Two talented individuals from Texas Tech University's Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources have tapped to receive 2023 President's Excellence in Academic Advising Awards, according to officials within the Office of the Provost's Student Success Program.

Leslie Thompson, a nationally recognized professor in food science research, was honored with a 2023 President's Excellence in Academic Advising Award (Experienced Faculty Advisor), and Hannah Gauthier, a lecturer within the Department of Animal & Food Sciences, was presented a 2023 New Faculty Advisory Award. Both received recognition plaques and cash awards.

“Academic advising is a very rewarding aspect of being a faculty member,” Thompson said. “I view the advising role as providing students with information and suggestions about their academic programs so they can make sound decisions regarding their degrees and future careers.”

Thompson's research centers on food quality, composition, and safety as affected processing and handling in the food chain from producer to consumer. Her classroom duties have included teaching a wide variety of courses in food science and poultry science. Currently she teaches principles of food technology, food manufacturing, dairy products and processing, and food sanitation.

Awards for Thompson include being named to the Texas Tech Teaching Academy and Golden Key International Honor Society, in addition to receiving the North American Colleges & Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit, Davis College Teaching Award, and a National Association of Colleges & Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Fellow Award.

Thompson earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture-poultry science and a master's degree in poultry products technology from University of Florida-Gainesville. Her doctorate in food science and human nutrition is from the University of Florida-Gainesville. 

Separately, Gauthier indicated that her teaching program broadly focuses on animal biology and nutrition. One of her primary goals since joining Texas Tech in 2021 has been to encourage student engagement in the classroom by connecting academic concepts to their real-life applications, and to help students prepare for careers in animal science after graduation. 

Prior to taking joining the Texas Tech faculty in 2021, the Dayton, Ohio native served as a research associate with Genentech in South San Francisco. She also worked as a scientific affairs assistant with Chr. Hansen in Hørsholm, Denmark, and a graduate teaching assistant at the University of California-Davis.

Her bachelor's degree in zoology is from The Ohio State University, and her master's degree in animal biology is from the University of California-Davis. Awards include the UC Davis' Henry A. Jastro Research Award.

CONTACT: Clint Krehbiel, Dean, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or Clint.Krehbiel@ttu.edu

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