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.”
Larry Steckel, row crop weed specialist and professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, is the recipient of the B. Ray Thompson Sr. Outstanding Faculty Performance Award. This award is made possible by earnings from the Thompson Faculty Endowment and is presented annually to faculty in the Institute who have distinguished themselves by their exceptional performance. This award rotates among the four divisions within the Institute of Agriculture.
Steckel joined UTIA in 2003 where he holds a weed science Extension and research appointment. Located at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, Tennessee, he conducts on-site research to generate effective weed control solutions for row crop farmers across the Mid-South, in addition to hosting events such as the annual Weed Tour field day.
“I am honored to receive the award, but my work couldn’t be done without the people on my team,” says Steckel. “It takes a group effort to plant, spray and collect data on our many research plots, not to mention share this information with producers who need the data to have a successful harvest.”
Steckel received his B.S in agronomy in 1987 from Western Illinois University, his M.S. in weed science from the University of Missouri in 1989 and his PhD in general agriculture in 2003 from the University of Illinois.
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