Shane named interim SWMREC director
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EmailBill Shane has been appointed interim center coordinator of the Michigan State University (MSU) Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC), effective April 1.
Bill Shane has been appointed interim center coordinator of the Michigan State University (MSU) Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC), effective April 1.
Shane is an MSU researcher and Extension tree fruit specialist with emphasis on peaches, apples, pears, plums and cherries. He has worked at SWMREC since 2002. He replaces Tom Zabadal who announced his plan to step down as SWMREC center coordinator in December 2015. Zabadal will devote himself full-time to research and Extension work in grapes.
“Dr. Shane has conducted fruit tree research from breeding and new rootstock evaluations to disease management and predictive pest modeling,” said Douglas D. Buhler, director of MSU AgBioResearch. “We’re pleased he has agreed to take on this interim position and oversee the research and outreach activities at the southwest research center.”
Shane earned his bachelor’s degree in botany and plant pathology from Michigan State University, his master’s in plant pathology from North Carolina State University and his Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Minnesota.
He started work at MSU in in 1992 as a district extension educator after 5 years at Ohio State University as an assistant professor in plant pathology.
SWMREC, a 350-acre facility, is one of the most diverse of the 13 outlying research centers operated by MSU. Research focuses on production of an array of vegetables and fruits, along with woody ornamentals and Christmas trees, and field crop trials.
