Dr. Pengyin Chen Named CSSA Fellow

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Pengyin Chen, professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences and soybean breeder for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, was elected a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America.  The society’s highest honor, it was awarded to Chen Nov. 3 during the CSSA’s annual meeting in Long Beach, Calif.

Chen has implemented one of the nation’s top soybean breeding programs as part of a comprehensive research program encompassing soybean cultivar breeding, germplasm enhancement, seed quality improvement and molecular marker development. During the past decade he has released 14 new soybean cultivars and eight germplasm lines.

He has also developed and identified edamame types and provided the basis for a new industry for the state. This program included the 2012 release of “UA Kirksey,” the first edamame vegetable soybean variety developed in the United States and licensed for commercial production.

Chen has remained a prolific writer amid his research, publishing nine book chapters and 161 refereed journal articles while receiving grants totaling $8.3 million in research funding.

Members of the Society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Up to 0.3 percent of the society’s active and emeritus members may be elected Fellow.

The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) is a progressive international scientific society that fosters plant science for a better world. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, and founded in 1956, CSSA has more than 5,000 members working to advance the field of crop science. Society members are dedicated to the conservation and wise use of natural resources to produce food, feed, fiber, fuel, and pharmaceutical crops while maintaining and improving the environment.

CSSA holds its annual meetings in conjunction with the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America, separate organizations that share common interests. Chen was elected a Fellow of the ASA in 2013.

News releases and photos are available online at
http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/392.htm

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.