Dr. I-Kuai Hung receives national award for forestry education

Dr. I-Kuai Hung, Lacy H. Hunt Professor of geospatial sciences, was awarded the 2021 Carl Alwin Schenck Award from the Society of American Foresters during the virtual SAF National Convention held in November 2021.

The national award recognizes individuals who display a notable and sustained record of excellence in forestry education through outstanding service to the field and the development of dynamic, personal teaching methods.

“As my career developed, I discovered the most rewarding job I can possibly get — teaching,” Hung said. “Today, it is my students and my colleagues who keep me moving forward.”

Hung is one of four SFA forestry professors who have earned the prestigious award. Dr. David Kulhavy, Laurence C. Walker professor of forest entomology, received the award in 2010; Dr. Brian Oswald, Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professor of fire ecology, received the award in 2002; and Dr. Daniel Unger received the award in 2019.

“I would be surprised if there is another forestry program in the country that could ever claim to have four Schenck award winners on its active faculty,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of the ATCOFA. “It’s hard to imagine a better recognition of the innovation and effectiveness of the teaching and learning provided by our faculty members.”

Carl Alwin Schenck, the award’s namesake, was a German-born and educated forester who founded the first forestry education program in the U.S. in 1898.

Dr. Brian Oswald receives top recognition from alma mater

Dr. Brian Oswald, Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professor of Forestry at SFA, received the Dwight Patterson Alumnus of the Year Award from Northern Arizona University in recognition of the outstanding success he has achieved throughout his professional career.

Oswald joined SFA in 1995, and since that time has built a career exemplified by domestic and international teaching and research. During the past nine years, he has led SFA forestry undergraduate and graduate researchers in collecting fire fuel load data on behalf of public safety agencies in the Netherlands. This key information continues to assist the country as it develops wildfire spread models that can predict wildfire behavior. Closer to home, Oswald leads additional restoration, fuel loading and monitoring research throughout the U.S. national forests and grasslands.

Oswald is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Association for Fire Ecology Presidential Award, the Society of American Foresters’ Carl A. Schenck Award for Outstanding Forestry Education, the SFASU Foundation’s Faculty Achievement for Research, and he has held the title of Regents Professor, the highest honor SFA may bestow upon a faculty member. Additionally, Oswald served as president of the Association for Fire Ecology and actively contributes to the organization.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and a doctoral degree in forestry from the University of Idaho. fAll 2021|7