A West Virginia University environmental biologist known both for his laboratory research and community beautification efforts has been named chairman of the Department of Biology.
Jonathan Cumming, who had served as interim department chair since December, was named to the post Thursday (March 11) by Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Dean M. Duane Nellis.
Dr. Cumming came to WVU in 1995 from the University of Vermont, where he was an associate professor of research. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, and a master’s from the University of New Hampshire. He holds a doctorate from Cornell University. His research focuses on mycorrhizal symbiosis, the organic process which enables plants to surviveand thrivein soils that are weak in nutrients. He has received Outstanding Teacher awards from the Eberly College and WVU Foundation.
In addition to his duties at WVU , Cumming serves on the Morgantown Beautification Commission and is chairman of the Morgantown Tree Board, a volunteer tree-planting organization.
Biology goes beyond the laboratory, Cumming said. It’s also about society and community.
Cloning, stem-cell research, environmental pollution and ozone depletion aren’t just the concerns of the people who wear white lab coats, he said.
Issues involving biotechnology and the environment influence us all every day,he noted.Our faculty strives to educate students about these critical contemporary issues through classroom instruction and research opportunities. Biology is a field that is critical to society.
Cumming’s short-term goals for the department are finishing the chemical hygiene plan, hiring faculty, publishing an alumni newsletter and updating the department Web site. His long-term plans include facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations within the college and University, developing research and teaching clusters of excellence, with foci on biocomplexity in the environment and genomics, and encouraging new and exciting teaching activities, such as a new course on biotechnology and society.
Dr. Nellis said Cumming is a proven administrator who has already shown he can lead the biology department.
And I believe he will lead the department forward in exciting ways,Nellis added.