August 13, 2009

Four join College of Agricultural Sciences faculty

by K.C. Jaehnig

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The College of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale welcomes Ruplal Choudhary, Jeremy E. Davis, Logan O. Park and Brian Small as new faculty members this academic year.

Choudhary, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems, earned his doctorate from Oklahoma State University in 2004. He did post-doctoral work at both the University of Manitoba and South Dakota State University. Choudhary will teach courses in automation, processing systems, food and pharmaceutical packaging and operations management in addition to advising students interested in food and process engineering technology. His research focuses on all aspects of food processing and packaging. He is particularly interested in microbial food contamination.

Davis, registered dietitian and an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, finished his doctorate last December at Iowa State University, working there as a graduate research assistant before coming to SIUC. He will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in human nutrition and dietetics while doing research on obesity.

Park, an assistant professor in the Department of Forestry, comes to the University from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, after completing his doctorate there earlier this month. He will teach park and wildland management, environmental interpretation, introduction to forest recreation and run a park and wildland recreation summer camp. Park’s research interests include the impact of recreation on ecology and computer modeling techniques, including animation.

Small, an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, graduated from the University of Maryland’s doctoral program in 1998 and went on to become a research physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture specializing in catfish genetics. He recently served as the interim director of the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture in Leetown, W. Va. At SIUC, he will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the physiology, growth and development of farm animals, mammalian endocrinology and a senior/graduate-level course in aquaculture.