Gibson assumes post as head of Tech Forestry by Ray Newbold Dr. Mark Gibson has assumed the helm as Director of the School of Forestry at Louisiana Tech University. Gibson came to Tech as an Assistant Professor of Forest Products in 1982. He served as Interim Director of the School from 2001 to 2003 and as Associate Director from 2003 until his present appointment. Gibson is native of Virginia. He earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Clemson University and his Ph.D. from Oregon State University. Gibson will lead a faculty of ten and a student enrollment of approximately 115. The School offers three Bachelor degrees; Forestry, Wildlife Conservation, and Geographic Information Science (GISc). The degree in Forestry is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). SAF is recognized as a programmatic accrediting organization by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Also offered at Louisiana Tech is a distance learning (Internet based) program in GISc leading to a non-degree certificate. The GISc program is supported by Spatial Data Laboratory facilities and global positioning (GPS) field units for student instruction. The GISc degree program is an interdisciplinary program in conjunction with the Social Science Department in the College of Liberal Arts. The School of Forestry administers the Natural Resources concentration portion of the program. Gibson and his faculty are preparing for an on-site accreditation visit by the SAF in the Spring of 2010. An Advisory Board with representatives from the forest industry, government agencies, and other employers and stakeholders will meet and advise the School as issues and future directions are assessed. Research projects currently underway in the School address evaluating the forest resource base in the West Gulf region, enhancing habitat that benefits birding trails, determining tree stress by detection using unmanned remote sensing, and studying the forest dynamics of mixed stands in the southern region. Also, new faces are replacing retiring faculty. Wesley Palmer came on board in the Fall, 2008 from Florida State University and is teaching topics in the GISc program. Dr. Michael Tyree joined the faculty in January, 2009 with a B.S. degree from Penn State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Virginia Tech University. He will be teaching and doing research on the effects of intensive silviculture on soil biology, carbon retention, soil respiration, and plant nutrient availability. The School of Forestry has a continuous student recruitment effort. Members of the faculty make visits to high schools and provide information displays at festivals and professional meetings. Information on the programs and activities of the School of Forestry can be provided by calling the School at 318-257-4985 or by email at mgibson@latech.edu . The web page at http://www.forestry.latech.edu is also a good source of information. |