COLUMBUS — Aaron Wilson has been hired as a field specialist, ag weather and climate for Ohio State University Extension in the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Wilson, who previously served as a climate specialist for OSU Extension and as a research scientist with the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, began his new position Aug. 15, said Jacqueline Kirby Wilkins, associate dean and director, OSU Extension.
Wilson’s new role includes expanding and strengthening climate services to help OSU Extension educators, field and state specialists, deliver robust, usable information throughout the state. He’ll also work to help farmers and agronomists. Wilson will also continue to serve as the OSU Extension liaison to the U. S. Department of Agriculture Midwest Climate Hub, a position he has held since 2021.
Wilson’s work will also include enhancing curriculum and programs focused on climate smart agriculture to bolster Ohio’s agricultural resilience to climate change. He also will work to attract professionals and students to OSU Extension’s ag weather and climate team to expand reach and capacity across Ohio, in the Midwest, nationwide and abroad.
“I believe in building strong relationships and collaborations to help meet the goals of our land-grant university and our partners across the region,” Wilson said.
Before joining OSU Extension full-time, Wilson served as a climate specialist for OSU Extension since 2017, while also working as a research scientist for the Byrd Polar Research and Climate Center since 2018. Prior to that, starting in 2008, he worked as a research associate in several roles at the Byrd Center.
Wilson joins other OSU Extension field specialists, who each have a particular subject matter focus and provide overall leadership for a comprehensive teaching and applied research program to address statewide issues. Field specialists work to expand existing partnerships, develop new relationships and foster collaborations across the state, including with university researchers, to complement local extension educators’ efforts.
