By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Mary Collins mec@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1951 ext. 244
Ramesh Reddy krr@ufl.edu, (352) 392-1803 ext. 317
GAINESVILLE, FLA.—Mary Collins, a professor of soil science at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been elected president of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), becoming the first woman to lead the 5,700-member international organization.
Her election is a three-year commitment serving on the SSSA executive committee as president-elect, president and past-president.
Collins joined the faculty in the UF soil and water science department in 1981. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the department, she serves as undergraduate coordinator and conducts research on soils.
Her professional experience includes serving as an officer in the International Union of Soil Science as well as a member of the National Academies/National Committee for Soil Science. She is a fellow in both SSSA and the American Society of Agronomy.
Ramesh Reddy, chairman of the soil and water science department, said UF can be proud of Collins’ many professional accomplishments, and her election to lead to the society will bring increased visibility to UF and IFAS research and education programs.
Collins completed her bachelor’s degree in agronomy and soils at Cornell University, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in pedology at Iowa State University.
She said the primary purpose of the SSSA is to advance the discipline and practice of soil science by acquiring and disseminating information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bio-remediation, waste management and recycling, water quality and land use.
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