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More about Jackson's research: News
story (June 2002) Magazine
feature (Apr. 1998) ARS also gave awards for accomplishments
other than scientific research: Secretary of the Year Equal Employment Opportunity Excellence in Information Administrative Support
Veneman
Honors USDA's Top Scientists of 2002By Don Comis February 12, 2003WASHINGTON, Feb.
12Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced today that Thomas J.
Jackson of Beltsville, Md., a U.S. Department of
Agriculture hydrologist and international expert on hydrologic remote
sensing, has been named "Distinguished Senior Research Scientist of
2002" by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The award is the top scientific honor
given by ARS, the internal scientific research agency of USDA. "These awards exemplify the high-quality research conducted at
USDA," Veneman said. "Throughout the year, important research is
conducted on a variety of issues that is helping farmers, ranchers and
consumers. Our research team is on the front line of achieving extraordinary
results." Jackson works at the ARS Hydrology
and Remote Sensing Laboratory at Beltsville, Md., where he selects, tests
and adapts satellite soil-moisture sensors and antennas and develops methods
for using them to accurately estimate soil moisture over large areas of earth. He is improving sensors for use on satellites scheduled for future launches
that would contribute to long-range weather-forecasting. "Tom Jackson has been an important part of USDA's research for soil
moisture sensing equipment on satellite systems," said Under Secretary for
Research, Education and Economics Joseph Jen. "The entire USDA research
team has made progress in many areas and we want to continue building on that
success." President Bush's FY 2004 budget for the Agricultural Research Service
requests $987 million for ARS Research and Information, an increase of $29
million above the 2003 budget, which supports additional research needs. USDA
is also requesting $47 million in new spending for animal disease research,
vaccine development and lab security, and $200 million for the National
Research Initiative. Jackson and other ARS scientists will be recognized in an awards ceremony
today at ARS' Henry A. Wallace Beltsville
Agricultural Research Center. Each winner receives a plaque, a cash award
and additional research funding.  More about Bailey: Award
 More about Cleveland: Research |
Award
 More about Moran: Research |
Award
Joseph Stanley Bailey, Ed
Cleveland, and Susan Moran were also named as outstanding senior research
scientists of 2002. Bailey is at the agency's
Poultry Microbiological Safety
Research Unit in Athens, Ga., Cleveland leads research at the ARS
Food and Feed
Safety Research Unit in New Orleans, La., and Moran leads research at ARS'
Southwest Watershed Research
Center, Tucson, Ariz. Bailey is being recognized for accomplishments in microbiological methods,
pathogen control and technology transfer. Cleveland is being honored for his
leadership in the fight to eliminate aflatoxins and other natural toxins from
corn, cotton, wheat and other crops. Moran is being cited for leadership and
research contributions in developing computer models and remote-sensing
techniques for improved land use and water management.  More about McHugh: Research |
Award
ARS also presents "Early
Career Scientist of the Year" awards to researchers who have been with ARS
seven years or less. This year, the top award in the "Early Career
Scientist" category went to food technologist Tara H. McHugh at the ARS
Processed
Foods Research Unit in Albany, Calif. She was named the "Herbert L.
Rothbart Outstanding Early Career Scientist" for development of innovative
approaches to enhance the marketability and healthfulness of fruit and
vegetables, such as edible food wraps made from pureed fruits and vegetables. More about Dowell: Research |
Award The agency also named four Area
Senior Research Scientists:  More about Grusak: Research |
Award
- Michael A. Grusak, ARS Children's
Nutrition Research Center, Houston, Texas, for efforts to enhance the
nutritional quality of food crops and for leadership in promoting
interdisciplinary research between scientists in both plant and human
nutrition.
 More about Hellmich: Research| Award
More about Juneja: Research |
Award In addition to Tara McHugh, ARS has named seven "Area Early Career
Scientists" throughout the agency. They are:  More about Anderson: Research |
Award
- Robin C. Anderson, ARS Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, College Station,
Texas, for development of a supplement that reduces Salmonella and E.
coli O157:H7 in poultry and livestock.
 More about Jay D. Evans: Research |
Award
- Jay D. Evans, ARS Bee Research
Laboratory, Beltsville, Md., for contributions in genomics research of
honey bees and their parasites, pests and pathogens.
More
about Kleinman: Award More about Lamb: Award  More about Larson: Research| Award
 More about Morales-Ramos: Research |
Award
- Juan A. Morales-Ramos, ARS
Southern Regional Research
Center, New Orleans, La., for pioneering research leading to a patented
artificial diet for a wasp parasite of the boll weevil and a bait for areawide
control of the Formosan subterranean termite.
More about Sauer: Research |
Award - Thomas J. Sauer, ARS Soil and Water Quality
Research, Ames, Iowa, for accomplishments in soil management and watershed
processes leading to improved environmental quality.
U.S. Department of Agriculture | |