By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
P.K. Nair pknair@ufl.edu, (352) 392-846-0880
Ramesh Reddy krr@mail.ifas.ufl.edu
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — P.K. Nair, distinguished professor of agroforestry with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, received three national awards at professional meetings in Charlotte, N.C. on Oct. 23.
The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) presented its 2001 International Soil Science Award to Nair and named him a Fellow in recognition of superior achievements in research, education and public service. He is the first UF faculty member to receive the SSSA international award.
Nair also received the “Outstanding Scientist of Indian Origin for the Year 2001” from the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin, which met in Charlotte on Oct. 23.
He was nominated for the SSSA international award by Ramesh Reddy, professor and chair of UF’s soil and water science department.
“On an international level, P.K. Nair has made unparalleled contributions to soil science, particularly in land use, and he continues to be in the forefront of research and education in this new field,” Reddy said.
Among Nair’s recent contributions is the establishment of the Center for Subtropical Agroforestry in UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation with the help of a $3.92 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Nair is a research and education pioneer in agroforestry, which deals with the interaction of managed forests and agriculture. He established and leads UF’s interdisciplinary program in agroforestry, which attracts students from U.S. and abroad. He has hosted the exchange of foreign scholars and organized training for more than 80 professionals.
Nair’s textbook, An Introduction to Agroforestry, is the standard college text on the subject. He is editor-in-chief of Agroforestry Systems, a leading international scientific journal. He has published several books, book chapters and journal articles on agroforestry.
In 1977, Nair played a leading role in establishing the International Center for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya. While at ICRAF, he initiated and directed a global inventory of agroforestry systems and built a comprehensive database of these systems. He established an agroforestry field research station at Machakos, Kenya.
Nair received the IFAS Graduate Teacher/Adviser of the Year Award for 2000-2001. The International Biographic Centre in Cambridge, England, named him International Scientist of the Year in 200l. He also became a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 200l.
In 2000, he was the first UF faculty member to receive the American Society of Agronomy’s international award, and he was chosen as a Fellow of the society in 1999.
Nair holds a doctorate from Pantnagar Agricultural University in India and a doctor of science degree from Goettingen University in Germany. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from Kerala Agricultural University in India. He joined the faculty of UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation in 1987.
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