Academic Report of College of Agricultural Sciences

Provost Hiring Initiative funding provided the College with 5 new faculty positions in addition to 7 new positions funded by AgSci to strengthen programs across the state. Among the new hires are:

• Leigh Torres, studying geospatial ecology of marine megafauna, directed toward improving conservation management of protected species. (COMES)
• Sergio Arispe, studying rangeland plant communities, directed toward how grazing affects revegetation following wildfire. (Malheur)
• Valtcho Jeliazkov, the new Director of the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, focusing on improving the sustainability of winter wheat production in the region.