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Agricultural and Human Sciences

AHS Welcomes, Awards, Recognitions, and Farewells

June 8, 2022

We are so thankful for our AHS family! Today we would like to express proper gratitude by welcoming new staff members while acknowledging the many achievements made by our phenomenally hardworking faculty and staff. We would also like to send proper goodbyes to our AHS colleagues, whose time has come to a close. We wish them all the best and can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.

Welcomes

  • Catherine Sander joined the department in April as a research technician for the Safe Plates Program.
  • Efren Maldonado Velez joined the department in April as the bilingual outreach facilitator for the More In My Basket Program.
  • Jaclyn Merrill joined the department as a research technician for the Safe Plates Program.
  • Tammy Chase-Brunelle joined the department as the Lead Food and Built Environments Extension Associate on June 1.

Awards and Recognitions

  • In a surprise event, the pantry for the Dinah E. Gore kitchen was dedicated to Dr. Carolyn Dunn in her honor.
  • Dr. Autumn Guin presented three workshops at the 2022 4-H Southern Region Biennial Conference collaborating with Amy Chilcote (NC State 4-H), Niki Maness (Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Yancey County), and Dr. Candi Dierenfield (4-H Volunteer Specialist, University of Florida).
  • Dr. Jamie Alexander recently published research on the mediating role of ethnic identity that appeared in the Journal of Adolescence.
  • Desiree Mallon, Administrative Support Specialist for the Department of AHS, was recently awarded the CALS Award for Excellence.
  • Dr. Annie Hardison-Moody’s research was recently published in the Journal of Leisure Activities on how motherhood shapes leisure activities for low-income families.
  • AEE students, Grace Baucom, Parker Greene and Elizabeth Espino, were recognized at the annual CALS Honors Celebration.
  • AHS department members presented at the 2022 National Health Outreach Conference. Kim Eshleman and Dr. Lindsey Haynes Maslow both presented research during conference sessions while Jayne McBurney presented during the poster session.
  • The Steps to Health team had three of their toolkits accepted for the SNAP-Ed Toolkit, making them eligible for use nationwide.
  • AHS faculty and graduate students presented at the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) in Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Caren Maloy was awarded a certificate of appreciation from NC Central University for making an outstanding contribution as a preceptor to their Nutrition and Dietetic students.
  • Baiyina Muhammad and Dr. Carolyn Bird hosted the inaugural conference of the NC Disabilities Network at the NC State Hunt Library.  The conference “Equity at the Intersection of Race and Disability” was the first of its kind to bring together African American families with disabled family members, academics, and service providers.  
  • Dr. Autumn Guin (Co-PI) in collaboration with Amy Chilcote (PI, NC State 4-H) and Dr. Misty Blue-Terry (Co-PI, NC A&T State University) were recommended for funding for a joint Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Sustainable Community Grant for $1,280,000 for a project entitled Robots, Energy and Agriscience: Advancing Equity and STEM Growth Mindset in Rural STEM Education. 
  • Dr. Carolyn Bird presented her research on faculty leadership to retain diverse faculty at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy in the poster session.  This research was conducted during her Fellowship with the NC State Provost Faculty Fellowship Program.
  • Dr. Autumn Guin presented a workshop with Amy Chilcote on Harnessing Stakeholders and Strategies to Implement Health Education Across Any Community at the National Health Outreach Conference.
  • Dr. Dara Bloom recently received a $1 million grant from the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) program with the USDA. The grant is being matched by Partnerships for Children with over $230,000 additional funds going towards the CEFS Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) program..
  • Dr. Autumn Guin presented an invited workshop with Dr. Misty Blue-Terry (NC A&T State University) and Dr. Jennifer Wells-Marshall (Pennsylvania State University) at the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Professional Development Event. The workshop was “Building Trust: Working with Communities with Limited Resources.”