Two weeks ago, we celebrated this year’s CALS Award recipients, and this week, we begin to share more information about individual winners, starting with the Academic Staff Excellence Awards.

Lynn Bartholomew

Lynn is an academic advising manager for the Department of Life Sciences Communications. She provides advising to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students each year, ensuring they receive the guidance and support needed to thrive academically and personally. She plays a central role in managing LSC’s graduate program and was instrumental in launching the new Science Communication Ph.D. program.

Liza Chang

Liza is the CALS First-Year Program Manager and manages the Quickstart program. From thoughtful check-in emails to personalized outreach and ongoing opportunities for professional development, her commitment extends beyond the classroom. She makes her more than 300 students feel understood and appreciated, and she cultivates a positive community, embodying CALS and its values.

Hannah Gaines Day

Hannah is a scientist with the Department of Entomology, and her speciality is in supporting Wisconsin’s beekeeping industry through research and extension. She developed new beekeeping short courses with the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association, FISC, and the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. The courses offer training on topics such as disease management and sustainable year-round hive management. She is an excellent colleague, mentor and scholar.

Kody Habeck

As a teaching faculty member in biological systems engineering, Kody has a profound and positive impact on students and the department. He serves as a faculty advisor for the ASABE Quarter Scale Tractor Team providing guidance and traveling with students to competitions, where their engineering excellence has earned many top finishes. He is also a faculty advisor for Babcock House Cooperative Collaboration.

Emily Laabs

Emily is the graduate program manager for the Russell Labs Administrative Hub. She manages one of the largest student caseloads in CALS, with around 150 graduate students across four programs and eight degrees. She fosters a sense of community for graduate students and faculty by organizing social events for the three departments housed in Russell Labs. She also serves as a member of CALS CASI and the CALS Community of Wellness. 

Kari Straus

Kari is the department administrator for bacteriology. She leads the office staff and juggles tasks with grace, humor and caring for those around her. Those in the department know she has the answer to virtually any administrative question related to their research endeavors. She uses her artistic streak in publishing the department newsletters and the annual Kenneth Raper Symposium program book.

Marcia Verhage

Marcia is the department administrator for food science and has been instrumental in ensuring the department runs smoothly. Despite being constantly busy, she never turns down a request to help graduate students, and she has stepped in to help with purchasing and financial tasks in addition to her existing role. She uses her warmth and willingness to support whenever and however needed.

Jacqueline Whitley

Jacqueline is the program manager of We Inspire STEM Empowerment, WISE, a learning community with university housing. She coordinates seminar logistics and faculty dinners and manages the science-related volunteer projects for more than 100 students. Beyond the classroom, she plays a pivotal role in overseeing the WISE community, managing house fellows and peer mentors and putting together the weekly WISE newsletter.