MSU picks research VP

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A veteran Mississippi State faculty member and research scientist has been chosen as vice president for research and economic development at MSU. David R. Shaw assumes his new duties Jan. 1, pending approval by the board of trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning. He succeeds Kirk Schulz, who left MSU to become president of Kansas State University. Shaw played a key role in the creation of several cross-disciplinary research centers that focus on the applications of remote sensing technology to resource management. Most recently, Shaw spearheaded formation of the NOAA-funded Northern Gulf Institute, a collaborative effort with Louisiana State and Florida State universities, University of Southern Mississippi, and the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory in Alabama. NGI's program office is at Stennis Space Center. It focuses its research efforts on ecosystem management, coastal hazards and mitigation, and climate assessment and modeling. (Source: Starkville Daily News, 12/02/09)