Director of Extension and Associate Dean of CAHNRS
CAHNRS and Extension faculty and staff:
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Rich Koenig has been offered and accepted the position of Director of Extension and Associate Dean of CAHNRS. The response of the search and screening committee, Extension and CAHNRS administrators, and the Extension faculty and staff to Rich’s candidacy and interview was overwhelmingly positive. Rich will begin his appointment as Director and Associate Dean on September 1, 2012.
I am very pleased that we could attract Rich Koenig to this position. Rich is an effective and accomplished administrator who will represent Extension and its programs passionately and professionally. Rich has an exceptional background in Extension, having served as an Extension educator at both Washington State University and Utah State. While he has a steep learning curve to climb (as would anyone) to learn about the vast array of programs and complexities that characterize WSU Extension, I am certain that he will make this transition in an expeditious manner. No one in our organization works harder to not only manage, but lead, his/her unit.
Best regards, Dan Bernardo
New Endowed Chair in Small Grains Extension and Research – Weed Science
We look forward to welcoming Dr. Lyon into the position of Endowed Chair in Small Grains Extension and Research – Weed Science, starting September 1. Dr. Lyon brings a wealth of weed science, dryland cropping systems and Extension experience to the position. He has worked extensively in wheat-based cropping systems and was co-author of one of the premiere publications on wheat production in the Great Plains. His experience fits perfectly into eastern Washington production systems. The position was endowed with a generous gift from the Washington Grain Commission Growers. We are confident that when wheat and barley growers meet and get to know Drew will be very happy with the return on their investment.
Dr. Richard T. Koenig, Chair
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Events
Plant Pathology Seminar
Dr. Evsey Kosman, Associate Professor in Mathematics, Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, Israel, will speak on “Diversity analysis: from individuals to populations” on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, 10:30 a.m. at Johnson Hall 343. Hosted by Dr. Xianming Chen (xianming@wsu.edu). Broadcast via WECN to research stations, dial up: 5700636.
Two More Days of WSU Sweet and Tart U-pick Cherries and Apricots
Come pick your own cherries and apricots at WSU’s Tukey Orchard on Airport Road! The fun is scheduled for Friday, July 27, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, July 28, from 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bring your own containers for the fruit. Cash and check are the only payment methods accepted; no credit or debit cards will be taken. All orchard visitors are required to sign a risk and release form.
The prices for fruit are:
- Dark cherries, $2/pound,
- Rainier cherries, $3/pound,
- Pie cherries, $2/pound.
- Apricots, $2/pound.
Kudos
Congratulations to Dr. Dennis Johnson, professor in the department, recipient of the 2012 Kenneth J. Morrison Extension Award in Crop and Soil Sciences. Dr. Johnson has made key contributions to understanding the epidemiology and management of late blight, black dot, white mold, and silver scurf of potato and of Verticillium wilt. The Morrison Award was established in 1987 for the purpose of recognizing annually an Extension faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to Washington state’s agriculture, especially in agronomic crop production improvement and/or soil management.
Mark E. Swanson, Assistant Professor, School of the Environment, and seven undergraduate students (Alex Biswas, Joel Demory, Curtis Flolid, Katie Otañez, Michael Ploegman, Liam Sweeney and Shane Taylor) from the Natural Resource Sciences and Wildlife Ecology majors spent June 20-July 3 in Yosemite National Park. They worked alongside students, faculty, and staff from several other universities on the Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot, a 25.6 hectare permanent plot with more than 34,000 mapped tree stems. They learned useful field skills such as diagnosing causes of tree mortality, performing line-intercept transects for woody fuels, shrub dissection for biomass models, and identification of common trees and shrubs of the Sierra Nevada. Travel support was provided by the School of the Environment. Principal investigator Dr. Jim Lutz (University of Washington) said, “We appreciated the top-notch field skills and effort of each of the WSU students!”
Jessica Goldberger, Associate Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, has been appointed to the Western SARE Administrative Council. She will hold the Rural Sociologist seat, a newly created seat on the Council. She joins the Council at their next meeting in late July in Loveland, Colorado. Administrative Council members promote sustainable agriculture research and education programs, as well as help set guidelines, develop calls for proposals, and establish project priorities for the Western region. More details can be found at http://bit.ly/OqRip2.
WSU Chelan County Master Gardeners were highlighted in the national eXtension blog (see http://bit.ly/NXFPeh) and in the Wenatchee World newspaper (see http://bit.ly/PmHuMP) for projects that educate the public on pollinators.
Recent News Releases
WSU, UM researchers find mechanism for growing massive animal weapons, ornaments
Two More Days of WSU Sweet and Tart U-pick Cherries
WSU Center to Contribute Mechanical Harvesting Expertise for University of Hawai’i Biofuel Project
Hail Damages Crops, USDA Responds, Growers Alerted to Fire Blight Danger
NEA ‘Our Town’ grant to Uniontown for development, design
WSU Organic Field Day Slated for July 26
WSU Extension partners give beginning farmers a loan boost
WSU’s organic farming ranks among top in nation
Local U-pick cherries on sale at WSU’s Tukey Orchard
Field day scheduled for Western Washington family forest owners
All our news releases are archived at http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/news-archive/.
New in CAHNRS e-Newsletters
The July 18 issue of On Solid Ground has stories about the student food product development team’s win; tracking nutrients in forests; and monarch butterflies in prison. Check it out at http://cahnrs.wsu.edu/category/on-solid-ground/.
Archives
CAHNRS News is archived at http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/category/cnews/.