Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The head of a major Mississippi State research unit is a newly selected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
GeoResources Institute director David R. Shaw is receiving the highest professional honor the association gives in recognition of efforts to advance science and its applications.
Founded in 1848, the Washington, D.C.-based organization represents more than 120,000 members and publishes the highly regarded journal Science, among many activities.
Shaw has developed a national reputation for his research leadership in the areas of agriculture, food and renewable resources. The institute he leads focuses on understanding natural and managed systems using geospatial technologies.
"This is an outstanding national recognition of Dr. Shaw's professional accomplishments in advancing science," said Kirk Schulz, MSU vice president for research and economic development. "It also validates that his contributions have been recognized by a very distinguished group of peers."
Schulz also is an AAAS Fellow.
Shaw, an Oklahoma State University doctoral graduate, began his career at Mississippi State in 1985 as an assistant professor of weed science. His research focused particularly on optimizing weed management practices to maintain farm productivity while protecting the environment.
Having adopted the use of spatial technologies in his early MSU research, Shaw was named in 1998 as the first director of the new Remote Sensing Technologies Center. As head of the multi-disciplinary GeoResources Institute, which succeeded the RSTC, he has focused on developing applications of spatial technologies in site-specific agriculture and in assessing natural resources.
The institute has received funding from a multitude of federal agencies, including NASA, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Defense, and National Science Foundation.
In 2007, Shaw also was appointed director of the Northern Gulf Institute, a NOAA collaborative that also includes the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State and Florida State universities, and the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory near Mobile, Ala.
The Northern Gulf Institute's work focuses on upland-watershed systems, as well as coastal waters, habitats, resources, and hazards.
Shaw, also a Fellow of the Weed Science Society of America, holds the rank of William L. Giles Distinguished Professor, MSU's highest faculty honor.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.