The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is pleased to recognize outstanding faculty for their dedication and contribution to achieving its research and extension. 

In 2024, Carl Bradley, extension professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, received the Thomas Poe Cooper Award for Agriculture Research, and Daniel Howe, parasitology professor in the Department of Veterinary Science at UK Gluck Equine Research Center, received the George E. Mitchell Jr. Award for Outstanding Faculty Service to Graduate Students.  

Carl Bradley, Thomas Poe Cooper Award for Agriculture Research 

Established by the will of Thomas Poe Cooper, dean of UK’s agriculture college from 1917 to 1951, this award is presented to a Martin-Gatton CAFE faculty member in recognition of outstanding career research achievement. It is the college’s premier award for distinguished scientific accomplishment and is designed to recognize and encourage research excellence. 

“I feel absolutely honored to receive this award. Growing up on a farm in southeastern Illinois, in a county bordering Kentucky, I really try to give back to the farming community by conducting research that will ultimately impact their productivity in a positive way,” Bradley said. 

Bradley’s research broadly focuses on management of soybean and small grain crop diseases in Kentucky. His lab’s research spans from learning more about the biology of the pathogens that cause diseases to best management practices for farmers to utilize.  

At all three universities he has worked for, he has continued a research project on fungicide resistance in important pathogens of field crops. Through leading national research projects on the topic, Bradley and partners have helped detect fungicide-resistant strains of different pathogens that cause foliar diseases of soybean and wheat.  

“My research focuses not only on the detection of fungicide resistance, but also on developing management practices that help to limit fungicide resistance from occurring, so that farmers are better able to grow healthy crops in a sustainable manner, contributing to a safe and robust food supply,” Bradley said.  

To Bradley, the most exciting part of his job is that his research “directly helps stakeholders.” Because his research is well-integrated with his Cooperative Extension work, he directly works with agents, agriculture industry personnel, crop consultants and farmers.  

“Winning this award has provided me with additional motivation to stay on task,” he said. “As farming practices and technologies advance, new research opportunities in plant disease management also develop.” 

Bradley is excited for his ongoing and upcoming projects, such as developing disease forecasting tools for soybean farmers and learning more about a soybean disease that is new to Kentucky, red crown rot.  

“Dr. Bradley is well-known and highly regarded for his research, which has had a significant impact helping soybean producers manage fungal diseases,” said James Matthews, Martin-Gatton CAFE associate dean for research. “He is very deserving of this recognition.” 

Daniel Howe, George E. Mitchell Jr. Award for Outstanding Faculty Service to Graduate Students 

An award is given each year in honor of George Mitchell, an outstanding graduate student advisor and mentor. This award is to recognize outstanding career contributions to graduate training.  

Howe has been a faculty member in the Martin-Gatton CAFE Department of Veterinary Science since 1999; he became the director of graduate studies in 2009 and served in that role until 2021. From 2018 to 2020, he chaired the Martin-Gatton CAFE Graduate Student Success Team. 

“One of my primary goals has been to help students become independent and critical thinkers so that they can be successful wherever their career path leads them,” Howe said. “Our graduate students are the future of our veterinary and biomedical research discipline. If we do it properly, we are training the next leaders in our field of study.”  

Matthews said this is “a well-deserved honor” for Howe. 

“Dr. Dan Howe is highly respected for his contributions to graduate education and mentoring, through which he has positively influenced the careers of numerous next-generation scientists in veterinary science,” Matthews said.  

During his term as the director of graduate studies, the Department of Veterinary Science graduated 41 doctorate students and 25 master’s students. Howe’s research program focuses on the biology of pathogenic protozoa, particularly Sarcocystis neurona, the primary cause of an infectious, neurologic disease of equines in the Americas. 

In addition to his own graduate trainees, Howe has been a member of the advisory or examination committees for 27 graduate students and served as the external examiner for another 14 doctoral defenses. 

“Dr. Howe is not only an outstanding scientist but also a great mentor and a gentle and kind person who strives for the success of his students and trainees,” said Raj Gaji, assistant professor of parasitology at Virginia Tech.  

Howe was Gaji’s mentor when he earned his doctorate degree in veterinary parasitology from UK in 2006.  

Howe said this award is “very meaningful” to him.  

“Graduate student training has been one of the most gratifying aspects of my career,” he said.  

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Writer: Bailey Vandiver, bailey.vandiver@uky.edu 

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.