Five NDSU faculty members have been selected to receive prestigious university awards.
Emily Wicktor, assistant professor of English, will be recognized with the Odney Award for Excellence in Teaching; Sanku Mallik, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, will receive the Waldron Award for Excellence in Research; Angela Hodgson, associate professor of practice in biological sciences, will be acknowledged with the Peltier Award for Innovation in Teaching.
Harlene Hatterman-Valenti, professor of plant sciences and high-value crops specialist, will be recognized with the Chamber of Commerce NDSU Distinguished Faculty Service Award and Wendy Reed, professor of biological sciences, will receive the Mentoring Excellence Award.
“Faculty awards recognize excellence in teaching, mentoring, scholarship and service,” Provost Beth Ingram said. “NDSU is fortunate to have so many talented faculty. We are proud of their commitment to success of our students, contributions to their disciplines, and dedication to NDSU and our State.”
Odney Award for Excellence in Teaching
Wicktor, who joined NDSU in 2012, earned her doctorate in English at the University of Kansas, and she was a post-doctoral fellow at Tulane University. She was nominated by 11 students.
“Dr. Wicktor is a phenomenal educator who instructs classes with enthusiasm and positivity every day,” wrote nominator Erika Fieldhammer, a senior majoring in English. “Her thorough understanding in the content that she teaches makes her an absolute joy to have as an instructor.”
Senior English major Kaitlyn Jenison said Wicktor was her mentor for her English capstone project. “With her help and constructive feedback, I have been able to complete a project that I am proud of,” Jenison wrote.
And sophomore English education major Emily Lange wrote, “Dr. Wicktor is the best professor I have had thus far in my college career. Her class makes her students think, and she is amazing at getting everyone involved.”
Waldron Award for Excellence in Research
Mallik was nominated by Jagdish Singh, professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences. “I am very much impressed with the research contribution of Dr. Mallik in the area of cancer chemistry and pharmacology,” Singh wrote. “Therefore, I enthusiastically present Dr. Mallik’s candidature for your consideration.”
Mallik’s research has focused on the development of echogenic polymersomes for active targeting and the triggered release of cancer fighting drugs, and the development of liposomes for enzyme-triggered release of encapsulated contents. A nationally respected researcher, he received a Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence grant from the National Institutes of Health for his pancreatic cancer research. He has received $15.5 million in grants during the past 10 years.
Mallik joined the NDSU faculty in 1998. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, and his doctorate in organic chemistry at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. He was a post-doc at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
Peltier Award for Innovation in Teaching
Hodgson, who joined NDSU’s faculty in 2009, was nominated by her faculty colleagues in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Her nominators said she has helped bring NDSU to the forefront of national efforts to transform biology education through her General Biology courses and labs and her Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience in Antibiotic Drug Discovery. “These courses are now learner-centered and use teaching strategies such as flipped classrooms where students learn material before coming to class by completing textbook readings, video lecture and pre-class quizzes and then apply their knowledge in class working in small groups to complete higher-order problems facilitated by learning assistants,” they wrote.
Hodgson earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul; her master’s degree in resource management at the University of Nevada-Reno; and her doctorate in ecology at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul.
Chamber of Commerce NDSU Distinguished Faculty Service Award
Hatterman-Valenti became a member of the NDSU faculty in 2000. She was nominated by Esther McGinnis, assistant professor of plant sciences and Extension horticulturist. “Harlene’s service ethic motivates her research and teaching,” McGinnis wrote. “Service to NDSU, the people of North Dakota and regional local food producers inspire her to push beyond boundaries to create new value-added crops and markets for small farmers.”
Hatterman-Valenti’s work has included such crops as potatoes, Juneberries, grapes and high tunnel vegetable production. A 2016 project by her students produced more than 4,000 pounds of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and squash for Fargo’s Emergency Food Pantry.
Hatterman-Valenti earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, her master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her doctorate in agronomy crop production and physiology and horticulture at Iowa State University.
Mentoring Excellence Award
Reed was nominated by the Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Affairs Committee and others. “Wendy personifies a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, research and service,” they wrote. “She cares deeply about improving the human environment to enhance the professional accomplishment of all members of the NDSU community.”
Reed is an ADVANCE FORWARD steering committee member, and is an advocate and mentor regarding the retention and advancement of women faculty. As a department head, she led the development and implementation of a faculty mentorship program in the department. Her nominators also described her as a mentor for post-doctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduate students. In addition, as associate dean, Reed led a mentoring program for new faculty in the College of Science and Mathematics.
Reed joined NDSU in 2002. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Kalamazoo College in Michigan and her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from Iowa State University, Ames.
These NDSU faculty members, along with other award recipients, will be recognized during the annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence, scheduled for Thursday, May 11, at 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union Plains room.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.