This is the first of a three-part series profiling the winners of the 2002 Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award, the 2002 Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award, and the Universitywide Departmental Teaching Award.

UNL history professor Pete Maslowski is the winner of the 2002 University of Nebraska Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award.

Maslowski's story-telling teaching earns him the 2002 OTICA award

Professor mixes education, entertainment

By Kelly Bartling, University Communications

Pete Maslowski was in junior high when he decided he wanted to teach military history. He was in college when he decided he definitely didn't want to be a "boring" teacher. There would be no standing at a podium, reading notes and putting his students to sleep.

He would make it exciting. Tell tales about real people.

Maslowski has stuck with his instincts on teaching, and even though most times he's preparing for a 9:30 class at 6:30 in the morning, memorizing his lecture, he's done what he set out to do. He's made his teaching interesting and exciting, and his classrooms a fun place to learn.

"Parents who send their sons and daughters here do care passionately that their children come out well-educated and that they have an enjoyable time at UNL, and I think it's not an oxymoron that you can have both an entertaining and educational experience," Maslowski said. "I don't think they're contradictory."

Maslowski, who says he's humbled and slightly embarrassed to be singled out for his teaching by winning the 2002 University of Nebraska Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award, is noted for his basic teaching tool: the lecture. His nominators, mainly former students, tell about being "spellbound" by his lectures. Maslowski said he doesn't believe in gadgets or fumbling with technology (that he says often goes awry), but uses his lecture as the avenue to connect with students.

"That's why I was stunned to get the award because the word 'creativity' was in there," he said, laughing. "I have mastered the laser pointer. I can put an overhead up and I can point the laser where I want it to go. I don't like the concept of putting technology between me and the student. It's another intermediary. So I'm pretty old-fashioned in the classroom."

"But I've determined that I would as much as possible never be tied to a podium. In my own educational career I've found nothing more boring than someone standing at a podium and reading notes. Even before I got out of undergraduate school, I decided I wouldn't do that. One way or another I would be able to look my students in the eye and only occasionally have to refer to notes.

"So yes, I spend quite a bit of time basically memorizing lectures."

Maslowski said he doesn't know why he was especially drawn to military history. Maybe it was because of its potential for spinning terrific stories. And that's something he likes and is good at.

"I use carefully chosen anecdotes. I don't want to over-emphasize an anecdotal approach. But I think well-chosen human stories illustrate a point. I don't do World War II by saying 'here's this in this theater.' I do topics within the war, so that I talk about strategic bombardment, I talk about military intelligence, I talk about the life of the common soldier, what it was actually like to be a front-line soldier. I talk about submarine warfare in the Pacific. I talk about themes. Within those themes I give anecdotes that illustrate the themes."

The son of a wildlife photographer and a stay-at-home mother with a talent for writing, Maslowski said he inherited his story-telling skills from his parents. After growing up in Ohio, he earned his bachelor's at Miami University and his master's and doctorate at Ohio State. He came to UNL as a visiting assistant professor in January 1974.

He loves to read and write about military history but rarely watches war movies or television features for pleasure. He has no favorite military figures or favorite war and does not particularly enjoy war strategy or technology. He has written and done presentations on numerous different aspects of military history as well as taught a dozen different courses and seminars on war history. Currently, he's working on a book about Sgt. Joe Ronnie Hooper, the so-called "Audie Murphy of Vietnam." He's on leave next semester to finish it.

He also loves the connection between him and his students, and watching them learn.

"One of the great things about teaching is you're always around 18-year-olds," he said. "They are just great. I've always been struck by the collective nature of the students here. They're basically smart kids, they're interested kids, they're willing to learn, they're hard-working, they're energetic, they're polite, they're fun. And they're your allies in the classroom. They want the prof to be good. Students are our best allies. There's nothing more they want than to have an entertaining, educational time in the classroom. And you have to do a lot wrong to alienate them. They're just incredibly tolerant. In part that's because they want the teacher to do well, because if the teacher does well, then they're going to have a good time. And learn something."

Alumni, Grad Studies to honor students, faculty

The Nebraska Alumni Association and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Graduate Studies will join forces to honor students and faculty at the Graduate Studies Awards Banquet April 25 in Lincoln.

The Nebraska Alumni Association will present graduate research, teaching and excellence awards to four doctoral students and a graduate college faculty member. The Graduate College will honor the two graduates whose master's thesis and doctoral dissertation were the most outstanding, as well as an outstanding graduate assistant mentor. Award winners will each receive a $500 honorarium with their awards.

Graduate Studies will also honor the recipients of the Folsom Distinguished Master's Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Awards for 2002.

The Alumni Association's Excellence in Graduate Education Award goes to John Hibbing, foundation regents university professor of political science. In his 21 years at the university, Hibbing has earned an international reputation as a scholar on the U.S. Congress and public opinion toward government. He has written or co-written seven books, including Stealth Democracy: Americans' Beliefs About How Government Should Work, The Case for Representative Democracy and Congress as Enemy: Public Attitudes Toward Political Institutions. He has published more than 35 papers in political science journals and edited several chapters in other texts about American government. Hibbing earned a bachelor's degree from Dana College (1976) and his master's (1978) and doctoral (1980) degrees from the University of Iowa.

The alumni association's 2002 Graduate Research Assistant Awards will be presented to Elizabeth Neeley, a doctoral candidate and research assistant in sociology; and Andrew Smith, a doctoral candidate and research assistant in entomology.

Neeley works in the Public Policy Center, where she has developed and implemented the research agenda for the Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force. Created by the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska State Bar Association, the task force is conducting one of the most exhaustive studies of actual and perceived ethnic and racial bias undertaken by any court system in the United States. An Othmer Fellowship recipient, Neeley earned a bachelor's degree (2000) from Doane College and a master's degree (2001) at Nebraska.

Smith's extensive research into scarab beetles has taken him on several field expeditions to the rain forests of Central and South America. His dissertation focuses on a little-known group of scarab beetles; his research will have a significant effect into the study of other beetle species. He has written or co-written nearly 20 papers that have been published in the field's top scientific journals and online publications. Smith earned a bachelor's degree in biology (1994) from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and a master's degree (1997) from the University of Toronto.

Katya Koubek and Byron Zamboanga will receive this year's Graduate Teaching Awards.

Koubek has been a teaching assistant and a Ph.D. candidate in curriculum and instruction in Teachers College for three years. She teaches methods classes in foreign languages and conducts research into instructional technology. A native of the Czech Republic, Koubek earned her master's degree in Czech and English linguistics (1994) from Charles University in Prague. Koubek presented a session in March on the integration of technology into foreign language methods class at the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium at the University of California at Davis. She is expected to complete her dissertation this summer.

Zamboanga is a Ph.D. candidate and graduate teaching assistant in the psychology department, where each semester he instructs more than 120 students in three classes. He will defend his dissertation, "Drinking Expectancies and Alcohol Use Among Mexican Americans: Investigating the Influence of Acculturation Processes and Gender," this semester and receive his doctorate in May. While working on his master's degree at Nebraska, Zamboanga in 1999 helped establish the Latino Achievement Mentoring Program that has won three grants worth more than $90,000. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California-Berkeley (1996).

Amy R. Ellis will receive the 2002 Folsom Distinguished Master's Thesis Award for her thesis, "Immigrating to Schuyler, Nebraska: Latino Experiences with Immigration, Work, and Community Life." Ellis graduated last August with a master of science in family and consumer sciences. Her faculty adviser was Rochelle Dalla. Ellis earned her bachelor's degree (1999) at Brigham Young University.

Michael Shane Davis is the winner of the 2002 Folsom Doctoral Dissertation Award for his dissertation titled "Management Strategies to Reduce Heat Stress in Feedlot Cattle." Davis finished his Ph.D. in animal science in December under the supervision of Terry Mader. He earned his bachelor's degree in education (1996) at Baylor University and his master's degree in nutrition (1999) at Texas A&M University.

Banquet The Graduate Studies Awards Banquet begins at 6 p.m. April 25 at the Wick Alumni Center. For information, call 472-2841.

Scott Josiah, University of Nebraska forest scientist, checks a dogwood in an alley cropping test plot. Josiah thinks that using income-producing trees and shrubs in shelterbelts or other conservation plantings can supplement landowners' income and protect the environment.

Decorative plants may add to farm income

By Sandi Alswager, IANR News and Publishing

Trees and shrubs in shelterbelts or other conservation plantings are there to help protect the environment. But what if they also could make money for the landowner?

That's the idea behind research by Scott Josiah, a University of Nebraska forest scientist. He's studying novel uses for trees and shrubs, called woody plants or woodies, that are grown in shelterbelts, vegetative buffer strips and living snow fences.

Protecting water quality, controlling soil erosion, blocking wind and protecting crops, farmsteads and wildlife are among the well-documented environmental benefits of conservation plantings. What's new is the idea of dual-purpose plantings that combine economic and environmental benefits, the NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources researcher said.

Landowners sometimes consider acres taken from production for conservation plantings non-productive because they don't provide direct income. Growing income-producing plants might change that view and perhaps encourage more conservation plantings and provide extra income.

"This is a good source of extra income and can diversify a farming operation," Josiah said. "The plants grow fast and offer wind protection and wildlife habitat."

Josiah has studied about 50 woody species for yield, production costs, revenues and markets in field trials statewide. He is confident several species can be profitable. He is exploring woody plants for use in the decorative floral industry as well as for nut and berry production, specialty woods or medicinal use.

The decorative floral uses look most promising, at least in the short run. Nut and fruit trees and shrubs take longer to produce a crop.

Josiah is growing several varieties of decorative woody shrubs and trees in windbreaks about a half-mile long at the NU's Research and Extension Center near Mead. So far, the most successful decorative woodies for Nebraska are pussy willow and three kinds curly willow, standard, golden and scarlet, all of which were sold to florists in 2001. He continues to collect information on marketing, packaging and grading preferences.

"As soon as we started selling, producers expressed serious interest in this," he said. "We will continue to look at some new species and gather more production and budget data with the 2002 crop."

The decorative woodies can be harvested for income within a couple of years after planting. Other woody plants such as nuts or berries take longer, from two years for elderberries to four to six years for hybrid hazelnuts.

"This wouldn't likely be a main source of income, but we intend it to be integrated with other farm products," Josiah said. "This is ideally suited for a farm family and allows small farm families to avoid finding additional income sources off the farm."

Richard and Billene Nemec, who farm near Prague, think growing income-producing woodies on their farm would be beneficial.

The Nemecs already do market gardening, including vegetables and flowers, and grow organic row crops, including small grains, soybeans and corn. They've planted a few decorative woodies in the last year including yellow and red dogwood, forsythia and gray and pink pussy willow. They hope these woody plants will expand their floral offerings.

They soon will be starting to look at where to plant more woodies and how heavily they want to get involved in woody plant production.

"We hope it will be an added source of income and an opportunity to (plant) some different crops," Billene Nemec said. She plans to sell the product at farmers markets and to floral shops.

Sale prices can vary, Josiah said. A 3- to 5-foot stem of pussy willow wholesales for about 25 cents. A 3- to 5-foot stem of the scarlet curly willow sells for about 45 cents. Decorative woody floral plantings can gross about $4 or more per linear foot of planting, Josiah said. Josiah collected information on selling prices for materials from his test plots after the 2001 growing season.

"If a producer would sell to retail florists, they could double that," Josiah said. The problem is one retail florist doesn't use that many stems in his arrangements, increasing marketing costs. Regional floral wholesalers buy larger quantities.

This year, Josiah will collect data from berry trials, which also show potential, and he is growing hybrid hazelnut shrubs, which begin bearing in the fourth year and come into full production several years after that. His elderberry crop last summer produced enough berries for the university's Food Processing Center to make elderberry ice cream.

A producer field day is being planned for later this summer or early fall near Mead, Josiah said.