May 25, 2005
Gamma Sigma Delta recognizes academic achievement
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, consumer and family sciences, and veterinary medicine at Purdue University, recently recognized students, faculty and alumni for their academic achievements and accomplishments.
Among those students inducted into the honor society at the April 5 event were sophomores Katherine Cornwell, a consumer and family sciences student from Fort Wayne, Ind., studying hospitality and tourism management; Laura Pillsbury, a food science major from Indianapolis; and Erica Taylor, a student of veterinary medicine from Colorado Springs Colo.
Recognized seniors included Kellan Kershner, an agronomic business and marketing major from Decatur, Ind.; Selena Baker, studying dietetics in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences from West Lafayette; and Jennifer Pine, a veterinary student from Greencastle, Pa.
"Those chosen for induction excel in academics and strive to better their field of study," said Thomas Housley, current president of the Purdue Alpha Gamma Sigma Delta chapter and an agronomy professor.
Alumni inducted as honorees for 2005 included:
• Andy Miller, of Waterloo, Ind. A 1992 graduate in agricultural economics, Miller was appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels to be director of the new Department of Agriculture. Miller previously served as vice president for Weaver Popcorn, a 75-year-old Indiana business. Prior to joining Weaver, Miller created Nature's Entrée, a frozen-food company in Indianapolis. He also worked for ConAgra, Nabisco and Procter & Gamble.
• Connie Wiemann, of Houston. A teacher and researcher, Wiemann helped develop and implement the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) program. The program trains health professionals for leadership roles in providing coordinated, comprehensive and culturally sensitive adolescent care. Within the LEAH program, Wiemann is responsible for research analysis, study design and research teaching. She assists LEAH fellows with their research projects, theses or dissertations pertaining to adolescent medicine. As a result, she has tripled the research contributions from her section at Baylor University. Wiemann is a leader in the study of high-risk behaviors, such as substance abuse, sexual behavior, and interpersonal violence, among adolescents.
• Janice Mogan, of Downers Grove, Ill. A 1979 graduate of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Mogan and her spouse operated a predominately small-animal practice in Laurinburg, N.C., for 15 years following her graduation. She joined the central offices of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1994 as a trust representative of the association's Professional Liability Insurance Trust. In her career with AVMA, she has worked with veterinarians throughout the United States and veterinary students in Midwestern veterinary schools to make them aware of the need for professional liability insurance and to counsel them on the necessity of providing state-of-the-art veterinary care to their animal patients. Mogan lectures veterinary students and practitioners on management topics related to professional liability.
Faculty honored for their accomplishments include:
• Stephen Adams, a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine who currently serves as chief of staff of the Purdue Large Animal Clinic. His research includes orthopedics, joint diseases and lameness.
• Linda Lee, a professor of agronomy whose research led to understanding the fate of contaminants from waste disposal sites and in predicting movement of organic wastes and pesticides in soils and water.
• Richard Widdows, a professor in the Department of Consumer and Family Sciences whose research emphasizes a range of issues related to consumers, such as customer relationship management, consumer satisfaction and consumer protection.
Writer: Julie Douglas, (765) 494-8402, agnews-stories@purdue.edu
Source: Thomas Housley, (765) 494-4792, thousley@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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