Prominent environmental soil scientist to speak at K-State

Media Relations and Marketing
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-0117
Phone: 785-532-6415
Fax: 785-532-6418

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

News release prepared by: Steve Watson, 785-532-7105

Monday, March 12, 2007

PROMINENT ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENTIST TO SPEAK AT K-STATE

MANHATTAN -- Environmental soil scientist Andrew Sharpley will be at Kansas State University to present a seminar, "Agricultural Phosphorus and the Environment: Challenges to Science, Practice and Policy," at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, in Throckmorton Hall Room 1018. The seminar is this year’s Roscoe Ellis Soil Science Lecture in K-State's department of agronomy. Refreshments will be served at 3:30 p.m. in Throckmorton 1013.

Sharpley, originally from Manchester, England, is director of the newly formed Watershed Research and Education Center at the University of Arkansas, and former soil scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.

He is known in the area of phosphorus management for water quality. During his 25-year career, Sharpley has developed practical new methods of measuring phosphorus runoff into surface water and its effect on algal blooms. His methods have now become widely used, and have helped select best management practices for reducing phosphorus runoff in agriculture and protecting water quality. Sharpley's research has focused on achieving results that are both economically beneficial to producers and environmentally sound. His findings have been used to set national policy.

The Roscoe Ellis Soil Science Lecture series in the department of agronomy was established to enhance the training of soil scientists at K-State by inviting prominent scholars to speak. The lecture series honors the name of Roscoe Ellis Jr., a long-time professor of agronomy at K-State.