Friday, April 15, 2011
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – (April 4, 2011) – UMES researcher Fawzy Hashem won the 2010 Project of Excellence award from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture National Water Program for his role in a study examining E. coli and Salmonella in run-off water on the Eastern Shore.
Hashem’s award-winning presentation, “Microbial Transport in Run Off from Soils Amended with Different Manure,” is part of a larger UMES study: “Pathogen Testing Metrics for Gaps in Delmarva Leafy Greens/Fresh Produce and Poultry Litter Compost.”
“The success of the National Water Program is built upon the hard work and dedication of water professionals like you who have gone to great lengths to promote improvements in water resource management,” said Michael O’Neill, national program leader, Water Resources.
Hashem’s UMES research team included Brett Smith, laboratory research technician; Dr. Arthur Allen, associate research director and associate professor; Corrie Cotton, research assistant professor; Dr. Lurline Marsh, professor; and Leonard Kibet, research graduate assistant. Dr. Pat Millner, research microbiologist and soil scientist from USDA-ARS in Beltsville, Md., and Dr. Ray Bryant, research leader and soil scientist, and Dr. Peter Kleinman, soil scientist, from State College in Pennsylvania were collaborators.
Hashem, an associate professor, joined the UMES Agricultural Research Station in 2000. His research interests focus on environmental microbiology, microbial source tracking, biological control, bioremediation, phytoremediation, plat-microbe interactions, environmental pollution and food safety.
His National Water Program honor is the latest of many he has received during his career, including a 2006 first-place award for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship and bio-security, given at the 14th Biennial Research Symposium of the Association of Research Directors, Inc.
Throughout his career in research, he has made several breakthrough discoveries involving the impact bacteria have on soybeans and alfalfa.
He is a member of the American Honor Society of Agriculture, the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America, the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society for Microbiology.
The National Water Program’s mission is to create and disseminate knowledge that ensures a safe and reliable sources of water to meet the needs of food and fiber production; human health, use and economic growth; and the maintenance and protection of natural environmental systems. Findings from funded projects like Hashem’s are shared via education and outreach activities.
Call 410-651-6632 or 410-621-3850 for more information on the award-winning run-off study or on other research conducted by Hashem at UMES.
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Suzanne Waters Street, agriculture communication specialist, School of Agricultural & Natural Sciences, 410-621-3850, sstreet@umes.edu.
