The West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences recognized its outstanding faculty for the 2006-07 academic year at its Honors Convocation April 20.

Cindy Beacham, assistant professor of interior design, and James Thompson, assistant professor of soil science, shared the title of Outstanding Teacher. Kyle Hartman, associate professor of wildlife and fisheries resources, was named Outstanding Researcher. Phillip Osborne, associate professor and Extension SpecialistAnimal Husbandry, was named Outstanding Service Contributor.

Beacham was cited for her high teaching evaluations, heavy teaching load and major contributions to curriculum development in the Davis Colleges programs in applied design. She was the primary author of the proposed major in Design Studies, including the development of two courses in that discipline. She also made significant contributions to the proposed Masters of Design program. Beacham received a Brown Faculty Development Grant and attended two workshops focused on instructional techniques in interior design.

In addition to sharing Outstanding Teaching honors with Beacham, Thompson was named the 2006 Conservation Educator of the Year by the Monongahela Conservation District. He is the coach of the WVU Soils Team, leading them to a national championship in 2006 and a return to the National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest in 2007. He has co-authored two textbooks,Fundamental Soil ScienceandMath for Soil Scientists, both published by Delmar Learning and geared toward undergraduates in the soil science discipline. He is co-director of the National Geospatial Development Center, a collaboration between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service and WVU .

Hartman has pioneered work in bioelectrical impedance analysis for use in analyzing the condition and health of fish. He has also made significant strides in the use of hydro-acoustics for researching and managing fish populations. During this academic year, he has secured funding for a new research project from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and manages six externally funded projects with an estimated research value of nearly $100,000, supporting seven graduate students. He is prolific in the publication arena, co-authoring twelve articles in peer-reviewed journals or symposium proceedings in 2006, with an additional four articles in press.

Osborne leads a diverse WVU Extension program that has significantly enhanced both the income and the reputation of the beef cattle industry in West Virginia. He has played a leading role in organizing feeder calf sales, the Livestock Roundup, the Beef Quality Assurance program, educational activities for youth, and participated in the West Virginia Young Sire Evaluation Program and West Virginia Beef Expo. He has taught short courses to hundreds of West Virginia livestock producers on topics such as weaning calves, marketing techniques and breeding soundness. He routinely conducts informal consultations with producers in the state.

Each of the Davis Colleges five academic divisions submits unit-level honorees in teaching, research and service. College-level honorees are selected from that group by the Davis College Peer Review Committee.