Rattan Lal, an Indian-American expert in soil science, teaching at the Ohio State University as a »Distinguished Professor«, will receive the honorary degree as Doctor of Natural Sciences honoris causa from the TU Dresden on September 23, 2015. “With the granting of this honorary doctorate, our university honors one of the world’s most famous and globally engaged soil scientists. His research topics and spheres of activities go far beyond soil science. Of global importance are Lal’s seminal and often cited publications on the potential for carbon storage in soils connected with global change, food security in a world with growing human population, as well sustainable and integrated management of soil and water resources. Moreover, we honor a person not only of high international standing, but also with a unique and charismatic personality”, says Karl-Heinz Feger, professor at the Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology and Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. The laudation will be held by Professor Klaus Töpfer, the former German Federal Minister for the Environment and former Executive Director of the Environmental Program of the United Nations (UNEP). TU Dresden in particular has benefited from engagement with the Ohio State professor. “Rattan Lal has contributed significantly to the establishment of a close partnership between the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and the United Nations University, which has been based in Dresden since 2012 with its Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and Resources (UNU-FLORES). He provided crucial impetus for the constitution of a joint doctoral program, and was one of the architects of the international »Dresden Nexus Conference« series, says Feger. These joint activities are very important for further development of TU Dresden’s profile line »Energy and Environment«.  

About Rattan Lal
After completing his studies in agricultural sciences in India, Professor Lal received his PhD in soil sciences from the Ohio State University in 1968. During his roughly 50 years of professional activity, Lal has worked in several institutions in nearly all continents. Since 1987, he has been a professor and scientist at the Ohio State University in Columbus, where he has from 2001 on served as director of the »Carbon Management and Sequestration Center«. For his outstanding achievements, he has received several honorary doctorates and awards worldwide (among others the Norman E. Borlaug Award and the Liebig-Preis).

Professor Lal has headed a number of different scientific societies, including as president of the »Soil Science Society of America« and the »World Association of Soil and Water Conservation«. Recently, he was elected president of the »International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)« at the world congress 2014 in South Korea. He is an honorary member of numerous different international science societies, and has been appointed to many influential advisory boards and panels, including as head of the »International Committee on Tropical Deforestation and Land Management«. Moreover, he has contributed substantially to the »Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)« as well as to the UN Millennium Assessment«. In Germany, he has been appointed, by Professor Töpfer, as a science advisor for the »Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS)« in Potsdam. In this position he is actively engaged in the »Global Soil Week«, a worldwide recognized platform, which was held this year for the 3rd time in Berlin. In Dresden, Professor Lal has acted as chairman of the international advisory board since 2012 and by this has fostered the development of UNU-FLORES in close cooperation with TU Dresden.

Information for journalists:
Dr. Carsten Brackhage
Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Phone: 035203 38-31328
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