Campus News

Soil and water expert to speak at College of Environment and Design

Barrett Kays, a soil scientist and landscape architect at Landis Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina, will visit UGA on Oct. 17 to discuss “Urban Soil Design and Climate Change in the Southeast” at the College of Environment and Design. Open to the public, his talk will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Room 123 of the Jackson Street Building.

Kays is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and holds an MLA and a Ph.D. in soil science from North Carolina State University. His company offers technical services that deal with soil, hydrology and drainage issues in ecological restoration and construction projects. It is also involved in designing custom urban soils for urban landscape architectural projects. Kays is a licensed professional soil scientist and a registered landscape architect in North Carolina, Virginia and New York.

Kays was hired in the 1990s to bring back to life the Great Lawn of Central Park, which was suffering from compaction and overuse.

The lecture is sponsored by the UGA College of Environment and Design and the horticulture department in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.