Mary Murphy, BVM, Endowed Biology Lecture at Clarke on March 26

Clarke University’s Mary Murphy, BVM, Endowed Lecture in Biology will take place Tuesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Jansen Music Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, Ph.D. will present the lecture entitled, “Growing our Prairie Roots to Cultivate our Agricultural Future.”

Schulte Moore is a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and associate director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. Her current research addresses the strategic integration of perennials into agricultural landscapes to support new agricultural markets and to meet societal goals for clean water, healthy soils, abundant wildlife, and inspiring recreational opportunities. Schulte Moore is co-founder and co-leader of the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) project, which pioneered the prairie strips conservation practice.

“We felt a prairie topic for the lecture was appropriate given Clarke University’s roots in Mt. St. Joseph on the praire,” said Clarke Professor of Biology Andrea Bixler.

Schulte Moore said, “Iowa is known worldwide as a leading agricultural producer. But Iowa also has a deep prairie heritage. Historically covering about 80% of the state, today you find remnants of the prairie heritage in place names, along roadways, at parks, and in the artwork adorning advertisements and informational brochures.”

While agriculture is key to the state’s economy, Iowans also want the rich soils, clean water, and biodiverse landscapes prairie can provide. Through transdisciplinary projects, Schulte Moore works to improve agriculture by strategically incorporating diverse, deep-rooted, perennial vegetation: prairie. In this lecture, Schulte Moore will discuss the efforts to blend engagement, science, technology, and education to grow our prairie roots and cultivate a better agricultural future for Iowa and beyond.

Schulte Moore has published 68 peer-reviewed scientific articles and more than 30 educational articles. She worked as a post-doctoral associate with the U.S. Forest Service from 2002 to 2003 and joined the Iowa State University faculty in 2003. She earned a B.S. in biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, an M.S. in biology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Ph.D. in forestry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.