W. Lee Daniels honored with emeritus status
W. Lee Daniels of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech has been conferred the title of Thomas B. Hutcheson Jr. Professor Emeritus of Plant and Environmental Sciences by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 1981, Daniels is internationally recognized for his pioneering research in the reclamation of disturbed lands, particularly those impacted by mining, waste disposal, road building, and other forms of perturbation. He is the author of more than 200 scholarly publications, including more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 book chapters, as well as numerous monographs, abstracts, reviewed proceedings, and conference publications.
At Virginia Tech, Daniels has taught more than 3,000 students basic soil science, geomorphology, soil genesis, wetland soils, and mined land reclamation. He advised and counseled many graduate students during his career, and served as the graduate advisor to more than 15 master’s students and 10 Ph.D. students. He was a committee member for more than 50 other graduate students at the university and many of his former students and post-doctoral associates now hold significant roles at a wide range of national and international university and business settings.
Daniels has received numerous professional honors and awards throughout his career. He was named a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and received the Reclamation Researcher of the Year Award and the Lifetime Contributions Award from the American Society of Reclamation Sciences. Daniels was named the Thomas B. Hutcheson Jr. Professor in 2010 and was reappointed to that position in 2015.
Daniels received his bachelor’s degree in forestry and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in agronomy and soils from Virginia Tech.
