Sioux City’s City Council has appointed John Helms, assistant professor of chemistry at Morningside College, to the city’s environmental advisory board.

Sioux City’s City Council has appointed John Helms, assistant professor of chemistry at Morningside College, to the city’s environmental advisory board.

Helms will serve a three-year term on the nine-member board, which researches eco-friendly and sustainable practices, encourages preservation and restoration of natural resources, and educates residents and community leaders about environmental issues.

Helms joined the Morningside faculty in 2014. He serves as chair of the Morningside College Committee for Environmental Sustainability. Helms has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Va., and a master’s and Ph.D. in chemistry from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.