Dr. James Moyer Selected as 2012 Outstanding Alumnus

James Moyer and his wife Mary visited Penn State and the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology from October 18 till October 20. During the visit, he presented a seminar on "Leadership in a Changing World" and met with graduate students and faculty to discuss research and career goals. Dr. Moyer is a recognized international leader in the field of Plant Pathology. His career has spanned basic and applied science and he is recognized for his expertise in plant virology and his work on transgenic plant resistance and genomic fingerprinting of new cultivars. His leadership in science has been recognized by his election as President of the American Phytopathological Society (APS) and his continued work to direct national science policy through APS.

Dr. James W. Moyer received his M.S. degree in Plant Pathology from Penn State University in 1973 studying the effects of air pollutants and pesticides on ornamental plants with Dr. Herb Cole. He then worked on characterization and immunological identification of mushroom viruses with Dr. Sam Smith earning his Ph.D. in plant virology in 1975. In 1976, Dr. Moyer was hired into the Department of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University (NCSU) as a plant virologist. Dr. Moyer's academic leadership abilities were recognized in 1994-97 when he was asked to serve as Department Head to the Department of Biochemistry at NCSU. In 2002, Jim hired as the Head of the Department of Plant Pathology at NCSU, a position that he still holds today. In 2001, Dr. Moyer was named a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society. This is the highest honor bestowed on APS members for meritorious service and achievement in their discipline. From 2006 to 2010, Dr. Moyer served as an officer in the APS society and presided as President of APS at the annual meeting in 2009. He continues to be a leader in plant sciences at the national level serving on several national APS and USDA committees.

We are very proud to acknowledge Dr. Moyer for his professional successes in Plant Pathology and to recognize him as one of our Outstanding Alumni from the Plant Pathology Graduate Program at Penn State University.

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For more information about Dr. James Moyer and his research, please visit the following website: http://plantpath.cals.ncsu.edu/faculty/james-w-moyer