MSU’s Ramirez-Avila receives two national conservation awards
Contact: Camille Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State Associate Professor John Ramirez-Avila now holds two national awards from an internationally recognized professional society for his contributions to soil and water conservation research and practice.
Ramirez-Avila, graduate coordinator in MSU’s Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and head of the Watersheds and Water Quality Research Lab, has received the Conservation Professional of the Year Award and the Conservation Research Award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society.
The awards, given at the annual SWCS International Conference last month, recognize soil and water conservation work, including soil erosion, Curve Number hydrology, nutrient management, water quality and watershed management. Ramirez-Avila said the recognition reflects the work of a larger team of faculty, students and research collaborators.
“It’s really a big motivation and a big gratitude for everybody around me,” he said. “Somebody is valuing the effort that our team is putting in there.”
His research includes work in Mississippi watersheds, specifically in the Catalpa Creek, where he has been involved in supporting the development and implementation of a water management plan since 2017, as well as nutrient reduction initiatives in the Mississippi Delta region.
Environmental education is another part of his outreach. Each year, the Catalpa Creek Stream Cleanup brings volunteers together to remove trash from the creeks near campus and learn about how individual actions can affect water quality.
Catalpa Creek also serves as a research area where MSU students participate in projects involving hydrological processes, stream processes and water quality. Ramirez-Avila incorporates that work into his teaching and student mentoring.
“I really want them to learn, not to memorize,” he said. “When you learn, especially through hands-on experience, you develop a deeper understanding and practical skills that can be useful in future situations.”
Ramirez-Avila said collaboration has been an important part of his research and professional development. Along with his MSU partners, he works with faculty and researchers at other universities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, professional organizations including the Environmental and Water Resource Institute, and international collaborators.
These recent awards provide additional motivation for Ramirez-Avila to continue his work in research, teaching, mentoring and outreach.
“These recognitions definitely build up even more motivation, happiness and satisfaction, knowing that you are doing something considered meaningful,” he said.
The Watersheds and Water Quality Research Lab is online at www.cee.msstate.edu/wwqrl/. MSU’s Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering is online at www.cee.msstate.edu, and the Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu. They also can be found on social media.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.