Human Sciences faculty honored at OSU awards convocation

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Faculty from the College of Human Sciences were recognized during the Oklahoma State University Awards Convocation on Dec. 6.

Jennifer Hays-Grudo was honored with the Regents Distinguished Research Award for 2017. Hays-Grudo, a Regents Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, is the principal investigator for an $11.3 million National Institutes of Health grant project in the Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity (CIRCA). Hays-Grudo leads the group, which includes faculty in OSU’s College of Human Sciences, College of Education, Health and Aviation, Center for Health Sciences and the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, in the long-term goal of eliminating unjust differences in children’s health by race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status through effective translational science.

Brenda Smith, Regents Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, received the 2017 Regents Distinguished Teaching Award. Smith is also the John and Sue Taylor Endowed Professor. In 2016, she received the Mortar Board’s Golden Torch Award, which is given to outstanding faculty members who have shown dedication to the success of students. Smith has extensively mentored undergraduate students and received the National Undergraduate Research Mentor Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Board of Human Sciences. She is also a past recipient of the OSU Regents Distinguished Research Award (2009).

Edralin Lucas was recognized as the new Jim and Lynne Williams Professor in Nutritional Sciences and received the traditional medallion given to OSU endowed faculty members during the convocation. Lucas has been a tenure-track faculty member in the College of Human Sciences since 2005. She is a past recipient of the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award (2014) and the Regents Distinguished Research Award (2012). Lucas’ research focuses on nutrition and cardiovascular health.

Amanda Morris was honored as a newly-appointed Regents Professor at OSU. The title of Regents Professor is the most prestigious position that may be attained in recognition of scholarly accomplishments by faculty at OSU. To receive the honor, faculty must demonstrate a distinguished record of nationally recognized excellence and scholarship in his/her respective disciplines. Morris holds the George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Child Development and is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Her research focuses on understanding contextual influences on social and emotion development in children and adolescents. Morris is a past recipient of both the OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching Award (2015) and the OSU Regents Distinguished Research Award (2013).

Deana Hildebrand, associate professor in nutritional sciences, was presented with the Advising Excellence Award for 2017. In addition to her work teaching and advising students, Hildebrand is an OSU Extension nutrition specialist and serves as project director for the Cooking for Kids program, which trains Oklahoma schools to offer healthier meals for students. She also serves on the Certified Health Oklahoma School Advisory Council. Hildebrand received OSU’s Sternberg Award for Excellence in Advancing the Land Grant Mission in 2013 and the Marguerite Scruggs Award for Early Career Meritorious Research from the College of Human Sciences in 2012.