David Weindorf, an internationally-recognized research administrator and professor with Texas Tech University's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has been named a 2017 Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The program pairs highly-qualified U.S. academics and professionals like Weindorf with host institutions abroad to share their expertise while building relations, honing skills and gaining international and cultural experiences. The program offers these experiences as short-term projects.

Weindorf will spend approximately two weeks in January at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in West Bengal, India, where he will share his soil science expertise. As a Fulbright Specialist, he will conduct collaborative research and provide training to IIT [Indian Institute of Technology] scientists on advance soil spectroscopy analysis.

"Fulbright is such an amazing opportunity for collaboration," said Weindorf, CASNR's Associate Dean for Research and Tech's B.L. Allen Endowed Chair of Pedology in the Department of Plant and Soil Science. "When you assemble top scientists together in a room and promote open, wide-ranging discussion, science is pushed into new and innovative directions whereby all benefit."

Weindorf has consistently sought new and innovative ways to not only study pedology but also convey issues with the earth's soil. In October, he was recognized as a fellow by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) at a ceremony in Tampa. It is the highest honor the SSSA bestows. He also received the SSSA's Presidential Award for influencing soil science so greatly that the impact of his efforts will be enduring on the future of soil science. As a member of the SSSA, Weindorf has served as the 2016 Pedology section chair and as a past editor of Soil Horizons.

Weindorf, who earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Texas Tech, is an expert on the use of proximal sensors for pedological and environmental quality assessment, working overseas and particularly in Eastern Europe. His research focuses on the development and application of new technologies in field soil survey, land use management and planning, remote sensing, environmental quality assessment, compost science and international translational soil taxonomy.

A previous Fulbright Scholar, he has authored 127 peer-reviewed publications and most recently served as the executive producer of the nationally-acclaimed documentary film, "Between Earth and Sky – Climate Change on the Last Frontier," which explores global climate change through soil science, using footage of the Alaskan wilderness and coastline to illustrate the growing effects of climate change on the arctic soils and ecosystems of Alaska.

More than 400 U.S. faculty and professionals will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Specialist Program. The program, which was founded in 1946, sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development and research, institutional planning and related subjects at academic institutions abroad. Specialists, who represent a wide range of professional and academic disciplines, are competitively selected based on their knowledge, skill sets, and ability to make a significant contribution to projects overseas.

CONTACT: Steven Fraze, Interim Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or steven.fraze@ttu.edu

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