Eunice Foster, Ph.D.

Eunice Foster

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Pronouns:
She/Her/Hers

Professor Emeritus- Student recruitment and development; K-20 STEM Education; former research in Crop Physiology
Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences

Email:

Degrees:
Ph.D. in Crop Physiology from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
M.S. in Agronomy from The Ohio State University
B.S. in Elementary Education from Otterbein College

Dr. Eunice F. Foster is a professor and crop physiologist in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University (MSU).  Foster was the first African American and first female associate dean for CANR, serving as Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Certificate Programs and the Director of the Institute of Agricultural Technology from 2002 - 2009.  Foster also was Interim Director of the CANR Office of Diversity and Pluralism from 2005- 2007.  Foster has conducted research on drought resistance and nitrogen utilization in soybean, dry beans, Bambara groundnut, and cover crops in corn, conducting research in Michigan, Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Foster led the administrative establishment and early implementation of the MSU China Turfgrass Program between MSU and several Chinese universities from 2003 – 2009. Foster is a founding member of the national society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) and served as the first National MANRRS President in 1988-89.   Today, MANRRS has over 2,000 members in 55 chapters in colleges and universities throughout the U.S. as well as professional members in academia, industry, government, and NGOs. Foster is the P.I. on a grant from the NSF S-STEM Program entitled “Careers in Food, Energy, and the Environment – an Interdisciplinary Approach,” which conducts research on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of students in the STEM disciplines related to food, energy, and the environment (FEE).  The grant has provided scholarships for 27 undergraduates.  Foster is past president of the MSU Black Faculty, Staff, and Administrators Association (BFSAA), current BFSAA treasurer, and a former member of the MSU Coalition of Racial and Ethnic Minorities (CoREM) leadership team, an organization which she helped revitalize.

Courses Taught:

Previous Research:

Crop physiology, nitrogen partitioning and re-mobilization, physiological mechanisms of drought resistance in legumes.

Current Work:

  • Student recruitment and development.
  • K-20 STEM Education.

Websites of Interest: 

Michigan State University
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