Virginia Tech soil scientist Marcus Alley named AAAS Fellow
Marcus M. Alley of Blacksburg, Va., the W.G. Wysor Professor Emeritus of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Alley was selected for the honor, AAAS’ highest, by his peers “for contributions to increased productivity of agro-ecosystems for food, feed, and fiber production with reduced environmental impacts, and leadership of the American Society of Agronomy.”
Alley is among 503 new Fellows who will be honored on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the 2011 AAAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
“Dr. Alley has made significant national and international contributions in the area of plant nutrition, nutrient use, and soil-crop management systems. His research endeavors have helped improve the profitability of small grain and corn producers in Virginia and beyond,” said Alan Grant, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1977, Alley has been responsible for a number of significant research accomplishments that have enhanced production and profit for agricultural producers, especially in Virginia and its neighboring states. Alley has supported his research program with more than $3 million in grant funding, and his career accomplishments include 61 refereed journal articles, four book chapters, 28 peer-reviewed Extension publications, 77 published abstracts, and more than 200 presentations at scientific and professional meetings.
Alley has received numerous awards for research and extension accomplishments, including being named a Fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He has served as president of the American Society of Agronomy.
In addition, he has taught undergraduate courses in soil fertility and management and graduate courses in soil-plant relationships. He has contributed significantly to Virginia Cooperative Extension efforts by training and supporting extension agents and agribusiness, government, and agency personnel in new procedures for improving nutrient use efficiency and continuous no-till crop production.
Alley received his bachelor’s degree from Berea College and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org). AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million.
