Bumpers College Professor Named Assistant Director of Agricultural Experiment Station

U of A System Division of Ag photo by Fred Miller

Mary Savin, professor of microbial ecology and soil biology, was recently named assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

As an assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Mary Savin will expand collaborative efforts that advance food and agriculture research initiatives on a state and national level.

The microbial ecology and soil biology professor joins experiment station administration in a part-time capacity to help further the mission of the U of A System Division of Agriculture's research arm. Savin will continue her research with the experiment station and maintain her teaching appointment with the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the U of A.

"I am pleased to have Dr. Mary Savin join the Agricultural Experiment Station leadership team on a part-time appointment," said Jean-François Meullenet, director of the experiment station and senior associate vice president for agriculture-research. "Mary will be working on a variety of projects, including Agricultural Experiment Station research initiatives, extramural funding activities and faculty development. I am very thankful for Mary's willingness to work on projects to improve the experiment station." 

Savin also joins Nathan McKinney and Nathan Slaton, both associate vice presidents for agriculture-research, on the experiment station leadership team.

"Mary's research, teaching and service programs have been recognized for their excellence, and she has developed an impressive network of relationships that branch across disciplines, departments and colleges," Slaton said. "Her track record of excellence, collegiality and collaboration make her a great addition to the Agricultural Experiment Station administrative team."

"We have attracted a number of new, well-trained faculty in the last couple of years, and Mary can be a great resource for training and future success," McKinney said.

Savin's collaborative research experiments include food science, chemistry, horticulture and animal science faculty. One of her new projects will explore microbial ecology studies that adapt biomedical microdialysis techniques into agriculture. She is currently developing joint research experiments and pursuing funding sources with Nilda Burgos, professor of weed physiology and molecular biology, and Julie Stenken, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, to determine the feasibility of microdialysis to measure chemical fluxes in the soil rhizosphere in response to stressors.

"We have a lot of great researchers, and I'm excited to take this next step and see how I can work more with the division faculty," Savin said. "We want to strategically move forward with developing partnerships between them that will strengthen our research programs, the Division of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment Station."

Savin joined the Division of Agriculture in 2002 as an assistant professor in the Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department. She was made a professor in 2011, following several years as an associate professor. She earned her doctorate in biological sciences from the University of Rhode Island in 1999. Her extensive list of training includes certifications from the Institute of Professional Environmental Practice, the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America and the Institute of Ecosystems Studies.

She teaches courses in sustainability, soil resources and nutrient cycles, ecosystems, and microbial biology. From 2015 to 2018, Savin was co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center in Fayetteville. 

Among Savin's many awards is the Spitze Land Grant University Faculty Award for Excellence, awarded in February 2022 at the Division of Agriculture's annual Agriculture Awards Ceremony. She was also bestowed with the Jack G. Justus Award for Teaching Excellence in 2016 and the Alumni Advising Award in 2021, both from Bumpers College.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch.

To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system. The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.