Rate My Professor Olga Walsh

Dr. Olga Walsh is an Associate Professor and Grain Crops Extension Specialist in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), a position she has held since 2024. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Soil Science from Oklahoma State University in 2009, an M.S. in Soil Science from Oklahoma State University in 2006, and a B.S. in Soil Science from St. Petersburg State University in 1997. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she served as Research Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Idaho's Parma Research and Extension Center from 2019 to 2024, Affiliate Research Associate Professor in the Department of Soil and Water Systems at the University of Idaho from 2021 to 2024, Assistant Extension Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Idaho from 2014 to 2019, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Research Centers at Montana State University from 2010 to 2014. Her research focuses on soil fertility, plant nutrition, remote sensing, and precision agriculture, aimed at increasing productivity, resiliency, agronomic, socio-economic, and environmental sustainability of grain cropping systems including corn, small grains, and crops for grain and silage.

Dr. Walsh has authored numerous refereed journal publications, including 'Wheat Yield and Protein Estimation with Handheld and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Mounted Sensors' in Agronomy (2023), 'Spring Wheat Yield and Quality Response to Nitrogen Rate' in Agronomy Journal (2022), 'Wheat Yield and Protein Estimation with Handheld- and UAV Based Reflectance Measurements' in Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment (2022), and highly cited earlier works such as 'In-season prediction of corn grain yield potential using normalized difference vegetation index' in Agronomy Journal (2006, 481 citations) and 'Expression of variability in corn as influenced by growth stage using optical sensor measurements' in Agronomy Journal (2007, 151 citations). She has received the Outstanding Associate Editor Award from Agronomy Journal (2017), the Outstanding PhD Student Award from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Oklahoma State University (2008), and the Sitlington Enriched Graduate Scholarship from Oklahoma State University (2007-2009). Dr. Walsh has demonstrated significant influence through leadership roles such as Chair-Elect of the Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition Division of the Soil Science Society of America (2023-2025), Technical Editor for Soils & Crops on the Agronomy Journal Editorial Board (2018-present), President of the Western Crop Science Society of America (2019-2021), and Chair of the WERA-103 Nutrient Management and Water Quality multi-state project (2019). She has supervised five graduate students as major professor, served on seven graduate student committees, advised four post-doctoral scientists, and trained 36 technical support staff.