All the Best — UNL ORCA Awardees Tell Their Stories

Stephen Baenziger, Breeding New Wheat Varieties

Dr. Stephen Baenziger was awarded the ORCA in 2011. He was born in 1951 in Toronto, Canada. When he was an infant, his family immigrated to the US where he grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s in biological chemistry magna cum laude from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Next, he earned a master’s and doctorate in plant breeding and genetics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Over the next decade, he worked for the USDA at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Maryland and then at Monsanto Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1986, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an associate professor of agronomy (later agronomy and horticulture) and rose quickly through the ranks while studying the genetics and breeding of small grains such as wheat, barley, and triticale. He retired in 2021 and still lives in Lincoln.

Ross Thompson, Childhood Emotional Development

Ross Thompson was born in 1954 in Madison, Wisconsin. He traveled nearly 2000 miles west to earn a bachelor’s in psychology magna cum laude from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Then, he traveled east over 2200 miles to earn a master’s and doctorate in psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1981, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant professor of psychology and rose quickly through the ranks while studying childhood emotional development. In 2003, three years after earning the ORCA, Ross left UNL to join the psychology department at the University of California, Davis. He retired in 2023 and still lives in California.

John Hibbing, Political Attitudes Correlate with Physiological Traits

Dr. John Hibbing was awarded the ORCA in 1993. He was born in 1953 in Paullina, Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s in secondary education from Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, but then realized that teaching high school wasn’t his thing. Instead, he attended the University of Iowa where he earned a master’s and doctorate in political science. In 1981, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant professor of political science and rose quickly through the ranks. Initially, he studied the reasons that members of the US congress retire. This led to a long-term collaboration with Kevin Smith and John Alford to study the genetic and psychological correlates of political ideology. This hot-button topic brought him a great deal of prominence in our increasingly polarized times.

Xiao Cheng Zeng, Theoretical/Computational; Nebraska ice & Gold nanocages

Dr. Xiao Cheng Zeng became a chemistry professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1993, quickly rose through the ranks, and was in the department for 29 years. In 2022, he left to become head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong. Xiao was born in Beijing and earned a bachelor’s in physics at the University of Beijing in 1984. Next, he traveled 6800 miles east to Ohio State University in Columbus where he earned his doctorate in condensed matter physics. He followed that up with two postdoctoral experiences, first at the University of Chicago and the second at the University of California Los Angeles. At UNL, Xiao’s lab carried out theoretical/ computational studies on a wide range of interesting solids, liquids, and gases.

Paul Olson, English Literature & Curricular Reform; Great Plains Studies

Prof. Paul Olson was born in 1932 in Washburn, Wisconsin. During his youth, his family also farmed in Nebraska and South Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Next, he earned a master’s in English from the University of Nebraska, a Fulbright fellowship to spend a year at London University in England, and his doctorate in medieval and Renaissance studies from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1957, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of English and was soon promoted to full professor. One of his earliest projects was to help English teachers across the state to reform their curricula. As a literary historian, he eventually published twelve books and many book chapters and articles on topics such as medieval literature, Plains and Indian literature, and English education reform. In 1976, Paul became founding director of the Center for Great Plains Studies, which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Paul retired in 2006 and still lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.