Virginia Tech Professor of Biological Systems Engineering and Department Head Mary Leigh Wolfe has taken office as 2015-2016 president of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).  

Named an ASABE Fellow in 2006, Wolfe has previously served ASABE on a variety of education and technical committees, as well as the society and foundation boards of trustees. Since 2011, she has been head of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, which is in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering.

Her research and teaching activities have focused on hydrologic modeling, nonpoint source pollution control strategies, and decision support tools for watershed management. She has also advanced engineering education through more than 20 years of leadership in the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc., the accrediting organization for academic programs in engineering, engineering technology, applied science, and computing. She is a fellow of ABET and of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

“I am honored to serve as president of ASABE, an organization whose members are dedicated to making food, water, and energy systems sustainable and secure and to improving and maintaining the quality of the environment,” said Wolfe. “I look forward to working with ASABE colleagues and other partners to further the impact of the Society and its members.”

Through the course of her career, Wolfe has received several individual and team awards, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary’s Honor Award, the Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Natural Resources and Environmental Management Flagship Award, and the College of Engineering Dean’s Award for Outstanding Service. She currently serves on the board of directors and is secretary-elect of ABET.

Wolfe earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. She began her career at Virginia Tech as an associate professor in 1992 and served as the assistant department head for teaching beginning in 2005.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems.

 

 

Written by Amy Loeffler
Share this story