The Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES) honored faculty, staff, and students at its annual awards banquet, according to an April 28 announcement. WAES serves as the research arm of the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources.
The recognition highlights individuals who have made significant contributions in research, leadership, and support roles within the organization. The event acknowledged both established scientists and those early in their careers for their dedication to agricultural research and education.
Mike Albrecht, farm manager at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center (ShREC), was one of two recipients of the 2026 Kathleen Bertoncelj WAES Outstanding Staff Award. Tyler Jones, interim assistant director of ShREC said: “Mike’s efforts, awareness and dedication to ShREC and our team are a significant part of what allows us to be successful in our efforts to serve Wyoming and its producers.” Kalli Koepke from the Laramie Research and Extension Center also received this award for her leadership skills. Ben Hollinger, manager of the LREC beef unit said: “Kalli always emphasizes and advocates for things that will benefit not only the sheep unit, but LREC as a whole.”
Donna Harris was given the Early Career Research Award for her work in plant breeding focused on drought tolerance. Andrew Kniss from UW’s Department of Plant Sciences said: “Her research is substantially broader in scope and more diverse than that of her peers at most other land-grant institutions.” Jerod Merkle received the WAES Outstanding Research Award for his studies on wildlife biology; Amy Navratil from Zoology and Physiology commented: “His work has transformed how scientists and managers understand the ecological function of large migratory wildlife…” Zhaojie Zhang earned recognition with the WAES Outstanding Research Support Award for directing interdisciplinary disease mechanism research; Navratil added: “His mentorship expands access to sophisticated research tools…”
Graduate students Marguerite Trost (botany) conducted comprehensive surveys in Montana’s Kootenai National Forest while Kiet Tran (molecular biology) investigated cancer therapies using modified listeria bacteria. Brian Mealor, interim director at WAES said: “Our Reflections graduate student awardees exhibited not only a keen ability to pursue meaningful, insightful research questions but also to relay the story…in a clear compelling way.”
Founded in 1891 as part of UW’s College of Agriculture, Life Sciences & Natural Resources, WAES operates multiple centers across Wyoming supporting agricultural production research as well as community development.
