Mike Burke

Mike Burke is a retired educator and researcher and served on the faculties of the University of Minnesota, Colorado State University, the University of Florida and Oregon State University. He received a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Iowa State University and BA in Chemistry from Blackburn College in Illinois. Most of his teaching was in horticulture with an interest in plant adaptation to severe environment. Among his more interesting assignments over an almost 40 year career were serving as liaison between OSU and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs; organizing the OSU Agriculture Program at Eastern Oregon University; establishing early distance education programs with American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC); and understanding public acceptance issues related to agricultural biotechnology.  He served on various international advisory committees including committees for the faculties of agriculture at Sana’a University in Sana’a, Yemen; Bangladesh Agriculture University in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, and United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain, UAE. In retirement his time is split between work, family and sailing his boat off the coasts of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.