Clemson Alumni Association recognizes Edisto Research and Education Center director

Published: January 5, 2010

Wil Brasington, senior director of alumni relations, and John Mueller, director of the Edisto Research and Education Center image by:

CLEMSON — The Clemson Alumni Association has recognized John Mueller, director of Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, with the 2009 Alumni Distinguished Cooperative Extension Public Service Award.

Mueller, a professor of plant pathology for 26 years, has led the efforts to combat Asian soybean rust along the east coast. Soybean rust is a disease that causes early maturation and severe loss of yield, leading to extensive crop damage if left untreated. He has been instrumental in educating growers about this potential problem in South Carolina and the Southeast, saving farmers millions of dollars by preventing unnecessary applications of fungicides.

Mueller also has been a leader in research and extension work on the Columbia lance nematode, a major pathogen of cotton and soybean in the southeastern coastal region.

“Clemson alumni thank Dr. Mueller not only for the positive influence he has had on his colleagues and fellow extension agents and for the positive impact he has had on the people and landowners of South Carolina over the years, but also for ensuring that the many people he has touched through his public service role are left with a positive impression of Clemson as a result of his individual efforts,” said Wil Brasington, senior director of alumni relations.

Mueller graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 1978 with a degree in agronomy. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Alumni Distinguished Cooperative Extension Public Service Award is given annually to an extension service professional that has significantly enhanced the well-being of the citizens of South Carolina and beyond and has provided exemplary service to their field on behalf of Clemson University.

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