater Aquacutlure Center.	"Production and Associated Economics of Channel Catfish Fed Different Practical Diets in the Fingerling-Stocker Phase of Culture" by Lou D'Abramo, Terry Hanson, and Jim Steeby. "Effects of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration on Oxygen Consumption and Development of Channel Catfish Eggs and Fry: Implications for Hatchery Management" by Les Torrans and Jim Steeby. "Tolerance of Channel Catfish Fry to Abrupt pH Changes" by Charles Mischke and David Wise. "Production Responses of Channel Catfish to Minimum Daily Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations in Earthen Ponds" by Les Torrans . "Farm-Level Economic Impacts of Bolbophorus Infections of Channel Catfish" by David Wise, Terry Hanson, and Craig Tucker. The paper by Wise, Hanson, and Tucker was selected as best paper of 2008.
	DR. CHARLES C. MISCHKE RECEIVES 2009 DISTINGUISHED EARLY CAREER AWARD FROM THE U.S. AQUACULTURE SOCIETY. Dr. Charles C. Mischke, of the National Warmwater Aquaculture Center at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, received the 2009 Distinguished Early Career Award from the U.S. Aquaculture Society. The Distinguished Early Career Award recognizes an individual who has been involved in U.S. aquaculture for 10 years or less. This award recognizes outstanding leadership or innovation in research, education, extension, or industry development in the field of aquaculture. The award specifically emphasizes significant personal contributions made to further advance U.S. aquaculture.
	DR. LES TORRANS AND DR. JIM STEEBY RECEIVES NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARD Two scientists at the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center received a national technology transfer award in February 2009 for their work with catfish hatcheries. Dr. Les Torrans determined the oxygen requirements of channel catfish eggs and fry, and showed that fry survival rates improve when catfish eggs receive highly oxygenated water during the last day of incubation. He collaborated with Dr. Jim Steeby, who determined that 65 per cent of Mississippi and Arkansas catfish hatcheries had lower-than-optimal oxygen rates during the critical time of high oxygen demand. The two scientists, with more than 60 years of combined experience in the industry, identified potential solutions to the problem and educated hatchery owners about the need for increased egg oxygenation. They worked directly with 12 fish farms in the two states to help them adopt improved management techniques. Dr. Torrans is a fish biologist with the Catfish Genetics Research Unit of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Dr. Steeby is an aquaculture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Both scietists are affiliated with the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center. The annual award recognizes ARS researchers and extramural collaborators who successfully develop and deliver new technology for public use.
	DR. JIMMY AVERY AND MRS. SARAH HARRIS RECEIVES USDA 2009 OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIZATION, MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP OF THE REGIONAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CATFISH FORUM AWARD Dr. Jimmy Avery and Mrs. Sarah Harris were recognized on June 8, 2009, by the United States Department of Agriculture for ". . . outstanding service and performance in organization, management, and leadership of the Regional Research and Extension Catfish Forum . . . ." The forum was initiated by Drs. Gary Jensen and Jeff Silverstein, USDA National Program Leaders for Aquaculture in the USDA Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), respectively. The forum’s goal was to identify critical research and extension needs for the farm-raised catfish industry in the southeastern United States and to coordinate activities among institutions active in aquaculture research and extension. The initial meeting was held in Natchez, Mississippi, in March and was the largest gathering of catfish aquaculture research and extension scientists in the United States. The effort culminated on June 3 with a full-day strategic planning session involving industry representatives from the Catfish Farmers of America. Dr. Avery coordinated logistics for both meetings and was leader of the work group that developed and planned the June meeting. Mrs. Harris was responsible for managing the grant that funded the activities and worked with Dr. Avery to plan and coordinate both meetings.
	DR. CRAIG TUCKER RECEIVES 2009 UNITED STATES AQUACULTURE SOCIETY'S DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Dr. Craig Tucker received the United States Aquaculture Society’s Distinguished Service Award at the Society’s annual meeting in Seattle, Washington, in February 2009. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding personal contributions to the United States Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society and the U.S. aquaculture industry. The award emphasizes significant leadership and overall impact in research, education, extension, or industry development in the field of aquaculture. Dr. Tucker is Director of National Warmwater Aquaculture Center and the USDA Southern Regional Aquaculture Center. He is also past-editor of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society and editor, with Dr. John Hargreaves, of “Environmental Best Management Practices for Aquaculture,” which was co-published by Wiley-Blackwell and the United States Aquaculture Society in 2008.
	DR. BRIAN BOSWORTH OF STONEVILLE AWARDED DELTA COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Dr. Brian Bosworth of Stoneville was awarded the Delta Council Achievement Award for Research at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the regional economic and agricultural development group on May 23 in Cleveland, MS. Bosworth was presented the award by Tom Gary, chairman of Delta Council's Executive Committee. Mr. Gary stated, "Delta Council has probably exerted more resources and hours toward its support for the agricultural research programs of Mississippi State University, USDA, and the Forest Service than any other single issue throughout the organization's 73-year history. Many hours of dedicated leadership by Delta farmers and agribusinesses has resulted in a critical mass of intellectual capacity at Stoneville which is unmatched anywhere in the world. The Delta Council Research Achievement Award for 2008 goes to a close friend of Delta Council. Dr. Brian Bosworth of ARS-USDA in Stoneville is the recipient of the 2008 recognition."
	DR. CRAIG TUCKER RECIPIENT OF 2008 FACULTY RESEARCH AWARD Dr. Craig Tucker received the 2008 Faculty Research Award for the College of Forest Resources at the Mississippi State University Annual Research Awards Banquet on April 29. Dr. Tucker is the Director of the National Warmwater Aquaculture Center at the Delta Research and Extension Center.
	CATFISH FARMERS OF MISSISSIPPI RECOGNIZES DR. LES TORRANS Dr. Les Torrans, a fish production specialist at the USDA Catfish Genetics Research Unit at Stoneville, Mississippi, was presented the Distinguished Service Award for Research by Catfish Farmers of Mississippi. CFM President Keith King, right, presented the award during CFM's Annual Meeting at the Fish Farming Trade Show in February, 2008. Torrans currently serves NWAC as a Fish Production Specialist and conducts practical research on water quality and aeration in catfish ponds, as well as catfish hatchery design and management.
	DR. PATRICIA GAUNT PRESENTED PFIZER ANIMAL HEALTH AWARD FOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCE Dr. Patricia S. Gaunt, Associate Professor of Aquatic Animal Health at MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, received the 2007 Pfizer Animal Health Award for Research Excellence. This is a peer-selection award recognizing an outstanding researcher in the field of veterinary medicine. Dr. Gaunt specializes in the area of aquatic pharmacology and toxicology at the Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory, National Warmwater Aquaculture Center. The award was presented by Dr. Jerald Ainsworth, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies.
	Dr. BRIAN SMALL RECIPIENT OF THE 2007 U.S. AQUACULTURE SOCIETY EARLY CAREER AWARD Dr. Brian Small from the USDA Catfish Genetics Research Unit at Stoneville, Mississippi was the 2007 recipient of the U.S. Aquaculture Society Early Career Award. In a career that spanned only 9 years at the time, Dr. Small had 35 peer-reviewed papers, 50 published abstracts, and 12 additional papers in symposium papers and popular publications. His work has had an impact on catfish production practices in the area of egg and embryo survival, and on catfish genetic improvement through the identification of genes regulating economically important traits. In 2006, he was named USDA ARS Mid-South Area Early Career Research Scientist Award Winner.
	DR. MENGHE LI NAMED 2007 OUTSTANDING MAFES WORKER Dr. Menghe H. Li, Research Professor at the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center in Stoneville, was honored with the Outstanding MAFES Worker Award presented by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station during the organizations' Nov. 5-7 joint annual conference. The awards are sponsored by the Farm Credit System in Mississippi. Participants in the award ceremony include (from left) Land Bank of North Mississippi loan officer Matthew Raff; Jane Parish; Menghe H. Li; Land Bank South Senior Vice President Gary Blair; and MSU Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Vance Watson.
	DR. CRAIG TUCKER RECEIVES 2007 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Dr. Craig Tucker, Research Professor and Director of the National Warmwater Aquaculture Center was among three College of Forest Resources faculty members honored recently with outstanding achievement awards. Receiving the 2007 awards are (l-r) Wildlife and Fisheries Professor and Interim Associate Dean Richard M. Kaminski for service, Wildlife and Fisheries Professor Craig Tucker for research, and Forestry Professor Robert Parker for teaching. The awards were presented at the college's annual advisory banquet. (Nov 29, 2007)
DR. ED ROBINSON AND DR. MENGHE LI RECOGNIZED FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS AND FOR "MOST RELEVANT PUBLICATION TO MISSISSIPPI" STONEVILLE -- The research of two Delta professors has the potential to save Mississippi catfish producers an estimated $5 million to $8 million annually. Now the researchers are being awarded for their contributions. Ed Robinson and Menghe Li are research professors in catfish nutrition at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center's National Warmwater Aquaculture Center in Stoneville. They recently received the “most relevant publication to Mississippi” award from the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station. Their publication, “A Summary of Catfish Nutrition Research Conducted under a Cooperative Agreement between MAFES and Delta Western Research Center,” documents ways to reduce catfish feed costs. The research was a collaborative effort between MSU and Delta Western. Robinson and Li also have been named researchers of the year in additional awards. Robinson received the award of researcher of the year from MAFES, and Li received a researcher of the year award from MSU's College of Forest Resources. “It's nice to be recognized, and the awards provide encouragement to continue to work hard,” Robinson said. “It's also good for the research group. All the data are the work of a lot of people.” Li also noted the contribution of his research group in earning the recognitions. “I was honored to receive the awards,” Li said. “They recognized not just me, but the hard work of the researchers, support staff and pond crew in the catfish nutrition program.” Tucker said that as a result of Robinson and Li's contributions to catfish nutrition research, dietary protein levels have been reduced and vitamin and mineral requirements have been refined. Released: Dec. 8, 2005 Writer: Robert H. Wells, Delta Research and Extension Center
	DR. DAVID WISE NAMED 2004 OUTSTANDING MAFES WORKER Dr. David Wise, a research scientist at NWAC, has been named the 2004 Outstanding Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Worker. Dr. Wise leads a team at NWAC which researches the causes and treatment of fish diseases and assesses and develops treatments for new diseases potentially threatening to the catfish industry. Wise, a native of Austin, Texas, earned his bachelor's degree in aquatic biology at Southwest Texas State University and a doctorate and master's in microbiology and aquaculture, fisheries and wildlife, respectively, at Clemson University.
	DR. JIMMY AVERY RECEIVES MSU ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD Dr. Jimmy Avery was honored during the 40th annual faculty recognition program sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association with presentation of the Service Award. Dr. Avery is Extension Aquaculture Leader at NWAC and is responsible for education and technology transfer to commercial producers and infrastructure personnel. Dr. Avery develops educational publications and conducts workshops as well as assists aquaculture commodity associations and individual producers through the Delta.