University Leaders and Researchers Earn Honors and Appointments

UNL Community Members Recognized for Major Academic Achievements

• Bonnie Johnson
• November 18, 2025
• Media Article

This article highlights UNL faculty and researchers who receive awards, appointments, and publication honors for their work in science, law, engineering, agriculture, and community fields.

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The University of Nebraska–Lincoln celebrates many faculty and researchers who receive important honors, awards, and academic recognition for their work. These achievements show the strong skills and leadership found across the university community.
 

Among the major honors, Marianna Burks, assistant professor of practice in the School of Biological Sciences, and Angie Pannier, professor in Biological Systems Engineering, receive the 2025 Meridian Award.
 

This award is one of the highest recognitions from the Association for Women in Science. It honors mid-career leaders who work to improve workplace equity in STEM fields.
 

Kristen Graves, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, receives the Bess Lomax Hawes Prize in Applied Ethnomusicology. Her award-winning paper, “Song from the Discarded: The Multisensory Shaping of a Community Corrido in the Oaxaca Dump,” is recognized for helping “advance the understanding and scope of applied ethnomusicology and the goal of connecting ethnomusicology to the public arena.”
 

Andrew Hanna, assistant professor of management, earns the Southern Management Association’s K. Michele Kacmar Volunteer of the Year Award. This honor celebrates a leader who shows strong service and dedication.
 

Professor emeritus of law John Lenich receives the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Award of Special Merit. He leads a four-year effort to revise court rules. PaTricia Freeman says the updates have “improved efficiency for litigants, attorneys and judges while advancing the administration of justice across Nebraska.”
 

In engineering, Eric Markvicka and Marc Maguire became the first recipients of the Research2Market Award. Each researcher will receive support from a post-doctoral scholar for two years to move their research into real-world use.
 

In agriculture, Lan Xu receives the Staff Advisory Committee Professional Development Award. Xu studies grain quality and will attend the 2026 Wheat Quality Council Annual Meeting.
 

New appointments include Steve Willborn, who joins the Fulbright National Screen Committee to review applicants for the United Kingdom program. Willborn is a former Fulbright Scholar.
 

Recent publications include Polarising Sexualities and Genders, co-edited by Emily Kazyak, and Brett Ratcliffe’s new book The Dynastine Scarab Beetles of Peru, covering more than 300 species.
 

Researchers in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture are also recognized in CSA News for their study on nitrogen and soybean yield.
 

Photo by: ucomm.unl.edu