Department website: http://agriculture.wvu.edu/
Programs of Study
The School of Agriculture and Food is home to the Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences and the Division of Plant and Soil Sciences. The Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences houses majors in Animal & Nutritional Science, Human Nutrition & Food, and Biochemistry. The Division of Plant and Soil Sciences administers majors in Biochemistry, Environmental Microbiology, Environmental, Soil and Water Sciences, Horticulture, and Sustainable Food and Farming. Biochemistry is part of the Intercollegiate Undergraduate Program in Biochemistry, a collaboration between the Davis and Eberly Colleges. As a student in this school, you may pursue a degree that enables you to go to graduate schools and professional programs, study basic sciences and their application, pursue a career in commercial agriculture, or work for federal or state agencies. The pre-professional programs of environmental microbiology and biochemistry, among others, meet requirements for entry into professional school programs such as veterinary and human medicine, allied health professions, the pharmaceutical industry, and other graduate level programs.
Courses that you will take in the school of agriculture depend on a student's particular program. The school of agriculture offers a diverse range of coursework and classes range from environmental microbiology, animal and human nutrition, plant science, and soil science to environmental sciences, entomology, animal production, biochemistry, animal and plant breeding and genetics, food science, animal and plant pathology, physiology, horticulture, and agroecology. To assist in equipping yourself for one of the varied careers in agriculture, you will take supporting courses in other divisions of the Davis College and in other colleges. The programs are flexible and permit you to obtain a broad background and take sufficient courses in one area during the last two years to prepare you for your postgraduate career choice. Other programs are geared towards preparing you to tackle the applied problems found in the agriculture and green industry right out of college.
Pre-Professional Programs (Veterinary Medicine, Human Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, and Allied Health Professions)
The bachelor of science programs in Animal & Nutritional Sciences, Environmental Microbiology, Biochemistry, Human Nutrition & Food, among others, provide students with the academic requirements for entry into professional schools or colleges of veterinary medicine. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Committee has agreements for positions with the School of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine for students who have been a West Virginia resident for at least the past five years at the time of application. Students in Environmental Microbiology can pursue an accelerated environmental microbiology Master’s program that can earn students a Master of Science degree in 5 years facilitating access to professional programs. Because only a limited number of students are accepted into graduate programs and veterinary medicine each year, students are urged to have alternative goals.
Faculty
Division Directors
- Christopher M. Ashwell - Ph.D. (Wake Forest University)
Functional genomics - Sven Verlinden - Ph.D. (Purdue University)
Plant and Soil Sciences
Professors
- Vagner Benedito - Ph.D. - (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
Genetics and developmental biology, plant genomics, functional genetics and plant pysiology - Kenneth P. Blemings - Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin)
Nutritional biochemistry - Scott A. Bowdridge - Ph.D. (Virginia Tech)
Food animal production, parasite immunology - Mirjana Butalovic-Danilovich - Ph.D. (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Extension Specialist, Consumer Horticulture, Master Gardener Program Coordinator - Rakesh Chandran - Ph.D. (Virginia Tech)
Weed management in horticultural systems, IPM, Innovative strategies for week control - Robert A. Dailey - Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin)
Reproductive physiology - Cindy Fitch - Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University)
Human Nutrition - Jacek Jaczynski - Ph.D. (Oregon State University)
Food science and technology - P. Brett Kenney - Ph.D. (Kansas State University)
Meat science - Hillar Klandorf - Ph.D. (British Council for National Academic Awards)
Physiology - Kristen Matak - Ph.D. (Virginia Tech)
Food science and human nutrition - Louis M. McDonald - Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
Soil Science, Soil Chemistry - Joseph S. Moritz - Ph.D. (Kansas State University)
Nutrition and feed manufacture - Daniel Panaccione - Ph.D. (Purdue State University)
Plant Pathology, Mycology, Mycotoxins, Molecular Biology - Yong-Lak Park - Ph.D. (Iowa State University)
Entomology, Geospatial Ecology of Insects, Integrated Pest Management, Spatial Interaction between Insect and Plant Diseases - Jeffrey Skousen - Ph.D. (Texas A&M University)
Soil Science, Land Reclamation, Soil and Water Conservation, Watershed Restoration - Robert L. Taylor, Jr. - Ph.D. (Mississippi State University)
Genetics - James A. Thompson - Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
Soil science, Pedology, Land use - Janet C. L. Tou - Ph.D. (University of Toronto)
Nutrition in bone health and chronic diseases - Matthew E. Wilson - Ph.D. (Iowa State University)
Reproductive Physiology - Jianbo Yao - Ph.D. (McGill University)
Functional genomics
Associate Professors
- Kimberly M. Barnes - Ph.D. (University of Nebraska)
Lipid metabolism - Vagner Benedito - Ph.D. (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
Genetics and developmental biology, Plant genomics, Functional genetics and plant pysiology - Eugene E. Felton - Ph.D. (University of Missouri)
Animal science and ruminant nutrition - Michael Gutensohn - Ph.D. - (University of Cologne, Germany)
Plant biochemistry and genetics, Metabolic engineering, Plant-insect interactions - Matthew Kasson - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
Forest pathology, fungal-insect interactions, fungal phylogenetics - James B. Kotcon - Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin)
Plant Pathology, Agroecology, Nematology, Organic Farming Practices - K. Marie Krause - Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Ruminant nutrition - Ember Morrissey - Ph.D. - (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Environmental microbiology - Melissa D. Ventura-Marra Ph.D., R.D. - (Florida International University)
Diet related health disparities - Melissa Olfert - Dr.P.H., M.S.,R.D. (Loma Linda University)
Human nutrition and foods - Eugenia M. Pena-Yewtukhiw - Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
Soil Science - Cangliang Shen - Ph.D. - (Colorado State University)
Safety of meat and fresh produce - Nicole Waterland - Ph.D. (Ohio State University)
Horticulture, Flower Senescence - Amy Welsh - Ph.D. (University of California-Davis)
Conservation genetics
Assistant Professors
- Michael Gutensohn - Ph.D. (University of Cologne, Germany)
Plant biochemistry and genetics, Metabolic engineering, Plant-insect interactions - Teiya Kijimoto - Ph.D. (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
Evolutionary developmental biology of morphological diversification - Joseph Lynch - Ph.D. - (Washington State University)
Plant biochemistry - Ember Morrissey - Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Environmental microbiology - Ibukun Ogunade - Ph.D. - (University of Florida)
Livestock Production - Carlos Quesada - Ph.D. - (Purdue University)
Entomology, Extension Specialist - Elizabeth Rowen - Ph.D. - (Penn State)
Entomology - Kevin Shaffer - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Livestock Production
Research Associate Professor
- Domingo Jose Mata Padrino - Ph.D. (Universidad Central de Venezuela)
Agronomy
Teaching Professor
- Margaret A. Minch -D.V.M. - (Ohio State University)
Veterinary medicine - Crystal E. Smith - Ed.D. - (West Virginia University)
Equine Management
Teaching Associate Professor
- Nettie Freshour - M.S., R. D. (West Virginia University)
Dietetics (L.D.N.) - Youyoun Moon - Ph.D. (Ohio State University)
Molecular plant science
Teaching Assistant Professor
- Sean Collins - Ph.D. (University of Cincinnatti)
Freshwater ecology - David Davis - Ph.D. (Virginia Tech)
Landscape, turf, specialty crops - Kelli George - Ph.D. (Florida State University)
Dietetics - Cassandra Lamb - Ph.D. (Cornell University)
Biochemistry
Service Assistant Professor
- Nikki Byrne-Hoffman - Ph.D. - (West Virginia University)
WVU Campus Food Garden Co-Director
Visiting Instructor
- Lindsay Livengood - Director of Operations - (West Virginia University)
Hearts of Gold Service Dogs
Visiting Assistant Professor
- John Hando - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Environmental health and safety specialist
Faculty Emeriti
- Barton Baker
- John A. Balasko
- John F. Baniecki
- Bradford C. Bearce
- Alan R. Biggs
- Gary K. Bissonnette
- William B. Bryan
- Linda Butler
- William E. Collins
- Betty J. Forbes
- Thomas C. Griggs
- Mannon E. Gallegly, Jr.
- Henry W. Hogmire
- William H. Hoover
- Robert F. Keefer
- Paul E. Lewis
- William L. MacDonald
- Joseph B. Morton
- M. Zafar Alam Nomani
- Phillip Osborne
- Ronald A. Peterson
- Edward C. Prigge
- John C. Sencindiver
- Alan Sexstone
- Rabindar N. Singh
- Paul M. Smith
- Charles B. Sperow, Jr.
- Wayne R. Wagner
- John Warren
- Richard K. Zimmerman
Adjunct Faculty
- Kayla Bridges - Nutrition and Dietetics
- Jesse Fallon - Veterinary medicine
- Janet Fulton - Animal Genetics
- Joseph Gigliotti - Cellular and molecular physiology
- Michael Glenn - Soil Science
- Ann Hubbs - Veterinary medicine
- Cynthia Huebner - Invasive Plants and Ecology
- Matthew A. Jenks - Plant genetics, specialty crops
- Lee Kass - Plant and Soil Sciences, History of Genetics
- Tracy Leskey - Plant and Soil
- Barbara Jean Meade - Veterinary sciences
- David D. Moran - Hydrodynamics and mathematics
- Stephen S. Miller - Horticulture
- Donald Nuss - Plant Pathology
- Tong-Man Ong - Genetics
- Dale W. Porter - Toxicology
- Umesh Reddy - Genetics
- Caird E. Rexroad III - Genetics
- George R. Seiler - Veterinary sciences
- Chris Skinner - Nutrition
- Alfred H. Stiller - Chemistry
- Richard Turcotte
- Derek Warren - Nutritional Biochemistry
- Richard Z. Woodworth - Agriculture
- Paul F. Ziemkiewicz - Land Reclamation
- Thomas van der Zwet - Plant Pathology