Dr. Tai McClellan Maaz named IPNI Nitrogen Program Director as Dr. Clifford Snyder retires from the International Plant Nutrition Institute

June 26, 2017, Peachtree Corners, GA, USA - Dr. Tai McClellan Maaz has been appointed as Nitrogen Program Director with the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) effective September 1, 2017. Dr. Maaz will be based from IPNI Headquarters in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, U.S.

Dr. Clifford Snyder of Conway, Arkansas, U.S., has served as IPNI Nitrogen Program Director since the Institute’s establishment in 2007. Dr. Snyder was Southeast U.S. Director and previously Midsouth U.S. Director with PPI from 1995 through 2006. Dr. Snyder retires from IPNI on June 30, 2017.

“The IPNI Board of Directors has expressed their gratitude to Dr. Snyder for the significant impact he has had over his 22-year career with IPNI, especially most recently in leading the science of nitrogen management,” said Dr. Terry Roberts, President of IPNI. “The skills and experience that Dr. Maaz brings to the Institute will position her well as she takes over the role and we look forward to her Directorship.”

Prior to Dr. Maaz’s appointment to IPNI, she held a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Post-doctoral Fellowship at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Tai received her Ph.D. from Washington State University (Soil Science) in 2014, her M.Sc. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa-Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences in 2010, and her B.Sc. from the Manoa-Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences in 2007.

More about Dr. Tai McClellan Maaz

Dr. Maaz’s recent post-doctoral fellowship and concurrent research has been focused on the management of nitrogen to minimize losses and improve use within cereal-based agronomic systems including the dryland winter wheat grown in the Palouse region of the northwestern U.S. Dr. Maaz’s Ph.D. research led to recommended economic optimal nitrogen rates for canola in Eastern Washington. She also examined the impact of nitrogen supply, available water, and rotational effects on nitrogen use efficiency. As a Ph.D. student, she received training in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrated Graduate Education Research Training (IGERT)’s Nitrogen Systems: Policy-oriented Integrated Research and Education (NSPIRE) program. She presently belongs to the Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, as well as the Center for Environmental Research, Education and Outreach at Washington State University.

More about Dr. Clifford Snyder

Dr. Snyder gained an early passion for soil science and environmental stewardship on his family farm. Prior to working for the Institute, Dr. Snyder was state soils specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service from 1984 to 1995. Dr. Snyder was also elected and served as President of the Arkansas Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists from 1990-1991. As IPNI Nitrogen Program Director, Dr. Snyder coordinated the Institute’s dealings with environmental issues related to nitrogen fertilizer use in agriculture on a global scale. Dr. Snyder was appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Hypoxia Advisory Panel in 2006. In 2008, he was appointed to the U.S. EPA Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee. He is also an invited contributor to and reviewer within the USDA, U.S. EPA, Field to Market Sustainability Alliance, and other organizations. He is a member of the Science Advisory Committee of the International Nitrogen Initiative, and an invited member of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Steering Committee addressing global nitrous oxide emissions.

Dr. Snyder was elected Fellow in the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) in 2009, and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) in 2002. In 2012, he received the Soil Science Industry and Professional Leadership award from the SSSA. In 2017, he will receive the 2017 ASA Distinguished Service Award. He was the 2000 Chair of the SSSA Division on Nutrient Management and Soil and Plant Analysis, and 2006 Chair of ASA Division on Professional Practitioners. He served on the International Certified Crop Adviser Board from 2004 to 2007 and holds membership in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, the International Fertilizer Society, the American Geophysical Union, and other scientific organizations.

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IPNI Contacts: Dr. Terry Roberts, IPNI President; Phone: 770.447.0335; E-mail: info@ipni.net;
or Gavin Sulewski, IPNI Editor; Phone: 770.825.8080; E-mail: gsulewski@ipni.net