Horticulture Professor Speaks about Plants of the Bible

 Dr. Doug Bailey presents “Plants of the Bible” at Emmanuel College Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in EC’s Taylor Memorial Chapel.

This free event is open to the public and sponsored by EC’s Cultural Awareness Program (CAP).

A native of Athens, Dr. Bailey received his undergraduate degree in horticulture from The University of Georgia in 1980.  He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in horticulture from Purdue University.

“Dr. Bailey taught an eight-week class on ‘Plants of the Bible’ at my church last spring,” says Dr. Emma Pettyjohn, Associate Professor of Music at Emmanuel College. “It is a wonderful way to integrate faith and learning by focusing on a scientific area in Biblical times. This presentation should be of interest to all Christians because it expands our knowledge of the Bible beyond learning about people and focuses instead on a subject with which most of us are unacquainted.”

Dr. Bailey is a professor and head of the Horticulture Department at The University of Georgia, where he joined the faculty in 1999. Before returning to Georgia, he was the floriculture extension specialist at North Carolina State University for 10 years. He also previously held a teaching and research position in floriculture and nursery management at the University of Arizona.

He has taught courses in greenhouse management and floriculture crop production and has conducted floriculture research and extension programs. Currently, he teaches Environmental Issues in Horticulture and co-teaches Plants of the Bible. He has an international reputation in the growth and flowering physiology of florists’ hydrangea. His other main area of expertise is irrigation water quality, specifically pH and alkalinity control.

Bailey’s research has resulted in 27 peer-reviewed journal articles, 33 research reports and bulletins, one book, and six book chapters. His extension and outreach efforts have resulted in more than 200 presentations, 27 peer-reviewed extension publications, and 208 popular and miscellaneous articles. Bailey has received numerous awards for his research and extension activities, including the John E. Hutchison Young Extension Professional Award, two ASHS Outstanding Extension Publications awards, the ASHS Outstanding Ornamentals Research Publication, and the Georgia Commercial Flower Growers Association Outstanding Educator Award.

For more information about EC’s CAP program, please visit www.ec.edu/cap.

Written by Communication Sophomore Lauren Peeples