Awards & honors: NEHA 2009 AEC & exhibition.

Once again, NEHA kicked off its annual conference with its awards and honors ceremony. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin opened the conference by giving a stirring conference welcome. The following awards and honors were bestowed at the ceremony.

Walter S. Mangold Award

Col. Anthony C. Aiken

NEHA's highest honor, the Walter S. Mangold Award-given for outstanding contributions to the advancement of the environmental health profession-was bestowed this year upon the very deserving Col. Anthony C. Aiken. Please see the accompanying story on page 46, which details Col. Aiken's contributions to the profession.

Certificates of Merit

Certificates of Merit are awarded to affiliate members who make exemplary contributions to the profession of environmental health. Each affiliate sets its own criteria for recognition, so recipients do not need to be NEHA members. For 2009, the following winners were announced.

* Alabama--Stanford Miller,

* Colorado--Brian Scheffee,

* Connecticut--VickyM. Carrier, PE, RS, MBA,

* Georgia--Dr. Harold Barnhart,

* Florida--Richard J. French Jr., RS,

* Hawaii--Jerry Haruno,

* Illinois--WilHayes, LEHR

* Kansas--Jerry C. McNamar MPH, RS,

* Kentucky--Mark Sears,

* Massachusetts--Jennifer Murphy, MPH,

* Minnesota--Henry S. Schreifels, REHS,

* Mississippi--Gene Paez, RS, MPH,

* Missouri--John N. McMullen,

* National Capital Area--Jessica Tapp,

* Nebraska--Leslie Theisen,

* Nevada--Carol Culbert,

* New Jersey--James Brownlee,

* North Dakota-Jim Heckman, RS,

* Ohio--Laura Kramer Kuns, RS,

* Oklahoma-Debbie C. Watts,

* Saudi Arabia--Brian F. Nelson,

* South Carolina--Mildred Lee Tanner,

* Texas-Tommy Wheeler, RS,

* Uniformed Services-LTC (ret.) Welford C. Roberts, PhD,

* Virginia--Jim English,

* Washington--Ned Therlen,

* Wisconsin-Chris Hinz, RS,

* West Virginia--Phillip R. Jones, and

* Wyoming--Becce Birdsley.

A. Harry Bliss Editor's Award

Robert Harrington

Dr. A. Harry Bliss was editor of the Journal in 1969, the year this award was first presented. When he retired, the award was named after him to honor his 40 years of involvement in Journal production. NEHA often gives this annual award to outstanding writers and columnists, but the award may also go to individuals who, through other significant contributions made to the Journal of Environmental Health, advance the cause and interests of both the association and the profession.

This year, NEHA is delighted to announce that the 2009 recipient of the Harry Bliss Award is Robert E. (Bob) Harrington, director of the City of Casper-Natrona County Health Department in Wyoming. For years, Bob has been making behind-the-scenes contributions, serving not only as a peer reviewer, but also as an expert resource for Journal staff. In presenting him with this award, NEHA expresses its respect for and appreciation of his reliability, his counsel, and his passion for the profession.

Bob served for 12 years as vice president of Technical Services, Public Health and Safety, for the National Restaurant Association, and before that at Amtrak as manager of quality assurance for the western region. He has BS and MS degrees in zoology from Colorado State University, and he began his career as a sanitarian in the El Paso City-County Health Department in Colorado.

Staff writer Rebecca Berg said, "Bob is one of the first sources I turn to when researching an article. His comments are always frank and well thought out, presented with startling clarity, and reflective of an understanding of the issues that is both grounded in the real world and conceptually sophisticated." As NEHA President Dick Pantages said in presenting the award, "Through his peer review work, his willingness to be interviewed on and off the record, and his steady stream of always constructive input into the Denver office, he has given us the kind of deep insights that have enabled this association to better represent its members and to more successfully navigate our way into a very uncertain future."

NEHA/AAS Scholarship Awards

NEHA supports students in many ways. One way involves financial tuition support through a special scholarship program that is cosponsored by NEHA and the American Academy of Sanitarians (AAS). This year, NEHA scholarship committee chair and Past President James Balsamo presented the following scholarships on behalf of the scholarship committee:

* $2,000 Graduate Scholarship to Jodi Sutter from the University of Iowa, who is majoring in occupational environmental health,

* $1,000 Undergraduate Scholarship to Kofi Amoako from Texas Southern University, who is majoring in environmental health, and

* $1,000 Undergraduate Scholarship to Rachel Jordan from Eastern Kentucky University, who is majoring in environmental health science.

Walter F. Snyder Award

Terry Gratton

NSF International and NEHA honored Terry Gratton with the 2009 Walter F Snyder Award. The award is given in honor of NSF's cofounder and first executive director, and it recognizes outstanding contributions to public health and the environment. Please see the accompanying story on page 47, which details Dr. Gratton's contributions to the profession.

Sabbatical Exchange Award

Marcy A. Barnett, REHS, REA

NEHA offers a wide-ranging opportunity for professional growth and the exchange of valuable information on the international level through its longtime Sabbatical Exchange Program. The recipient of this award may go either to England, in cooperation with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, or to Canada, in cooperation with the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) currently sponsors the sabbatical.

The award jury this year decided that the sabbatical award should be given to Marcy A. Barnett, REHS, REA, emergency preparedness liaison for the California Department of Public Health, Center for Environmental Health. Marcy will be conducting her sabbatical in England and will be studying how emergency preparedness is organized and managed in that nation. She intends to incorporate lessons learned from this year's AEC & Exhibition into her emergency preparedness work in the U.S.

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APSP Neil Lowry Award

Plano Health Department

This year, NEHA had the honor of hosting the presentation of the APSP Neil Lowry Award, an honor bestowed by the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. It is an award that goes to a public health official or department to recognize their contributions to the healthy and safe use of recreational water. The $5,000 award is given to support continuing educational, technical, and operational activities of public health officials. Geoff Brown, chair of APSP Recreational Water Quality Committee, presented this year's award to Plano Health Department in recognition of significant achievements of the department to equip its inspectors with improved pool testing tools, which greatly increased the accuracy of chlorine and pH measurements. As a result, the inspectors are now able to provide guidance to the operators with greater objectivity. Pool safety program lead health specialist Tom Vyles indicated the award stipend will be used to create Manufacturer Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in Spanish to offset gaps in pool safety information that are not currently available.

Excellence in Sustainability Award

Hernando County School District

For its second year, this award, which reflects NEHA's commitment to the promotion and practice of sustainability, was presented to the Hernando County School District in Brooksville, Florida, for its outstanding efforts to make their school district more sustainable. NEHA Sustainability Committee Chair and Sustainability Technical Section Chair Tom Gonzales and Gus Schaefer from the Corporate Social Responsibility branch of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) presented the award to Sean Arnold, director of maintenance for the Hernando County school board. UL generously sponsored a glass award and a $500 honorarium.

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Student Research Presentations

Every year, the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) and CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) sponsor and financially support undergraduate and graduate student research presentations. Thanks to a generous donation from NCEH, nine students and their faculty mentors had the opportunity to present their research at the AEC & Exhibition.

Presenting the student research awards were Captain Michael Herring of the U.S. Public Health Service/CDC/NCEH and Dr. Dale Stephenson of Boise State University. Each student participant listed below received a $500 award, a plaque, and a stipend of up to $1,000 to cover travel and research expenses.

Evaluation of a Synthetic Estrogen as an Indicator of Human Fecal Contamination

Simon Roberts, Senior, East Tennessee State

University, Johnson City, TN

Faculty Mentor: Kurt Maier PhD

Identification of Adult Female Container-Inhabiting Aedes Mosquitoes in La Crosse Virus Endemic Areas

Michael Singleton, Junior, Western Carolina

University, Cullowhee, NC

Faculty Mentor. Brian Byrd, PhD, MSPH

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Container-Inhabiting Aedes Mosquitoes on Western Carolina University's Campus

James Alan Goggins, Junior, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC

Faculty Mentor: Brian D. Byrd, PhD, MSPH

Bed Bugs in the Human Environment: Behind the Nuisance

Lea Duffin, Junior, Boise State University, Boise, ID

Faculty and Internship Mentor: Dale Stephenson, PhD and Leslie Tenglesen, PhD

Graduate Presentations

Characterization of Bioaerosols and Bacterial Surface Contamination at a Large Washington Dairy Operation

Christina M. Pohlik, Graduate Student, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Faculty Mentor: Scott Meschke, PhD

Endotoxin Collection and Electrochemical Detection Method for Use in Bioaersol Personal Sampling Device

Lauren Dunbar Graduate Student, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Faculty Mentor: Scott Meschke, PhD

The poster presenters listed below received a plaque and a stipend of $300 to cover travel expenses.

A Sangamon County, Illinois Case Study: Understanding the Relationship between Abandoned Coal Mine Sites and Radon Gas Densities

Ajay Myneni, Graduate Student, University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL

Faculty Mentor: Sharron La Follette, PhD

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Is Western Carolina University's New Smoking Policy Effective?

Annaleise Lysen, Junior, Western Carolina

University, Cullowhee, NC

Jessica Stevenson, Junior, Western Carolina

University, Cullowhee, NC

Faculty Mentor: Tracy Zontek, PhD

Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award

Columbus, Ohio, Public Health

The Samuel J. Crumbine Award is a prestigious national award given annually to a local food protection agency that demonstrates excellence and continual improvement in a food protection program. The award is named in honor of Dr. Samuel J. Crumbine, a sanitarian, physician, and public health pioneer who was renowned for his innovative methods of improving public health protection. It is supported by the Conference for Food Protection in cooperation with American Academy of Sanitarians; the American Public Health Association; the Association of Food & Drug Officials; the Foodservice & Packaging Institute, Inc.; the International Association for Food Protection; the International Food Safety Council; the National Association of County and City Health Officials; NEHA; NSF; and UL.

As noted by one of the jury members, "Columbus Public Health described a visionary, innovative, collaborative and practical food safety system with multiple partnerships and strengths. The program has already received international, national and local recognition and is deserving of the prestigious Crumbine Award." The award winning submission can be found at www.fpi.org. Accepting the plaque was Keith Krinn, environmental health director of Columbus Public Health.

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Past Presidents Award

Doug Clark and Gary Hague

Each year, the Past Presidents group, comprised of former NEHA presidents, recognizes a NEHA member for outstanding achievement. Past President Affiliate Captain Rick Collins and President Dick Pantages presented this year's award to Doug Clark from Nebraska and Gary Hague from Colorado.

Regional Vice Presidents Award

Regional Vice Presidents are elected officers who serve on the NEHA board. NEHA has divided the country into 10 regions. The NEHA members in each region elect these people to represent them. The following winners are deserving of recognition this year.

Region 1--Dave Riggs from Oregon

Region 2--Alicia Enriquez from California

Region 3--Roy Kroeger from Wyoming

Region 4--Bette Packer from Wisconsin

Region 5--Sandra Long from Texas

Region 6--Jim Dingman from Illinois

Region 7--Tom Ward from North Carolina

Region 8--Bob Custard from Virginia

Region 9--Ed Briggs from Connecticut

Region 10--John Steward from Georgia

Presidential Citations

A Presidential Citation is a special award given to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to NEHA during the president's term of office. President Dick Pantages presented presidential citations to Robert E. Casey, Joe E. Beck, Bob Custard, Tom Gonzales, Peter Wright, Roy Costa, Roy Kroeger, Brian Collins, Alicia Enrequez, Bob Vincent, and Mike Allred.

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Davis Calvin Wagner Award

George Nakamura

The Davis Calvin Wagner Award represents the highest honor the American Academy of Sanitarians bestows upon a Diplomate.

2007 California Environmental Health Association President George M. Nakamura was awarded the prestigious Davis Calvin Wagner Award at the AEC & Exhibition in Atlanta. He was honored as the Academy's 2009 National Environmental Health Sanitarian of the year for outstanding professional commitment, outstanding leadership ability, dedication to the profession, and accomplishments in advancing environmental and public health programs over the past 42 years. George was cited for demonstration of professionalism, administrative and technical skills, and competence in applying such skills to raise the level of environmental health throughout the nation. The Wagner Award recognized his excellence in promoting and advancing food safety and public health protection by involvement as the chair or member of numerous organizations and groups including NEHA Food Safety Technical Section, Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response, NEHA Epi-Ready, Underwriters Laboratories Environmental and Public Health Council, NSF Joint Committee on Food Equipment Standards, National Automatic Merchandising Association Industry, and Public Health Advisory Council. George is a long-time resident of Sunnyvale, California, where he served as chair of the Planning Commission and is currently chair of the Solid Waste Independent Hearing Panel for the city of San Jose.