COLLEGE STATION - Dr. Thomas Gerik has been appointed as the resident director of the Texas A&M University System Blackland Research and Extension Center in Temple.
Gerik has served as interim director of the center for 10 months. The Blackland center is one of 13 off-campus centers associated with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
“Dr. Gerik has a long and distinguished career as a scientist,” said Dr. Elsa Murano, vice chancellor of agriculture, Texas A&M Agriculture, and director of the Experiment Station. “He has done an excellent job of administering the research program at the center while serving as interim resident director.”
Faculty at the Blackland center conduct research and educational programs. The center employs 13 scientists and has an annual budget of $3 million. It is internationally recognized for its efforts in developing agricultural and natural resource simulation models to address issues associated with quality and quantity of water, soil and air, Gerik said.
The Blackland center shares space with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service’s Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory and is closely tied to programs affiliated with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, who are also located at the center
Scientists from the Blackland center and the USDA agencies are currently engaged in the Conservation Effects Assessment Program, a project to document national environmental and economic impacts of soil and water conservation programs administered by USDA, Gerik said.
Scientists and programs at the Blackland center also support Texas Cooperative Extension’s efforts to improve the productivity and profitability of the area’ s major field crops. They assist Bell County with internet and data connectivity and in distant education and technology training for residents of Central Texas, he said.
“Our team of scientists focuses on the development and application of computer models and decision tools and other aids,” Gerik said. “We also train scientists, teachers, students and our agency stakeholders to use these tools and related computer technologies.”
Software developed at the center includes CroPMan (Crop Production Management Model), WinEPIC (Windows: Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator), the Crop Weather Analyzer, and the Agriculture Policy Extender (APEX).
Gerik earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Texas Tech University and a doctorate from the University of Nebraska.
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