Thomasson returns to 91传媒 as agricultural and biological engineering head
Contact: Karen Brasher
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 precision agriculture and cotton ginning expert is the new head of Mississippi State鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
J. Alex Thomasson will take the reins of the 91传媒 department effective July 1, pending approval of the State Board of Trustees, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
A 15-year veteran and current endowed chairholder in Cotton Engineering, Ginning and Mechanization in Texas A&M鈥檚 Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Thomasson is returning to Mississippi State, where he worked early in his career.
Thomasson served as an agricultural engineer and research scientist in the U.S. Cotton Ginning Laboratory for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Stoneville, working closely with faculty in the university鈥檚 Delta Research and Extension Center. Upon completion of his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, he then moved to Starkville where he served on the faculty in 91传媒鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering from 1997-2004.
During his tenure at 91传媒, he also served as agricultural research coordinator for the then Remote Sensing Technologies Center, now the Geosystems Research Institute, a unit of the High Performance Computing Collaboratory.
George Hopper, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, remarked on Thomasson鈥檚 exceptional experience.
鈥淒r. Thomasson is uniquely qualified to lead this department as we advance precision agriculture in teaching, research and extension,鈥 Hopper said. 鈥淭hroughout his career, he has studied a suite of geospatial technologies to advance production for cotton farmers.鈥
91传媒鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is a dual department in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in biological engineering, biomedical engineering and agricultural engineering technology and business.
鈥淒r. Thomasson presents an exciting vision for this diverse and growing department. I look forward to working with him as he leads the department to new heights,鈥 said Bagley College of Engineering Dean Jason Keith.
In addition to teaching responsibilities in the two colleges, department faculty also have appointments in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, where Hopper serves as director, and the 91传媒 Extension Service. Gary Jackson, director of 91传媒鈥檚 Extension Service, said Thomasson鈥檚 understanding of precision agriculture will provide outreach in this burgeoning area.
鈥淎s an expert in precision agriculture, I am confident in Dr. Thomasson鈥檚 leadership to increase our outreach to producers using geospatial technologies for crop management decisions,鈥 Jackson said.
In addition to a Ph.D. from UK, Thomasson earned his master鈥檚 from Louisiana State University and bachelor鈥檚 from Texas Tech University, all in agricultural engineering. In addition to roles in academia, Thomasson retired as Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve with 22 years of service.
A fellow in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Thomasson has been honored numerous times for teaching and research.
For more information on the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, visit . For more information on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Bagley College of Engineering, visit or .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .听听