July 17, 2023 (Alexandria, Va.)—The American Peanut Research & Education Society (APRES) has elected new officers for the 2023-24 term and recognized some of its members with awards for their distinguished work. Both the elections and award ceremony took place last week during the organization’s 55th annual meeting in Savannah, Ga.
Officers elected include:
- President - Dr. Bob Kemerait, University of Georgia
- President-Elect - Rebecca Bennett, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
- Past President - Dr. Mark Burow, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
New board members:
- Southwest Region Representative - Emi Kimura, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
- Industry Representative - Eric Dowd, Mars Wrigley
- Ag Research Service Representative - Kelly Chamberlain, USDA
- President, APRES Graduate Student Organization - Kaylyn Reagin, University of Georgia
“Congratulations to the 2023-24 APRES officers and new board members” said Richard Owen, executive officer of APRES. “I look forward to working with them throughout this next year as they shepherd, inform and promote the important scientific research and education work being carried out by APRES members.”
Also, during the APRES meeting, the following members were awarded for their distinguished work in peanut research and related efforts:
- APRES Fellow of the Society - Dr. Craig Kvien, University of Georgia
- Bailey Award, lead author - Dr. Kelly Chamberlin, USDA -ARS
- Corteva Agriscience Award for Excellence in Research - Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut, University of Georgia
- Corteva Agriscience Award for Excellence in Education - Keith Rucker, Bayer Crop Sciences
- Coyt T. Wilson Distinguished Service Award - Kim Cutchins, former APRES executive officer
In addition, more than 60 graduate students competed in the Joe Sugg Graduate Student Competition.
PhD category:
- 1st place – Jessica Bell, University of Georgia
- 2nd place – Annabelle McCachin, University of Georgia
- 3rd place – Jennifer Dudak, Oklahoma State University
Masters category:
- 1st place - Sydney Webb, University of Georgia
- 2nd place – Nicholas Garrity, North Carolina State University
- 3rd place – Megan Mills, Texas Tech University
National Graduate Student Poster Competition:
PhD category:
- 1st place – Nicholas Shay, University of Georgia
- 2nd place – Kelvin Awori, University of Georgia
Masters category:
- 1st place – Morgan Sysskind, University of Georgia
- 2nd place – Matthew Tucker, University of Georgia
Readers can learn more about each of the awards here.
“We are proud of these award winners for their commitment to and support of peanut innovation,” said Owen. “It is heartening to see the next generation of researchers being recognized for their input and hard work and I look forward to following them as they progress in their chosen fields of study. The future of the peanut industry is bright.”
The 56th APRES annual meeting will be held July 9-11, 2024, at the Oklahoma City Omni hotel.
APRES is managed by the American Peanut Council. The purpose of APRES is to instruct and educate the public on the properties, production and use of the peanut through the organization and promotion of public discussion groups, forums, lectures and other programs or presentations. APRES also promotes scientific research on the properties, production and use of the peanut by providing forums, treatises, magazines, and other forms of educational material for the publication and dissemination of scientific information and research papers. More information can be found at www.apresinc.com
