�� biologist spotlights threats to wetlands, importance of aquatic plants as final fall Faculty Book Talk

Portrait of Gary Ervin — Gary N. Ervin (Photo by Beth Wynn)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State faculty members continue tackling current issues in this fall’s �� Faculty Book Talk series hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences––this month featuring Gary N. Ervin, professor in ��’s Department of Biological Sciences.

The free and final talk for this semester is this Friday [Nov. 17] at 2:30 p.m. in Old Main Academic Center’s Room 1220 where he will discuss his new textbook “The Biology of Aquatic and Wetland Plants,” a 2023 CRC Press publication.

The first new comprehensive wetland plant textbook written in more than two decades, Ervin’s publication offers a deep dive into the importance of aquatic plants in the ecosystem and focuses on “botanical diversity from the perspective of evolutionary relationships, emphasizing the role of evolution in shaping adaptations to the aquatic environment.”

“The �� Faculty Book Talk series hopes to highlight and celebrate academic books and the �� faculty who write them,” said Eric Vivier, �� associate professor of English and series director.

“Scholarly monographs remain the gold standard of research for many disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences. They represent years of careful thinking, planning and writing; their publication can refresh scholarly conversations and alter intellectual paradigms in ways journal articles cannot. We need academic books, and we need to support those who write them,” said Vivier, faculty fellow with ��’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honor College.

In September, the College of Arts and Sciences hosted Peter DeGabriele, associate professor in ��’s Department of English, who presented selections from his 2023 University of Virginia Press publication “Drone Enlightenment: The Colonial Roots of Remote Warfare.”

Melody Fisher, associate professor in ��’s Department of Communication, presented an October discussion of her book “The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations” (Business Expert Press, 2022).

��’s College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,000 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences can be found at .

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