MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University has a new expert in environmental topics. Amy Schmidt was hired in June as an Extension Service instructor in agricultural engineering.

Schmidt also is the new Extension water-quality specialist responsible for program areas such as water quality, irrigation, waste management and related environmental topics. She previously was a research associate in MSU’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

When Schmidt came to MSU in 2007, she worked with the Southeast Regional Small Public Water Systems Technical Assistance Center Program and taught land surveying in the agricultural and biological engineering department.

Schmidt is a licensed engineer in Mississippi and Missouri and is pursuing a doctorate in biological engineering at MSU. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural engineering from Iowa State University.

Before coming to MSU, Schmidt spent six years with the Commercial Agriculture Program at the University of Missouri, where she focused on livestock waste and nutrient management, air quality, regulatory issues and water quality. She also spent two years as an environmental engineer for Premium Standard Farms’ operation in northern Missouri.

Schmidt is from Iowa and lives in Starkville with her husband, Ty, and their son, James.

Contact: Amy Schmidt, (662) 325-8279