Nelson Seminar to highlight contributions of MSU faculty members

Contact: Maridith Geuder

The contributions of two Mississippi State scientists will be highlighted Tuesday [March 4] in the university's annual Lyle Nelson Lecture Series.

During a public presentation beginning at 2 p.m. in Dorman Hall auditorium, Auburn University professor Graeme Lockaby will discuss "A Perspective on the Contributions of Lyle Nelson and George Switzer to Forest Soil Science."

Nelson, for whom the lecture series is named, is a retired MSU soil scientist now residing in Starkville, while Switzer was a forestry professor at the land-grant university. Both they and their graduate students have been recognized for major contributions to the fields of forest biogeochemistry and productivity.

Lockaby, who received a doctorate at MSU in 1981 after working with the scientists, is a professor of forest biology in Auburn's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and a nationally recognized authority in floodplain ecosystems. His research is widely published, including contributions to the Journal of Environmental Quality and the Soil Science Society of America Journal.

He completed his undergraduate and master's degrees at Clemson University.

For more information on the program, telephone (662) 325-2311.