In
South Carolina, Melvin graduated in 1973 from
Presbyterian College with B.S. in biology and in 1976 from
Clemson University with M.S. in botany. In 1980 he received his Ph.D. in botany from Ohio's
Miami University. From 1980 to 1990 he was an associate professor of biology and chair of the biology department at
St. Andrews Presbyterian College in
North Carolina. From 1990 to 1995 he was employed in
Laurel, Maryland as a State Plant Ecologist by the
USDA's
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). From 1995 to 2004 he was a botanist/plant ecologist at the NCRS Wetland Science Institute While he worked at the Wetland Science Institute, he was also an adjunct professor at both the
University of Maryland, College Park and
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In 2004 the NCRS underwent reorganization and replaced the Wetland Science Institute by the Wetland Technology Development Team (located in
Fort Worth, Texas). In 2004 Melvin was appointed the Leader of the Wetland Technology Development Team and held the appointment until he retired in March 2018. As Team Leader, he served as the national representative of the NCRS on issues related to the botany and ecology of wetlands. ==Selected publications==