Source: Chuck Rice, 785-532-2712, cwrice@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/ricebio.html
News release prepared by: Steve Watson, 785-532-7105, swatson@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009

K-STATE'S CHUCK RICE APPOINTED TO PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL BOARD

MANHATTAN -- A Kansas State University scientist has been appointed as a member of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, a major program unit of the National Research Council.

Chuck Rice, university distinguished professor of soil microbiology at K-State, joined the board this year; his term will expire in 2012. The National Research Council functions under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. The four organizations are collectively referred to as the National Academies.

"It is a great honor and responsibility to be a member of the NRC's Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources," Rice said. "The council is committed to providing elected leaders, policymakers, and the public with expert advice based on sound scientific evidence. There has never been a greater need for such advice in regard to agriculture and our natural resources."

Rice has conducted long-term research on soil organic dynamics, nitrogen transformations and microbial ecology. His recent research has focused on soil and global climate change including C and N emissions in agricultural and grassland ecosystems and soil carbon sequestration and its potential benefits to the ecosystem. His research has been supported by more than $15 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and others. He also has more than 100 publications.

Rice is director of the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases; chairs the Commission on Soils, Food Security and Public Health of the International Union of Soil Sciences; is president-elect of the Soil Science Society of America; and is a member of the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Air Quality Task Force. He also is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Rice joined K-State in 1988, was promoted to associate professor in 1993 and to professor in 1998. He was named a university distinguished professor, the university's highest ranking, in 2009.

The mission of the National Research Council is to improve government decision making and public policy, increase public education and understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. The institution works to inform policies and actions that have the power to improve the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world.