Matlock Elected to National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Board

Image by Dwight Tomes, courtesy Council for Agricultural Science and Technology

Marty Matlock, seen in 2018 accepting the Borlaug CAST Communication Award, was recently elected to a three-year term on the Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Marty Matlock, an Arkansas scientist with a national reputation for work in sustainability, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources, or BANR, of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Matlock is a professor of ecological engineering in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture. He was also the founding executive director of the U of A Resiliency Center in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the founder of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability, which is part of the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Division of Agriculture.

BANR responds to requests for studies, workshops, experts and other activities from the public, government, policy makers and the private sector on a broad range of issues related to agricultural production and natural resource stewardship, including forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and land and water use.

"I am honored to be invited to join the community of scientists who support BANR, the unit in the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine responsible for addressing the critical challenges we face in agriculture and natural resource management," Matlock said. "This work helps frame research challenges and expands our understanding of emerging risks and opportunities."

In announcing seven new members and reappointment of six members to a second term, BANR Chairman Charles Rice said the "appointments broaden the knowledge the board can bring to interdisciplinary topics like resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change, and the health and social dimensions of the food system.

"BANR's expertise increasingly reflects a cross-sectoral continuum, from core academic disciplines to translational and entrepreneurial activities," Rice said.

Jean-François Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, offered his congratulations to Matlock on his election to BANR, saying "he will bring value to the board through his vast experience with sustainability and his understanding of the grand challenges facing agriculture.

"His appointment also brings great visibility to the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Division of Agriculture as a whole," Meullenet said.

Lalit Verma, head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in the U of A's College of Engineering and the U of A System Division of Agriculture, said, "Marty is a gifted visionary and thinker who has crafted engineering designs to solve problems related to sustainable food and water systems.

"His vision contributed to the sustainability initiative years ago in our unit, and he envisioned the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture," Verma said.

"I had the good fortune to bring Dr. Matlock to our unit in 2001 and am very proud of all that he has accomplished and contributed to our department, university and the profession," he said.

Matlock's election is the latest in a long string of honors and achievements. Last September, he was appointed senior adviser for food systems resiliency with Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Matlock contributes to the development of standards of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers related to sustainable agricultural and food systems, which have a worldwide following. In 2018, he was recognized with the Bourlag Communication Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. 

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system. The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.