Dr. Mary Watzin Named Dean of NC State’s College of Natural Resources

Posted on July 3, 2012 by

Dr. Mary Catherine Watzin, dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, has been named dean of the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, effective Oct. 15. Provost Warwick Arden announced the appointment today.

“I’m very pleased that Dr. Watzin will be joining us to lead the College of Natural Resources,” Arden says. “She has demonstrated significant administrative leadership skills and experience, and brings a broad perspective on natural resources and the environment that will serve this highly regarded college extremely well moving forward.”

An expert in marine sciences, aquatic ecology and management, Watzin has served as dean of the Rubenstein School since 2009 and as professor since 2005. Before becoming dean, she founded and directed the University of Vermont’s lakefront ecosystem science laboratory, which also oversees the university’s research vessel and collaborates closely with an adjacent science center and aquarium.

“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to lead NC State’s nationally prominent College of Natural Resources,” she said. “The college and the university have a bold vision for the future and I am inspired by the transformational change that is under way across the campus. Solutions to the challenges of today’s world will come through new collaborations and the kinds of interdisciplinary teaching, research and global engagement that NC State is pursuing. I am very excited to join this effort.”

Watzin has received numerous awards for her work, including the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Award, the Ibakari-Kasumigaura Prize from the International Lake Environment Committee in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Partner of the Year Award in 2006.

Watzin has collaborated with a wide range of partners to explore topics ranging from toxicology to aquatic food web dynamics, harmful algae blooms, hydrodyanamics and stream habitat conditions, nonpoint source pollution, and the effectiveness of environmental management approaches and policies. She has won more than $8.7 million in grants to support her efforts. She has also worked continuously to bring science into the policy arena, especially around water quality issues.

From 1992 to 2009, Watzin served as chair of the technical advisory committee to the Lake Champlain Steering Committee while also serving on the steering committee itself. She oversaw all technical aspects of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior along with the state of Vermont, state of New York and the province of Québec. About $70 million has been invested in the program.

A prolific scholar and noted speaker, Watzin has authored or co-authored more than 60 refereed journal articles and book chapters and more than 45 refereed technical reports and other publications. For the last decade she has presented local talks on research and environmental topics of interest to her community.

She is a member of numerous scientific societies, including the Ecological Society of America, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Watzin received her bachelor’s degree in marine science from the University of South Carolina in 1978 and her Ph.D. in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984. After receiving her Ph.D., she worked as an ecologist for the National Wetlands Research Center, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Slidell, La.

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Media Contact: Tracey Peake, News Services, 919/515-6142 or tracey_peake@ncsu.edu

(Photos – Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources, University of Vermont)

Genetic Data Analysis Summer Course Draws Students From 11 Countries

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

Genetic Data Analysis Summer Course - Prague

Faculty and Students in the 2012 Genetic Data Analysis Summer Course In Prague

Fikret Isik, Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Tree Improvement Program at North Carolina State University, was invited to teach a one week ‘Summer Course in Genetic Data Analysis – Applications for Plant and Animal Breeding’ by the Czech University of Life Sciences.

The summer course was organized by the Czech University of Life Sciences took place on June 11-15, 2012 in Prague in the Czech Republic.

Jim Holland, Professor of Crop Science and Research Geneticist (USDA) and Christian Maltecca, Animal geneticist with the Department of Animal Science at NCSU joined Dr. Isik to teach the summer course.

The course covered advanced quantitative genetics for analysis of genomic and phenotypic data for plant and animal breeding. Twenty-five professionals, graduate students and faculty from 11 different countries attended the course.

For More Information, Contact:
Tilla Fearn, Communication Director, (919) 513-4644 or tilla_fearn@ncsu.edu

Stamm Scholarship To Aid Worthy Wood Products Students

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

The NC State Natural Resources Foundation is pleased to announce the funding of the Alfred J. Stamm Memorial Scholarship at NC State University by his son, Alfred John Stamm.

This endowment will provide merit–based scholarships for undergraduate students enrolled in the Wood Products Program in NC State University’s Department of Forest Biomaterials.

The initial gift to this endowment was received from Mrs. Erdine Stamm in 1986 in memory of her husband, a retired distinguished professor at NC State from 1959-1970.

Dr. Stamm was a native of Los Angeles where he received his BS of Science from California Institute of Technology. He completed his Masters and PHD in physical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin. In 1925 he began research work at the US Forest Products laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin until coming to NC State in 1959. He received numerous awards, fellowships and the prestigious Reuben Robertson Professorship of Wood and Paper Science.

A true scientist, he published two books, over 150 publications and held 11 patents in the area of physics, chemistry and the structure of wood.

The scholarship endowment will recognize in perpetuity the significant contributions to wood science and technology by Dr. Stamm through the professional accomplishments and personal lives of the young men and women who study at NC State University.

During his professional life, which spanned 45 years, Dr. Stamm received national acclaim for his research and was the recipient of numerous awards and was the author of two books and over 150 research papers.

About the Department of Forest Biomaterials
NC State’s Department of Forest Biomaterials (FB) is home to one of the oldest and most respected paper science and engineering programs in the world and to a nationally recognized wood products program with a long history if supporting wood manufacturing industries, sustainable housing and their surrounding communities. FB also has a fast-growing forest biomaterials and bioenergy effort which examines the production of novel biomass resources, and develops the chemical science and engineering technology for the sustainable production of materials and energy. FB’s approach recognizes the scientific and engineering principles driving each area of study, as well as, applicable technology and business skills. Students examine the broader sustainability issues that affect industries operating in these fields, including the financial, management and social components through hands-on learning focused on identifying solutions to real-world problems and developing futuristic products and environmentally friendly processes.

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Learn more about the Wood Products program in the NC State College of Natural Resources

For More Information, Contact:
Tilla Fearn, Communication Director, (919) 513-4644 or tilla_fearn@ncsu.edu

Is Hemlock History Repeating Itself?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Scientists trying to save eastern hemlock trees from widespread insect attacks may have uncovered a case of déjà vu, dating back millennia.

“Our hypothesis is that 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, insects hammered the eastern hemlock in a similar way to how it’s being hammered now,” says Kevin Potter, NC State forestry professor and lead researcher on a paper published in Conservation Genetics. “We think we may see a genetic signature of an ancient and widespread insect epidemic.”

The modern threat to the hemlock is real and close to home. Learn more about what Dr. Potter and his team are doing about it. Read the full article in The Abstract.

Reception to Honor Dean Brown

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

Please join the College of Natural Resources at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum on June 19, 2012 from 4-6pm for a retirement reception honoring Dean Robert (Bob) Brown’s service to NC State University where he has been dean of the CNR since 2006.

Dr. Brown and his wife, Regan, will remain in the Raleigh area after retirement. Together they recently established the Bob and Regan Brown Endowed Scholarship in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology to provide support for incoming freshman. The first recipient will enter the program at NC State in Fall 2012.

Come and wish him well in his retirement. All are welcome.
DETAILS & RSVP

Information on the Dean Search is available at http://go.ncsu.edu/cnrdean