Dr. Carl Zipper

FACULTY AFFILIATE   |   Global Change Center

School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

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(540) 231-9782  •  czip@vt.edu

Carl E. Zipper is a professor and Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist for crop and soil environmental sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1986, Zipper has worked to apply and extend scientific concepts to improve environmental restoration and management in coal-mining areas. Much of his outreach is through the Powell River Project (PRP), for which he serves as director.

Dr. Zipper’s current research focus is restoration of mined lands, management of water resources influenced by coal mining in Appalachia, and development of nutrient criteria for the Commonwealth of Virginia. His instructional activities include a junior-level course, Fundamentals of Environmental Science; and a graduate course, Environmental Science Concepts for Professionals.

Other current activities address a variety of environmental issues with an emphasis on the interface of environmental science with government policy. He advises the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as a member of the agency’s Academic Advisory Committee; and serves as a member of the US Office of Surface Mining’s Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative Science Team, and the Clinch-Powell Clean Rivers Initiative Executive and Science Teams.

Long term, Dr. Zipper plans to explore how “lessons learned” from coal mine reclamation might apply to ecosystem restoration science more generally.