Nusbaum Conference

2005 Nusbaum Program

Speaker Profiles

The NCSU Plant Pathology Nusbaum Symposium series is supported by an endowment established by the late William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Dr. C.J. Nusbaum and his wife, Virginia.

Charles Joseph Nusbaum (1906-1987), was a native of Oregon, and attended Oregon State College. In 1934 he received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin and was later employed by the USDA and Clemson University. In 1948 he joined the faculty at NCSU and was the leader of tobacco disease research until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1973. He was a visiting scientist at the Rothamsted Experiment Station in England for six months in 1966. Dr. Nusbaum developed an international reputation for his pioneering work on the epidemiology of diseases caused by nematodes and the influence of crop rotations on soilborne pathogens. His work remains the foundation of many disease management and advisory systems used in North Carolina and elsewhere, and it represents early recognition of ideas that are the basis of what is now called systems ecology, integrated pest management, and sustainable agriculture. His ability to combine his wealth of experience with unusual insight into abstract principles and practical agricultural problems made Dr. Nusbaum an invaluable resource person.

Dr. Nusbaum's contributions continue to be part of the foundation on which today's Plant Pathology Department maintains its success and reputation. He was a well-known advocate of innovative educational programs to explore important issues in agriculture.

The first Nusbaum Symposium, held in 1983, was entitled "Ecology and Population Dynamics of Soilborne Plant Pathogens" and reflected some of Dr. Nusbaum's career-long interests. Subsequent symposia have focused on recognition and host specificity in plant disease; genetic modification of plants and microorganisms for disease and pest management; biological control of diseases; mycotoxins; sustainable agriculture; and land-grant universities in transition.

Nusbaum Scholars