Environmental health scholar named director of the N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station
Archived article from Mar 6, 2006
By Michele Hujber
Mark G. Robson, associate professor and chair in the department of environmental and occupational health and assistant dean of student affairs at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health, has been appointed director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). The appointment was announced by Robert M. Goodman, executive dean of Rutgers’ Cook College and executive director of NJAES.
As director of NJAES, Robson will have oversight of all NJAES research and extension programs. The appointment will be effective on Sept. 1, 2006.
“This new position at NJAES is part of an ongoing commitment to bring the best in research, education and outreach to the people of New Jersey,” Goodman said. “We are positioning NJAES to be a leader in anticipating and meeting the needs of our state, and that starts with strong, experienced leadership.”
Robson received his bachelor’s of science degree in agricultural science from Cook College, and his master’s of science. and doctoral degrees in plant science from Rutgers’ Graduate School. Early in his career, he held positions with what was then known as Rutgers Cooperative Extension. He has subsequently held positions with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. In 1995, Robson received his M.P.H. in environmental health from UMDNJ-School of Public Health. He has used the breadth of his professional and educational experience to facilitate the integration of graduate programs, coordinate research and public policy interests, and oversee the Scientific Exchange Program as the executive director of the Environmental and Health Sciences Institute.
“As director of NJAES, Mark will be empowered to pursue collaborative, integrative and multidisciplinary research, education and outreach efforts; to coordinate our research and public policy agendas and to expand the scope of our programs throughout the state and beyond,” Goodman said. “With his broad experience with NJAES and Rutgers’ Cook College, state agencies and public health and policy issues, Mark is exceptionally well suited to lead NJAES.”
A longtime veteran of Rutgers, Robson is strongly attuned to the mission and values of NJAES. “My relationship with Rutgers goes back 33 years, four degrees, three jobs and one wife,” Robson said. "It has been a very fruitful and rewarding relationship. This new opportunity is the next step in a long and exciting career here.”
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