Members of Texas Tech's Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources were honored for their achievements and contributions to the university as part of the university's annual Faculty Honors Convocation on Tuesday (May 5) at the Student Union Building. The awards are given by the Office of the President and recognize outstanding faculty and departments for excellence in teaching, research, service and more.
High-quality faculty are the backbone of great academic institutions, said Davis College Dean Clint Krehbiel. Faculty Honors Convocation provides an opportunity to recognize and congratulate Davis College faculty members and departments who are true leaders on campus in helping the university achieve its strategic goals and grow its national and international reputation, he said.
Among those receiving awards were:
- Edgar Aviles-Rosa - Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award | An assistant professor of animal welfare and behavior and co-director of the Canine Olfaction Research & Education Lab in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences, he was recognized for outstanding early-career excellence in teaching, research and student interaction. His research has focused extensively on detection dog olfaction and operational performance. His work examines working dog behavior, odor generalization, and the olfactory and physiological factors that influence performance. He earned his doctorate from the University of Puerto Rico.
- Cade Cook - President's Excellence in Teaching Award | An instructor within the Department of Landscape Architecture, he was recognized for exceptional undergraduate teaching. His focus is in 3D Modeling and digital representation of landscapes and landscape elements, as well as graphic design for print and digital application. Prior to joining the department, he worked as an Environment Artist in the video game industry and a Multimedia Designer for a financial institution. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Art Institute of Dallas.
- Stephen Devadoss - President's Academic Achievement Award | The Emabeth Thompson Endowed Professor and the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, he has received 22 research awards including Outstanding Journal Articles, 18 teaching awards including the AAEA Graduate Teaching Award and Undergraduate Teaching Award and 47 graduate mentoring awards. Devadoss is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association and a Fellow of the Western Agricultural Economics Association. He earned his doctorate from Iowa State University.
- Laura Fischer - Texas Tech Integrated Scholar | An associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, she was recognized for a course of lifelong learning and advancing Texas Tech's role in educating, serving and inspiring others to do the same. Fischer uses a variety of tools and research methods, such as dial testing, eye tracking, and psychophysiology, to understand what makes an effective message and to understand how audiences perceive the message. She teaches communicating agriculture to the public and public opinion of agriculture. Her doctorate is from Texas Tech.
- Courtney Gibson - Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award | An associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, she teaches a variety of courses mostly focused on visual communication, graphic design, and print layout, as well as utilizing online media and the historical and theoretical foundations of agricultural communications. Gibson ‘s research focuses on developing and enhancing student creativity, the impact and importance of visual communication and graphic design for agriculture, social media strategy, and risk and crisis communication. She earned her doctorate from Texas Tech.
- Luis Herrera-Estrella - University Distinguished Professor | The President’s Distinguished Professor of Plant Genomics and Director of the Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, he received tis new award for significant and ongoing accomplishments in teaching, scholarly and creative activities. His research interests include determining the regulatory networks that control abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms in plants, particularly desiccation and nutrient deficiency, as well as developing novel tissue culture-independent plant transformation methods. Honors include serving as a member of National Academy of Sciences. His doctorate is from Gent University in Belgium.
- Darren Hudson - Donald R. Haragan Study Abroad Award | The Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives & Assessment and the Larry Combest Endowed Chair for Agricultural Competitiveness in the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Hudson was recognized for his role in advancing the university’s global engagement and international education initiatives. Hudson, who joined the Texas Tech faculty in 2008, has built a career focused on agricultural policy, international trade, economic development and consumer behavior. A native of White Deer, Texas, he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Texas Tech.
- Krishna Jagadish - Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award in STEM | The Interim Chair and Thornton Distinguished Chair in Texas Tech’s Department of Plant & Soil Science, he was recognized as a faculty member whose scholarship has achieved national distinction. His scholarly output includes roughly 190 peer-reviewed manuscripts, reflecting a sustained focus on crop stress physiology and climate resilience. As principal investigator, he has secured nearly $22 million in competitive research funding from federal agencies and industry partners. He earned his doctorate from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
- Muntazar Monsur - President’s Excellence in Engaged Teaching Scholarship Award | An associate professor within Texas Tech’s Department of Landscape Architecture, he was selected for exemplifying the university’s commitment to community engagement through scholarship and reflect a campus-wide effort to positively impact the community. The recognition is based on his project, “Bringing Nature Where Children Are,” work that centers on advancing children’s nature-connectedness in everyday lives through community-engaged design. His doctoral degree in design is from North Carolina State University.
- Alicia Thomas - New Faculty Advisor Award | An experienced horticulturist, she is an assistant professor of practice within Department of Plant & Soil Science. Prior to joining Texas Tech faculty in 2024 , Thomas served as a senior lecturer of horticulture, instructor of horticulture, and teaching/research assistant within the Department of Plant & Soil Science. She is a member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association, Texas Nursery Landscape Association, and the American Society for Horticultural Science. Thomas received her doctorate in plant and soil science from Texas Tech.
In other action, program organizers reported that Joao-Pedro Bastos, a research assistant at the Texas Tech Free Market Institute and a Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, has been recognized with a Horn Distinguished Professors Graduate Achievement Award, an annual honor established by the Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professors to recognize outstanding research. His interests include the political economy of development, with special emphasis on the institutional environment of Latin America and the impact of populism and corruption on institutions. Bastos earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
Additionally, convocation officials recognized the university's current Paul Whitfield Horn Professors from Davis College, which include Mindy Brashears (2022) Professor of Food Safety & Public Health and former Under Secretary of Agriculture in Food Safety; and Michael Galyean (2006) Professor, Department of Veterinary Sciences, and former Texas Tech Provost. Horn professorships are the highest honor a faculty member can receive from the university. The award is named for Texas Tech's first president, Paul Whitfield Horn. University leaders also recognized emeritus Davis College faculty members John McGlone, a professor in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences, and Rudy Ritz, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications.
CONTACT: Clint Krehbiel, Dean, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or Clint.Krehbiel@ttu.edu
0506NM26 | PHOTO: (Top Row / L-R) Edgar Aviles-Rosa, Cade Cook, Stephen Devadoss, Laura Fischer and Courtney Gibson; (Bottom Row / L-R) Luis Herrera-Estrella, Darren Hudson, Krishna Jagadish, Muntazar Monsur and Alicia Thomas