FORESTRY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Professor and Faculty Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Assistant Professor of Soil Management
Dr. Amir Sadeghpour is an Assistant Professor of Soil Management and Integrated Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
He earned his Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts Amherst in Plant and Soil Sciences. Prior to moving to SIU, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Virginia Tech, and Cornell University.
Sadeghpour, A., Q.M. Ketterings, G.S. Godwin, K.J. Czymmek. 2017. Impact of manure management on soil test phosphorus dynamics in a long-term corn-alfalfa rotation. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 37: 8. doi:10.1007/s13593-017-0416-z
Sadeghpour, A., M. Hashemi, E. Jahanzad, S.J. Herbert. 2015. Switchgrass stand density and yield as influenced by seedbed preparation methods in a sandy loam soil. Bioenergy Research 8: 1840-1846.
Hosseinirad, A., M.R. Chaichi, A. Sadeghpour. 2013. Response of alfalfa seed yield and yield components to phosphorus fertilizing systems and seeding rate in semi-saline conditions. Plant Nutrition 36:491-502.
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Second - Generation Plant Pathologist
Dr. Bond resides in Marion, Illinois with her husband, Dr. Jason Bond who is a Professor at SIUC. Jason is a second-generation plant pathologist, and his research program at SIUC focuses on the management of corn and soybean diseases.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Agricultural
- Associate Professor, Agriculture Economics
Dr. Jebaraj Asirvatham (Jeb) is Associate Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the Department of Agribusiness Economics. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics in 2011 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining SIU, Dr. Jeb worked as an Instructor and as a post-doctoral research associate in the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. His primary research interests are Consumer Economics, Health Economics, and Nutrition and Health Behavior. Currently, he is researching causal effects of school food environment and peers on childhood obesity. He has received two international awards.
Asirvatham, Jebaraj and Paul McNamara. Consumer heterogeneity in sugar consumption with special reference to fat and cholesterol intake. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition (2017), 69(1), 108-116.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Assistant Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Dr. Karla Gage is Assistant Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology with a focus in Weed Ecology in 2013. She holds a cross-appointment between the College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems and the College of Science, Department of Plant Biology. She has experience working with weed management research, planning and control in agricultural, grassland, forest, and aquatic ecosystems.
Dr. Gastal's current areas of research are ovarian folliculogenesis, reproductive physiology and endocrinology, assisted reproductive technologies, and reproductive ultrasonography with the primary goal of using the mare and the cow as research experimental models for comparative studies of ovarian function, obesity and aging in women.
Gastal, E. L., & Gastal, M. O. (2012). Clinical use of B-mode and color-Doppler ultrasonography to evaluate preovulatory follicle status in mares. Clinical Theriogenology 4(3):359-370.
Jacob, J. C., Haag, K. T., Santos, G. O., Oliveira, J. P., Gastal, M. O., & Gastal, E. L. (2012). Effect of embryo age and recipient asynchrony on pregnancy rates in a commercial equine embryo transfer program. Theriogenology 77(6):1159-1166.
Gastal, E. L. (2009). Recent advances and new concepts on follicle and endocrine dynamics during the equine periovulatory period. Animal Reproduction 6(1):144-158.
Gastal, M. O., Gastal, E. L., Kot, K., & Ginther, O. J. (1996). Factors related to the time of fixation of the conceptus in mares. Theriogenology 46(7):1171-1180.
Santos, G. F., Henry, M., Sampaio, I. B. M., & Gastal, E. L. (1995). Effect of cooling system and rate of cooling on sperm quality of donkey semen preserved at 5°C. Biology of Reproduction (Mono. 1):761-767.
Gastal, E. L. (1993). Main characteristics of embryonic and early fetal development in Jennies Revista Brasileira de Reprodução Animal 2:64-76.
Dr. Apgar received his graduate degrees from Virginia Tech in ‘91 and '94 in swine nutrition.
He arrived at SIUC in 1998 after 4 years in the feed and production areas of the swine industry. He entertains a Research and Production Experience for undergraduates interested in pursuing employment in the swine industry, both at the SIU Farms and with offsite swine production partners.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Member of the Agricultural Systems and Education Faculty Team
Dr. Heavner is from Valmeyer, Illinois. He completed his B.S. at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Howard completed both his Masters and Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He taught high school agriculture at Valmeyer for 33 years.
After retiring from teaching in 2015, he returned to SIU and earned his Ph.D. in 2018. Dr, Heavner served as the president of the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers in 2010. He has been working as an instructor of Agricultural Education at SIU since 2016. Dr. Heavner has served as the parliamentarian of the Illinois FFA Convention since 2017.
Job Titles:
- Director, School of Agricultural Sciences
Dr. Altman grew up on a mixed, grain and beef, farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and received a BA (Double Honors) in Economics and Political Science and an MSc in Agricultural Economics. He completed his Phd at the University of Missouri in Agricultural Economics in 2005. He is married with two sons.
Altman, Ira. and Amy McMorrow Hunter. The Employment and Income Effects of Cleaner Coal: the Case of FutureGen and Rural Illinois. Journal of Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. In Press. November 2014.
D Zhou, S Lezmi, H Wang, J Davis, W Banz, and H Chen 2013 Fat Accumulation in the Liver of Obese Rats is Alleviated by Soy Protein Isolate through the Restoration of the Wnt/β- Catenin Signaling. Obesity (Silver. Spring)
Faulkner, M.J., P.M. Walker, R.L. Atkinson, L.A. Forster, K.L. Jones, and J.M. Carmack. 2012. Effects of low fat, modified wet distiller's grain with solubles on the performance of limit-fed beef cows. Prof Anim Sci. 28:604-611.
Dr. Jones hobbies include swimming, quilting, gardening and walking her dogs. She is married with two children and one grandson. She is a reproductive physiologist and molecular geneticist.
Dr. Mek sem joined the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at SIU as an Assistant Professor from 2000 to 2005, then as Associ ate Professor from 2005 to 2008, and was promoted to full Professor in 2009. He published more than 60 refereed manuscripts, 3 book chapters; Dr. Meksem edited 3 books and was awarded 4 patents on his work on disease resistance genes in potato and soybean. He serves as an editor and ad hoc reviewer for a number of international scientific journals as well as for national, federal and international granting agencies.
Jürgen Paal, Heike Henselewski, Jost Muth, Khalid Meksem, Cristina M. Menéndez, Francesco Salamini, Agim Ballvora, Christiane Gebhardt (2004) Molecular cloning of the potato Gro1-4 gene conferring resistance to pathotype Ro1 of the root cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis, based on a candidate gene approach The Plant Journal 38:285-97
Dr. Joseph is a graduate of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, M.S. Agribusiness Economics/M.B.A. program and earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2014.
Dr. Joseph's work experience includes marketing, commodity brokerage, and several years of teaching and applied economic research in academia.
Jahanzad, E., A. Sadeghpour, M.B. Hosseini, M. Hashemi, A.V. Barker. 2014. Silage yield and quality of millet-soybean intercrops as influenced by nitrogen fertilization and row arrangement. Agronomy Journal 106: 1993-2000.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Agricultural Systems and Education Faculty Team
- Senior Lecturer
Job Titles:
- Research Award for Outstanding Graduate Student, Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1999, USA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Agricultural Systems and Education Faculty Team
Sadeghpour, A., M. Hashemi, S.J. Herbert. 2014. A simple vigor test for adjusting switchgrass seeding rate in fertile and marginal soils. Grassland Science 60: 252-255.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Practice
Dr. Sarah Bond is certainly no stranger to Illinois Agriculture. Born and raised in east central Illinois, Iroquois County, she was actively involved in 4-H for 12 years and the FFA for 6 years. Dr. Bond attributes a great deal of her educational and leadership success to the opportunities in agriculture and these organizations.
Serving as the State FFA Secretary-Treasurer in 1991-92 allowed Dr. Bond to travel the state speaking with high school students, business leaders and educational institutions regarding the importance of American Agriculture and Agriculture Education. Interning at the Illinois Farm Bureau during the summer of 1993, for the Young People's Division, instilled her passion for working alongside Illinois Farm Bureau.
She completed her Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Economics, Master of Science in Agricultural Education and Mechanization and her PhD in Workforce Education and Development, specializing in Education, Training and Development, all from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Additionally, Dr. Bond has earned a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Strategic Management with a Leadership Concentration from Oakland City University.
Dr. Still was born in Champaign, Il and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his BS in agriculture with a minor in agriculture education at The Ohio State University before teaching high school agriculture for eight years in central Ohio, during which he earned his M.Ed.
He earned his MS in crop sciences and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Illinois. For four years Dr. Still served as assistant professor of horticulture at Murray State University before accepting the position of assistant professor of Agriculture Education at SIUC.
Neese, S.L., R.W. Clough, W. J. Banz, and D.C. Smith. 2010. Z-Bisdehydrodoisynolic acid (Z-BDDA): an estrogenic seco-steroid that enhances behavioral recovery following moderate fluid percussion brain injury in male rats. Brain Res. 1362:93-101
Dr. Banz's specialization is in Nutrition Physiology, focusing primarily on the relationship amongst the bioactive agricultural components of functional foods, health and gene-nutrient interaction.
Much of his research is concentrated on the health of soybeans, soybean phytochemicals and synthetic estrogens ranging across a wide spectrum of topics, from basic mechanistic and preclinical animal research to applied human studies. Dr. Banz teaches undergraduate and graduate courses.