Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Induction Ceremony

Fred Miller

2017 AABAE Inductees. From top left to bottom right: Katie White Migliaccio, Adam Jokerst,Jim McNeal, Mark Christie, Amber Meisner, and Thomas Garrison

The Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering held its annual induction ceremony on April 28. The event was held at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Fayetteville Arkansas. There were over 120 guests in attendance for the induction of six new distinguished members.

Clarence Watson, associate vice president for agriculture-research for the Division of Agriculture Research, welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their tireless work in support of the programs in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. The graduating seniors and scholarship recipients were recognized at this event. The senior class gave brief presentations of their Senior Design Capstone projects. John English, dean of the College of Engineering, thanked the academy for all of the support that it provides to the students, the department and the College of Engineering. Greg Baltz, president of the Academy and Lalit Verma, department head, inducted and welcomed the inductees into the Academy and presented them with a plaque to commemorate the event.

The six inductees were Mark Christie, who graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering and ultimately returned to the University of Arkansas to earn a mechanical engineering degree in 1988. Currently Mark is the director of process development  for Tyson Foods in Springdale. 

Thomas F. Garrison is an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Garrison obtained his B.S. in Biological Engineering in 2005 and M.S. in Biological Engineering in 2007 from the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Iowa State University in 2013.

Adam Jokerst acts as principal technical lead for long-range water supply planning efforts for the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, Utilities, which provides treated water to over 130,000 customers. Adam received a B.S. in Biological Engineering in 2006 from the University of Arkansas and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University in 2009.

Jim McNeal is a 1986 graduate of the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering. McNeal is currently vice president of engineering and is a director for Tokusen USA, where he has technical responsibility for two facilities in the United States, one at Conway and a second at Scottsburg, Indiana, with a combined plant area of 800,000 square feet.

Kati Migliaccio received her B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University, M.S. from University of Kentucky in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and her Ph.D. in biological engineering from University of Arkansas in 2005. She is a professor at the University of Florida  in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. Migliaccio currently has an appointment that includes extension, research, and teaching activities related to water conservation and hydrology.

Amber G. Meisner graduated with a B.S. in Biological Engineering in 2002. Meisner currently works at Tyson Foods as a business analyst for the case ready poultry group.