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.”
Sindhu Jagadamma, associate professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, is one recipient of the UT AgResearch Dean’s Grantsmanship Award. The UT AgResearch Dean’s Grantsmanship Award recognizes the extraordinary effort of faculty members in successfully securing competitive extramural grants and contracts and who exceed expectations of good departmental and institutional citizenship. This award is based on the total dollar amount of competitive extramural grants or contracts secured by the faculty member serving as principal or co-principal investigator. Alicia L. Rihn, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Tong (Toni) Wang, UTIA institute professor in the Department of Food Science, also received this award.
Jagadamma’s soil health lab is highly visible within and outside UTIA for collaborative research and training. In 2022 it received the NRCS Area 2 Partnership Achievement Award. Jagadamma has a strong track record of mentorship, including working with 14 graduate students, 5 postdocs, 1 research scientist, 2 research associates and 20 research interns. Her excellent grantsmanship has resulted in more than $70 million in total grants, including 10 USDA-NIFA awards for which she is principal investigator or a named Co-PI. She is also part of two USDA-NRCS Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities awards and has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. She has 85 peer-reviewed publications.
She wants to enhance her already successful approach to grant writing. “Grant writing is a challenging process for many researchers, including me. Once we get the hang of it, the grant writing process can turn into a rewarding and enjoyable activity. Winning this award motivates me to further sharpen my grant writing skills and bring more federal funds to UTIA,” she says.
Jagadamma’s degrees are all in the studies of soil science and agronomy. She received her B.S. in agricultural sciences from Kerala Agricultural University in India and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from The Ohio State University.
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.