UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- In An Innovative Move Aimed At Strengthening Cooperation And Collaboration Between Agricultural And Environmental Research, Education And Outreach, Penn State's College Of Agricultural Sciences Has Created A New Environment And Natural Resources Institute.

"A major goal of the institute is to increase the visibility, stature and impact of environmental research, education and outreach done by the college in Pennsylvania and beyond," says Robert Steele, dean of the college. "The institute will enhance the effectiveness of our environmental work, and it will promote greater cooperation and collaboration among scientists both within our college and across colleges at Penn State."

William Easterling, director of the Penn State Institutes of the Environment, believes the new initiative by the College of Agricultural Sciences will allow for more effective involvement of agriculture and forest resources faculty in large inter-college research, teaching and outreach efforts. "Agriculture and forestry are two of the most important uses of the environment, figuring prominently in many research areas such as environmental health, water resources, renewable energy, biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity and ecosystems," he says. "This new institute will provide an important cog in the Penn State Institutes of the Environment."

The new institute will be directed by James Shortle, distinguished professor of agricultural and environmental economics, who expects the initiative to emphasize the diversity of the college. "We want to promote the notion that the college can unite our well-known strengths in agriculture with cutting-edge capacity on environmental issues," he says. "We have impressive expertise in forest resources, water resources, ecology, climate change, pollution control and a wide range of environmental topics. The Environment and Natural Resources Institute will focus on allowing our environmental scientists to work in teams to be even more effective by helping faculty and staff to identify complementary work by others in the college."

Creation of the institute, Shortle believes, will yield a higher level of activity in the environmental areas within the college. "It will mean greater integration across the disciplines and a much more exciting and vibrant science community," he says. "The institute will help us bring the expertise of our science colleagues in other colleges into our work, and help us to bring our expertise into their work.

"There is a need to bring science-based environmental policy to state and local agencies and to the citizens of the commonwealth," Shortle continues. "The Environment and Natural Resources Institute will create a mechanism for delivering that kind of information."

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Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877