MSU CANR names Bukovac 2018 distinguished faculty
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EmailThe College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University is honoring six leaders in agriculture and natural resources for their community, state and national leadership.
EAST LANSING, MI — The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University is honoring six leaders in agriculture and natural resources for their community, state and national leadership. The awards will be presented on March 9 during the annual ANR Week luncheon at the Huntington Club at Spartan Stadium.
John Bukovac, Ph.D., will receive a Distinguished Faculty Award.
Bukovac received bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from MSU. He retired in 1996 after a 40-year career in the MSU Department of Horticulture, and has stayed professionally active in retirement.
His research has had a worldwide impact on the tree fruit industry. His work has led to several patents and updated commercial horticultural practices, such as regulation of flowering and fruit growth, promotion of fruit abscission, fruit thinning, and more efficient application and use of pesticide chemicals.
Bukovac has mentored 37 graduate students and 45 postdoctoral scholars and visiting scientists. His strong commitment to the college and future generations led him to establish two endowment funds in the Department of Horticulture.
“Professor Bukovac remains in contact with his students and post-docs, promoting their careers as independent scientists,” said Vance Baird in supporting Bukovac’s nomination. Baird is chair of the MSU Department of Horticulture. “He also inspires our current students by offering advice on project design or data interpretation, and serving on their graduate advisory committees.”
Bukovac was a U.S. National Science foundation Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at Oxford and Bristol Universities, was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Bonn in Germany. In 2001 he was elected to the American Society for Horticultural Science Hall of Fame.
The Distinguished Faculty Award honors a CANR faculty member who has brought distinction to the college through teaching, extension or research, and has provided leadership that has helped students, faculty or citizens to reach their potential for excellence.
