May 4, 2007
Contact: Jana Smith
405.744.5827
jana.smith@okstate.edu
2007 OSU Environmental Award Winners Honored
Stillwater , Okla. — Oklahoma State University honored recipients of the 2007 Environmental Awards at a reception hosted by the Environmental Institute and the Environmental Science Graduate and Undergraduate Programs. The nine awards honor faculty, staff, alumni and organizations for invaluable contributions in the environmental field. Gordon Emslie, dean of the OSU Graduate College , and Will Focht, director of the Environmental Science Graduate Program and Environmental Institute, presented the awards to the winners.
Green Award for Sustainability
Green Awards for Sustainability are given to individuals or organizations that best encourage or demonstrate the successful implementation of sustainability practices in Oklahoma and serve as a model and inspiration to others to do the same. Two awards are given each year.
The first award was given to Sustainable Solutions, Inc. Headquartered in Wagoner, Oklahoma , SSI has offices also in Detroit , Miami and Shenzhen , China . SSI patents regenerating processes that enable companies to turn their waste streams into Smart Streams™. Examples of “green” products re-engineered from industrial waste include:
• boxes and packaging materials regenerated from denim jeans that are lighter and stronger than cardboard boxes;
• hydrographically decorated wood products derived from broken pallets, which eliminates the need to use wood from endangered tree species;
• leather products used in office supply, furniture and automotive industries made from leather scraps;
• fabric made from cotton T-shirt waste;
• thermal-moldable stabilizer board made from waste flooring, which is used in appliances and automobile headliners;
• and auto interiors made from Nike athletic shoe waste.
SSI is a leader in promoting sustainability in the most genuine sense by simultaneously helping the planet, people and profits. Joy Nunn, chief operating officer and founder of SSI, accepted the award.
The second award was given to Energy Advocates. Energy Advocates has made educating America about the energy industry and energy policy their primary mission for the past 30 years. They advocate a balanced energy use portfolio that includes oil, wind, natural gas, solar and nuclear energy sources. Energy Advocates sponsors international conferences at which distinguished speakers discuss energy sustainability, publishes unbiased information about energy sustainability in print and radio broadcast and awards scholarships to students pursuing degrees in energy/environmental fields.
Energy Advocates envisions educating Americans in support of a clear and balanced energy policy through grassroots initiatives. Mark Stansberry, president of Energy Advocates, accepted the award.
Alumni Award for Outstanding Environmental Achievement
The Alumni Award for Outstanding Environmental Achievement was given to Shirley Morrow. Morrow received two degrees from OSU in 1995: a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture and a M.S. in Environmental Science. Morrow has worked in erosion and sediment control for more than 14 years and has been involved in the turf and landscape industry for over 20 years. She has prepared over 100 Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans for construction activities in 30 states.
In 2004, Morrow was recruited by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in Bentonville , Ark. for the position of director of Storm Water Compliance. Her expertise was key to Wal-Mart's compliance with a $600 million consent decree. In this capacity, she oversaw the training and day-to-day stormwater implementation activities of general contractors more than 1000 new store construction sites.
Morrow has been an active member of the International Erosion Control Association since 1992, serving on the organization's Board of Directors and teaching workshops throughout the United States . She is also a member of the Great Rivers Chapter of IECA, serving as its vice president and president.
Morrow assisted the American Public Works Association in its preparation of an Erosion and Sediment Control Standards Manual based on construction standards and related ordinances from more than 50 cities, counties, and state agencies. The final product can be incorporated directly into the APWA Standard Specifications and Design Criteria publication. Morrow has also designed visually and environmentally friendly landscaping for a variety of businesses including the Kansas City International Airport .
Ted Mills Award for Outstanding Faculty Environmental Teaching
The Ted Mills Award for Outstanding Environmental Teaching was given to Mahesh Rao, associate professor of geography and director of the Center for Applications of Remote Sensing at OSU. Rao earned a B.S. degree in Agriculture and a M.S. degree in Horticulture in India . He then earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Science at OSU in 1996. Mahesh has submitted more than 20 articles and reviews for publication and has delivered professional presentations at several national and international conferences. His research interests include using remote sensing and GIS for natural resources conservation and management.
Rao teaches GIS natural resource applications, advanced GIS and remote sensing courses. His courses form an important component of students' plans of study pursuing degrees in several departments and programs at OSU. Currently, he advises 12 students who are using GIS and remote sensing in their environmental research.
Bud Burks Award for Outstanding Faculty Environmental Research
The Bud Burks Award for Outstanding Environmental Research was given to Charles I. Abramson, professor of psychology at OSU. He attended Boston University and earned a B.A. in Psychology, M.A. in Experimental Psychology and Ph.D. in Physiological Psychology. Abramson also serves as adjunct professor of Zoology and Entomology, a professor of Forensic Sciences and International Studies, director of the Pet Food Testing Center at OSU, and director of the psychology department's museum.
Abramson's research investigates the effects of pesticides on the behavior of insects – particularly bees. He is also exploring the use of essential oils as alternatives for pesticides in the control of aphids. He has worked with the School of International Studies in Brazil and conducts research in conjunction with scientists from Venezuela , Russia and Slovenia , just to name a few. He has published 140 journal articles, book chapters, encyclopedia articles and books and serves as consulting editor to several journals. Abramson mentors graduate students from three continents.
Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Environmental Research
The 2007 Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Environmental Research was given to Anna Parviainen-Childers. She received an M.S. in Environmental and Resources Economics at OSU and is currently enrolled as a doctoral student in the Environmental Science Graduate Program. She has been a board member of the Air and Waste Management Association, Southwest Section in Tulsa , since 2002 and now serves as the board chair.
Parviainen-Childers won this award for her presentation at this year's OSU Research Symposium entitled, “Decision Support System – A Rural Water System Planning Model to Optimally Meet Future Drinking Water Demands in Northeastern Oklahoma .”
Award for Outstanding Staff Environmental Service
The 2007 Award for Outstanding Staff Environmental Service was given to the staff at Outdoor Adventure. Outdoor Adventure provides outdoor programming – not only for OSU students, but for the surrounding community. Working with the Wilderness Education Association and the Leave No Trace organization, Outdoor Adventure works to increase environmental awareness through education and hands-on experience.
Outdoor Adventure works to elevate wilderness education and preservation, develop a land ethic consistent with the ideals of the Wilderness Act and establish wilderness education and outdoor leadership as a legitimate academic and professional field of study.
It has been an affiliate of the Wilderness Education Association for more than 15 years. Currently, it has six employees qualified as Leave No Trace trainers and two employees who are certified as Master Educators. Scott Jordan, coordinator of Outdoor Adventure, accepted the award.
Award for Outstanding Student Environmental Service
The Award for Outstanding Student Environmental Service was given to Katie Gordon, a graduate student in International Studies who also serves as president of ECO-OSU. During her presidency, she has increased campus opportunities for students to learn more about the environment and environmental issues such as the Eco-Film Project, Earth-Fest, Sustainable Living, Meet and Greet Cleanup Day, local recycling center opening and open-house engagements.
Gordon's goal for the spring semester was to increase awareness on campus about living an energy efficient life. She and ECO-OSU sponsor speakers, film projects, service projects, recycling forums and fundraising efforts. She serves as a role model by giving personal attention to energy conservation, buying local, litter removal and recycling.
James R. Esbenshade II Rural Sustainability Research Assistantship
The James R. Esbenshade II Rural Sustainability Research Assistantship is sponsored by his father, Jim Esbenshade – a respected member of OSU's Environmental Programs Advisory Board and innovative farmer who pioneers sustainability practices in his own agricultural operations. The winner of the inaugural Rural Sustainability Research Assistantship is Sandra Rodriguez, a doctoral student in the Environmental Science Graduate Program who will begin her dissertation research this fall. She will be examining the role that technical analyses and political deliberations play in enhancing the sustainable management of community forests in Colombia .
Jimmie Pigg Environmental Policy Research Assistantship
T he Jimmie Pigg Environmental Policy Research Assistantship is sponsored by the Environmental Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association. Jimmie Pigg attended Oklahoma A&M and received a B.S. degree in 1953 and a M.S. degree in 1962. He was a high school teacher who helped his students understand the power of the environment through his words and hands on activities. Even retirement from teaching in 1987 did not deter his enthusiasm for helping students from across the State to learn. He served on the executive council for the Oklahoma Academy of Science; was director of the Oklahoma Junior Academy of Science; and assisted in fundraising to inform students and teachers about research in science fields. His value of learning also led him to work as a part-time researcher for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Through this work, he was able to add to the knowledge base pertaining to Oklahoma 's waterways and the fish found in such waterways.
The Environmental Science Graduate Program acknowledged Charles W. Shipley and David Leavett who secured OBA Environmental Law Section funding of this assistantship.
Shipley graduated from OSU in Industrial Engineering in 1966 and was president of the Engineering School , a member of Blue Key and Sigma Tau Engineering Honor Society. After working as an engineer for Cities Service Oil Company, he attended law school at George Washington University, where he earned a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Environmental Law in 1972. The Masters of Environmental Law was the first given by any law school in the United States . Thereafter, he worked for the office of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on environmental policy and as assistant district counsel in the Tulsa , Oklahoma district. He then served as a trial attorney in the newly established Pollution Control Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington , DC from 1974-77. In 1977, he returned to Oklahoma and began practicing law, focusing on environmental law and water rights, both from a regulatory standpoint and in litigation. He was the founding chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Environmental Law Section in 1991 and has served as the executive editor of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Environmental Law Handbook.
Leavitt is president of Integrity Consulting, d irector of Administrative Services at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, as well as an administrative law judge with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He received a B.A. in Psychology in 1978, B.S. in Cell Biology 1982, B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1984, all from the University of Kansas . He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1992. Leavett has worked for the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center as director of commercial development, ASEC/Delphi Exhaust & Engine Management Division of the General Motors Corporation. AlliedSignal, Inc. and Gable & Gotwals as a lawyer. He also worked as an engineer and chemist for ASEC, Farmland Industries Inc., the Kansas Geological Survey and PBI Gordon Company.
The winner of the inaugural Jimmie Pigg Environmental Policy Research Assistantship is Brian Cross. Brian is working on a M.S. in Environmental Science. He is focusing on wetlands conservation and plans to evaluate the success of the wetlands reserve program in Oklahoma that is being administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Norman N. Durham Lectureship Award
The Norman N. Durham Lectureship Award is given to a distinguished speaker who can attract and inspire students, staff and faculty to undertake environmentally responsible action in their own lives and careers. This year, Jim MacMahon delivered the Norm
Durham Lecture. MacMahon is trustee professor of biology and director of the Ecology Center at Utah State University in Logan . He previously served as head of the Biology Department, dean of science, and vice president for university advancement. He has a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Notre Dame.
MacMahon is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, past president of the Ecological Society of America, member of the National Research Council's Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology where he has chaired various committees and member of the editorial advisory board of Restoration Ecology . He has received the Governor's Medal for Excellence in Science and Technology and the D. Wynne Thorne Research Award. He was one of the authors that proposed the development of the National Ecological Observatory Network. He is serving as the chairman of the board of directors of NEON, Inc., an ambitious attempt to monitor the state of the nation's ecosystems.
MacMahon's research involves the organization of natural communities, with a current focus on the potential use of ecological theory as a basis for management of disturbed areas. He has published more than 150 scholarly articles and two books. He teaches graduate courses in ecology, biogeography and mammalogy.
MacMahon delivers lectures across the United States and around the world concerning science, especially ecology. His presentation at the awards reception was entitled, “Thresholds: Predicting the Unpredictable .”
For more about OSU Environmental Programs, visit http://environ.okstate.edu .
