Sreekala Bajwahas received the James R. and Karen A. Gilley Academic Leadership Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
“The award requires that you be an active and contributing member in the society,” said Dr. Bajwa, who hasn’t missed an ASABE national meeting since she joined the society in 1996. “I was very happy and honored to receive this award.”
Dr. Bajwa currently serves as dean of the College of Agriculture, director of the Montana Agriculture Experiment Station, and vice president of agriculture at Montana State University. She joined the MSU community in January. Before that, she served as chair of the agriculture and biosystems engineering department at North Dakota State University. During her tenure at NDSU, graduate enrollment in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department more than tripled, grant dollars received by the department’s faculty doubled, a new undergraduate program in precision agriculture was established, and the university established a Center for Digital Agriculture.
Dr. Bajwa serves on the ASABE’s board of trustees, as well as its Global Engagement Executive Committee, which seeks to address major global challenges such as food, water, and energy security, and sustainability in the broadest sense. She also serves on the global conference subcommittee, planning international conferences to address resource security, sustainability, and global food challenges. She is currently leading the preparations for a global energy security conference to be held in Costa Rica in 2021.
Dr. Bajwa holds three degrees in agricultural engineering: a bachelor’s degree from Kerala Agricultural University in India, a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.