Curriculum Vitae: Mary Scholes
PERSONAL DETAILS
Mary Catherine Scholes (neé Collins)
Born 30 September 1957 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Married to Dr Robert John Scholes, a plant ecologist. One son (14 years old). Currently resident at 15 Northumberland Rd, Kensington, Johannesburg, South Africa.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
1977 BSc (Botany & Microbiology), University of the Witwatersrand
1979 BSc Honours (Botany), University of the Witwatersrand
1988 PhD (Plant Physiology), University of the Witwatersrand
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Period Position Employer
1986 Post-doctoral Fellow Soil Science Dept. North Carolina, USA
1987-1989 Researcher Botany Dept. Wits Univ.
1994 Visiting Researcher NREL,Colorado State University
1989-1995 Lecturer Botany Dept. Wits Univ.
1996-1997 Senior lecturer Botany Dept. Wits Univ.
1997-1998 Associate professor Botany Dept. Wits Univ.
Jan - June 1999 Head Botany Dept. Wits Univ
July 1999-2002 Associate Professor Animal, Plant& Environmental Sciences, Wits Univ.
2002-present Full professor Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Wits Univ.
2006-present Assistant Dean Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Science and the co- founder of the Postgraduate Project Office, Wits Univ
EXPERIENCE, REPUTATION AND PARTICIPATION IN THE PROFESSION
Over the last ten years I have focussed my research in four main areas. These activities include
i) Improving the productivity and sustainability of South African plantation forests and natural savanna ecosystems by applying ecosystem based scientific approaches,
ii) Improving the understanding, at the process level, of the factors controlling carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur cycling in ecosystems. This includes research studies on soil and water acidification as well as climate change and impacts in Southern Africa.
iii) The development of a strong, cohesive disciplinary postgraduate school and research network of national and international scientists in which I act as both a supervisor and advisor.
iv) To position the University of the Witwatersrand as a research intensive University through enriching the lives of Postgraduate in all five Faculties.
My initial training at the University of the Witwatersrand was in plant physiology, understanding the dynamics of nitrogen nutrition in agricultural systems. This fundamental physiological training has allowed me to move seamlessly from soil to plant to atmospheric studies applying my knowledge of biochemistry to a wide range of disciplines. Postdoctoral studies in the Soil Science Department at North Carolina State University, USA deepened my knowledge of soil biology and chemistry. Research work on nutrient cycling in savannas and involvement in the Southern African Fire Atmosphere Research Initiative (SAFARI) in 1992 and 2000, which were international collaborative research programmes examining the impact of biomass burning on gas emissions and atmospheric chemistry, positioned me to bring together aspects of nutrient cycling with soil and plant biology. My knowledge of plant biochemistry and soil nitrogen transformations placed me in an unique position to make a substantial contribution to understanding and quantifying NOx emissions, generated by bacterial biochemical pathways. Further studies, in 1994, on trace gas emissions as a result of biological processes, at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research and the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, USA enhanced my understanding of biosphere-atmosphere interactions. In 1996, I was approached by Sappi, to expand my work on nutrient cycling into plantation forestry. Sappi endowed my position at Wits from 1996-2006. As the leader of the Nutrient Cycling Research Programme dealing with plantation forestry and savanna ecology, I developed an understanding of the processes controlling the inputs and outputs of nutrients to ecosystems. This understanding can then be used to improve management practices and guide policy development. I was appointed, from 2006-2009, (together with Prof Janks from the Faculty of Humanities) for 50% of my time to develop the Postgraduate Project Office. I have published 72 peer-reviewed journal articles and 24 book chapters. In the last 15 years, 44 MSc and PhD students and 26 Honours students, under my supervision, have been awarded their degrees. I took a year of sabbatical in 2010. I am currently supervising 4 MSc and PhD students. I have given 37 invited lectures in the last 6 years at various international and national conferences and symposia. Significant funding (approx R700, 000) is raised per year for research from a variety of donors. European Union Funding was obtained in 2011 for Climate Change Research and Education in Africa.
I believe that I have developed skills, which allow me to make significant contributions to these research activities. My strengths lie in good teaching, implementing research ideas, collecting the necessary data and making sure that the product is delivered. I have also developed skills in leadership, decision-making, critical appraisal and synthesizing information. These skills have been recognised nationally and internationally by the following:
AWARDS
Year / Award2010 / Elected as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International
2009 / National Science and Technology Award for Research Capacity Development. Award sponsored by ESKOM
2007 and 2008 / Runner up in the Women in Science Award in South Africa
2006 / Honorary membership of the Golden Key International Honour Society
2005 / Distinguished Women in Science Scholarship by the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
2000 / Vice-Chancellors Research Award
1995 / Vice-Chancellors Distinguished Teaching Award
1994 / Science Faculty Distinguished lecturer’s medal
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
Year / Position2011 / Appointed as a member of the UNEP Foresight Panel
2010 … / Appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany
2009… / Appointed as a member and vice-chair of the GCIAR Challenge Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Steering Committee.
2008… / Appointed as a reviewer for the Interacademy Panel on International Issues.
2005… / Appointed as the Secretary General of Scientific Council of Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), an international science body headquartered in Paris
2004-2007 / Vice-chairperson of the Science Steering committee of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP), an international science body headquartered in Stockholm
2003-2007 / Appointed as a Member of the Science Advisory Council for the International Nitrogen Initiative, a joint initiative of SCOPE and the IGBP
2004… / Elected as a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy (Forestry and natural resources section)
2001-2008 / Vice-chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the International Centre for Tropical Agricultural Research, headquartered in Cali, Colombia.
1997-2006 / Appointed as a Member and Chair of the Science Steering Committee for the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project (IGAC)
UNIVERISTY AND NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Year / Position2010… / Member of thee ICSU National Board of South Africa
2010.. / Member of the Sustainable Development Forum (Institute of Directors)
2009… / Member of the National Committee for the Review of South African Scholarly Publications
2006… / Assistant Dean for Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Science
2006… / Vice Chair of the Marang Board for Mathematics and Science Education in South Africa.
2006… / Member of the advisory board for the Deaf Studies research
Institute
2006… / Elected as a member of the University Council and the Financial Committee of Council
2004 / Elected as member of the South African Academy of Sciences
2002 / Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa
1996-2006 / I held an endowed position (1996-2006) at the University supported by SAPPI (a forestry company)
1998… / Member of the University Senate
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
The research conducted by the postgraduate students has either taken place within the “Nutrient Cycling Research Programme in the Kruger National Park (KNP)” or the “Nutrient Cycling Research Programme for Sustainability in Plantations”. The research division of the Kruger National Park afforded the research students working on savanna nutrient dynamics, an environment in which to experiment. The savanna research was conducted within the framework of the KNP research hierarchy in which areas of critical concern were addressed, the research which was embedded into the research objectives of the KNP facilitated: an understanding of the effect of large infrequent disturbances on decomposition dynamics in terrestrial and aquatic environments; an understanding of how changes in nutrient cycling are related to management actions and an understanding of how nutrient availability and cycling influence plant and herbivore (including small vertebrates and invertebrates) habitat, communities and population structure The research was concentrated in the southern part of the Park and on the long term experimental burn plots. Input and output models on nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus cycling were developed.
The research divisions of Sappi, ESKOM and SASOL and the Institute for Commercial Forestry research were the institutions that collaborated extensively with Prof Scholes in the training of postgraduate students. Her position, at Wits as a professor, was endowed by Sappi. All the research activities were aimed at solving problems encountered in the industry. Research and operational research trials were planted in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Mpumulanga, these trials were used for the training of the postgraduate students as well as the development of foresters, forest contractors and research technicians.
A systems approach was taken in both the KNP and the plantations research which is unique in terms of understanding ecosystem function. In previous research, the pool sizes of nutrients were measured but this does not allow one to predict the harvest, take off and inputs to the systems. In other words it was impossible to determine whether the systems would be sustainable or not. Prof Scholes and her students have focused on measuring the rate of material transfers between the soil, plant, animal, atmosphere and market. By doing this they are able to establish management recommendations eg animal stocking rates, timber volumes and pulp prices etc.
The outputs are numerous:
· Contribution to human capacity development.
· Recommendations to the KNP science programme on terrestrial nutrient sustainability and the impacts on animal movement in the landscape.
· Recommendations to the KNP, forestry industries, ESKOM and SASOL on soil acidification as a result of atmospheric pollution.
· Technologies for increased tree growth rates which do not impact negatively on sustainability.
· Improved and optimized fertilizer recommendations for Eucalyptus and Pine trees growing at high altitudes on severely weathered soils, this has saved the industry significant amounts of money.
· Validation of the 3PG model for timber production.
· Recommendations on the management of slash to reduce the risk of wide fires and to retain nutrients.
The country is trying to significantly increase the number of graduates in the scarce skills category. The postgraduate students trained by Prof Scholes in her two research directions certainly fulfil this need. She is one of the few people that are producing female and black foresters for the industry. The students move seamlessly into employment and immediately make a contribution to the economy. The demand to undertake postgraduate studies at Wits is very large and the creation of an institutional wide programme, the Postgraduate Project Office, under the co-leadership of Prof Scholes, to serve these students from all of Africa has been recognised by the Mellon and Carnegie Foundations as well as by the NRF and the DST.
Climate Leadership Programme (CLP): Prof Mary Scholes and Ute Schwaibold (both of the Wits) have been instrumental in developing the Climate Leadership programme in SA. This programme is funded by the Die Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)/ which is the German Organisation for International Cooperation. This new and innovative capacity building programme aims at supporting high ranking decision-makers from key institutions across the sectors of government, business and civil society, in facing the unprecedented complexity of challenges in the fields of climate protection and adaptation to climate change. It addresses influential decision-makers from Indonesia, and South Africa, helping them shape responsible climate policy in their organizations while considering the interplay between climate and development issues. Two workshops were held in 2010 both in Germany and 6 workshops have been held in 2011in South Africa.
Referee manuscripts for the following journals
Applied Soil Ecology (served on Editorial Board), Biogeochemistry (served on Editorial Board), Ecosystems (served on Editorial Board), Journal of Geophysical Research (served on Editorial Board), Global Change Biology, Oecologia, Tree Physiology, Environmental Geochemistry, Southern Forests (Editorial Advisory Board), South African Journal of Science, South African Journal of Plant and Soil, South African Journal of Botany
External Examiner
University of Cape Town, University of Kwa-Zulu, Natal, National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES
I have actively contributed to the work of the Department since being appointed as a lecturer in 1989, culminating in being appointed to be the Head of the Department from January 1999-June1999. During this period of headship I guided the Department through transformation into a new School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences.
In summary:
Teaching
I am actively involved in the teaching of undergraduate courses (Introductory Life Sciences, Savanna Ecology, and Functional Ecology in Changing Environments) and postgraduate courses (Honours – Global Change: Impacts on soils, plants and animals – the next 50 years, and the Masters course on Maintaining Ecosystem Processes). I have been involved in course restructuring and curriculum development over the last ten years which involved offering more career orientated courses dealing with the current key issues in Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Research
I have supervised a number of graduate students. I have also organized and actively participated in a number of international scientific collaborative experiments, which have been held in South Africa and in the USA. I hold a “B3” rating from the NRF. I was the Director of the Wits Institute for the Study of the Environment from 2004-2009. I have published 72 peer reviewed journal articles and 24 book chapters. The majority of my published research is co-authored, this can be justified for two reasons: 1) I strongly believe that the training of postgraduate students culminates in teaching them how to publish and 2) the current nature of global environmental problems requires a multi-disciplinary approach, which results in my working in teams and publishing jointly. Since 2006 I have been engaged in leading Wits to be positioned as one of the top one hundred Universities in the world by 2015. The postgraduate project office has the responsibility to