Lindsey Rustad, a faculty associate with the University of Maine School of Forest Resources and a retired research ecologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, will present the Sergei A. Wilde Distinguished Lectureship in Forest and Wildland Soils on Nov. 12 in Salt Lake City.
Rustad’s lecture, “A Wilde Challenge: The Art of Forest Soil Science in a Polycrisis World,” will examine how forest soil science can help address today’s complex environmental challenges, including soil degradation, climate disruption, wildfires, invasive species and emerging pollutants such as microplastics and pharmaceuticals. She will emphasize the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration that includes not only other sciences, but also the arts, humanities and community knowledge.
“This lecture honors the legacy of Sergei A. Wilde while offering a vision for the future of our field — one rooted not only in technical innovation, but in creativity and connection,” Rustad said. “To meet today’s overlapping crises, forest soil science must expand its reach and build partnerships that span disciplines and communities.”
Rustad earned her doctorate in plant science from UMaine in 1988. Over her career, she has authored or co-authored more than 150 research articles and has been recognized nationally and internationally for her work in forest soils, biogeochemistry, climate change research, and the integration of art and science. She is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and a Lyda Hill If/Then ambassador, serving as a role model for women and girls in STEM.
The Sergei A. Wilde Distinguished Lectureship honors leaders in forest and wildland soils who have advanced the field through innovative research, teaching and collaboration.
For more information on the lecture and speakers, visit www.sciencesocieties.org/canvas/speakers.
