Research Awards

College of Agricultural Sciences Research Awards

The College of Agricultural Sciences Research Awards recognize individual achievement as well as team innovation, from the collaboration to the deliverable. 

Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research 

The Black Award honors and recognizes tenure-track faculty in CAS whose significant accomplishments include exceptional and original agricultural research conducted at Penn State. Eligible nominees are all CAS tenure-track or tenured faculty members on standing appointments.

Early Achievement in Research Award

The Early Achievement in Research Award recognizes early-career faculty—either tenure-track or non-tenure track holding the rank of Assistant and within the first 6 years of their research career within CAS at Penn State—who have demonstrated an impressive level of independent achievement (e.g., extramural funding, publications, intellectual property, collaborative research, etc.) in their career, including prior work as a graduate student and postdoc, through extraordinary accomplishments, service, and leadership both internal and external to the college and university.

Research Innovator Award

The Research Innovator Award recognizes faculty and staff in the College of Agricultural Sciences who have commercialized technologies generated through Penn State research.

Research Professional Staff Award

The Research Professional Staff Awards recognize the outstanding and meritorious contributions of a research support staff member within the College of Agricultural Sciences (e.g., research technologists, farm and facility managers, research project managers, research administration, administrative support, etc.). Two awards will be made each year.

High-Impact Research Publication Awards

These awards recognize peer-reviewed research that demonstrates significant impact, or potential for impact, through discoveries that address pressing and emerging critical issues facing agriculture, the environment, and society. Nominated publications must have appeared in a scholarly journal in the previous two years. Up to eight (8) publications will be recognized as a part of the High-Impact Research Publication Awards: one publication in each of the six Impact Area Themes outlined in the link above; up to two publications for the Roy C. Buck Faculty Awards.

Roy C. Buck Award

Eligible nominations for any of the themes for the High-Impact Publication Awards may also be considered for the Roy C. Buck Faculty Awards, which comes with a $1,000 stipend. Additional criteria and restrictions on eligibility apply for the Buck Awards. The purpose of this award shall be to honor and recognize an untenured, tenure-track faculty member in the College of Agricultural Sciences, whose research involves the social or human sciences, for the best refereed article published in a scholarly journal in the previous two years. 

Interdisciplinary Research Team Award

The Interdisciplinary Research Team Award recognizes an interdisciplinary team that has demonstrated a noteworthy record (i.e., publications, grants, workshops, etc.) of collaboration to address significant, grand challenges facing agriculture, the environment, or society. Collaborative teams must consist of at least three faculty (with a minimum of two having research appointments) representing a diversity of disciplinary expertise.

Integrated Team Award

The Integrated Team Award recognizes an integrated research and teaching and/or outreach team that has demonstrated innovation in translating research into outputs for dissemination and implementation through applied research-based activities that resulted in partnerships and engagement across the college and beyond.