10/08/1991

AU Scientists Attend AG Experiment Station Leadership Course

AUBURN, Ala.—Three scientists working in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES), Dr. Dean Gjerstad, Dr. Joe Touchton and Dr. Charles Gilliam, participated in a week-long workshop in Indianapolis, Ind., that was designed to increase their leadership capabilities.

The workshop, held Sept. 28 through Oct. 4, is the first phase in a three-part Leadership Development Course for State Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES) scientists. Sponsored by the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) and the USDA Cooperative State Research Service, the Development Course spans nine months and will include other workshops and also in-service work for the scientists.

"This is an excellent opportunity for future research leaders because the course will provide an opportunity to learn about leadership and how to be more effective in leadership roles," said Dr. Gale Buchanan, director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Ga., and chairman of the ESCOP Leadership Development Subcommittee. The program also allows the participants to continually improve their current leadership skills, he added.

Gjerstad is a professor in the School of Forestry at Auburn who, through his AAES work, has developed a cooperative research program with federal and State agencies, forest industries, and research companies. He also is director of the A.U. Forest Regeneration Center.

Touchton is professor and head of the Agronomy and Soils Department at Auburn. His AAES research efforts have focused on fertilizer management for crops grown in reduced tillage and multiple cropping systems.

Gilliam is a professor in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn where his AAES studies have concentrated on developing weed control strategies of container-grown ornamentals in the southern United States.

The participation of these three scientists in the Leadership Course is being sponsored by the AAES.

-30-

By:
Katie Smith