At the Welcome Back BBQ hosted by OAC, several awards are handed out. This year, there were three SES award recipients. Congratulations to Dr. Jocelyn Smith, Julia Asten, and Dr. Thomas Graham!

Julia Asten was one of the recipients of the “Outstanding Staff under 10 Years of Service to OAC” awards. Julia is always willing to take on new challenges and help colleagues out. Her attention to detail, creativity, and technical expertise not only make her a valued SES admin team member, but also a great collaborator on projects across the college. Well deserved, Julia! 

Dr. Jocelyn Smith, based on the Ridgetown campus, received the “OAC Alumni Distinguished Extension Award”. Jocelyn does an excellent job connecting agricultural researchers with producers and industry partners, allowing knowledge to be translated into practice. Her work in field crop entomology and insect resistance management tackles important challenges for Ontario agriculture. Congratulations Jocelyn!

Dr. Thomas Graham received the “G.P. McRostie Faculty Award”. The G.P. McRostie Faculty Award is awarded by the OAC Alumni Foundation  to honor faculty members for effective student advising and mentoring. Thomas puts his students at the centre of his research, provides regular support but encourages them to develop their own ideas and to take ownership of their research. His work covers some really interesting areas, from controlled environment agriculture to crop diversification, water remediation and even how to grow plants in space. Well deserved, Thomas!