Alumni Association honors 5 faculty members

Faculty members from chemistry, mathematics, political science, sociology, and weed science are winners of the Alumni Association's 1997 Faculty Awards.

At a May 1 campus banquet, the annual honors program recognized "significant contributions to the welfare of humankind and the stature of Mississippi State University" in the categories of classroom teaching, research, and service.

Receiving awards this year were Earl G. Alley, Krish Bhansali, Diane L. Daniels, Frank M. Howell, and David R. Shaw. Each recipient received a plaque and a monetary award.

Since the program's inception in 1965, more than 145 Mississippi State faculty members have been honored. Selections are made by committees of faculty, students, and alumni.

This year's recipients represent 107 years of service to the university.

Honored this year are:

Receiving 1997 Mississippi State University Alumni Association Faculty Awards were, left to right, Krish Bhansali, Diane L. Daniels, Frank M. Howell, David R. Shaw, and Earl G. Alley.

Earl Alley, Service Award. A colleague says that his dedication to service has contributed to improving the quality of life and the environment in Mississippi, and that his accomplishments have enhanced economic development in the state. Another says that the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory has established itself as the premier laboratory for pesticide residue analyses in the country under Alley's leadership as State Chemist. Alley holds degrees from Mississippi State University and the University of Illinois.

Krish Bhansali, Upper Level (junior and senior) Teaching Award. A colleague says the political science professor has had the most profound impact on the largest group of students that he has ever seen, and that he repeatedly motivates students to lead their lives in new and different ways. A former student believes that if the test of a great teacher is the extent and duration of the impact on the lives of students, then Bhansali is truly a great teacher. Bhansali holds degrees from Visva Bharati University in India, Howard University, and The American University.

Diane Daniels, Lower Level (freshman and sophomore) Teaching Award. The mathematics instructor's colleagues say that her courses are the first sections to fill up each semester and students often fight to get in them. Her students say she has the ability to make them understand, and that she not only teaches, but inspires students to learn. Daniels holds degrees from Pennsylvania State University and Mississippi State.

Frank Howell, Graduate Level Teaching Award. The sociology professor combines his research interests and skills in the classroom to provide a "hands on" learning experience for students, an applied teaching orientation that results in "learning by doing," say his colleagues. A former student says he "treats his students on an equal and professional level, and he contributes a considerable amount of his time outside of class in helping students with their course work and developing their research ideas." Howell holds degrees from Georgia College and Mississippi State.

David Shaw, Research Award. "He is the most able and productive young weed scientist in the South and among the top two or three young weed scientists in the world," says one colleague of the weed science professor. "He has helped transform Mississippi State's weed science program into one of the leading programs in the South and among the very best in research and teaching in the country," says another. In 12 years at Mississippi State, Shaw has attracted more than $3 million in funding to support his research projects focusing on safe, effective, and economical weed management programs. He holds degrees from Cameron University and Oklahoma State University.

Alumni Association Executive Director John Correro said that while these five awards recognize those achieving significant accomplishments over the past year, the annual banquet honors all faculty members at Mississippi State.