UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Two faculty members and two students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences recently received 2008 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Awards from the university for their international activities and accomplishments.

Lou Moore and Jim Dunn, both professors of agricultural economics, shared the Kopp Award for faculty. Brian Cameron, a senior majoring in agricultural sciences, received the Kopp Award for undergraduate students and Neelendra Joshi, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Entomology, received the Kopp Award for graduate students.

The W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Awards are designed to recognize those at Penn State who make extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the international mission of the university. Four awards are given annually in the categories of undergraduate student, graduate student, staff member and faculty member. Criteria for the awards include leadership and support for international education, service to the international community, and research with a significant international component. Each award carries $1,000 in cash and a plaque.

According to Deanna Behring, director of international programs for the College of Agricultural Sciences, Moore and Dunn are well known for working with universities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. "I can think of few other individuals at Penn State who have worked so tirelessly and for so many years to promote international understanding," she says. "In truth, there are few agricultural universities in Russia, Ukraine and Serbia, among others, that have not been touched by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences through the hands of these two individuals."

Some highlights of their work include:

--USDA Faculty Exchange Program. Since 1997, The College of Agricultural Sciences has participated in the USDA Faculty Exchange Program under the leadership of Moore and Dunn. To date, the college has hosted 55 young faculty members for a semester. These faculty have come from agricultural universities and academies in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Serbia and Armenia;

--USDA Cochran Fellowship Program. Since 1997, Penn State has directed 15 Cochran groups under the leadership of Moore and Dunn. The Cochran program under USDA, with State Department funding, brings agriculture and agribusiness representatives from the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union to the United States for short-term training (one to three weeks). To date, more than 100 Cochran scholars have been hosted in Pennsylvania, working with Pennsylvania farmers, agribusiness and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

--Moore and Dunn have worked with the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in the development of extension services in Serbia.

Cameron, of Boalsburg, is a perfect example of how international experiences can shape our youth and create new leaders for tomorrow, notes Behring. He has participated in a short-term study tour in Brazil as part of his International Agriculture minor program, as well as a Spanish-immersion program in Puebla, Mexico, for a semester. He also participated in a summer program in Western Europe and spent the bulk of the summer working for an organization called Crop Life, based in Brussels. "Brian has capitalized on these experiences and is well on his way to creating a wonderful career for himself," says Behring. "He recently spent this past semester in Washington, D.C., working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the liaison for congressional relations for the 2008 Farm Bill."

Cameron also gives back to the college and the university, Behring points out. From August 2005 to August 2007, he served as vice president of the Penn State University National Agricultural Marketing Association. In that role, he helped develop the association's marketing competition strategies for two national conventions and maintained the association's Web site. He was also fundamental in starting a chapter of the International Association of Agricultural Students at Penn State and currently serves as president.

In his previous role as secretary, Cameron recruited new members, encouraged international students to participate, created a service project component to the group (an annual Food Bank Drive) and helped steer the group through the process of becoming an official Penn State student organization.

"Brian's current goal for IAAS is to develop a 'sister' relationship with IAAS at Moscow state Agroengineering University in Russia," Behring says. "Brian is also an active member of the Penn State chapter of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience and served as a delegate to the 2006 National Conference in Washington, D.C. In addition to his leadership roles in these clubs, Brian has also just agreed to serve as the undergraduate representative on the College's International Programs Advisory Council. In this role, Brian will help to develop and guide new program development for undergraduate students in agricultural sciences."

Joshi, from the State of Uttaranchal in the Himalayan mountains of India, won a Ford Foundation International Fellowship to pursue a Ph.D.at Penn State. He is studying under entomologists Ed Rajotte and Larry Hull, both at University Park campus and the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center at Biglerville, Adams County. His doctoral research focuses on integrated pest management in fruit crops. He currently is studying insect pests in the tree-fruit ecosystem, particularly the codling moth, which is a serious pest of apples, pear and plums in different fruit-growing regions of the world.

Joshi earned his bachelor's degrees in zoology, chemistry and botany from Kumaun University in India and a masters degree in entomology from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology. He has presented his work in several national and international seminars, conferences, workshops and short-term trainings.

Joshi's career goals include working in international development, using his knowledge to help solve agricultural problems in developing countries. To help him towards his goal, Joshi is pursuing a second Ph.D. in Comparative International Education concurrent with his entomology degree work. The education degree will enhance his skills in delivering educational programs in various countries.

Joshi recently returned from a European study tour where he presented papers about his research in Scotland and Egypt. He also spent several months in the laboratory of Dr. Claus Zebitz, an entomologist at the University of Hohenheim, Germany. Joshi is also active in various mentoring, leadership and extracurricular activities at Penn State.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Deanna Behring at 814-863-0249 or by e-mail at dmb37@psu.edu.

Writer/editor Jeff Mulhollem 814-863-2719 jjm29@psu.edu