UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrated the accomplishments of some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards and promotions luncheon. This year’s ceremony was held in the newly-opened Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 14, 2024. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute.
UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the award winners and praised them for their work. “I continue to be amazed by the dedication, enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by the impressive work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “The awards are well deserved, and the impacts of these accomplishments are seen across the state and will benefit Tennesseans for generations.”
Lannett Edwards, professor and graduate director in the Department of Animal Science, received the E.R. “Prof” Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award and the Webster Pendergrass Outstanding Service Award. The teaching award was established by Donald E. Williams, a 1961 graduate of the Herbert College of Agriculture, and honors his former professor and mentor, Professor E.R. Lidvall. The award recognizes faculty who exemplify Lidvall’s commitment to excellence in the classroom and his commitment to the needs and interests of the student. The service award is presented in memory of former Vice President for Agriculture Webster Pendergrass and recognizes a teaching, research, or Extension faculty member who has contributed most to the fulfillment of the Institute’s goals and objectives.
Edwards, who has served 12 years in her current role and more than 25 years for UTIA, specializes in reproductive physiology and embryology, particularly in both dairy and beef cattle. Her lab focuses on research that helps producers prevent and overcome reproductive failure in their cattle.
She is the winner of many teaching, research and service honors from UTIA and other universities and organizations during her tenure. Edwards said she enjoys participating in and leading initiatives and activities that have a positive impact and help advance the growth of students, fellow faculty members, the Institute, university and agriculture in Tennessee. She is especially passionate about undergraduate and graduate education. The ability to work one on one with students in different teaching roles both in and out of the classroom has been a career highlight, she said.
“I am honored to accept these awards. I do so on behalf of each and every student and other individuals I have had the honor and pleasure of working with both within and outside the UT Institute of Agriculture,” she said.
Edwards, whose interest in animal science was inspired by her grandparents who were dairy farmers, earned her bachelor’s degree in general agriculture from Austin Peay State University, her master’s in dairy science from Mississippi State University, and her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Florida.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.