VP for research names faculty council to promote, foster OSU research

Monday, May 2, 2016

Vice President for Research Kenneth Sewell, Ph.D., has announced the appointment of a Food-Energy-Water Nexus Council to explore and foster research efforts in this area identified as an Oklahoma State University interdisciplinary research strength.

Working with the OSU research community, Sewell has identified areas of interdisciplinary research strengths that align with state and national priorities, as well as with OSU’s unique history, resources, facilities and expertise. The Food-Energy Water (FEW) Nexus is a strength area that embraces the interdependence of these three resources that are vital to human existence and that also are key industries in Oklahoma.

“Society is awakening to the fact that all of the solutions we seek in these critical areas are interconnected,” Sewell explained. “So scientific and technological developments have to keep pace, and society needs to better understand those mutual impacts.”

The Food-Energy-Water Nexus Council will engage OSU researchers to stimulate, promote and expand research collaborations, and provide advice and strategic recommendations to Sewell.

Council Members:

Baski Balasundaram — Analytics
Claude Bess — Land Use (Forestry)
Kitty Cardwell — Director of the National Institute for Microbial Forensics and Food and Agricultural Biosecurity (NIMFFAB)
Dursen Delen — Analytics
Jeff Edwards — Plant Production
Roy Escoubas — Director of the Food and Agricultural Products Center (FAPC)
Garey Fox — Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Center (OWRC)
Duane Gill — Sociology
Karen Hickman — Land Use (Range/Grassland)
Ray Huhnke — Director of the Biobased Products and Energy Center (BPEC)
Phil Kenkel — Agricultural Economics and Policy
Clint Krehbiel — Animal Production
Jack Pashin — Oil & Gas Exploration and Production
Steve Stadler – Climate
Barbara Stoecker — Nutritional Sciences
Jacqueline Vadjunec — Cultural Anthropology
Ron Van Den Bussche — Director of the National Energy Solutions Institute (NESI)

“OSU has broad and deep expertise in food, energy, and water research, as well as in the sociocultural aspects of the nexus points,” Sewell said. “By helping to organize our efforts, the council will play a vital role in ensuring that OSU’s research can create the maximum benefit to Oklahoma and the nation.”

For more information about the Office of the Vice President for Research, visit http://www.vpr.okstate.edu.