DALLAS – Conference USA announces its CUSA Faculty Achievement Award winners highlighting outstanding faculty members and their dedication to teaching, commitment to advance their respective fields of study through research and devotion to making a difference through service in their campus communities. The awards program was established by the league’s presidents and chancellors to recognize exceptional contributions in teaching, research and service. Each of the 10 recipients will automatically become the institutional nominee for the CUSA Professor of the Year, which will be voted on by the institution’s provosts.

The 2024 award recipients represent distinct fields of study including astrophysics, geography, accounting, kinesiology, art, entomology, conflict management, chemistry/biochemistry and earth, environmental and atmospheric sciences. They have published prominent academic articles, received numerous scholarly awards and presented as subject matter experts throughout the country.

2024 CUSA Faculty Achievement Award Honorees

Dr. James R. Webb, Professor of Observational Extra-Galactic Astronomy at Florida International University, is an astrophysicist, astronomer, public speaker and musician who has been at FIU since 1990. His research interests include variability of active galactic nuclei, time series analysis and optical observations using large and NASA satellite telescopes. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed publications, 50 of which during his time at FIU. He has over 70 conference proceedings papers and his articles have been published in top-tier journals such as The Astrophysical Journal and Astronomical Journal. Dr. Webb’s strong efforts to help FIU become a member of the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) consortium, which also helped SARA acquire two more telescopes beyond the original one located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The new remote operations located in Chile and the Canary Islands provide easy access to these telescopes and creates enormous opportunities for students to get astronomical observing experience. Dr. Webb has organized and led a public lecture series about astronomy each semester for over 29 years and regularly speaks at elementary and secondary schools. 

Dr. Mark Sciuchetti, Associate Professor of Geography at Jacksonville State University, teaches various undergraduate courses focused in this area and regularly participates in curricular development as it relates to his areas of expertise and working with his colleagues and department head on academic planning. He also serves as a board member for Faculty Commons, which is the university’s mechanism for ensuring current and applicable faculty development programming. Dr. Sciuchetti received the Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG) Excellence in Teaching award in 2023 and was nominated for the American Association of Geographers Distinguished Teaching Honors. He has also been invited to lecture to schools in Florida, Alabama and Oklahoma. Since 2020, he has published 13 peer-reviewed articles and has three more publications accepted in 2023 and ready for publication. From a service perspective, Dr. Sciuchetti is part of the Faculty Senate, is the secretary of the SEDAAG, has advanced geographic education and research and contributed as a member and adjudicator on the World Geography Bowl. 

Dr. Kristina Hook, Assistant Professor of Conflict Management in the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development in the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kennesaw State University, has garnered an international reputation for the quality and significance of her work. She boasts over a decade of sustained excellence in her area of expertise. A specialist in the Russia-Ukraine War, Dr. Hook’s research has been influential not only in academic fields, but also for policy makers and practitioners. Dr. Hook was named a Higher Education Ambassador by the Council on Foreign Relations and has been recognized at the national level for her excellence in teaching. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Hook serves as an inspiring mentor and many students she works with have gone on to become her co-presenters at conferences, co-authors of articles or book chapters. Her work includes dozens of articles, over 100 conference presentations, external grants and an award-winning and forthcoming book on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Dr. Hook has been invited to deliver lectures at the White House and at prestigious academic institutions, including Harvard and Columbia in the United States, as well as Oxford and Cambridge internationally. She also received a National Endowment for the Humanities yearlong Fellowship for her forthcoming book on Ukraine.

Dr. Elizabeth Koss, Associate Professor of Business at Liberty University, oversees the accounting program as the program director in the School of Business. She continually makes student engagement in the classroom her highest priority by implementing teaching styles and methodologies to make coursework relatable and improve student learning. Her efforts have led to the implementation of these methods across all residential accounting classes. Her dissertation, “The Negative Impact of Ambulatory Acquisitions on Business Health Insurance” reflects her expertise and commitment to addressing complex, real-world issues in the business sector. Dr. Koss was recently nominated for the Liberty University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, highlights her dedication to educational innovation and her profound impact on students, including long-term service as Honors Thesis Chair and leveraging her career experience to enhance student integration of theory with practical application of concepts to improve future career opportunities.

Dr. David Szymanski, Department Chair and Professor of Kinesiology at Louisiana Tech University, has established or enhanced multiple lab spaces by obtaining funding to provide state-of-the-art equipment. The deDr. David Szymanski, Department Chair and Professor of Kinesiology at Louisiana Tech University, has established or enhanced multiple lab spaces by obtaining funding to provide state-of-the-art equipment. The department’s labs are the cornerstone for cutting-edge research performed by faculty and student researchers. Dr. Szymanski has volunteered with Louisiana Tech Baseball, working with his team to provide testing and training services to the student-athletes, and has been named Director of Baseball Performance. His intentional and dedicated approach to mentoring students through practical and research experiences showcases his commitment to service of the Ruston community. Dr. Szymanski has 32 peer-reviewed articles published in high-impact scholarly journals during his time at LA Tech, five invited non-peer reviewed articles published, co-edited a book titled Strength Training for Baseball with Dr. Gene Coleman, has written five book chapters and have published 80 abstracts in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Additionally, he has had three international presentations, 14 national presentations, six podcasts, 22 regional presentations and 33 state and local presentations while at LA Tech. He has also written or been a co-principal investigator of 24 submitted internal and external grants worth $13,431,600.00, and of those grants, $322,100.00 was funded. Dr. Szymanski has worked on 31 directed research projects with LA Tech’s Sports Performance concentration graduate students.

Sisavanh Houghton, Professor of Art, Painting at Middle Tennessee State University, is a Lao American mixed media visual artist and her work has been exhibited nationally at venues including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Asian Arts Initiative, Hunter Museum of American Art, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Huntsville Museum of Art, The Reece Museum and upcoming exhibitions at Gadsden Museum of Art. As a refugee and immigrant from the post-Vietnam War era, these experiences are the driving force behind her body of work, which has been featured in The Wall Street International, Houston Voyager, ShoutoutHTX, Click_Bait, Create Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, The Tennessean, The Pinch Journal Publication, Voices of America and The Next Door Neighbor. She has participated in over 60 local, national and international solo, group and museum exhibitions. Houghton has won a MTSU’s Teacher of the Year Award and her research has been funded recurrently by the Tennessee Arts Commission and the generous support of MTSU grants. Additionally, she has led community art projects with non-profit organizations such as SEAD (South East Asian Diaspora), Legacies of War, The Frist Art Museum, Oasis Center, and CRIT, Center for Refugees+Immigrants of Tennessee. Community engagement has been a focal point for Houghton, who teaches others to create, think through a problem and see the different points of view from various lenses.

Dr. Jennifer Randall, Professor within the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science at New Mexico State University, has a remarkable level of expertise and significant contributions in the field of plant pathology, plant development, genetics and food safety/security. Dr. Randall’s work in the field of plant pathology is an exemplary contribution to the land grant mission of New Mexico State University. Her significant contributions to the identification and characterization of various plant pathologies with a negative economic impact on crop plants showcases scholarly research with societal impacts. Her research on pathogens has advanced the understanding and provided valuable insights into plant defense responses, and currently has a promising patent on aflatoxin detection. On top of her dedication to research, Dr. Randall is instrumental in the Las Cruces community as an educator and mentor. Her commitment to teaching and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students is evident through the diverse array of courses she offers and the guidance she provides students from various academic backgrounds. As the Director of the Molecular Biology and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the curriculum and providing mentorship to graduate students. Dr. Randall has been recognized for her research excellence at NMSU with Research and Discovery awards in 2013, 2015 and 2017. She was also inducted into her hometown Hall of Fame and received the Outstanding Alumni award by the college of ACES NMSU, and in 2021 was awarded an opportunity to present a Plenary seminar during NMSU’s Research and Creativity Week.

Dr. John Strait, Professor of Geography at Sam Houston State University, is an award-winning researcher and teacher with a passion for geography and sharing it with students in new and inspiring ways. Dr. Strait is a proponent of hands-on, interdisciplinary, place-based learning. He, along with his wife, Ava Fujimoto-Strait, have coordinated and co-directed many immersive field courses in Houston, the Mississippi Delta, Hawai’i, Spain, Italy, and Morocco. Dr. Strait’s innovative teaching methods have earned him many awards, including recent national recognition by the American Association of Geographers (AAG) through their Distinguished Teacher Award. Dr. Strait also motivates students beyond the classroom, as evidenced by his impact as a faculty sponsor of the student organization Geographers of Sam Houston (GOSH). He has published 28 referenced articles in a variety of journals, including Journal of Geography, The Geography Teacher, Southeastern Geographer, Southwestern Geographer and International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research. He has presented his research in the form of photographic art exhibits and news media interviews, and has secured approximately $300,000 in external grant funding. Dr. Strait has served as associate editor, senior editor and editor-in-chief of European Scientific Journal, as co-editor of International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research and as an editorial board member of Southeastern Geographer. At Sam Houston State University, Dr. Strait serves as assistant chair and geography program coordinator for the Department of Environmental and Geosciences, where he impacts curriculum, departmental standards, collegiality and more.

Dr. Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas, El Paso has been on campus in the Sun City since 1994. He is regarded as a world leader in environmental nanotechnology and is a key investigator who has authored over 550 publications. Dr. Gardea-Torresdey has been a Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (top 1% in the world) from 2019-23 and his research has been cited 45,619 times. His research group was recognized as the first to discover the production of gold and silver nanoparticles in biological systems, which has been highlighted by Nature and the Lawrence Hall of Science of the University of California Berkeley, among others. Dr. Gardea-Torresdey is also the recipient of five U.S. patents for projects in environmental remediation and has been the UTEP lead investigator of three major multi-institution research centers on nanotechnology funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These centers focus on studying the environmental implications of nanotechnology and its applications in the fields of agriculture. A renowned researcher and teacher, Dr. Gardea-Torresdey is also very well-regarded in the mentorship he provides students. His research laboratory has been a highly fertile ground for mentoring and developing more than 110 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral level students into promising chemists, and his record of mentoring both undergraduate and post-baccalaureate Hispanic students has earned him extensive recognition for excellence, including the 2009 Distinguished Scientist of the Year Award from the Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native American Scientists (SACNAS); the 2012 Piper Professor Award for excellent teaching and mentoring; and the 2016 Graduate Mentor Award. He has also earned the Outstanding Career Award from Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) for his work as a researcher and his valuable scientific contributions to nanotechnology.

Dr. Josh Durkee, Vice Chair of the Department of Earth, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences (EEAS) and Director of the WKU Disaster Science Operations Center, is widely considered an academic visionary who has challenged decades of traditional modes of teaching and learning, expanding his field of expertise into various academic and private sectors. He has been appointed as the University Meteorologist by WKU, which is a position supported by the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Durkee has developed innovative weather monitoring and analysis methods that have led private industries to change operations and practices, as evidenced by the bourbon industry in Kentucky, which has considered alternative distilling methods due to various weather conditions, and Amazon invited Dr. Durkee to consult on weather monitoring strategies, resulting in one of the world’s most valued companies to overhaul its approach. Dr. Durkee’s long-term vision has been to expand teaching beyond the classroom, leading him to create the nationally awarded WKU Storm Chase field program and introduce service meteorology to students through WSWX. He has tirelessly built and fostered professional partnerships to create new courses and opportunities to provide onsite support at major events including, the Special Olympics USA Games, the Chicago Marathon, NASCAR, on-campus concerts and more. He also personally secured scholarships (for example, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, AT&T FirstNet) to provide equitable opportunities for underserved students. Additionally, he has transformed underutilized spaces on campus into bustling student centers so students can participate meaningfully during professional logistics and planning meetings. Per an external academic review, the WKU Meteorology Program is the “crown jewel of meteorology programs in the country”.