Continuing with our celebration of this year’s CALS Award recipients, we are sharing information about the winners of the CALS Equity and Diversity Award and Excellence in International Activities Award this week.

Claudia Irene Calderón

Claudia Irene Calderón is the recipient of the CALS Equity and Diversity Award. She is an Associate Faculty member in the Department of Horticulture. Claudia was hired to build and advance the study abroad program in the department, which she has done exceptionally well over the years.

Calderón is deeply committed to improving the learning environment on campus. Her teaching philosophy embraces diversity, empathy, understanding, discovery and learning. She effectively uses a range of techniques to create a dynamic learning environment that results in active participation by all. Almost all of her classes are followed by discussions including thoughtful questions with extra time for students to contribute independent interpretations and ideas. She was recently inducted into the UW Teaching Academy for her excellence in this area. Much of her educational programming is focused on improving student’s understanding of diversity in all its forms.

In addition, Calderón has been a leader in the Department of Horticulture’s Diversity and Equity committee, a strong collaborator with the Department of Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies (LACIS), and a participant in the Latinx Employee Resources Group (LERG). She has also worked with the Nuestro Mundo Elementary School. She has long advised CALS Global and been a participant with their office on a variety of programs. Calderón also has developed strong links with the 4W Initiative and recently developed a new course, “Structural racism in the U.S. Agricultural System.” This course is the first of its kind in our college and represents an inspiring example of Calderón’s work to address inequities in our 150-year-old Land Grant University system.

Calderón’s contributions to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus are solid evidence of her deep commitment to promoting student understanding and improving campus climate. She is well-deserving of this award.

Alfred E. Hartemink

Alfred E. Hartemink is the recipient of this year’s Excellence in International Activities Award. He is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Soil Science since 2011 and 2015, respectively. Prior to his arrival at UW–Madison, Hartemink was a senior researcher at the International Soil Reference and Information Centre and worked for over a decade in Tanzania, DR Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, and Australia.

Hartemink’s research contributions to the field of soil pedology and digital soil morphometrics at UW–Madison has brought him international acclaim. He has delivered international research presentations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, The Netherlands, and South Korea. He co-authored a manuscript called “Linking soils to ecosystem services – A global review” in Geoderma in 2016, which has been cited 268 times to date. He has also published highly cited works on topics including the global demand for soil information, soil organic carbon in Nigeria, and global soil diversity, among many others.

While Hartemink is dedicated to the field of global soil science, he is also dedicated to the tireless pursuit of facilitating the exchange of global soil science information. He has organized and hosted two global conferences in Madison: the Global Soil Carbon Conference in 2013, and the Global Conference on Digital Soil Morphometrics in 2015. These conferences brought together two hundred scientists from all over the globe. In addition to his contributions to the global literature of soil science, Hartemink founded the journal Geoderma Regional in 2014 and serves as its Editor-in-Chief. This global journal of soil science exists to highlight regional and national solutions to global issues of soil science.

Hartemink has demonstrated excellence in international activities in research, teaching, and service, and is a well-deserving recipient of the Excellence in International Activities Award.