2006 Public Service & Outreach
Staff Award for Excellence

Richard Hitchcock

Richard Hitchcock, senior systems support specialist for UGA Cooperative Extension, has designed and created data delivery systems that streamline information transfer from county extension offices in Georgia via the Internet. Through his information products, the Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories (AESL) delivers analyses and recommendations for more than 85,000 samples annually to extension offices statewide. Data entry, data proofing and quality assurance report writing that once took days, now takes minutes.

One of Hitchcock’s programs, Ag Services Database, stores results from all laboratory tests on soil, plants, water, feed, forage, animal wastes, and other materials since the early 1990s. Data is automatically transferred from laboratory equipment into the database. The system not only provides statistical analysis of the tests to researchers and extension specialists but also generates invoices and tracks payments.

Another program, Data Transfer, sends laboratory results electronically to county offices and generates reports that can be emailed to clients regarding soil test recommendations, drinking water statistics and soil fertility data.

Hitchcock’s data management systems are easy to use and have increased AESL’s competitiveness for external grants. He also is always responsive and pleasant when users such as county secretaries and agents need help.