Women in Science Mentoring Award | Science Societies
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Women in Science Mentoring Award

The Women in Science Mentoring Award recognizes an individual whose efforts have encouraged women and/or girls in the sciences. Mentoring efforts may be demonstrated by such things as the number of women mentored in academic, government, or industry positions; assisting students in presenting and publishing their work, finding financial aid, and providing career guidance; providing psychological support, encouragement, and strategies for maintaining work-life balance for early-career professionals in agronomy, crops, soils, and environmental sciences; and continued interest in the individual professional advancement of women scientists. The recipient receives $2,000 and a plaque, which is presented at the Women in Science event at the Annual Meetings.

Award nominations typically open in January of each year. For more information or to submit a nomination, please visit our Mentoring Award information page.

Mentoring Award Recipients

Photo of Dr. Sindhu Jagadamma

2025

Dr. Sindhu Jagadamma, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Photo of Dr. Linda S. Lee

2024

Dr. Linda S. Lee, Purdue University

Photo of Dr. J. Diane Knight

2023

Dr. J. Diane Knight, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Sindhu Jagadamma is an Associate Professor of Soil Science at the University of Tennessee,  Knoxville where she studies soil carbon sequestration and soil health in agroecosystems, and is passionate about mentoring students and early-career professionals. She holds a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from India, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Soil Science from The Ohio State University. She studies conservation agricultural practices that promote soil carbon accrual and soil health, without compromising food productivity. Dr. Jagadamma has mentored 14 graduate students, seven postdoctoral researchers, and numerous undergraduate students and research associates. She has received multiple awards for research, mentoring, and service at institutional, state, and national levels, and is an active member of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

Dr. Linda S. Lee is a Professor at Purdue University and is a graduate mentor and research advisor to 44 students with 20 PhD graduates now in diverse careers including 7 tenured faculty, 6 engineering consultants, and 7 research/industry scientists/managers and 12 MS graduates now in government, industry, and pharmacy. As a graduate advisor, she is dedicated to her students becoming independent thinkers and succeeding professionally and personally.

Linda has launched several educational programs at Purdue including the pre-Environmental Studies freshman program in the College of Agriculture, Environmental Entrepreneur Idea-to-Product Competition (2005-2008), the Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (ESE-IGP), and most recently, the Midwest Innovation SPARK competition. Additionally, in the last 4 years, she has served as a mentor for 30 undergraduates from Agronomy, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and Environmental and Ecological Engineering.

The joy she experiences in facilitating the growth of our future leaders and seeing their excitement in their own growth and participation within a larger community has been worth the time invested.

Dr. J. Diane Knight is a Professor of Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan where she has worked for 26 years. 

Dr. Knight has had an extensive mentoring impact – supervising 22 female graduate students (4 PhD and 18 MSc) and advising another 50 female graduate students as a committee member. She has a career total of supervising 34 graduate students and advising another 93 and are surpassed by the quality of mentorship that Dr. Knight provides. Diane devotes time and effort to carefully train her mentees how to conduct high-quality research, write good publications, and link to the agricultural industry. Her students have gone on to become professionals across Canada and the US. 

At the University of Saskatchewan, she was among the first few of women ever hired within the College and Dr. Knight also works to break down barriers for the next generation by imparting wisdom and sharing advice for how to set boundaries and use our own voices. In Diane’s own words, it is her intention and “hope that the way forward for you is made easier by my experiences.”

Picture of Dr. Julie M. Grossman

2022

Dr. Julie M. Grossman, University of Minnesota

Photo of Dr. Laura C. Bowling

2021

Dr. Laura C. Bowling, Purdue University

Photo of Dr. A. Peyton Smith

2020

Dr. A. Peyton Smith, Texas A&M University

Dr. Julie Grossman is an Associate Professor, Biological Principles of Sustainable and Organic Food Systems, University of Minnesota. Her lab’s work broadly explores the ways in which we can better manage plant-soil-microbe relationships to enhance soil fertility.

Since her arrival at the University of Minnesota, 13 of the 16 graduate students she has advised have been women. They have embarked on a variety of careers including faculty positions at liberal arts colleges, research universities, a policy advisor in a federal agency, non-profit administrators, and farmers. 

Julie serves on the leadership board of “Artemisia” which embraces a mission to inspire and empower female scientists and strengthen overall capacity to respond to future challenges in food, agriculture, and natural resources. She served as an inaugural mentor in the “Teaching Across Difference” program. She also led a successful collaborative grant providing 53 participants with a mentored experience for engaging in sustainable horticulture research and to develop skills and awareness through community-based experiences focusing on equity in the food system. She also works with the Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) that pairs UMN graduate students with RLNC undergraduates to conduct structured soil science and agriculture research experiences.

Dr. Grossman’s deep commitment to mentoring is demonstrated through a welcoming atmosphere, providing impactful research and leadership opportunities, encouraging the development of teaching and communication skills, and increasing recognition in the scientific community by encouraging her mentees to apply for fellowships, travel/training grants and participation in presentation competitions.
 

Dr. Laura C. Bowling is a professor in the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University, with expertise in water management within agricultural environments, blending hydrology and climate science to address complex issues related to land management and watershed processes. 

Dr. Bowling's has guided 30 M.S. and Ph.D. students, with around half being women, and has contributed to the graduate committees of an additional 48 students. Further, as the Director of the Natural Resources and Environmental Science (NRES) undergraduate program, she has advised over 150 students in the past four years alone and actively engages with students informally through the NRES club, Learning Community, and Engineering Practice in Community Service (EPICS) projects. 

She has also authored and co-authored 26 peer-reviewed research articles between 2016 and 2021. Her teaching portfolio is diverse, including 12 different and she is known for creating new classes based on student needs. Dr. Bowling’s teaching excellence was formally acknowledged with the Pfendler Outstanding Undergraduate Counselor Award in 2020. Her proactive approach to education and mentoring, coupled with her significant contributions to research and teaching, exemplifies her dedication to advancing the field of agronomy and supporting the development of future scientists.
 

Dr. Peyton Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University where she has provided mentorship to 13 graduate and 7 undergraduate students, and 3 postdoctoral researchers, in just three short years. She is also an Academy of Future Faculty (AFF) mentor and offers career and professional development opportunities while encouraging strategies for a healthy work-life balance. As a Ph.D. candidate, Laura was the primary mentor for five undergraduate researchers, four of which were female. Her commitment to mentoring was recognized with a mentoring award in 2013 from the University of Wisconsin’s Multicultural Graduate Network. 

Throughout her postdoc position at a National Laboratory, she was involved with mentoring students transitioning from undergraduate to graduate programs through the Graduate Education for Minorities (GEM) program and since 2018, has mentored students through the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program held at the Soltis Center for Tropical Research in Costa Rica. 

Her most important contribution to the advancement of women in agronomic sciences is via two mentorship networks – Women in Ag Sciences at Texas A&M University, and Women in Soil Ecology (WISE), a nation-wide mentorship program. Dr. Bowling co-founded both programs and has assisted in the creation of more than 50 mentor-mentee partnerships nationwide. 

She takes a holistic and empowerment-oriented approach to mentoring; focusing on an individual’s personal objectives and career goals and remains committed to helping them meet those goals throughout their scientific career.

Picture of Dr. Sharon Clay

2019

Dr. Sharon Clay, South Dakota State University

Picture of Dr. Candice Hirsch

2018

Dr. Candice Hirsch, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Picture of Dr. Francesca Cotrufo

2017

Dr. Francesca Cotrufo, Colorado State University

Dr. Sharon Clay is a Distinguished Professor in the Plant Science Department of South Dakota State University, with expertise in Weed Science, and has been with SDSU since 1993. Dr. Clay states that she tries to be a role model for all of her students and help them on their life’s adventures. Many of her graduate students have started families or have children to support and I assist them in life’s numerous roles as best as possible. I try to instill a sense of work-life balance (work hard, play hard, and have family first), scientific inquiry, publishing their research for career advancement, life-long learning, and a passion for continuous improvement. Dr. Clay notes that she has had challenges as she started her career and the mentorship and support from professors, her husband, and numerous other mentors have inspired her to always work to “pay it forward” and have no one, man or woman, treated as if they can’t do the work because of gender. Sharon is currently mentoring 18 undergraduate students, 11 MS students, 3 PhD students, 1 post-doc, and 5 research associates! She actually helped to establish this Mentoring in just one of her numerous roles with the American Society of Agronomy, including President (2013). She believes it is important to recognize the role that mentors have in preparing women for the workforce in agriculture (and support in work-life balance).  She also initiated a program to bring undergrads together with the past presidents of the three Societies and the Greenfield Scholars program. She has a PhD in agronomy from the University of Minnesota (1986).

Candy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She has a 75% research and 25% teaching appointment in maize translation genomics.

Dr. Hirsch has established strong research and teaching programs related to crop improvement, is active in graduate and undergraduate education, and provides leadership in mentoring and service activities. She has initiated numerous programs for females in STEM fields at the collegiate and K-12 levels.

Candy has proven herself as an outstanding young faculty member and is truly dedicated to being a great mentor and role model for young women in science.

Dr. Francesca Cotrufo is a professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University. She is a soil ecologist and biogeochemist in the field of litter decompostion and soil organic matter C and N dynamics. Dr. Cotrufo is the ideal mentor for women in soil science: she is an incredibly successful research scientist; she is equally passionate about student learning and student success, and she is a dedicated mentor who strives to support and promote women in soil science, from K-16 to graduate school to the profession. She has mentored over 40 women to be successful students, post-doctorates, research scientists, faculty, and teachers.

Picture of Dr. Julie A. Howe

2016

Dr. Julie A. Howe, Auburn University

Picture of Dr. Prasanna H. Gowda

2015

Dr. Prasanna H. Gowda, USDA-ARS

Picture of Dr. Helga Van Miegroet

2014

Dr. Helga Van Miegroet, Utah State University

Dr. Julie Howe has been at Auburn since 2007. Dr. Julie Howe’s thoughtfulness and encouragement of women students has produced a cohort of BS, MS, and PhD students that have productive careers in soil and environmental sciences.  She notes that being female in a male-dominated field can be intimidating for women of any age, including herself.  However, moving across the nation for her PhD gave her confidence in herself and forced her to work independently.  During this time, she noticed many women interested in agriculture and environmental sciences who struggled with these same issues.  She now works with and is committed to mentoring women and is viewed by many at Auburn University as an early career faculty member that has a passion for encouraging and mentoring female students to seek and establish successful careers in one of the sciences, specifically the agricultural sciences, as well as encouraging women in their academic careers.  She has presented an invited seminar at the Auburn University Women’s Initiatives Brown Bag Seminar series on the topic of “Seeking the perfect balance: Perfectionism and work-family conflict”.  As you walk the hallways at Auburn, you will see and hear Dr. Howe advising, instructing, and connecting with women students. Dr. Howe encourages female undergraduates to pursue graduate degrees and takes time to recommend the best program for their area of interest. Dr. Howe has a PhD in soil science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (August 2004) and is an Associate Professor at Auburn University.

Dr. Gowda, in his career, has made significant advances in the scientific understanding in modeling evapotranspiration and non-point source pollution, and in applications of GIS and remote sensing for natural resource conservation.  Young women and men scientists who have been mentored and supervised by Dr. Gowda play key roles these advances.  This has resulted in young students/scientists with novel research projects and state of the art instrumentation. His research program often involves commitment to women pursuing research careers. He exemplifies every aspect of mentoring and advancing women as scientists from finding financial support to guiding experimental efforts and, ultimately, documenting that work before realizing their own career appointment.  As the past president of the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin, Dr. Gowda routinely hosts students from India, serves as a mentor to many of them and assist them in finding research assistantships through his contacts in the U.S. Considering his success in mentoring both young women and men scientists, it is not surprising to see that there is a huge competition among prospective student interns to join Dr. Gowda’s research program. Dr. Gowda works diligently to create opportunities for young students/scientists especially women scientists although it was not required as part of his official duties. He actively mentored/advised many young scientists/students and played a positive role in their professional life.  Dr. Gowda is an ASA Fellow and Research Agricultural Engineer with the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, TX.

Dr. Helga Van Miegroet is a professor at Utah State University and earned her PhD in forest soils and mineral cycling from the University of Washington. Her research interests include forest carbon and nutrient dynamics; the effects of management, vegetation shifts, and climate change on soil carbon storage and quality in wildland soils; and mineral cycling in wildland ecosystems. In addition to her strong research, teaching, and mentoring accomplishments, Dr. Van Miegroet has made a concerted effort throughout her career to promote women in science.  In 2004 and 2012 she was honored as the College of Natural Resources Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year.  Since arriving at USU she has been a major advisor to 6 PhD and 14 MS students. Of these 3/6 PhD and 11/14 MS students have been women. Dr. Van Miegroet has also mentored or advised more than 40 undergraduate students in research projects or as research assistants in her lab. In addition, Dr. Van Miegroet began graduate studies in sociology in August 2013 to investigate the role of gender in the advancement of women in academia. Her goal is to use the credentials and knowledge from her pending degree to raise awareness in the scientific community of our collective biases and how that affects the career trajectories of women.

Picture of Dr. April Ulery

2013

Dr. April Ulery, New Mexico State University

Picture of Dr. Lee Burras

2012

Dr. Lee Burras, Iowa State University

Picture of Dr. Ronnie Coffman

2011

Dr. Ronnie Coffman, Cornell University

Dr. April Ulery is a Professor of Soil Science in the Plant and Environmental Sciences Department at New Mexico State University.  She received her B.S. degree in Geology from University of Redlands and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Soil Science from the University of California, Riverside.  Dr. Ulery’s interdisciplinary research program addresses both agricultural productivity and environmental issues by quantifying soil properties such as salinity, nutrient status, and metal contaminant concentrations in areas using treated water and agricultural waste.   She has served as an associate editor for Soil Science Society of America Journal and Vadose Zone Journal.  She was elected Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America in 2012 and has served on the SSSA Board of Directors representing the Soil Mineralogy Division and served as Chair of that division.  She has received several teaching awards and has served on over 35 graduate student committees at NMSU.

Dr. Lee Burras, Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University (ISU) and a nationally recognized teacher, mentor and researcher, received the 2012 Mentoring Award from the Women in Agronomy, Crops, Soils, and Environmental Sciences Committee. Dr. Burras was lauded for mentoring a generation of highly successful, articulate, and engaged professional women, with his former students now holding such positions as assistant/associate professor, sustainability coordinator, NRCS soil scientist, NRCS area resource soil scientist, PhD fellow, and director/associate director of non-profit/NGOs.

Former students praised Dr. Burras’s dedication to developing each student academically, professionally, and personally. The award was presented to Dr. Burras at the Women in Agronomy, Crops, Soils, and Environmental Sciences luncheon on October 23, 2011 at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Ronnie Coffman, International Professor of Plant Breeding and Director of International Programs at Cornell University, received the 2011 Mentoring Award from the Women in Agronomy, Crops, Soils, and Environmental Sciences Committee. The award acknowledged Dr. Coffman for the tremendous energy that he has devoted to enhancing the careers of many women scientists in agriculture and plant breeding, both in the United States and Internationally.  Dr. Coffman was lauded for making a remarkable difference at pivotal points in many women’s careers around the world due to his advocacy, humility, and encouragement; and for recognizing the importance of gender equity when working toward a food-secure world. The award was presented to Dr. Coffman at the Women in Agronomy, Crops, Soils, and Environmental Sciences luncheon on October 18, 2011 at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings in San Antonio, Texas.

Picture of Dr. Ozzie Abaye

2010

Dr. Ozzie Abaye, Virginia Tech

Picture of Dr. Robert Schwartz

2010

Dr. Robert Schwartz, USDA-ARS

Picture of Dr. J. Anira D. Dille

2009

Dr. J. Anita D. Dille, Kansas State University

The 2010 award was presented to Dr. Ozzie Abaye and Dr. Robert Schwartz. Both were cited for their extraordinary efforts in the career development of women. Dr. Abaye is an Associate Professor in the Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Department at Virginia Tech. She has a strong record of promoting and assisting women in the agronomic sciences through her roles as an advisor, committee member, teacher and confidante. Dr. Abaye’s efforts and leadership have been an instrumental part of increasing the participation of women in positions of leadership and graduate study at Virginia Tech. 

The 2010 award was presented to Dr. Ozzie Abaye and Dr. Robert Schwartz. Both were cited for their extraordinary efforts in the career development of women. Dr. Robert Schwartz is a Research Soil Scientist with the USDA-ARS in Bushland, Texas. He has mentored many women in the agronomic sciences due to his assistance in their professional development, patient training, and thoughtful guidance. Most notably, Dr. Schwartz realizes the additional demands that affect women with families. He has embraced these challenges leading to a focused yet family friendly work environment. 

The 2009 award was presented to Dr. J. ‘Anita’ D. Dille and Dr. Debbie A. Soukup. Dr. Dille, Professor in the Agronomy Dept., Kansas State Univ., was recognized for efforts which included leading the large NSF-ADVANCE project which involved all the women agronomists at KSU plus two associated departments to study problems unique to women agronomists and provide mentoring; mentoring many women graduate students who are now employed by academia, industry and government both in the USA and abroad; establishing a “Learning Farm” at KSU; and teaching a capstone course for the Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences major.

Picture of Dr. Debbie A. Soukup

2009

Dr. Debbie A. Soukup, University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Picture of Dr. Kimberly Garland-Campbell

2008

Dr. Kimberly Garland-Campbell, USDA-ARS

Picture of Dr. William Koskinen

2008

Dr. William Koskinen, USDA-ARS

The 2009 award was presented to Dr. J. ‘Anita’ D. Dille and Dr. Debbie A. Soukup. Dr. Soukup, an environmental consultant in southern California and presently an Adjunct Professor in the Geosciences Dept., Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas, was recognized for her contributions in teaching numerous classes, symposia and workshops that she developed; mentoring many faculty and graduate students in academia, government agencies and consulting firms; showcasing the research of early career female scientists; and being a positive role model.

The 2008 award was presented to Dr. Kimberly Garland-Campbell and Dr. William Koskinen. Both were cited for their extraordinary efforts in the career development of women. Dr. Garland-Campbell is a Research Geneticist with the USDA-ARS unit in Pullman, Washington. She has a strong record of promoting and assisting women in the sciences through her roles as an advisor, committee member, teacher and confidante. Kim has implemented family-friendly work policies that have enabled women with families to continue on their chosen career track.

The 2008 award was presented to Dr. Kimberly Garland-Campbell and Dr. William Koskinen. Both were cited for their extraordinary efforts in the career development of women. Dr. Koskinen is a Research Soil Scientist with the USDA-ARS unit in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has mentored more than 30 women in the field of pesticide chemistry, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers of their own. Particularly noteworthy are the number of high school and undergraduate students who have worked in his laboratory and subsequently decided to pursue advanced degrees in science.