SACRAMENTO – Dr. Carlos F. Gonzalez of College Station received the 2013 Legend Award from the National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences during its recent annual meeting in Sacramento, Calif.
The award, created in 2007, honors those “who have made extraordinary strides in the name of MANRRS.”
Gonzalez, a professor of plant pathology, microbiology and genetics at Texas A&M University, was cited for more than 25 years of going “above and beyond the call of his responsibilities as a faculty mentor to enhance the diversity of academic life of Texas A&M and beyond.”
Dr. Alan Sams, executive associate dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M, credits Gonzales with reviving the local society and making it flourish at the university and steering it into a student-led, student-driven chapter.
“Because he cared about the students, he undertook this responsibility without seeking recognition for it,” Sams said. “His constant presence at all meetings and events is precisely for this reason — to enable our young men and women in MANRRS, most of whom are from underrepresented populations, to be better able not only to succeed in their professional roles but also, and equally important, to be better able and committed to representing the interests of all underserved populations in the country.”
Gonzalez is a founding member of the university’s Hispanic Leadership Program, which is the primary organization for recruiting, training and retaining minority doctoral students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, according to the presentation.
The society also noted that Gonzalez has helped secure financial support for numerous graduate students and has mentored more than 20 minority students in his department, often raising funds for them to participate in regional and national educational conferences.
The National Science Foundation presented Gonzalez with the Research Experience for Undergraduates Award to “help further his vision of enhancing the diversity of individuals receiving training in science fields,” according to the citation.
Gonzalez was a founding member of the Texas A&M chapter of the society where he continues as chapter advisor and has served as national secretary, finance chair and president of the national organization.
For more information about the society, see http://manrrs.tamu.edu/ .
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