Soils-The Good, The Bad, And the Beautiful

Beautiful2008–2009 Theses and

Dissertations

InsIde:

AmericAn Society of Agronomy | crop Science Society of AmericA | Soil Science Society of AmericA

NewsFebruary 2010 V55 N02

www.agronomy.org • www.crops.org • www.soils.org

CSACrops, soils, agroNomy

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CSA News is the official monthly magazine for members of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The views in CSA News do not necessarily reflect an endorsement by the publishers. CSA News may use trade names of some products. No endorsement of these products is intended, nor is any criticism implied of similar products not mentioned.

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Career & eduCatioNCareer Center 42

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Education 47Achieving change in undergraduate science education.

Society Science 4SOILS: The good, the bad, and the beautiful. Plus, research shows contemporary evidence of soil carbon loss in the U.S. Corn Belt, groundwater seeps regulate stream nitrogen concentrations, and sensing corn for nitrogen fertilizer need makes sense.

soCiety & poliCy NewsLetters to the Editor 12

Publications 15

ASA President’s Message 16A decade of change.

CSSA President‘s Message 17Our greatest scientific challenge: Understanding bioresources.

Science Policy News 18It’s time for a long-term agroecosystem research network.

Business & People 20

Membership 22

In Memoriam 23

Calendar 24

Special section: 2008–2009 theses and dissertations 25

Background soils photo and E. coli photo courtesy of USDA.

AmericAn Society of Agronomy crop Science Society of AmericA Soil Science Society of AmericA NewsCSA

Crops, soils, agroNomy

Cover: Besides providing for the basic functions of food crop produc-tion and forestry, soils have yielded important anti-biotics, serve as a living filter for water, and are a source of benefi-cial soil microbes that enhance plant growth for human con-sumption. Soils, however, do have a dark side. They are a source for indigenous pathogens and contribute to a variety of adverse health effects. During the 2009 Annual Meetings, Dr. Ian Pepper, from the Univer-sity of Arizona, analyzed the good and bad aspects of soils. See story on page 4. Cover design: Pat sCullion.

Mary Savin, chair of the 2007 ASA Educa-tion Task Force and current chair-elect of Division A-1, reviews some of the recent discussions taking place in science educa-tion today that could lead to enhancement of learning. See page 48. Photo by Scott Bauer (USDA-ARS).

February 2010 V55 N02

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Ubiquitous, but often over-looked, is the ground be-neath our feet. The near

surface of the earth’s environment has been called the earth’s “critical zone”—that region of the outermost layers of the continental crust that is strongly affected by processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and bio-sphere. The interaction of soil, rock, water, air, and living organisms in the critical zone shape the uses of resources and habitat. Many science disciplines—hydrology, geomorphol-ogy, biology, ecology, sedimentology, materials research, geochemistry, and especially soil science—are bringing a variety of research meth-ods to the study of this critical zone as an integrated system of interact-ing components and processes.

“Soil, earth’s living skin, forms a thin veneer between rocks deep within the earth’s surface and the atmosphere above,” explained ASA–SSSA member Ian Pepper during the SSSA plenary session at the 2009 ASA–CSSA–SSSA International An-nual Meetings in Pittsburgh, PA in November. “Soil, the most complex biomaterial on earth, is vital for the existence of life.” Pepper, a soil scientist, is the director of both the Environmental Research Laboratory and the National Science Foundation Water Quality Center at the Univer-sity of Arizona in Tucson.

Besides providing for the basic functions of food crop production

and forestry, soils have yielded im-portant antibiotics, serve as a living filter for water, and are a source of beneficial soil microbes that enhance plant growth for human consump-tion. Pepper summarized the im-portance of placing economic and environmental values on soil’s natu-ral capital stocks and the ecosystem services associated with soils.

Soils, however, do have a dark side. They are a source for indig-enous pathogens that infect humans. Soil particulates contribute to a va-riety of adverse health effects, such as decreased pulmonary function, chronic coughing, bronchitis, and asthmatic attacks. And, there are several health hazards of waterborne earth materials.

Pepper explored the benefits and hazards of soils and tallied each to determine whether soil was a pub-lic health “threat” or a “savior.” He discussed how soils are at the root of what infects us, what we breathe, what we drink, and what we eat and explored some new areas of soil re-search and the roles that soil plays in medicine and global warming.

What Infects UsPepper pointed out that soils

are the habitat of some significant pathogens (geo-indigenous) and a means of pathogen transport. While there are only a few geo-indigenous pathogens, they are often very deadly (high mortality) or debilitat-

ing. Pathogens are introduced into soil via animal and human wastes, effluents, and bio-solids. Helminths and bacteria can end up on produce (e.g., spinach con-taminated with E. coli from animal manures) and cause human sickness. There are also plant pathogens that destroy crops, such as Fusarium.

Although a variety of pathogens are indigenous to soils and are trans-ported by soils, soil organisms can provide an enormous range of appli-cations to human health and welfare.

“Soils are the ultimate source of antibiotics,” Pepper pointed out. In 1929, penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming. Selman Waks-man, the only soil scientist to win the Nobel Prize, is credited with the dis-covery of streptomycin from Strepto-myces griseus in 1943.

There are a variety of beneficial soil microbes that enhance plant growth for human consumption, including rhizosphere plant growth–promoting bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and mycorrhizal fungi.

Finally, citing potential areas of collaborative research by soil and public health scientists, Pepper said that there is a need for the develop-ment of innovative methods for de-tecting emerging pathogens in soil,

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understanding the fate and transport of introduced pathogens through soil, and accumulating data on the effect of exposure to emerging patho-gens on human health.

What We BreatheIn addition to pathogens, soils are

also a source of airborne particulates, which can lead to adverse health ef-fects such as decreased pulmonary function, chronic coughing, bronchi-tis, and asthmatic attacks. The three major sources of aerosolized particu-lates in the U.S. are unpaved roads, agriculture and forestry, and wind erosion, according to Pepper. Un-paved roads are the largest source, contributing 11.9 million tons of air-borne soil particulates. Agriculture and wind erosion contribute about 4.9 and 4.2 million tons each year, respectively.

Certain fibrous mineral particu-lates such as asbestos and silica are of special concern. Some particulates are biological entities (bioaerosols), such as spores of Coccidiodes immitis (valley fever), endotoxins, and myco-toxins such as aflotoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus.

There are also gaseous emissions from soils such as radon that are of public health concern.

According to Pepper, areas of re-search in airborne soil particulates and bioaerosols include measuring exposure concentrations and dose response arising from particulate–

microbe–chemical interactions, measuring dose response from expo-sure to particulate–pollen–chemical interactions, and assessing long-term risks from low-level concentrations of airborne particulate matter con-taminants.

What We DrinkWaterborne soil materials can

also pose health hazards, Pepper said. One of the most tragic was an incidence of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and West Bengal India that occurred when various health organizations advocated the drilling of wells to tap into deeper ground-water sources in the 1970s to reduce cholera illness from surface water sources that were being used. How-ever, arsenic in deltaic sediments mobilized via iron-reducing bacteria, resulting in groundwater concentra-tions that were sometimes greater than 500 µg L–1. It is still the largest mass poisoning of a population in history. Today, it is estimated that more than 30 million people are still drinking water with arsenic in excess of 50 µg L–1 in these regions.

But there are also some health benefits to waterborne earth miner-als, according to Pepper. Calcium and magnesium are found abundant-ly in soils and are transferred into water. There are documented benefi-cial health effects from drinking such water, for example, the prevention of

osteoporosis as well as magnesium deficiencies.

Also, soil’s role in purify-ing groundwater by filtering out chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants shouldn’t be underes-timated. “Soil does a great job acting as a living filter for groundwater protection,“ Pepper noted.

What We EatAnother invaluable service that

soils provide is serving as founda-tion and nutritive medium for food crop production. But in some parts of the world, such as Africa, Asia, and rural parts of the U.S., soil is more than a medium for food production, it is directly consumed. The term for this is geophagia, and the typi-cal amounts eaten are about 20 g per day. It is not recognized as hazard-ous or beneficial to human health. It could supplement mineral nutrition, but it also could result in ingestion of helminths or introduced pathogens, such as E. coli.

Pepper said collaborative research by soil and public health scientists should include evaluation of (i) biogeochemical cycling of trace ele-ments in soil and their bioavailabil-ity as well as low-dose, long-term exposure to toxic elements, e.g., Zn and Cd; (ii) plant uptake of human pathogens introduced into soil; and (iii) conventional versus organic farming under similar operational

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and local conditions and similar size farms.

Areas of ResearchDuring his presentation, Pepper

took some time to discuss some areas of soils research about which not much is known or where researchers are actively working.

Soil protozoa. Pepper discussed two soil protozoa that are public health threats.

In Phoenix, two five-year-old boys died in 2002 because of a protozoan called Naegleria fowleri, which causes brain encephalitis and death. The organism is found in groundwater but can be caught by swimming in surface water. The mode of infection is via the nose.

Balamuthia mandrillaris is a new protozoan of which not much is known. It is a heterotrophic amoeba found in soil and water, and its mode of infection is via the lower respira-tory tract or through a skin lesion. It migrates to the brain, causing en-cephalitis and is usually fatal. Only seven recoveries have been reported, all with lasting brain damage.

Soil prions. Pepper’s research group has developed a new assay for infectious prions (a cell culture linked to enzyme immunospot as-say). Prions are infectious proteins that cause a variety of diseases including bovine spongiform en-cephalopathy (mad cow disease) and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in hu-

mans. A potential route of exposure is from an animal slaughterhouse to wastewater to a wastewater treat-ment plant to biosolids to land ap-plication, to cows, and ultimately to humans.

Soil medicine. For human health, an ever growing list of antibiotics has expanded into therapeutic and preventive agents for diseases, in-cluding cancer treatments. Soils are also a source for the production of catalysts, reagents, and enzymes to improve industrial processes.

“There are an estimated 10,000 different bacterial genomes in soil, and less than 1% of bacterial species have been identified,” Pepper said, adding that there are at least 106 different species of soil fungi, and less than 5% have been identified. “Soil microbes are a treasure chest of natural products that can improve human health.”

Pepper said concern over hori-zontal gene transfer has focused on the question of whether antibiotic-resistant genes can be transferred from non-pathogenic bacteria to human pathogenic strains, particu-larly via conjugation. Such a transfer event would allow for the prolifera-tion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria capable of causing human infection that could not be controlled by the target antibiotic. In addition to the potential for transfer of antibiotic resistance, gene transfer in soils is also of interest because of its role in

evolution and the adaptation of soil microbial communities.

Soils and global warming. Most of the carbon reserves are found in the soil, Pepper said, and there are a variety of soil processes that control greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. As concentrations of at-mospheric carbon dioxide and tem-perature increase, will plant growth in soil increase due to enhanced photosynthesis? And will this result in increased carbon sequestration via plant residue return and decreased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels? Or, will we have enhanced rates of soil microbial decomposition and soil respiration resulting in reduced carbon sequestration and enhanced carbon dioxide (and N2O) emissions?

Soil’s Value to HumansPepper concluded that benefits of

soil outweigh the negatives in terms of public health. He said it will be in the critical zone, the soil, where the growing needs for food, fiber, bioenergy, and soil productivity will be determined. Although difficult to quantify, he mentioned that the value of soil has been estimated to be worth $20 trillion. Pepper’s own informal estimated value of soil was $15 trillion ($5 trillion for antibiotics and natural products and $10 trillion for the value of food to humans). But Pepper concluded that “the overall value of soil to humans is priceless.”


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Rising global temperatures might reduce soil C stocks by enhancing the release of stored soil or-ganic C into the atmosphere as CO2, thereby fur-

ther intensifying global warming. Recently, soil C losses have been reported in several regions across the world in a wide range of soils, land uses, and management practices. These losses seem to have accelerated during the past couple of decades, leading some to point to the recent increases in global temperatures as a potential universal cause.

Global climatic effects are likely to interact with land use and management practices. Conventionally plowed agricultural management is known to contribute to C losses, while conservation management practices, such as no-till or management with extra organic inputs, tend to increase soil C levels. Whether or not such measures can indeed offset recent accelerated C losses remains to be seen.

In the November–December 2009 issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal, scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) assess the changes that have taken place in soil C in southwest Michigan during the past two decades under different agricultural manage-ment practices and in ungrazed grassland plots that have never been plowed.

In 2006–2007, the researchers re-sampled and re-measured soil C at geo-referenced locations where soil C had been previously assessed in 1986–1988. The studied sites have a common history of conventionally tilled ag-ricultural management for at least the past 70–100 years (except for the ungrazed grassland plots that have never been plowed). After C assessment in 1986-1988, the stud-ied locations were assigned to conventional-till, no-till,

and organic management experimental treatments of the Kellogg Biological Station’s Long Term Ecological Re-search (LTER) site.

“Analysis of both new and archived soil samples en-abled us to assess the changes in soil C that have taken place in the past two decades more precisely,” explains Sasha Kravchenko, co-author of the study. “Sampled locations becoming a part of replicated experiments al-lowed for unbiased evaluation of the agricultural man-agement effects.”

The study revealed that in the past 18 to 20 years, the total C in soil under conventionally plowed management has declined. Carbon losses were greatest in convention-ally tilled soil without N fertilization. Carbon gains in the two management practices regarded as conservation practices, i.e. no-till and organic management with cover crops, occurred only relative to the conventional man-agement—no gains were observed in absolute C content in these treatments.

“Unexpectedly, the conservation management prac-tices appeared only to have prevented total C losses compared with conventional tillage management,” notes Phil Robertson, LTER leader and study co-author. “Re-sults underscore the importance of conservation manage-ment practices for simply ‘holding our own’ at sites like these.”

A tendency for higher winter temperatures was ob-served during the last two decades of weather recorded by the LTER weather station. Consistent with other stud-ies around the world, these increasing temperatures are associated with observations of soil C losses. With the projected further increase in global temperature, the re-searchers say the adoption of no-till or the inclusion of cover crops in the crop rotation may be necessary to sim-ply sustain present soil C levels.

Adapted from Senthilkumar, S., B. Basso, A.N. Kravchenko, and G. P. Robertson. 2009. Contemporary evidence of soil carbon loss in the U.S. Corn Belt. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 73:2078–2086. View the full article online at http://soil.scijournals.org/content/vol73/issue6

LEFT: Collecting soil samples at the Kellogg Biological Station’s Long Term Ecological Research site. Photo by Senthil Subramanian. MIDDLE: Organic management with cover crops (clover cover crop interplanted with wheat). Photo by KBS LTER. RIGHT: No-till with conventional chemical management (soybeans emerging through no-till litter layer). Photo by KBS LTER.

Contemporary Evidence of Soil Carbon Loss in the U.S. Corn Belt


Globally, the mobilization of nitrogen has in-creased significantly due to human activities, such as industrial and agricultural development.

As a result, over the past decades, eutrophication in coastal ecosystems has increased. Watershed nitrogen re-tention is an important mechanism to decrease nitrogen loading to downstream water bodies. Generally, in the northeastern U.S., the amount of nitrogen exported from a forested watershed via stream discharge is less than 40% of the atmospheric input, suggesting significant watershed retention. Past work suggests that vegetation and soils in the upland portions of forested watersheds regulate the concentrations of nitrogen in streams. How-ever, recent work shows that low-lying riparian areas (the zone adjacent to the stream) and the stream channel itself may also play important roles in regulating stream nitrogen concentrations. Groundwater seeps (locations where upwelling groundwater saturates the surface) that feed mountain streams are common, but their influence

on stream nitrogen concentrations has not yet been es-tablished.

Scientists at East Carolina University and Penn State University investigated the effects of groundwater seeps on stream nitrogen export in a forested watershed in the Appalachian Plateau region of southwestern Pennsylva-nia. Specifically, dissolved nitrogen concentrations and stream discharge were monitored monthly for a year along 15 individual seeps and 7 stations along the main stream channel. The study was funded by the USEPA from May 2002–2003, and results are published in the January–February 2010 issue of the Journal of Environ-mental Quality.

The study revealed that groundwater seeps had a strong influence on stream nitrogen concentrations. Ni-trate was the dominant form of dissolved nitrogen in the surface waters. Along seeps, the nitrate concentra-tions declined by more than 30% as water cycled down the seeps and discharged to the main stream channel. During dry and warm periods, when biological activity was high, seeps behaved as nitrogen sinks. During wet and cold periods, they behaved as nitrogen sources to the stream channel. Seasonal variations in stream nitrate concentration have been attributed to upland soil and vegetation processes in numerous watersheds. In this study, seep nitrate processing regulated the seasonal

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Groundwater Seeps Regulate Stream Nitrogen Concentrations

(continued on page 11)


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With increasing costs for crop inputs, corn farm-ers are interested in better methods to help them precisely apply the rate of nitrogen (N)

fertilizer that will give them optimal profit. Addition-ally, environmental concerns continue because a large amount of N from agricultural fields moves into streams, rivers, and oceans. Since more N fertilizer is applied to corn than any other crop, interest is high for exploring new technologies for improved corn N management.

In recent years, light reflectance sensors have been proposed and tested as a technology on which to base sidedress variable-rate N applications in corn. A critical element captured with this sensing strategy is that it ac-counts for differences within fields associated with soil and landscape factors. These differences result in vari-ous levels of N from soil organic matter as well as varied amounts of N loss from fields (e.g., leaching, runoff, or gaseous emissions). In the January–February 2010 issue of Agronomy Journal, researchers assess the utility of these sensors for on-the-go, variable-rate N fertilization in corn that increases profits and decreases N losses from fields.

Sixteen experiments on producer fields were con-ducted over four seasons (2004–2007) in three major soil areas in Missouri. Multiple blocks of N rate response plots traversed the length of each field, with each block consisting of eight treatments (0 to 210 lb/acre on 30 lb/acre increments) applied at the same time as plant sens-ing. Additionally, canopy reflectance readings were also obtained at this time from an adjacent non-N-limiting area. At the end of the growing season, yield and optimal N rate were determined for each block of N rate treat-ments and compared with the sensor information. From

these results, the most profitable N rate was determined relative to fertilizer costs and corn grain prices.

The researchers found that the amount of N the corn crop needed varied within most fields by more than 100 lb/acre, reinforcing the need for precision technolo-gies that enable variable-rate N fertilization. Findings over three diverse Missouri soil types demonstrate that sensor-based N fertilizer applications could generate an increase in returns ranging from $10 to $20 per acre. As fertilizer cost increases relative to the price of corn grain, the value of using canopy sensors for N management improves more. Differences were also observed when comparing soil types. River bottom soils appeared to be especially well suited for this technology. The amount of N saved when using the sensors ranged from 10 to 50 lb/acre, depending on soil type and fertilizer and grain prices.

The results of this study are being used to develop procedures and decision rules for how much N to apply in corn using canopy sensors. In Missouri, USDA-NRCS has adopted the findings of this research and offers pro-ducers support through the EQIP program (Environmen-tal Quality Incentives Program). The study authors say farmers will benefit because they can reduce excess N ap-plications, which with increasing N fertilizer cost, should save them money. If fertilizer can be better matched with crop need, N loss to lakes and streams will be reduced, and the environment will be improved.

Adapted from

Kitchen, N.R., K.A. Sudduth, S.T. Drummond, P.C. Scharf, H.L. Palm, D.F. Roberts, and E.D. Vories. 2010. Ground-based canopy reflectance sensing for variable-rate nitrogen corn fer-tilization. Agron. J. 102:71–84. View the full article online at http://agron.scijournals.org/content/vol102/issue1

Roberts, D.F., N.R. Kitchen, P.C. Scharf, and K.A. Sudduth. 2010. Will variable-rate nitrogen fertilization using corn can-opy reflectance sensing deliver environmental benefits? Agron. J. 102:85–95. View the full article online at http://agron. scijournals.org/content/vol102/issue1

LEFT: Research conducted on 16 Missouri fields demonstrated the potential for reducing N fertilizer and increasing profitabil-ity using corn canopy reflectance sensing. Canopy sensing was especially promising on Missouri River alluvial soils, as shown in this photo. MIDDLE: Canopy reflectance sensing was done by comparing differences between N-rich strips (as shown in this photo) with field areas still needing fertilization. RIGHT: Canopy sensing using two different manufacturer sensors were evaluated for their ability to determine N fertilizer needs.

Sensing Corn for Nitrogen Fertilizer Need Makes Sense


variability of stream nitrate concentrations. These results suggest that seeps can modulate the effects of elevated regional nitrogen deposition in Appalachian catchments.

From an ecological perspective, it has been shown that seep areas are important habitats for salamanders and other species, and the conservation of seeps can protect these fragile habitats. These new findings suggest that seep zones are also important for their water quality functions. Because seep nitrogen cycling is linked to near-surface processes, land disturbance in seep zones may alter watershed nitrogen cycling. In settings where mining or other land-use changes have altered seeps, the restoration of seep areas can help re-establish a water-shed’s ability to retain nitrogen.

“The impacts of groundwater seeps on stream water quality have not been thoroughly addressed in many Ap-palachian mountain streams where seeps may contribute a large proportion of the streamflow and have the poten-tial to exert a major influence on stream chemistry,” says Michael O’Driscoll, co-author of the study.

Because of the complexities of seep hydrology and seasonal variability of seep–river and seep–groundwater interactions, seeps may not always be considered juris-dictional (protected by the Clean Water Act). The au-thors conclude that more research is needed to improve the understanding of seep hydrology and to develop a

broader model for how surface and subsurface flowpaths along seeps influence stream water quality during dry and wet weather conditions.

Adapted from O’Driscoll, M.A., and D.R. DeWalle. 2010. Seeps regulate stream nitrate concentration in a forested Ap-palachian catchment. J. Environ. Qual. 39:420–431. View the full article online at http://jeq.scijournals.org/content/vol39/issue1

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A groundwater seep discharging to the stream channel. Ni-trate concentrations declined 31% on an annual basis from the seep top to the seep bottom. Seep nitrate processing regu-lated the seasonal variability of stream nitrate concentrations. Photo courtesy of D.R. DeWalle.

Groundwater Seeps (continued from page 9)

Letters to the Editor


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CIMMYT Pioneered Managed-Stress Screening for Drought

I was very pleased to read the article on the appli-cation of managed-stress screening within Pioneer’s drought-breeding strategy (November 2009 CSA News magazine, p. 4–7). To provide some historical context,

Pioneer and several other major companies have started managed-stress screening for drought only fairly recently. The technique was first developed and applied by CIMMYT to maize cultivar de-velopment in the 1980s and 1990s by Ken Fischer, Greg Edmeades, Marianne Bänziger, Renee Lafitte, Scott Chapman, Jorge Bolaños, and others. Managed-stress

screening for drought tolerance has been very success-fully applied in CIMMYT’s maize-breeding programs in Africa for more than 10 years and has generated widely used products. Following are some of the many journal articles where this is documented:• Bänziger, M., P.S. Setimela, D. Hodson, and B. Vi-

vek. 2006. Breeding for improved drought toler-ance in maize adapted to southern Africa. Agric. Water Manage. 80:212–224.

• Bolaños, J., and G.O. Edmeades. 1993. Eight cycles of selection for drought tolerance in lowland tropical maize: I. Responses in yield, biomass, and radia-tion utilization. Field Crops Res. 31:233–252.

• Edmeades, G.O., J. Bolaños, S.C. Chapman, H.R. Lafitte, and M. Bänziger. 1999. Selection improves drought tolerance in tropical maize populations: I. Gains in biomass, grain yield, and harvest index. Crop Sci. 39:1306–1315.

• Fischer, K.S., G.O. Edmeades, and E.C. Johnson. 1989. Selection for the improvement of maize yield under moisture deficits. Field Crops Res. 22:227–243.

CIMMYT is glad to see the widespread uptake of managed-stress screening for drought and low-N tolerance by both private- and public-sector breeders, especially in regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America where smallholder farmers struggle with drought, low soil fertility, and limited access to inorganic N fertil-izer. We are proud to have been the pioneers of this screening strategy.

— Gary Atlin, Associate Director, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT

Why Are CSSA and SSSA No Longer Members of CAST?

I’ve recently learned that CSSA and SSSA have decided to drop their nearly four-decade membership in the Coun-cil for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). This is almost unbelievable, as these Societies—along with ASA, which has maintained its membership—were among the first to provide the leadership that brought CAST into existence. Both the CSSA and the SSSA were strongly rep-resented on the planning committee for CAST when it was organized in 1972, with Jack F. Carter and S.R. Olsen representing CSSA and SSSA, respectively, on CAST’s first interim board of directors.

As soon as I learned of the decision of CSSA and SSSA, I started trying to figure out the reason behind it. I was told, “Times have changed.” I wholeheartedly agree. Times have changed, but they have changed such that CAST is more critical for our future now than ever. Almost every major issue affecting agriculture requires that it be addressed by multiple scientific disciplines. There is no mechanism in the United States that can more effectively mobilize all agricultural scientific disciplines into task forces as quickly and as efficiently as CAST. It is a unique organization with a proven track record.

The author of CAST’s first publication in 1973, Dr. Nor-man Borlaug, remained a great CAST supporter. Dr. Bor-laug’s last writing before his death in September was the preface for CAST Issue Paper 45, “Agricultural Productivity Strategies for the Future: Addressing U.S. and Global Chal-lenges,” in which he stated:

CAST has both a tremendous responsibility and op-portunity to present unbiased, scientific data so that wise policy and legislation will be enacted. I have faith that the correct decisions will be made if the facts are made known to the general public and to national and state legislative leaders.

CAST always has been plagued by a shortage of funds to address all of the agricultural issues that could, or should, be addressed. I applaud the organization for trying to find a new model that will work better to maintain and expand its mission of communicating fact-based information on agricultural issues. We have an exceedingly dedicated ex-ecutive vice president and staff that are truly committed to the mission of CAST. They deserve our support.

If there was ever a time when all agricultural scientific disciplines should be working together, it is now. There are many critical issues such as animal welfare, biotechnology, global climate change, food safety, obesity, sustainable ener-gy security, water security, and soil protection and enhance-ment that demand the accurate, timely, and science-based information that CAST can provide as decisions are made


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that will impact life around the globe for generations to come.

Fortunately, this action by CSSA and SSSA is easily reversed, and I urge the leadership and members of these distinguished Societies to rethink this issue and support the vision of many of our colleagues who gave birth to CAST.

I ask you to commit yourselves and your influential Societies to join with CAST in developing a strong posi-tion of advocacy for solutions to agricultural challenges.

— Gale A. Buchanan, former CAST president and former USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Edu-cation, and Economics and current Dean and Director Emeritus, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

CSSA Response re: CASTWe appreciate the concerns expressed by Dr. Buchan-

an in his letter regarding the decision by CSSA to discon-tinue its membership in CAST. This action by the CSSA board of directors was not made in haste and had been under consideration for several years. The CSSA board concurs with Dr. Buchanan that multidisciplinary science

is needed for solving the grand challenges facing our society, and we appreciate his efforts and those of many CAST members on that behalf. However, we also be-lieve that scientific policy initiatives must be nimble and rapidly responsive if they are to impact society today. We believe the ASA–CSSA–SSSA science policy office in Washington, DC along with our CSSA rapid-response teams are now better able to provide pertinent informa-tion to congressional and White House staffers within the critical hours and days in which “real time” policy is debated than CAST, which requires longer time periods for publications to be compiled, vetted, and published.

With the creation of more independence among the three Societies, a greater emphasis has been placed on each board to exercise sound fiduciary responsibility. As the CSSA board reviewed its budget in these difficult economic times, a number of ongoing activities were evaluated. Some were prioritized for increased support, and some were reduced or even eliminated. The Budget and Finance Committee recommended and the board approved dropping CAST membership for 2010 as one of these evaluations.

Some areas that the CSSA board has chosen to empha-size include more activities for our industry members, continued improvement in the Golden Opportunity Scholars Program, and a focus on K-12 science educa-tion. We have also increased board and member involve-ment with national policymakers, as evidenced by the


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recent CSSA Grand Challenge Initiative, which was de-veloped as a “think piece” on the future of crop science research (see www.crops.org/files/about-society/grand-challenge-crops-final.pdf) in concert with the Societies’ science policy office. We believe these priorities will pay dividends for the future of CSSA.

These new activities by the CSSA board are aligned with our current strategic plan. Two main goals of this plan are that (1) CSSA will be a powerful advocate for plant science and (2) CSSA will actively advance greater public awareness of the importance of crop science to hu-man health, prosperity, and security.

We understand Dr. Buchanan’s concerns and the historical context from which CAST has operated. Nev-ertheless, we believe the current CSSA direction is the better approach for CSSA and that it demonstrates board leadership that will serve CSSA membership well in the future. This is not an irreversible decision, and we en-courage division leaders and individual members to pro-vide input, as we begin a review and update of our CSSA strategic plan this spring, under the leadership of our president, Joe Lauer. The CSSA board continues to focus on member-driven issues and is willing to change previ-ous decisions to maximize returns to its members.

— CSSA Past President Ken Quesenberry on behalf of the CSSA board of directors

SSSA Response re: CASTDr. Buchanan correctly points out the important role

that SSSA and its visionary leaders had in the original concept and establishment of CAST. While we are proud of this history and much of what CAST accomplished over the years, we have also been faced with financial re-alities in recent times that have required the SSSA board

of directors (BOD) to exercise its fiduciary responsibil-ity. This has required closely examining investments in various activities and evaluating how well these invest-ments are contributing to accomplish the strategic goals and objectives articulated in our strategic plan. Because membership in CAST represents a significant invest-ment, it has been an expense that the SSSA BOD has been debating for the better part of the past decade and was one of those areas that was closely examined in our re-cent deliberations concerning investments and outcomes. The decision to not renew membership in CAST was not made casually and involved much thought and discus-sion. The rationale for this action was multidimensional and included the following elements:

Scope and interactions with other societies. Soil sci-ence is not an exclusively agricultural science. While agriculture is a very important activity that soil science knowledge underpins and one that many soil scientists engage in, the important issues that soil science address-es and activities that soil scientists are involved in are quite broad and address many of the grand challenges facing society. In terms of working with other societies, agricultural or otherwise, on issues relevant to the global soil resource, SSSA is a demonstrated leader. The SSSA science policy office was a leader in the founding of the AFRI coalition, which was successful in the most signifi-cant increase in research funding in recent memory. SSSA also joined several agricultural industry partners and sci-entific societies to launch the Industry Scientific Society Coalition for a Sustainable Future. This fledgling organi-zation is focused on promoting new models for student training in the agricultural sciences across the entire Kindergarten to post-graduate pipeline. Finally, SSSA leaders engage with their counterparts in the broader scientific society community through involvement in the Council for Scientific Society Presidents.

Science policy. An important initial goal that prompt-ed SSSA’s leadership in CAST almost 40 years ago was to ensure that soil science was being considered in policy decisions. The interest in science policy by the SSSA BOD and its members in-tensified in the past two decades, and major investments in the science policy office have been made to ensure that the soil resource is properly considered in policy decisions and that soil sci-ence is weighing in on relevant policy debates involving the soil resource. It is our belief that this activity can only be successful through constant on-the-ground, face-to-face activities in Wash-ington, DC as well as via rapid respons-es to requests. This includes writing about specific issues within minutes, hours, or days in a format that is appro-priate for policymakers and their sup-

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Call for Nominations: Soil Survey Horizons Editor

SSSA is seeking nominations for the editor of Soil Survey Horizons, with a term of service to begin January 2011. The position is voluntary, and candidates are ex-pected to be visionary, as our publications are experienc-ing rapid change in science, resources, processes, format, and delivery. In addition, there is fierce competition for authors and readers. Prior editorial experience with ASA–CSSA–SSSA publications or those having similar subject matter/structure is expected.

The position is appointed by the publishing Society’s president upon confirmation by its board of directors for a three-year term, with eligibility for reappointment for a second three-year term but not a third term without an intervening three-year period. The position carries a great deal of responsibility as well as personal satisfaction.

Interested persons may nominate themselves or be nominated by an active member of one of the Societies. The current editor may reapply for the position if he/she has not yet served two consecutive terms. The informa-tion requested below should be emailed to Sally Logs-don, SSSA editor-in-chief, at [email protected] by 1 June.

Editor PositionDuties of a journal editor include:

• Providing general leadership for the journal.

• Chairing the journal’s editorial board.

• Considering questions of editorial practices that pro-mote the dissemination of exceptionally high quality scientific knowledge and the uniformity of format, style, and procedures in conjunction with the pub-lishing Society’s editor-in-chief, its board of direc-tors, Executive Committee, and Budget and Finance Committee.

• Appointing the associate editors to the editorial board on behalf of the publishing Society’s president.

• Serving as a member of the publishing Society’s edi-torial policy committee(s).

• Serving as a liaison to other Societies and individu-als to ensure the multidisciplinary scope of the jour-nal content and subscription base.

Candidates should submit (i) a vita including a list of previous editorial experience and (ii) a vision statement for the journal (not exceeding one page) by 1 June.


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port staff. This targeted investment in the SSSA science policy office has reaped significant benefits, including the establishment of the Congressional Soils Caucus (membership is currently at 50 representatives!), pas-sage of Senate Resolution 440, development of a transi-tion document for the Obama Administration laying out SSSA priorities, and the building of key working relationships with USEPA, National Science Founda-tion, Department of Energy, USDA, NASA, and other federal agency leaders, among many others. It has also provided numerous opportunities to engage our mem-bership in congressional educational hearings as well as technical briefings on issues specifically relevant to the soil resource, including carbon sequestration, nu-trient management, and post wildfire management of soil, among many others.

Source of unbiased information. While CAST publishes high quality science-based informational documents on issues related to agriculture, it has been our experience that there are key constituents that question the objectivity of the studies since CAST is viewed by some as an advocacy group for the agricul-tural enterprise. While this perception may be unfair, it is not easy to overcome. SSSA has found that work-ing through the National Academy of Sciences, for example, through the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science or the Board on Agriculture and Natural Re-sources, provides opportunities to inform, engage, and educate agency personnel and policymakers on issues specifically related to the soil resource with no ques-tion regarding motives or objectivity. The SSSA also has become aggressively involved in K-12 and teacher engagement activities that are resulting in opportuni-ties to educate the young, teachers, and the general public using soil-specific materials.

Although the analysis by the BOD clearly revealed that the return on investment for SSSA’s membership in CAST was not clear compared with investments in targeted activities directly aligned with the SSSA stra-tegic goals and objectives, it was still a very difficult decision not to renew membership in CAST. The long and rich history of SSSA participation in CAST, which is well documented in Dr. Buchanan’s statement, has been a significant barrier to making this difficult deci-sion. I believe that the willingness to make the strategic decision to invest in the SSSA-specific activities out-lined above demonstrated courageous leadership by the BOD, which will serve SSSA and its membership well in the future. As Dr. Buchanan indicates, this is not an irreversible decision. The SSSA BOD revisits its strategic plan regularly and is willing to make needed changes to maximize returns on strategic investments.

— SSSA Past President Paul Bertsch on behalf of the SSSA board of directors

Publications

ASA President’s Message


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A Decade of Changeby Francis Pierce

This year begins a new decade, one that promises a plethora of change for ASA—even more than the previous decade, which was certainly the “decade

of change” on so many levels. I grew up in Rochester, NY, where Kodak was king and Xerox was the upstart company of the century. The downsizing of Kodak and Xerox was the top business story of the decade in Roch-

ester as these two companies com-bined lost 60% of their employees dur-ing that time (Deckert, 2009). I don’t imagine that Kodak 20 years ago ever thought its core business, film, would nearly disappear or that Xerox would lose dominance over a technology it created.

Today I live in Washington State where if you want to read the Seattle

Post-Intelligencer, you’ll need a computer and an Internet connection since it is now published on the web exclu-sively (its last print edition was 17 Mar. 2009). As Seattle’s oldest business (146 years in operation), the newspaper had to change its business model to survive. Have you flown lately? Enough said. Changes in the airline industry in the last decade have been significant. The Y2K phenom-ena that started the decade seems like a distant memory!

Now we Google and Tweet, buy and sell on eBay and Craigslist, and text message rather than talk on the phone. It used to be that “being all thumbs” was a bad trait. Now it’s a measure of how well you communicate. I hear that some are so adept at texting with their thumbs that they no longer use their cell phone to talk to their friends. Yes, these are the students that we are now trying to educate, who may or not be physically present in our classroom.

For me professionally, the last decade was a period of growth. After 16 years at Michigan State University, I moved in 2000 to Washington State University to direct the legislatively funded Center for Precision Agricultural Systems (CPAS). CPAS grew from single office to a new 10,000 ft2 building and is staged for continued growth in the next decade, primarily in the area of agricultural au-tomation.

More Change on the WaySo what’s in store for ASA as we begin the next decade?

More change. I don’t think we have much choice in the matter. I can foresee all of our publications being pub-lished exclusively on the Internet at some point during the next decade. Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader hit re-cord sales levels this past December, and Google’s online library grows daily. Most universities in the U.S. provide web access of most journals to their faculty and students. Furthermore, many competitors to our journals do not have page charges, and authors are looking for cost sav-ings. So we need a plan for this type of change in the way we publish.

Agronomy is global and ASA needs to and will respond to the global agronomic needs with particular attention to the billion people counted among the world’s hungry. The ASA International Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program is already reaching out to create CCA programs in other countries, and more will come calling on us this decade. We need to globalize our Annual Meetings through the use of new technologies and new approaches.

Science policy is changing rapidly, and ASA needs to be more engaged in our nation’s capital. ASA and CCA are adding a new staff member to our science policy office in 2010.

ASA needs to grow its membership to serve a broader need in our profession. The ASA division realignment process is well under way to change our Society struc-ture to better meet the needs of our current and future members. ASA will succeed here by finding new ways to reach our audience. One way to do this is to highlight how agronomy and agronomists make a difference using the new media pathways including Facebook, webinars, YouTube, and Twitter. I will expand on this idea in my next article in CSA News magazine.

The year 2010 begins a decade of change for ASA that may surpass the first decade at least for our Society. My goal as president this year is to help position ASA for a positive future through planning and innovation. I am honored to serve our Society and look forward to interact-ing with you during this year.

ReferencesDeckert, N. 2009. Downsize decade. Rochester Business Jour-

nal, 25 December. Available online at www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=182452 (verified 5 Jan. 2010).

F. Pierce, ASA President; [email protected].

Got News? [email protected]

Your Societies. Your Magazine.

CSSA President’s Message

The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) has recently identified key Grand Challenges1 that our scientific Society faces. As these challenges were

developing, I often reflected on the challenges I faced in my job as a state corn extension agronomist and how those challenges related to what other CSSA members were experiencing around the world.

My fundamental challenge is understanding bio-resources. Much progress has been made in our science to develop improved varieties of agronomic, turf, and forage crops to produce food, feed, fuel, and fiber for our world’s growing population. In many respects, our sci-ence is relatively “young” (really beginning with Darwin and Mendel), but the practice of using the world’s biore-sources to sustain life and build civilizations is not new at all.

During the last century, crop science has achieved feats that are now part of everyday life and often taken for granted. Despite these scientific achievements, the world today faces ever growing challenges of wide-spread food insecurity and malnutrition, negative im-pacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and dependence on fossil fuel energy. Solutions to these challenges will be found through sustained investment in crop science funding and the development of the next generation of scientists to address current and future challenges.

Crop science is a highly integrative science, employ-ing the disciplines of conventional plant breeding, trans-genic crop improvement, plant physiology, and cropping system sciences. Tremendous progress has been made in understanding the bioresources found on our planet. Much of our time over the next few years will be spent trying to better understand the implications for society of some of the recent achievements in sequencing the ge-nome of key agricultural crops. Some would say that we no longer need to go out into the field to do our research. But, it is becoming increasingly clear that a key challenge is understanding how bioresources react in a changing environment and how we can manage them to mitigate the effects of various environmental stresses.

Many of these challenges are grand, and a far more comprehensive effort needs to be imagined to successfully address them. Our response to these challenges can be stronger if public–private partnerships identify and de-velop approaches to solutions for these challenges.

In the end, though, it behooves us to be able to articulate and communicate to society, espe-cially federal funding agencies, what we fundamentally do as crop scientists. That is what the Grand Challenges are about. So far, they have been developed by a rela-tively small group of people. They are not intended to be static but will change over time as technology advances and new problems arise. Your challenge as CSSA mem-bers will be to determine how you fit into the Grand Challenges identified by our Society. If we are missing something, please contact me or your division represen-tative on the CSSA board of directors.

J. Lauer, CSSA President; [email protected].


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Our Greatest Scientific Challenge: Understanding Bioresourcesby Joe Lauer

1 View the CSSA Grand Challenges online at www.crops.org/science-policy/grand-challenges.

Winner, WinnerCongratulations to Ronnie W. Heiniger, winner of

the Annual Meeting Survey give away for a comple-mentary registration to the 2010 meetings.

Almost 30 years ago, the Na-tional Science Foundation (NSF) established the vision-

ary Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network program (www.lternet.edu). This coordinated net-work of 26 field sites representing diverse natural ecosystems supports fundamental ecological research that requires long time periods and large spatial scales. It’s high time that the successful LTER model be expanded to the nation’s agricultural lands (agroecosytems), which make up more than 900 million acres, or about 41% of the U.S. land area!

Of particular interest is acquir-ing an understanding of the more than 400 million acres of intensively managed croplands in the Corn Belt,

Great Plains, and other regions. Un-derstanding the ecological phenom-ena associated with agroecosystems over long temporal and broad spatial scales is critical for land managers to achieve sustainable yields while minimizing environmental impacts. Establishing a system of Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) sites is critical as the managed eco-systems have impacted and will con-tinue to impact the so-called natural ecosystems.

Doesn’t USDA Have an LTAR Program?

It is true that the USDA Coopera-tive State Research, Education, and Extension Service, now the National

Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), did issue a Request for Ap-plications (RFA) for fiscal year (FY) 2009 calling for proofs of concept for a proposed Sustainable Agroecosystems Science Long-Term Agroecosystem Program (SAS-LTAP). Because of funding constraints, however, the agency could only fund five proofs of con-cept, each at $200,000 over two years. From the five, one LTAP site will be selected and funded at $1 million, provided funding is available.

And that’s the kicker: “provided funding is available.” Granted, the

Science Policy Newswww.agronomy.org/science-policywww.crops.org/science-policywww.soils.org/science-policy

Director of Science Policy Report

It’s Time for a Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Networkby Karl Glasener

Each month, the Research & Education Opportunities section highlights a federal research, education, or outreach program, and/or funding opportunity rel-evant to our sciences.

Environmental Synthesis CenterProgram Solicitation, NSF 10-521

This solicitation will establish a new environ-mental synthesis center to stimulate research, education, and outreach at the interface of the biological, geological, and social sciences. The center will foster synthetic, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary efforts to understand and pre-dict the complex interactions among ecological populations, communities, and ecosystems; the geophysical environment; and human actions and decisions that underlie global environmental change. It will play a pivotal role in forecasting

adaptive responses to environmental change and understanding sudden shifts in dynamic systems.

The center will also directly involve policy-makers, managers, and conservation efforts and will educate an informed citizenry. It will be inter-national in its scope, addressing the most press-ing challenges posed by global environmental change. The center represents a new effort, based on NSF’s substantial investments in ongoing syn-thesis activities and is not intended to extend or duplicate these activities. The Biological Sciences Directorate expects this center to lead the next generation of synthesis activities.

Preliminary Proposal Deadline (required): 23 Mar. 2010. Full Proposal Deadline: 14 July 2010. Cognizant Program Officer(s): Saran Twom-bly (703-292-8133 or [email protected]) and Kathleen C. Weathers (703-292-8227 or [email protected]). Details: www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10521/nsf10521.htm.

Research & Education Opportunities


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Agriculture and Food Research Ini-tiative (AFRI) competitive grants program through which SAS-LTAP is funded did get a $62 million, or ap-proximately 30%, increase in funding for FY 2010, bringing total funding to $262 million. However, it is becom-ing increasingly apparent that the FY 2010 AFRI RFA will fund just a handful of research areas in line with President Obama’s priorities, includ-ing climate change, food security, renewable energy, and the environ-ment. It is therefore unlikely that individual programs such as SAS-LTAP will see a significant bump in funding. At the time of this writing, the AFRI RFA had yet to be released for FY 2010, which makes funding predictions a bit risky. Only time will tell.

Focus on Impacts of Managed Ecosystems

Shortly after his election victory, President Obama and his cabinet began planning to address water quality1 impairment in some of the nation’s major watersheds, including the Chesapeake Bay and Mississippi River Basin.

At a recent meeting with USDA leaders, one official said that volun-tary measures such as USDA’s re-cently announced Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, which provides a $320 million in-vestment over four years to support programs in 12 states2 to help farm-ers voluntarily implement conserva-tion practices that mitigate nutrient runoff, improve wildlife habitat, and maintain agricultural productivity, represents a last chance to demon-strate that voluntary measures can in fact lead to improved water quality. He added that regulation was the next step.

Last May, Obama, via Executive Order 13508 (Chesapeake Bay Pro-tection and Restoration),3 directed federal agencies to submit draft re-ports to a federal leadership commit-tee to address key challenges in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed and recommend actions for address-ing them. It is likely that regulations may be forthcoming in the Chesa-peake Bay watershed as well.

An LTAR Network addressing the agroecosystems that have a signifi-cant impact on both of these water-sheds would provide the data need-ed to determine if voluntary and/or regulatory measures would result in improved water quality. Otherwise, land managers may have regulations and associated costs imposed on them, which at the end of the day, do not result in cleaner water.

Where Do We Go from Here?During the past year, ASA, CSSA,

and SSSA began educating policy-makers about and advocating for a multi-agency (USDA, NSF, USEPA, and Department of Energy Office of Science) LTAR Network representing America’s 10 major agroecosystems4 comprising more than 41%, or 900 million acres, of the U.S. land area. We propose a multi-agency approach because funding for the SAS-LTAP is unlikely to increase significantly. In addition, NSF has almost 30 years experience running the LTER Net-work, which could be applied to an LTAR Network. Finally, the Depart-ment of Energy Office of Science, like NSF, receives strong support from the administration and Congress and has a history of conducting carbon sequestration and other related re-search. We propose that the LTAR: • provide a comprehensive un-

derstanding of emissions and sequestration as well as strate-gies for mitigation of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) from agri-culture;

• lead to the development of adapta-tion strategies to climate change;

• provide economic indicators of success; and

• enhance agroecosystem goods and services, while limiting impact on air, water, and soil resources.

Complementing NSF’s successful LTER Network, which is focused on understanding natural ecosystems, LTAR will also provide a better understanding of the interaction between natural and managed eco-systems and give land managers the knowledge they need to reduce adverse impacts on agroecosystems on the wider environment. Further-more, LTAR will provide baseline data not yet available for the 10 ma-jor agroecosystems, which is needed to verify the integrity of agricultural offsets based on life-cycle analysis of agricultural systems.

During the coming year, the So-cieties will continue to explore op-portunities to move a multi-agency LTAR Network concept forward. Essential to gaining traction will be bringing the agriculture and ecology communities together, which isn’t always easy. Still, the Societies have successfully collaborated with the ecology community during the past decade, including holding joint con-gressional educational briefings on carbon sequestration and ecosystem services and joint congressional vis-its seeking support for the biological and ecological sciences. The agri-cultural community can and should work closely with the Ecological So-ciety of America and other ecology-focused organizations in pursuit of an LTAR Network.

The nation’s well-being funda-mentally depends on the sustain-ability of agroecosystems, which provide food, fuel, feed, and fiber as well as ecological services. Creating an LTAR Network will generate the critical information needed to help sustain agricultural productivity while increasing agriculture’s role in providing other environmental bene-fits including soil carbon storage, soil and water quality, and biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

K. Glasener, Director of Science Policy; [email protected].

1 President Obama has also recently begun dealing with air quality though we have yet to hear his administration refer to soil quality.

2 Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

3 View Executive Order 13508 at www.gpoaccess.gov/presdocs/2009/DCPD-200900352.pdf.

4 Northeast, Appalachia, Southeast, Delta States, Corn Belt, Southern Plains, Lake States, Northern Plains, Mountain, and Pacific regions. These 10 major agroecosystems were identified by experts within the Societies.


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Business & People

Cal/West SeedsCal/West Seeds recently announced

the promotion of DR. DAVID W. JOHNSON to assistant director of re-search. In this capacity, he will contin-ue to fulfill the responsibilities of plant breeder and manage research activities at the West Salem, WI research facility. Johnson received a B.S. in agriculture and M.S. in agronomy from Univer-sity of Wyoming. He received a Ph.D. in agronomy and plant genetics with a minor in agricultural economics from University of Arizona. Johnson was previously an ASA–CSSA–SSSA–Weed Science Society of America Congressional Science Fellow working for the U.S. Sen-ate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. He also worked as a research associate/post doctorate at University of Wisconsin Plant Pathology Department.

Cibus GlobalCibus Global, a plant trait development company,

recently announced the appointment of two board mem-bers to reflect its growing international reach: • Dr. Peter B. Corr, co-founder and general partner of

Celtic Therapeutics Management and former corpo-rate senior vice president of science and technology at Pfizer, brings experience in molecular biology, re-search, and product development.

• Jean-Pierre Lehmann is an international business-man who has spent more than 20 years overseeing private company investments in diversified indus-tries including venture capital and real estate.

IPNIDr. J.K. LADHA has been named

the recipient of the 2009 International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) Science Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in research, extension, or education, with a focus on efficient and effective management of plant nu-trients. Ladha is a senior soil scientist, coordinator of the Rice-Wheat Consor-tium in Asia, and representative of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). He received a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in biological sciences and botany, respectively, from Ji-waji University and Ph.D. in botany from Banaras Hindu University in 1976. He has devoted his career to integrat-ed resource management with emphasis on soil fertility and nutrient management for achieving increased crop yields. He is a leader in the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project, which seeks to improve food security for millions of people. Ladha has received nu-merous awards, including Fellow of ASA, SSSA, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

KelloggKellogg Company held a dedication ceremony in the

fall of 2009 to mark the completed expansion of its W.K. Kellogg Institute for Food and Nutrition Research, the epicenter for its global product development, research, and innovation. The expanded facility in Battle Creek, MI features 400,000 ft2 devoted to product development. The space includes innovation labs, research facilities, a flexible experimental production area, and an improved pilot plant. The expansion enables Kellogg researchers and technical experts to improve the speed with which new products are successfully introduced to customers around the world.

David Johnson

J.K. Ladha

2010 NAPT ProgramThe NAPT (North American Proficiency Test-

ing) program is registering laboratories for 2010. The program assists soil-, plant-, and water-testing laboratories in their performance through inter-laboratory sample exchanges and a statistical evalu-ation of the analytical data. Laboratories enroll in programs in soil (with or without environmental analysis), plant, and/or water to help them with internal accuracy and precision for a variety of methods. Each quarterly exchange consists of five soils, three plants, and/or three water samples. Ex-changes for 2010 will occur in March, May, July, and September. Labs have the option to participate in only two quarters of the soil program for a reduced cost. However, to be a PAP (Proficiency Assessment Program) laboratory or a state certified laboratory, labs must participate in all four exchanges.

NAPT guidelines have been developed by the agricultural laboratory industry and interested par-ties from the U.S. and Canada. NAPT is operated as an activity of SSSA and is overseen by the NAPT oversight committee. Representatives include: re-gional soil and plant analysis workgroups, scientific organizations, state/provincial departments of ag-riculture, private and public soil and plant analysis labs, and government agencies.

Laboratories can enroll through SSSA at: www.naptprogram.org. Questions about the program should be directed to the NAPT coordinator, Dr. JANICE KOTUBY-AMACHER at 510-649-0327 or [email protected].


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National Soil Tilth Laboratory

The USDA National Soil Tilth Labo-ratory is changing its name to the Na-tional Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment. The National Soil Tilth Laboratory celebrated its 20th anniversary in July 2009. An evalu-ation of future research needs and directions required to address emerg-ing issues on agriculture and the envi-ronment has prompted renaming the lab. According to officials, the change better represents the scope of prob-lems being addressed in the research mission. As part of the reorganization, there are now two research units: Soil, Water, and Air Resources; and Agro-ecosystems Management.

Oklahoma State University

Dr. WILLIAM (BILL) R. RAUN has been named the Nutrients for Life Foundation Professor of Soil and Food Crop Nutrition at Oklahoma State University. The professorship, funded in part by the Nutrients for Life Foundation, The Fertilizer Institute, and the International Plant Nutrition Institute, will explore the linkages be-tween fertilizer use and the nutritional quality of food. The professorship is housed in the Department of Plant and Soil Science located within the College of Agricultur-al Sciences and Natural Resources. The cross-disciplinary position will work with the college’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center. Raun will teach a class about fertilizer’s role in healthy food while also re-searching this issue.

University of ArkansasJOHN SNIDER was selected as Arkansas’s Outstand-

ing Graduate Student in Cotton for 2008–2009. The award is sponsored by Cotton Incorporated. Snider is pursuing a Ph.D. at University of Arkansas under the guidance of Dr. DERRICK OOSTERHUIS. His disserta-tion is titled, “Effects of high temperature stress on the anatomy and biochemistry of pollen–pistil interactions in cotton.”

USDA-ARSThree USDA-ARS scientists were inducted into the

agency’s Science Hall of Fame. ARS has been honoring former and senior agency researchers, who are retired or eligible to retire, with the Hall of Fame program since 1986. Nominees are selected by their peers for outstand-

ing career-long achievements in agricultural science and technology. Two of our members are part of this year’s inductees: NEIL RUTGER, an ARS researcher for 18 years in California before becoming the director of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, AR in 1993; and B.A. STEWART, who has contributed to areas as diverse as animal waste management, soil and water conservation, crop production, and environmental quality. He served as director of the agency’s Conserva-tion and Production Research Laboratory in Bushland, TX. Also inducted: Max Paape, a researcher with the ARS Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory in Beltsville, MD.

Virginia TechThe late Lucian W. Zelazny, the

Thomas B. Hutcheson Professor of Soil Science at Virginia Tech, was conferred professor emeritus posthumously by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Dr. Zelazny died 17 March 2009. He re-ceived a B.S. and M.S. from University of Vermont and Ph.D. in soil science from Virginia Tech. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1976, Zelazny applied his knowledge of soil chemistry and mineralogy to the dis-covery of the relationship among soil components, soil solutions, and a variety of soil environmental questions. His efforts with students and collaborators were diverse, including a range of qualitative and quantitative research in soil chemistry. Zelazny received numerous honors and awards including Fellow of ASA and SSSA.

—In the Business & People section, names of ASA–CSSA–SSSA members are published in capital letters.

Sustainable Turf Conference in Czech Republic

Division C-5 Turfgrass Science members were invited keynote presenters at New Findings for Sustainable Turfgrass Management, an event sponsored by Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry and the Czech Greenskeepers Association. The meeting was held 1–3 December in Brno. This was the first invited turfgrass science and management program conducted by Mendel University. Pictured above are (l to r): Dr. CALE BIGELOW (Purdue), Dr. MIKE FIDANZA (Penn State), Dr. Ladislav Zeman (Dean of Agronomy Facul-ty, Mendel University), Dr. STAN KOSTKA (Aquatrols Corporation), and Dr. JOHN CISAR (University of Florida). Photo by Dr. Stanislav Hejduk, Mendel University.

Lucian Zelazny


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Membership

Welcome New MembersEditor’s note: The new members listing now features the name of the specific Society or Societies joined by the member.

Argentina Noellemeyer, Elke, Santa Rosa, SSSA

BrazilSaad, Maria E., Morretes, ASA

CanadaRutherford, P.M., Prince George, BC, SSSAYanni, Sandra, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, ASA, SSSALafond, Jonathan, Ste Foy, QC, SSSAWolf, Christie Elizabeth, Wapella, SK, ASA

IndiaSrivastava, Yadunath Singh, New Delhi, ASA, CSSA,

SSSA

JapanAsako, Mori, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, ASA, CSSA, SSSAYanai, Junta, Sakyo Kyoto, SSSA

MexicoVargas, Ofelia, Jalisco, CSSA

SwedenChawade, Aakash, Gothenburg, ASA, CSSA, SSSA

USABryant, Kelly, Monticello, AR, ASA, SSSACarrington, Elizabeth Murphy, Davis, CA, ASA, CSSA,

SSSAKrupa, Monika, Davis, CA, SSSAArab Hosseini, Maryam, Mission Viejo, CA, ASA, CSSA,

SSSARogers, Rogell S., Sacramento, CA, ASABlanchard, Joseph Howard, Yreka, CA, SSSAMooney, Greg Dean, Yuba City, CA, ASAMagalhaes, Mario, Miami, FL, ASASwain, Hilary Margaret, Venus, FL, ASA, CSSAGoodwin, Laurie, Waimea, HI, ASA, CSSA, SSSABeelner, Brent Richard, Ames, IA, ASADe Vries, Brian D., Ames, IA, ASA, CSSA, SSSAOntl, Todd A., Ames, IA, SSSAvan de Mortel, Martijn, Huxley, IA, CSSAChang, Yi-Jia, Iowa City, IA, ASA, CSSA, SSSAVining, Glenn Lamarr, Twin Falls Idaho, ID, ASASchmitz, Gary Lynn, Mahomet, IL, ASAGschwind, Nicole Sarah, Urbana, IL, SSSAStewart, Ryan, Urbana, IL, ASARussell, Marvin Winfred, Bowling Green, KY, ASALaurin, Jamie F., Holyoke, MA, ASA, CSSA, SSSA

Leach, Kristen A., Columbia, MO, ASA, CSSABaldwin, Keith Richard, Greensboro, NC, SSSAChristensen, G. Ken, Grand Island, NE, ASAKinnison, Travis Brent, Osceola, NE, ASAIdrees, Asif, Atlantic City, NJ, ASA, CSSA, SSSARobertson, Timothy Wayne, Las Cruces, NM, ASASnell, Gary L., Jamestown, OH, ASAPittman, Jeremy Joshua, Ardmore, OK, ASA, CSSA, SSSALondo, Jason P., Corvallis, OR, CSSAMcPherson, Kristen, State College, PA, ASA, CSSA, SSSAHeath, Michael Eugene, Lubbock, TX, ASAEmendack, Yves Yatou, Vernon, TX, CSSABero, Nicholas, Madison, WI, ASA, CSSA, SSSAWolff, Benjamin John, Laramie, WY, SSSA

ZimbabweMasuka, Benhildah Pamhidzai, Harare, ASA, CSSA

2010 Annual Meetings AnnouncedThe 2010 ASA–CSSA–SSSA International Annual

Meetings will be held 31 October to 4 November in Long Beach, CA, under the theme, “Green Revolution 2.0: Food + Energy and Environmental Security.”

Also meeting in Long Beach are the 3rd Interna-tional Conference on Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics and the U.S. Canola Association Annual Re-search Conference.

Plenary Speaker NamedAward-winning author and New

York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman will present the ASA–CSSA–SSSA Plenary Lecture on Sunday evening, 31 October. Fried-man’s latest book is titled, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America. His previous bestseller, The World is Flat, sold more than two million copies. For more on Friedman, visit: www.thomaslfriedman.com

Abstract DeadlinesPoster and oral abstract submission for the Annual

Meetings opens on 16 February with the following deadlines—early abstract deadline: 22 April, with fees increased $20 on 23 April; final abstract deadline: 4 May; and abstract editing deadline: 3 August.

Visit and bookmark our 2010 Annual Meetings website, as it will be continuously updated with event details as they are announced: www.acsmeetings.org.

Thomas Friedman


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In Memoriam

Robert “Rus” BruceRobert Russell “Rus” Bruce, 83,

died 11 May 2009 in Athens, GA. He received a B.S.A. from University of Guelph (1947), M.S. from Cornell University (1951), and Ph.D. from University of Illinois (1956). He taught at Mississippi State Univer-sity in the Agronomy Department beginning in 1955 and joined USDA-ARS in Watkinsville, GA in 1965, re-tiring after 30 years as a soil scientist.

Dr. Bruce was an international ex-pert in soil physics. He investigated the influence of various land use and cropping system effects on soil com-paction, soil water retention and dif-fusivity, hydraulic conductivity, and infiltration. He participated in team efforts to model nutrient and pesti-cide runoff. In the latter part of his career, he appreciated the significant influence of soil organic matter as a factor in improving water relations for crops and the need for control-ling erosion and restoring degraded landscapes with conservation man-agement.

Bruce was a member of ASA and SSSA for 59 years. He was elected Fellow of ASA and SSSA in 1974.

He is survived by his wife Donnie, a son, two grandchildren, and three of his siblings.

Morris DeckerA. Morris Decker, 91, professor

emeritus of agronomy at University of Maryland and one of the world’s foremost forage specialists, died 26 Oct. 2009, in Jacksonville Beach, FL.

Dr. Decker taught at University of Maryland for more than 40 years, starting as an instructor in 1952 and attaining the rank of associate professor in 1958. Following mili-tary service, he received a B.S. from Colorado State University, M.S. from Utah State University, and Ph.D. from University of Maryland.

His research dealt with forage establishment, forage crop improv-

ment, forage systems for livestock programs, and forage harvest man-agement. He investigated the effects of soil temperature on the break-down of sludge materials and the subsequent release of heavy metals. He also studied the use of fall-seeded legumes in no-tillage corn produc-tion.

Decker directed the studies of scores of master’s and doctorate de-gree graduates and served on more than 85 additional graduate com-mittees. Among his former students are some of the most respected for-age management specialists in the United States.

Decker received many awards and honors for his research, including ASA (1970) and CSSA (1985) Fellow. He was an active ASA member for 54 years, serving on the board of direc-tors and as division chair.

He is survived by his wife Beth, a son, daughter, brother, and two grandchildren.

John ShouldersJohn F. Shoulders, professor emer-

itus of agronomy and extension turf specialist at Virginia Tech until his retirement in 1980, died 9 Dec. 2009 in Christiansburg at the age of 89.

Shoulders was born 12 Jan. 1920 at Horner, WV. His early years were spent on the family farm near Horner, during which time he was an active member of 4-H and FFA.

He graduated from West Virginia University in 1943. Following the war, he was county agent of Lincoln County, West Virginia for six years and introduced practices that almost doubled the yield of burly tobacco, the principal source of farm income in the county.

Shoulders received an M.S. de-gree in agronomy from Penn State in

1951. In 1952, he accepted the newly created extension forage position at Virginia Tech, where he promoted the use of improved production and management practices to increase yield, improve quality, and enhance utilization of pasture and forages in animal agriculture.

As the demand for more edu-cational work with turf increased, Shoulders assumed the newly creat-ed position of extension agronomist in turfgrass management. In this position, Shoulders was responsible for initiating the Virginia Tech Turf-grass Field Days in 1957, the Virginia Turfgrass Conference in 1961, and the Virginia Tech Turf Management Short Course in 1970.

Shoulders received numerous recognitions for his contributions to agronomic programs, including ASA and CSSA Fellow.

John SimonJohn J. Simon, consultant, founder,

and co-owner of Simon & Associates Inc., died 24 Nov. 2008. Dr. Simon was a member of SSSA for 29 years, joining in 1980. He was born in 1956 and grew up on a farm in Missouri. He received his B.S. and M.S. de-grees from University of Missouri and Ph.D. in 1986 from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Simon and his wife of 21 years, Cheryl Simon, were owners of the consulting firm Simon & As-sociates Inc., located in Blacksburg, VA. His consulting work emphasized site characterization, risk, and reme-diation assessments, especially for petroleum-contaminated soils. He was a mentor for those working with him at Simon & Associates.

He contributed two chapters for the SSSA book, Soil Science: Step-by-Step Field Analysis, which was writ-ten primarily for consultants.

—sourCe: Soil Profiles: The Voice of theNational Society of Consulting Soil Scien-

tists Inc. XVII(2):11

Calendar

ASA–CSSA–SSSA International Annual Meetings

201031 October–4 November, Long Beach, CAASA–CSSA–SSSA International Annual Meet-

ings: Green Revolution 2.0: Food + Energy and Environmental Security; www.acsmeetings.org

The 3rd International Conference on Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics and

The U.S. Canola Association Annual Research Con-ference

201116–20 October, San Antonio, TX

201221–25 October, Cincinnati, OH

* New listing this month.

X Society-sponsored events.



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Other MeetingsUSA/Territories2010

7–8 February, ASA Southern Branch Meeting with Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, Orlando, FL; www. agronomy.org/membership/branches/southern

7–11 February, Weed Science Society of America Annual Meet-ing (concurrent meeting with the Society for Range Manage-ment), Denver, CO; www.wssa.net/index.htm

2–3 March, Great Plains Soil Fertility Conference, Denver, CO; www.ipni.net/gpsfc

3–6 March, National Society of Consulting Soil Scientists 23rd Annual Conference, Amelia Island, FL; www.nscss.org/2010Meeting

7–10 March, Wheat Research Conferences, Lincoln, NE; http://conferences.unl.edu/wheat

21–25 March, American Chemical Society Spring 2010 National Meeting and Exposition, San Francisco, CA; www.acs.org/meetings

21–25 March, Symposium on Understanding Greenhouse Gas-es from Agriculture (held during the 239th American Chemi-cal Society National Meeting and Exposition), San Francisco, CA; www.acs.org/meetings

21–26 March, National Collegiate Soils Contest, Lubbock, TX; [email protected]

9–10 April, SASES Student Regional Meeting, West Lafayette, IN; www.agronomy.org/students

11–13 April, 7th International Herbage Seed Conference, Dallas, TX; www.ihsg.org

10–19 May, DSSAT Version 4.5 Workshop: Assessing Crop Pro-duction, Nutrient Management, Climatic Risk, and Environ-mental Sustainability with Simulation Models, Griffin, GA; www.icasa.net or Gerrit Hoogenboom at [email protected]

6–11 June, International Association for Plant Biotechnology (IAPB) 12th World Congress, St. Louis, MO; www.iapb2010.org

14–25 June, Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance Short Course, Fort Collins, CO; www.droughtadaptation.org

20–24 June, Western Societies of Crop Science and Soil Science and National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference, Las Ve-gas, NV; www.crops.org/membership/branches/wscs and www.soils.org/membership/branches/wsss

27–30 June, ASA–CSSA–SSSA Northeastern Branch Meet-ing, Ithaca, NY; www.soils.org/membership/branches/northeastern

2–6 August, Activated Sludge Process Control Short Course, Fort Collins, CO; http://activatedsludgecourse.engr.colostate.edu or [email protected]

*5–8 October, 7th Eastern Native Grass Symposium, Knoxville, TN; [email protected]

*23–24 October, USA Science and Engineering Festival, Wash-ington, DC; http://usasciencefestival.org

5–8 December, 2010 National Irrigation Symposium, Phoenix, AZ

International2010

7–10 February, 4th International Conference on Plants and En-vironmental Pollution, Lucknow, India; http://isebindia.com

28 February–3 March, Global Biosecurity Conference 2010, Bris-bane, QLD, Australia; www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

10–13 March, International Symposium on the Importance of Soil Management and Potash Fertilization for Sustain-able Agricultural Development of Central America and the Caribbean, San Salvador, El Savador; [email protected]

Theses and Dissertations, 2008–2009

Name Institution Graduation Advisor Title

Master’s Degrees in Agronomic Science Fields

A-2 Military Land Use & Management

Omidiran, Yinusa A. Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 E.Z. Nyakatawa Nitrogen and Phosphorous Mineralization in Composted Mulched Burns on Simulated Military Training Landscapes.

A-3 Agroclimatology & Agronomic Modeling

Gervais, Mark D. Univ. of Manitoba 2/4/09 P. Bullock Assessment of the Second-generation Prairie Agrometeorological Model’s Performance for Spring Wheat on the Canadian Prairies.

A-5 Environmental Quality

Ali, Amanee G. North Carolina A&T State Univ.

12/13/08 O. Isikhuemhen, M. Reddy, A. Diouf

Effect of Aluminum, Cadmium, Lead and Zinc on Mycelial Growth and Uptake by Three White-Rot Fungi.

Brion, Geneva Univ. of Arkansas 8/7/09 K.R. Brye Land-use Effects on Water Quality of a First-order Stream in the Ozark Highlands.

Farris, Richard D. North Carolina A&T State Univ.

12/13/08 G. Reddy, M. Reddy Non-thesis.

Grogan, Brian P. North Carolina A&T State Univ.

12/13/08 C. Raczkowski, M. Reddy

Non-thesis.

McNear, LaKenya T. North Carolina A&T State Univ.

12/13/08 G. Uzochukwu, M. Reddy, G. Reddy

Non-thesis.

Tenyah, Thomas M. Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 K. Naka Environmental Impact of Different Logging Methods in the Bankhead National Forest.

Tosch, McClure Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 R. Mahler A Biological Assessment Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates as a Water Quality Indicator for Clear Creek, Idaho County, Idaho.

A-8 Integrated Agricultural Systems

Anderson Mba, Amber D.

Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 A.K. Manu, C.B. Flora The Effects of Farmer Attitudes and Farm Management Practices on Soil Quality: A Study in Cherokee County, Iowa.

Endleman, Jeffrey Utah State Univ. 6/10/09 J. Reeve Optimal Compost Rates for Organic Crop Production Based on a Decay Series.

A-11 Biometry

Finley, Gene Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 G. Caetano-Anolles Non-thesis.

Master’s Degrees in Crop Science Fields

C-1 Crop Breeding and Genetics

Acharya, Ananta R. Univ. of Florida 5/5/09 K. Quesenberry Phenotypic Differences in Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Spp.) White Clover (Trifolium Repens L.) Interactions and Combining Ability Analysis of Resistance.

Bandla, Narasimha R. Univ. of Saskatchewan 8/29/08 C. Pozniak A Study of the Rheological Properties and Gluten Protein Components Asso-ciated With Enhanced Baking Quality in Durum Wheat (Triticum Turgidum L. Var. Durum).

Belbachir, Nabil South Dakota State Univ. 8/29/08 R.A. Scott Mid-oleic Quantitative Loci in Two Soybean Crosses.

Berger, Gregory L. Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 S. Hague Diallel Analysis and Heritability Estimates of Fiber Traits for Els, Gossypium Hirsutum L, Progeny.

Bruce, Jesse Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/9/08 B. Vandenberg The Effect of Preharvest Treatment on Milling Efficiency in Red Lentil.

Cook, Justine Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 R.S. Gallagher Improving the Synchrony of Hairy Vetch (Vicia Villosa) Nitrogen Release for Corn (Zea Mays) Nitrogen Uptake.

Delheimer, Jacob C. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

10/15/08 B.W. Diers Evaluation of the Effects of Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance Genes on Nematode Reproduction and Soybean Growth in Field Tests

Doonan, Gregory L. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 W.R. Fehr Cyst Nematode Resistance and Seed Yield of Soybean Lines Derived From ss97-6946.

We congratulate the following M.S. and Ph.D. graduates from 2008–2009. For more than 30 years, ASA, CSSA, and SSSA have published thesis and dissertation titles of graduates in the agronomic sciences, including crop science, soil science, environmental science, and related disciplines. We encourage these graduates to take full advantage of membership in the Societies and to make use of our programs and services as they pursue their professional careers.



Everett, Erik A. Texas Tech Univ. 5/9/09 R. Wright Stability of Cotton Varieties Over 18 Environments.

Gardiner, Stephanie A.

Univ. of Minnesota 12/31/08 G. Muehlbauer Investigating Barley Resistance Mechanisms to the Trichothecene Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol.

Gill, Stacy L. Texas Tech Univ. 5/9/09 D. Auld Evaluation of Reciprocal Hybrid Crosses in Guar.

Groene, Grant Kansas State Univ. 12/1/08 M. Tuinstra Evaluating Sorghum and Maize Germplasm for Post-anthesis Drought Tolerance.

Gustafson, Tim Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

4/8/09 J.G. Coors, N. deLeon Breeding Maize for Enhanced Silage Quality: Aspects of Stover and Grain Improvement.

Hufford, Matthew Univ. of California-Davis 6/11/09 P. Gepts Non-thesis.

Hyrkas, Laurie Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 K.R. Lamkey Non-thesis.

Islam, Md S. Univ. of Missouri 12/31/08 D.A. Sleper, H.T. Nguyen, M.R. Ellersieck

Molecular Characterization of Genetic Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode in Soybean Line Ss97-6946.

Jakkula, Vinod Univ. of Georgia-Athens 12/19/08 K. Devos Mapping D2 Gene That Controls Plant Height in Pearl Millet.

Kantar, Michael B. Univ. of Minnesota 12/31/08 P. Porter Evaluation and Breeding of a Rye Cover Crop (Secale Cereale L.).

King, Raina K. Texas Tech Univ. 5/9/09 R. Wright Structural Analysis and Basic Inheritance Characterization of the Caducous Brait Trait of Gossypium Harknessii.

Kirkpatrick, Krystal M.

Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 K.R. Lamkey The Evaluation of Maize Genotypes for Potential Use in Cellulosic Ethanol Production.

Kump, Kristen L. North Carolina State Univ.

6/15/09 J.B. Holland, P.J. Balint-Kurti

Combined Population Analyses for Mapping Loci Conditioning Resistance to Southern Corn Leaf Blight.

Kurcinka, Elizabeth M.

Univ. of Minnesota 3/31/09 N. Ehlke, D. Wyse Nitrogen Fertilizer Source and Application Timing in Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne L.) and Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa Pratensis L.) Grown for Seed.

Lewis, Mangan F. Univ. of Minnesota 12/31/08 R. Bernardo, H. Jung Potential for Simultaneous Improvement of Maize Grain Yield and Stover Quality for Cellulosic Ethanol.

Massman, Jon M. Univ. of Minnesota 12/31/08 K. Smith Investigating the Genetics of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Contempo-rary U.S. Barley Breeding Germplasm.

Montgomery, Randall W.

Texas Tech Univ. 5/9/09 W. Xu Influence of Corn Hybrids and Water Stress on Yield and Nutritive Value.

Morris, Jana F. Oklahoma State Univ. 5/9/09 B. Carver Greenhouse Assessment of Seedling Resistance to Tan Spot in Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat.

Novais, Joana Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

10/15/08 M. O. Bohn Genetic Analysis of Maize Root Complexity Using Fractal Dimension and Entropy.

Olson, Eric North Carolina State Univ.

11/21/08 G. Brown-Guedira Characterization of Stem Rust Resistance in US Wheat Germplasm.

Osorio, Juliana Univ. of Arkansas 12/16/08 J.McD. Stewart Comparison of Fb and F2 Populations for Mapping of An Interspecific Hybrid (G Darwinii X G Hirsutum).

Reimer, Sherisse Univ. of Saskatchewan 12/12/08 C. Pozniak Association Mapping of Endosperm Colour in Durum Wheat (Triticum Turgidum L. Var. Durum).

Rock, Katie B. Univ. of Minnesota 6/30/09 H. Jung, J. Lamb Alfalfa as a Bioenergy Crop: Evaluating Quality Among Environments, Har-vest Maturities and Germplasms.

Rowe, Christina E.M.

North Carolina State Univ.

12/22/08 T.G. Isleib, S.R. Milla-Lewis

DNA Markers for Resistance to Post-harvest Aflatoxin Accumulation in Arachis Hypogaea L.

Salas, Ayna I. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 S. P. Moose Regulation of Zein Transgene Expression in Response to Long Term Selection for Grain Protein Concentration in Maize.

Sand, Laura Univ. of British Columbia 5/25/09 A. Riseman Effects of Plant Growth Regulators and Temperature on Floral Induction and Development of Exacum Styer Group.

Scasta, John D. Texas Tech Univ. 12/13/08 D. Auld, C. Trostle Screening of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) Cultivars for Salt Tolerance in West Texas.

Sheng, Lang Univ. of Georgia-Athens 12/19/08 W. Parrott A Comparison of Promoters for Expression of Transgenes in Alfalfa Roots.

Tashiro, Rebecca Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 W. Parrott From the Field to the Flowerbed to the Lab: Ornamental White Clover Breed-ing and Leaf Trait Mapping.

Thapa, Rima Oklahoma State Univ. 12/13/08 B. Carver Selection Responses in Grain Yield and Related Traits As Induced by Dual-purpose and Grain-only Management Systems.

Trimble, Loren A. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 W.R. Fehr Genetic Improvement of Seedling Emergence of Low-Phytate Soybean Lines.

Viesselmann, Leah M.

Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

4/14/09 W.F. Tracy Recurrent Selection for Cold Temperature Seedling Growth in Sweet Corn (Zea Mays L.).

Wright, Evan M. Michigan State Univ. 12/19/08 J. Kelly Mapping QTL for Agronomic and Canning Quality Traits in Black Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris).

Wu, Shuangye Kansas State Univ. 7/1/08 G. Bai Molecular Mapping of Stem Rust Resistance Genes in Wheat.



Name Institution Graduation Advisor TitleName Institution Graduation Advisor Title

Zyskowski, Jared Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

3/31/09 W.F. Tracy Genetics and Inheritance of Traits Relating to Weed Competitiveness in Sweet Corn (Zea Mays L.).

C-2 Crop Physiology & Metabolism

Bremer Blanch, Vanessa

California State Univ.-Fresno

12/21/08 J. Bushoven, T. Ein-horn, C. Cristoso

Use of Pre-harvest Etephon Applications to Reduce Breba Crop Load and Post-harvest Performance Evaluations of Fresh Fig (Ficus Carica) Varieties/selections.

Brooks, Ashley M. North Carolina State Univ.

8/22/08 D.A. Danehower Allelopathy in Rye (Secale Cereale).

Brosch, Steven G. Texas Tech Univ. 5/10/08 S. Maas The Effects of Variable-rate Seeding on Dryland Cotton Yield in West Texas.

Bultemeier, Brett W. Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 M. Netherland The Response of Three Cabomba Populations to Herbicides and Environmen-tal Parameters: Implications for Taxonomy and Management.

Cayanan, Diane F. Univ. of Guelph 7/3/08 M.A. Dixon, Y. Zheng Sensitivity of Nursery Plants to Free Chlorine in the Management of Plant Pathogens in Irrigation Water.

Djidonou, Desire Univ. of Florida 12/15/08 K. Boote Adapting the Cropgro Legume Model to Simulate Growth and Fresh Market Yield of Snap Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris).

Feng, Lu Texas Tech Univ. 12/13/08 C. Bednarz Effects of Irrigation and Seeding Rate on Cotton Yield, Within Boll Yield Components and Fiber Quality for Different Varieties.

Harding, James A. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 F.E. Below Non-thesis.

Hu, Xiaoyan Univ. of Arkansas 5/9/09 L.C. Purcell Comparative Responses of Early-maturing and Late-maturing Soybean Culti-vars to An Irrigation Gradient.

Liu, Liping (Candy) Univ. of Saskatchewan 6/10/09 R. Bueckert Root Systems of Oilseed and Pulse Crops—Morphology, Distribution, and Growth Patterns.

Maggart, Daniel Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 F.E. Below Non-thesis.

Mangan, Margaret E.

Univ. of Minnesota 3/31/09 C. Sheaffer, D. Wyse Native Perennial Grassland Species for Bio-energy: Establishment and Bio-mass Productivity.

Mathis, Garrett M. Texas Tech Univ. 5/9/09 C. Bednarz Irrigation Response in Cotton to Optimize Yield, Quality and Profitability in the Texas High Plains.

McKinnon, John D. Univ. of Saskatchewan 3/12/09 G. Gray Dual-targeting of Nadp+-isocitrate Dehydrogenase.

Morse, Andrew Univ. of Guelph 5/19/09 P.G. Kevan, L. Shipp Floral Scent and Pollination of Greenhouse Tomatoes.

Oladeinde, Adebosola

Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 S.P. Long Non-thesis.

Prabhu, Setal Univ. of California-Davis 9/12/08 F. Negre-Zakharov Non-thesis.

Proulx, Rob A. Univ. of Minnesota 12/31/08 S. Naeve Soybean Protein and Oil Content as Affected by Source-sink Alterations and Nodal.

Sabila, Mercy H. Univ. of Georgia-Athens 12/19/08 T. Grey Environmental Factors Affecting Benghal Dayflower (Commelina Benghalen-sis) Seed Germination.

Solliday, Amanda J. Cornell Univ. 8/1/08 T. Setter Identifying Favorable Responses to Drought Stress in Diverse Genotypes of Maize (Zea Mays L.).

Thelemann, Ryan T. Univ. of Minnesota 3/31/09 C. Sheaffer, G. Johnson

The Effect of Landscape Position on Biomass Crop Productivity and Growth Rate.

Thevar, Prasanna Kansas State Univ. 12/1/08 M.B. Kirkham Transpiration Efficiency of Eight Grain Sorghum Lines.

Wang, Jingjing Univ. of Florida 12/15/08 J. Ferrell Mechanisms of Cogongrass [imperata Cylindrica (L.) Beauv.] Competition, Low Light Survival, and Rhizome Dormancy.

C-3 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality

Abrahamson, Aaron H.

Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 A.J. Ciha, K.J. Moore Non-thesis.

Akhter, Fardausi Univ. of Manitoba 2/4/09 M. Tenuta Crop Management Impacts on Mycorrhizal Colonization and Cadium Avail-ability in Agricultural Crops.

Averill, Kristine M. Cornell Univ. 8/17/09 A. DiTommaso Vincetoxicum Spp. Biology and Ecology in New York State: Establishment Success, Vegetative Expansion, and Physiology of Two Invasive Perennial Vines in the Apocynaceae.

Bard, Nathan A. Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

5/20/09 K.A. Albrecht Mechanical and Thermal Suppression of Kura Clover Living Mulch for Corn Production: An Agronomic and Biophysical Analysis.

Boyer, James A. Univ. of Florida 8/11/09 G. MacDonald Influence of Herbicides and Time of Application on Peanut (Arachis Hypo-gaea L.) Injury and Yield.

Bumann, Eric L. Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 A.D. Knapp Non-thesis.

Burson, Patrick B. Texas Tech Univ. 12/13/08 R. Zartman Non-thesis.



Cogdill, Todd J. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 K.J. Moore Investigation of Management Strategies for the Production of Sweet Sorghum as a Bioenergy Crop and Preservation of Crop Residue by the Ensiling Process.

Cromwell, Morgan Univ. of Vermont 5/1/09 L. Berkett Evaluation of Alternative Fungicides for Organic Apple Production in Vermont.

Dixon, Bradley S. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 A.J. Ciha, K.J. Moore Non-thesis.

Engstrom, Fred A. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 C.A. Gardner, K.J. Moore

Non-thesis.

Frederick, Christopher J.

Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 C.L. Burras Non-thesis.

Fryman, Daisy M. Univ. of Kentucky 5/9/09 W.W. Witt Comparison of Rope-wick and Broadcast Treatments for Control of Canada Thistle and Tall Ironweed.

Gersdorf, Seth Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 D. Thill A Survey of Italian Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum) Herbicide Resistance in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington.

Goeser, Nicholas J. Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

10/21/08 E. Luschei Assessing Organic Seed Treatments for Organic Corn Establishment.

Gradish, Angela Univ. of Guelph 1/13/09 C. Scott-Dupree, L. Shipp

Non-target Effects of Reduced Risk Pesticides on Beneficial Arthropods Used in Greenhouse Vegetable Production.

Gutierrez, Rosemary South Dakota State Univ. 12/19/08 R.L. Burrows Eco-cultural Gardening.

Haegele, Jason W. Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 M.E. Westgate Maize Kennel Development, Suitability for Dry-grind Ethanol Production, and Susceptibility to Aflatoxin Accumulation in Relation to Late-Season Water Stress.

Haggard, Kale G. Oregon State Univ. 6/13/09 P.M. Hayes Response of the Cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae to Dissolved Plant Matter.

Hastings, Melissa M. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 S.E. Taylor Non-thesis.

Hitz, Mark E. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 R.M. Cruse Non-thesis.

How, Laura J. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 A.J. Ciha, K.J. Moore Non-thesis.

Hoyle, Jared A. North Carolina State Univ.

4/20/09 F.H. Yelverton Effect of Mowing Height in Turfgrass Systems on Pest Incidence.

Hunt, Andrew North Carolina State Univ.

10/24/08 K. Edmisten

Jackson, Jason Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 J. Beasley Fall Bedding for Improved Harvesting Efficiency and Improved Yield of Strip-Till Peanut on Fine Textured Soils.

Kay, Ryan T. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 G.P. Munkvold, K.J. Moore

Non-thesis.

Keller, G. M. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 R.M. Cruse Non-thesis.

Kraska, Joseph E. Louisiana State Univ. 8/7/09 G.A. Breitenbeck, B. Tubana, J. Wang

Assessing the Silicon Status of Rice (Oryza Sativa).

Langdon, Donna Univ. of Guelph 9/3/08 G.J. Boland Biological Control of Monilinia and Botrytis Blights in Lowbush Blueberries.

Larson, Nicholas A. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 A.J. Ciha, K.J. Moore Non-thesis.

Lassen, Amy Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/17/08 H.D. Karsten Fatty Acids in Beef Marketed in Pennsylvania From Cattle Finished on Pas-ture or Stored Foods.

Mellendorf, Tracy G. Southern Illinois Univ. 3/30/09 B.G. Young Control of Spring Weed Vegetation with Saflufenacil.

Ostlie, Michael North Dakota State Univ. 5/28/09 K. Howatt Downy Brome (Bromus Tectoruml.) Competition and Evaluation of Herbi-cidal Control for No-till Hard Red Spring Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.).

Propheter, Jonathan Kansas State Univ. 5/1/09 S. Staggenborg Direct Comparison of Biomass Yields of Annual and Perennial Biofuel Crops.

Rich, Jonathan Kansas State Univ. 12/1/08 A.K. Fritz Early Season Applications of Fungicides to Control Diseases in Winter Wheat.

Rickard, James Univ. of Guelph 11/24/08 K.R. Solomon, R.H. Hallett

Colonization, Fecundity and Probing Behaviour of Soybean Aphid on Suscep-tible and Resistant Soybean Varieties.

Rood, Jonquil Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 D. Thill Tillage Affects Imazamox Carryover in Yellow Mustard.

Sangireddy, Sasikiran R.

Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 R. Ward Bionomics of Major Insect Pests of Canola With Emphasis on Chemical Con-trol of Cabbage Seedpod Weevil.

Sarver, Jason M. Univ. of Kentucky 5/9/09 C. Lee Influence of Various Plant Populations on Weed Removal Timing in Glyphosate-Resistant Soybean.

Scheufele, Scott L. California State Univ.-Fresno

6/30/09 B.A. Roberts, J. Bush-oven, B. Ramsdale

Factors Affecting Glyphosate Control in Horseweed (Conyza Canadensis) and Hairy Fleabane (Conyza Bonariensis).

Schwertner, Matthew H.

Texas Tech Univ. 5/10/08 P. Dotray Weed Management in Strip-Tillage Cotton.



Shahar, Rotem Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 T.A. Obreza Tools to Advance Row Crop Best Management Practice (BMP) Implementa-tion in Florida’s Lower Suwannee River Basin.

Siefken, Ryan L. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 A.J. Ciha, K.J. Moore Non-thesis.

Similien, Arsene Auburn Univ. 5/9/09 D. Shannon Effect of Shade, Irrigation and Nutrients on Dry Matter Yield and Flavonoid Content in American Skullcap.

Sindelar, Aaron Kansas State Univ. 12/1/08 K.L. Roozeboom Effect of Delayed Planting on Corn in Central Kansas.

Smith, Stephanie L. Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 K. Thelen Bioenergy Cropping Systems on Marginal Land.

Steffl, Jason A. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 M.H. Wiedenhoeft Non-thesis.

True, Sarah L. North Carolina State Univ.

10/24/08 R. Richardson The Biology and Control of Beach Vitex (Vitex Rotundifolia) and Common Reed (Phragmites Australis).

Verett, Kristofer S. Texas Tech Univ. 8/8/09 P. Dotray, W. Keeling Cotton and Weed Response to Propazine/Glyphosate Postemergence Combinations.

Wagstaff, Steven A. Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 K. Thelen Utility of Spring-Planted Interseeded Winter Annual Rye in Dry Bean Crop-ping Systems: Weed Suppression and Dry Bean Stem Elongation.

Waldo, Laura Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 A.W. Schumann Soil Moisture Spatial Variability Under Florida Ridge Citrus Tree Canopies and Identifying Alternative Methods of Scheduling Irrigation Based on Tree Canopy Stress.

Wang, Jinghe Univ. of Saskatchewan 4/15/09 S. Banniza The Infection Process of Colletotrichum Truncatum on Lentil.

Wang, Meili Auburn Univ. 5/9/09 D. Shannon Cultivation Practices for Astragalus Memanaceus in the Southeastern United States.

Weinkauf, Ann M. South Dakota State Univ. 8/29/08 S.L. Osborne, R.H. Gelderman

Improving Wheat Yields and Grain Nitrogen Concentration Through Efficient Use of Nitrogen Fertilizer.

West, Amanda M. North Carolina State Univ.

11/20/08 R. Richardson Biology and Management of Bushkiller (Cayratia Japonica).

C-4 Seed Physiology, Production & Technology

Alexander, Aaron S. Texas Tech Univ. 8/8/09 N. Hopper Isolation of Xanthomonas Axonopodis Pv. Malvacearum From Acid Delinted and Easiflo Treated Cottonseed.

Clayton, Lydia Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 D. Thill Brassicaceae Seed Meals as Bioherbicides: Influence on Plant Growth and Weed Control in an Organic Production System.

Eranthodi, Anas Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

8/4/08 M. Babadoost Developing An Effective Thermo-therapy Method for Control of Internal Discoloration in Horseradish Propagative Stocks (Sets).

Fassler, Nicholas T. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

8/4/08 F.W. Simmons Efficacy and Degradation of Mesotrione and Isoxaflutole in Illinois Soils.

Osenga, Joseph J. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 P. Pedersen Use of Seed Treatments and Inoculants in No-Tillage Soybean Production Practices.

Schanning, Greta A. South Dakota State Univ. 5/9/09 E. Brent Turnipseed Non-thesis.

Weinlaeder, Scott North Dakota State Univ. 5/15/09 B. Johnson Simulated Defoliation and Stand Reduction in Type II Dry Bean Cultivars.

Wilder, Barton J. Univ. of Florida 5/5/09 J. Ferrell Seed Biology and Chemical Control of Giant and Small Smutgrass.

C-5 Turfgrass Science

Bogle, Erica N. Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 K. Frank Turfgrass Re-establishment Following Winterkill.

Brown, Bryan Texas A&M Univ. 12/13/08 D. Chalmers

Cook, Philip Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/15/09 P.J. Landschoot Inhibition of Pythium Spp. and Suppression of Pythium Blight and Anthracnose With Phosphonate Fungicides.

Cropper, Kenneth L. Univ. of Kentucky 5/9/09 D. Williams Towards Reducing Fungicide Use in the Control of Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa F.t. Bennett) Disease on Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis Stolonifera L.).

Deaton, Michael T. Univ. of Kentucky 5/9/09 D. Williams Trinexapac-ethyl and Overseeding Effects on Shear Strength and Tolerance to Simulated Traffic of Four Bermudagrass Cultivars Grown on a Sand-based System.

Dunnivant, William E.

Auburn Univ. 8/9/08 E.A. Guertal Grooming Frequency and Spacing Effects on Tifeagle Bermudagrass Putting Greens.

Garrison, Mark Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

5/30/09 J.C. Stier Cool-Season Turfgrass Ecology of Upper Midwestern Natural Areas.

Han, Holly R. Oklahoma State Univ. 5/9/09 D.L. Martin, G.E. Bell, C.M. Taliaferro

Development of Improved Turf-type Bermudagrasses.

Koeritz, Eric Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

8/31/08 J.C. Stier Alternative Turfgrasses for More Environmentally Sustainable Golf Course Management: Velvet Bentgrass Putting Greens and Fine Fescue/Colonial Bentgrass Fairways.

Rainey, III, Wyman G. Auburn Univ. 5/9/09 E.A. Guertal Aerification Tine Effects on Tifway Bermudagrass Athletic Fields.



Rincker, Keith F. Southern Illinois Univ. 5/28/08 K.L. Diesburg Evaluation of Turf-type Tall Fescue Progeny Derived From Self and Open Pollination.

Serensits, Thomas Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/16/08 A.S. McNitt The Effects of Trinexapac-ethyl and Cultivation on the Divot Resistance of Kentucky Bluegrass Cultivars.

Sladek, Bradley S. Texas Tech Univ. 5/10/08 D. Auld, G. Henry Evaluation of Zoysiagrass (Zoysia Spp.) Geotypes for Shade Tolerance and Rate of Spread.

Young, Bradford K. Auburn Univ. 5/9/09 E.A. Guertal Potassium Movement and Uptake as Affected by Potassium Source and Placement.

C-6 Forage & Grazinglands

Alderman, Phillip D.

Univ. of Florida 12/15/08 K.J. Boote Simulating the Regrowth Dynamics of Tifton 85 Bermudagrass As Affected by Nitrogen Fertilization.

Ball, Matthew Univ. of British Columbia 11/24/08 A. Bomke Subarctic Nitrogen Fixation in Monoculture Alfalfa and Mixed Alfalfa/Grass Forage Swards.

Carter, Jessica Univ. of Kentucky 5/9/09 G. Aiken Performance and Physiology of Yearling Steers Grazing Toxic Tall Fescue as Influenced by Concentrate Feeding and Steroidal Implants.

Castillo, Miguel S. Univ. of Florida 8/11/09 L. Sollenberger Nutrient Management of Elephantgrass for Biomass Production.

Crider, Lindsay J. Auburn Univ. 5/9/09 D.I. Bransby Composition and Yield of Eight Switchgrass Cultivars in Alabama.

Hebrock, Nicholas Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/17/08 M.H. Hall Seeding Rate Impact on Glyphosate-resistant Alfalfa in the First Two Years.

Inyang, Uduak Univ. of Florida 5/5/09 J. Vendramini, L. Sollenberger

Management of Brachiaria Cultivar Mulato in South Florida.

Mori, Nadia Univ. of Saskatchewan 3/30/09 J.T. Romo The Burning and Grazing Interaction in Fescue Prairie: Plant Community Responses and Animal Behaviour.

Siegrist, Jacob Univ. of Kentucky 12/19/08 R. McCulley The Endophyte Effect: Ecosystem Consequences of the Tall Fescue-fungal Endophyte Symbiosis.

Underwood, Jamie Univ. of Arkansas 8/7/09 C.P. West Summer Dormancy and Survival of Tall Fescue in Relation to Endophyte Presence and Biochemical Traits.

C-7 Genomics, Molecular Genetics & Biotechnology

Bashir, Rabia Southern Illinois Univ. 5/25/07 D.A. Lightfoot Developing Markers From Bac-end Sequences to Improve Marker Assisted Selection in Soybean.

Fan, Cui Univ. of Kentucky 12/19/08 H. Zhu Evolutionary and Functional Characterization of Os-pollux, a Rice Gene Orthologous to a Common Symbiosis Gene in Legume.

Heckart, Douglas Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 P. Raymer, W. Parrott Obtaining Sethoxydim Resistance in the Turfgrass Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum Vaginatum).

Jakkula, Vinod Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 K. Devos Fine Mapping D2 Gene That Controls Plant Height in Pearl Millet.

Jansen, Jenna North Dakota State Univ. 8/18/08 S. Kianian Ethyl Methanesulfonate Rates for Developing Tilling Populations in Wheat.

Jorgensen, Chad California State Univ.-Fresno

6/30/09 J. Farrar, J. Prince, D. Goorahoo

QTL Analysis and Marker Addition in a Recombinant Inbred Population of Pepper (Capsicum Annum L.).

Liu, Yun-Hua Texas A&M Univ. 12/13/08 H. Zhang The DNA “Jigsaw Puzzle” Structure Model: the Case Studies of the Rice and Yeast Genomes.

Lomba Otero, Paula N.

Univ. of Florida 8/11/09 F. Altpeter Evaluation of Transgenic Strategies to Enhance Turf Quality of Bahiagrass (Paspalum Notatum Flügge).

Rambo-Martin, Benjamin L.

Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 W. Parrott Assessing Rnai Gene Targets of Root-knot Nematods in Composite Soybean.

Sharma, Arman D. Southern Illinois Univ. 11/5/07 D.A. Lightfoot The Genetic Control of Aluminum Toxicity in Soybean.

Tayengwa, Reuben Univ. of Florida 8/15/08 W. Vermerris Characterization of a Novel Maize Brown Midrib Mutant.

Wu, Yen-Hsuan Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 H. Zhang Genetic Variation and Evolution of the Size of Nbs-lrr-encoding Gene Family in Cotton and Related Species (Gossypium L.).

Xu, Bin North Dakota State Univ. 8/1/08 W. Dai Establishment of in Vitro Regeneration and Genetic Transformation Systems for Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia Esula L.).

C-8 Plant Genetic Resources

Brown, Lorena Univ. of Idaho 12/13/08 M. Schwarzlaender Genetic Variation of the Invasive Linaria Dalmatica in Its Introduced Range in Western North America and Impact of Its Predominant Biological Control Agent Mecinus Janthinus.

Khanal, Sameer Univ. of Georgia-Athens 12/16/08 S.J. Knapp Genetic Diversity in Wild and Cultivated Peanut.

Spangler, Lindsey Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/16/08 D.S. Luthe Impact of Lignin and Caffeoyl Coenzyme A O-methyltransferase 1 on Asper-gillus Flavus Growth in Maize Cobs.



Master’s Degrees in Soil Science Fields

S-1 Soil Physics

Daft, Cody Oklahoma State Univ. 12/13/08 W.R. Raun By-plant Nitrogen Response as Function of Delayed Emergence in Corn (Zea Mays L.).

Mischler, Ruth Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/16/09 S.W. Duiker Roller/crimper Technology to Manage Cover Crops for Weed Suppression.

Schuh, Mary C. North Dakota State Univ. 12/11/08 F.X.M. Casey Farm-scale Reconnaissance of Estrogens in Subsurface Waters: A Field Study.

Thomas, Jill Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/16/08 S.W. Duiker Crop Rotation Effects on Soil Physical Quality.

Verbree, David Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 S.W. Duiker Sediment and Nutrient Losses in Reduced Tillage Systems on Dairy Farms.

S-2 Soil Chemistry

Hull, Robert A. Univ. of Tennessee - Knoxville

12/13/08 M. Essington The Evaluation of a Chemical Fingerprinting Technique for Identifying the Sources of In-stream Sediments.

Journey, Jessica S. Univ. of Tennessee - Knoxville

12/13/08 M. Essington The Adsorption of 2-ketogluconate by Goethite.

Lanning, Mary-Catherine

Univ. of Guelph 9/9/08 P. van Straaten Phosphate Recovery From Wastewaters Comparing Two Different Sources of Magnesium Oxide in the Precipitation of Struvite.

Mandal, Abhishek Univ. of Saskatchewan 5/26/09 J.D. Peak A Comparison of the Reactivity of Different Synthetic Calcium Carbonate Minerals With Arsenic Oxyanions.

Moura, Daniel Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 M.L. Silveira, G.A. O’Connor

Phosphorus Fate and Transport in Wastewater Applied to Rapid Infiltration Basins.

Skinner, Andrea Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 G. K. Sims Characterizing An Atrazine-degrading Isolate.

Zhou, Zehua Louisiana State Univ. 8/7/07 J. Wang, L. Gaston, R. Delaune

Sorption and Desorption Characteristics of Tylosin in Three Louisiana Soils and Clay Materials.

S-3 Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Asmus, Chad Kansas State Univ. 5/1/09 C.W. Rice, A. Schlegal Effect of a Single Tillage Event in No-till Soils on Sequestered Carbon in Western Kansas.

Blanchard, Joseph Oregon State Univ. 6/13/09 P.J. Bottomley Episodic Dynamics of Microbial Communities Associated With the Birth and Death of Ectomycorrhizal Mats in Old Growth Douglas Fir Stands.

Caster, Stephen Z. Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 D. Zuberer Environmental and Microbiological Characteristics of Managed Urban Turf-grass Systems.

Dietzel, Ranae N. Cornell Univ. 5/24/09 J. Thies The Influence of Winter Field Cover on Spring Nitrous Oxide Emissions.

Lupton, Marykay Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 G.W. Roth Revegetation of An Acid Mine Drainage-impacted Soil Using Low Rates of Lime and Compost.

Mowrer, Jason Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 D.E. Kissel Nitrification in Sandy Soils of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Relationship to the Development of Subsoil Acidity.

Niina, Kunihiko Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 F.L. Walley, J.J. Germida

Influence of Residual Flucarbazone-sodium on Inoculation Success Measured by Growth Parameters, Nitrogen Fixation, and Nodule Occupancy of Field Pea.

Salvatore, Herminia T.

Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 F. Hons Bt Vs. Non-bt Corn (Zea Mays L.) Hybrids: Effect on Degradation of Corn Stover in Soil.

Shannon, Kelly Univ. of Guelph 3/31/09 J.T. Trevors, C. Goyer Effect of Environmental Factors on Nitric Oxide Reductase Gene Expression and Denitrification in An Agricultural Soil.

Shawaqfeh, Samar Oklahoma State Univ. 12/13/08 S. Deng Activities of Sulfur-transforming Enzymes in Prairie Soils Under Different Management Practices.

Sobolewski, Robert S.

Univ. of Kentucky 7/31/08 E. D’Angelo Enterococcus Faecium Survival and Antibiotic Resistance Development in Soils Along a Topographical Gradient.

Stall, Christopher J. North Carolina State Univ.

12/17/08 A. Amoozegar, D.L. Lindbo

Microbial Fate and Transport in a Seasonally Saturated North Carolina Coastal Plain Soil.

Wanjugi, Pauline Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 M.A. Bruns A Functional Gene Assay for Acidithiobacilli in Acidic Coal Mine Drainage.

Wu, Tingting Univ. of Kentucky 12/19/08 M.S. Coyne Denitrifier Ecology in a Fragipan Soil of Kentucky.

Zhao, Yiwen Univ. of Vermont 2/1/09 D. Neher Non-target Effects of Bacillus Thuringiensis Transgenic Corn on Soil Microar-thropod Communities.

S-4 Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition

Bast, Laura E. Ohio State Univ. 6/14/09 D.J. Eckert Evaluation of Nitrogen Recommendations for Corn, Based on Soil Analysis and Remotely Sensed Data.

Heinrich, Aaron L. Univ. of California-Davis 6/11/09 G.S. Pettygrove Nitrogen Fertilizer Value of Solid and Liquid Dairy Wastes Produced in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Jungnitsch, Paul F. Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 J.J. Schoenau The Effect of Cattle Winter Feeding Systems on Soil Nutrients, Forage Growth, Animal Performance, and Economics.


Name Institution Graduation Advisor TitleName Institution Date Advisor Title

Koffler, Kaden Univ. of California-Davis 9/12/08 S.R. Temple Nitrogen Dynamics and Cover Crop Management in a Conservation Tillage Agroecosystem.

Lofton, Josh Oklahoma State Univ. 5/9/09 C. Godsey Determining Aluminum Tolerance and Optimum Soil pH for Winter Canola Production in the Southern Great Plains.

Maschmann, Elliot Univ. of Arkansas 5/9/09 N.A. Slaton Potassium Fertilization Influence on Rice Growth, Yield and Stem Rot Index.

Massey, Colin Univ. of Arkansas 5/9/09 N.A. Slaton Bermudagrass Forage Yield and Ammonia Volatilization as Affected by Nitrogen Fertilization.

Maughan, Matthew W.

Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

8/4/08 G. Bollero Soil Properties and Corn Yield Response in the Management of An Integrated Crop-livestock System.

McDaniel, Ruth E. North Carolina State Univ.

5/9/09 T.J. Smyth, D.L. Osmond

Montalvo Grijalva, Daniela F.


12/17/08 T.J. Smyth, C.R. Crozier

Nitrogen, Phosphorus Availability and Liming Effect of Layer Manures in North Carolina Coastal Plain and Piedmont Soils.

Nelson, Jami L. Kansas State Univ. 7/1/08 N. Nelson Manganese Response and Nutrient Uptake in Conventional and Glyphosate Resistant Soybean.

Reitsma, Kurtis D. South Dakota State Univ. 8/29/08 D.E. Clay

Repking, Matthew J. Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

8/22/08 C.A.M. Laboski Investigation of the Phosphorus Requirement of Potato in Wisconsin and Phosphorus Leaching Potential in the Central Sands.

Taylor, Angela D. Univ. of Saskatchewan 5/26/09 F.L. Walley, F.A. Holm The Effect of Herbicides on N2 Fixation in Field Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) and Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.).

Thompson, John Univ. of Georgia-Athens 12/19/08 D. Kissel Reaction Equilibration From Single-addition Base Titration & Commercial Aglime Effieciency for Lime Requirement for Determination.

Tucker, Andrew Kansas State Univ. 5/1/09 D.B. Mengel Managing Nitrogen in Grain Sorghum to Maximize N Use Efficiency and Yield While Minimizing Producer Risk.

Zazirska Gabriel, Magdalena

Oregon State Univ. 6/13/09 D.M. Sullivan The Effect of Physical and Hydraulic Properties of Peat Moss and Pumice on Douglas-fir Bark Based on Soil-less Substrates.

S-5 Pedology

Ankrom, Zachariah Northern Illinois Univ. 8/8/09 M.E. Konen Tillage Impacts on Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in Northern Illinois.

Arnett, Morgan P. Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 T. Hallmark Particle Size Distribution of Gypseous Samples.

Chemnitz, Quint M. Texas Tech Univ. 12/14/07 W. Hudnall Use of Gypsum to Ameliorate Soil Sodicity in Irrigated Cotton Production on the Southern High Plains of Texas.

Clark, Charles W. Texas Tech Univ. 5/10/08 W. Hudnall Distribution and Formation of Two Calcareous Soils on the Southern High Plains of Texas.

Deycard, Victoria N. Texas Tech Univ. 5/10/08 W. Hudnall Comparison of Soil Sustainability Measured by Carbon Sequestration Using Carbon Isotopes From Cotton (Gossypiumhirsutum) - Forage-Livestock Integrated Management.

Ji, Junling Univ. of Delaware 12/9/08 K. Yoo Land Use Change Impact on Soil Carbon Cycling and Elemental Budget

Mersmann, Ryan S. Texas A&M Univ. 8/14/09 T. Hallmark Relating the Expression of Soil Redoximorphic Features to Soil Texture, pH, and Cation Exchange Capacity.

Norman, III, John B. Colorado State Univ. 7/10/09 E. Kelly Integration of Basic Pedological Principles, Remote Sensing and Terrain Analysis for the Soil Survey Update of the Fraser Experimental Forest.

Winter, Jericho Northern Illinois Univ. 8/8/09 M.E. Konen Assessment of Hydric Soil Indicators, Iris Tubes, and Water Table Dynamics in Northeastern Illinois.

S-6 Soil & Water Management & Conservation

Balkcom, Kris B. Auburn Univ. 5/9/09 C.C. Mitchell Effects of Subsurface Drip Irrigation on Chemical Soil Properties and Cotton Yield.

Baumbach, Jennifer Univ. of California-Davis 6/11/09 L.R. Oki Evaluating Plant Water Use in Urban Landscapes.

Fungo, Bernard Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 S. Grunwald Statistical and Geostatistical Modeling of Lunnyu Soils in the Lake Victoria Basin, Uganda.

Guzman, Jose G. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 M.M. Al-Kaisi Effects of Landscape Position and Age of Reconstructed Prairies in Previously Cultivated Land on Soil Carbon Dynamics and Physical Properties.

Mollinedo, Javier South Dakota State Univ. 12/19/08 T.E. Schumacher Tillage Erosion Coefficients for Selected Tillage Tools.

Pike, Adam C. Univ. of Kentucky 7/31/08 T. Mueller Assessment of Terrain Attribute Models for the Identification of Erosion Prone Areas Suitable for the Establishment of Grassed Waterways in an Agricultural Field Setting in the Out Bluegrass Region of Kentucky.

Ringler, Joseph W. Ohio State Univ. 6/14/09 B.K. Slater Monitoring the Hydrology of Soils for On-site Wastewater Treatment Systems Using Matrix Potential Sensors.

Rodriguez, Fer-nando D.

Auburn Univ. 8/9/08 F. Arriaga Effect of Rye Residue on Soil Properties and Nitrogen Fertilization of Cotton.


Name Institution Graduation Advisor TitleName Institution Date Advisor Title

Schmid, Bryan Univ. of Arkansas 8/7/09 M.L. Anders, T.C. Daniel

Conservation Tillage Effects on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties in Rice Production in the Arkansas Delta.

Tapsieva, Anastassia Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

1/16/09 R.P. Wolkowski, B. Lowery

Modified Biosolids Effects on Soil Properties, Turfgrass and Vegetable Growth.

Unger, Rachel C. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 R.J. Killorn The Effect of Bio-char on Selected Soil Properties and Corn Grain Yields in Iowa.

S-7 Forest, Range & Wildland Soils

Berg, Kevan Univ. of Guelph 7/8/08 A.M. Gordon, S. Hunt Epiphytic Lichens in Northern Ontario Conifer Plantations: Community Pat-terns and Interactions With Throughfall Nitrogen.

Brown, Nevia S. Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 R. Fraser Understanding Collaborative Community Involvement in Forest Policy Plant Implementation.

Devine, Scott Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/9/09 D. Markewitz Soil Change After Three Decades of Conventional Till, No-till, and Forest Suc-cession in the Piedmont of Georgia, USA.

Hawthorne, Iain Univ. of British Columbia 5/25/09 A. Bomke Eddy-covariance Carbon Balance, Photosynthetic Capacity and Vegetation Indices in a Harvested Boreal Jack Pine Stand.

Kell, Jon Univ. of Maine 5/9/09 I.J. Fernandez Soil-site Influences on Northern White-cedar (Thuja Occidentalis, L.) Stem Quality.

Kerr, Jason Univ. of Guelph 12/18/08 P.K. Sibley The Effect of Low Level Harvesting on the Water Chemistry of Boreal Lakes in Northeastern Ontario.

Lamagne, Sarah Univ. of British Columbia 11/24/08 M. Krzic Development of Health Indicators for Rough Fescue Grasslands in the South-ern Interior of British Columbia.

McCullough, Sarah Univ. of California-Davis 6/11/09 K.W. Tate Divergent Aspen Stand Conditions Under Two Canopy Cover Dynamics: Increasing Conifer and Persistent Aspen At Lassen Volcanic National Park, California.

Muto, Elisa Univ. of Guelph 9/17/08 P.K. Sibley The Characteristics and Fate of Leaf Litter Inputs to Boreal Shield Streams in Relation to Riparian Stand Structure.

Rifai, Sami Univ. of Georgia-Athens 12/15/08 D. Markewitz Fertilization and Competing Vegetation Suppression in Loblolly Pine Forests: Impacts on Soil, C, N, and Microbial Attributes.

Scott, Chelsea N. Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 Y. Wang The Use of Natural and Artificial Vernal Pools by Semi-aquatic Salamanders in the Cumberland Region of Jackson County of Alabama.

Tandan, Supriya Univ. of Guelph 4/20/09 P.K. Sibley Effects of Forest Harvesting on Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Boreal Lakes in Northern Ontario.

Worsham, Luke Univ. of Georgia-Athens 8/14/08 D. Markewitz Spatial Dependence and Multivariate Stratification for Improving Soil Carbon Estimates in the Piedmont of Georgia.

S-8 Nutrient Management & Soil & Plant Analysis

Acharya, Subodh Univ. of Florida 8/12/08 S.R. Mylavarapu Physical Characteristics of a Seepage Irrigated Soil Profile in the Tri-county Agricultural Area, Northeast Florida.

Huang, Anhui Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 L.Q. Ma Characterization of Arsenic Resistant Bacterial Communities in the Rhizo-sphere of An Arsenic Hyperaccumulator Pteris Vittata L.

Miller, Matthew Univ. of Florida 8/12/08 G.A. O’Connor Characterizing the Long-term Lability of Biosolids-phosphorus.

Ridout, Mary Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 R. Tripepi Container Production of Native Plants in Potting Media Amended With Aged Or Anaerobically Digested Cattle Biosolids.

Rowland, John Univ. of Florida 8/12/08 G. Snyder Impact and Control of Organic Matter in USGA Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Golf Greens.

Skroch, Keri South Dakota State Univ. 8/29/08 R.H. Gelderman Non-thesis.

Sturgeon, Laura E. Auburn Univ. 12/19/08 C.W. Wood Fertilizer Value of Densified Broiler Litter.

S-9 Soil Mineralogy

Brueggeman, Leah Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 D. Strawn Copper Sorption to Smectitie Minerals in the Presence of Citrate.

Grover, Kanchan Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/16/08 S. Komarneni Uptake of Arsenite and Arsenate by Layered Double Hydroxides.

Shumaker, Paul D. Univ. of Kentucky 7/31/08 A.D. Karathanasis Inorganic and Organic Phosphorus Interactions With Hydroxy-interlayered Soil Minerals.

S-10 Wetland Soils

Baldwin, Alexan-der E.


12/17/08 S.W. Broome, M.J. Vepraskas

Changes to Soil Properties in a Forested Wetland Following Eight Years of Restoration.

Bird, Simon Univ. of Vermont 3/1/09 A. Drizo Investigations of Electric Arc Furnace Slag Filters: Phosphorus Treatment Performance, Removal Mechanisms and Material Reuse.

Catts, Cory W. Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 K.R. Reddy Water Hyacinth Treatment Systems in Agricultural Watersheds: Influence of Biomass Incorporation Into Soil on Phosphorus Retention.

Conk, Carlin E. North Carolina State Univ.

8/13/08 M.J. Vepraskas, S.W. Broome

Assessing the Reliability of Hydrologic Characterizations of Four Wetland Plant Communities.

Vogel, William J. Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 T.Z. Osborne, M. Cohen

Change Detection and the Application of Spectroscopic Techniques in the Sediments of Lake Okeechobee, FL.



S-11 Soils & Environmental Quality

Butler, David Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/10/08 M.L. Cabrera Evaluating Agricultural Management Practices for Reducing Phosphorus Losses From Receiving Manure Grasslands.

Caasi, Donna Ria Oklahoma State Univ. 6/30/09 S. Deng Detection, Diversity, and Potential Contamination Sources of Enterococci in Creeks.

Clark, Lori Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 M.W. Clark Non-thesis.

Daigh, Aaron Univ. of Arkansas 5/9/09 K.R. Brye Chemical Property Changes in a Captina Silt Loam Profile as Affected by Broiler Litter Application Rate.

Dere, Ashlee Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/16/09 R.C. Stehouwer Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Coal Mine Soils Reclaimed With Poultry Manure.

Dickson, Alanna L. Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 S.D. Siciliano Mercury Partitioning in Super-permafrost Groundwater, Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Nunavut.

Fultz, Lisa Oklahoma State Univ. 5/9/09 J. Hattey Nutrient Distribution Following Application of Swine Effluent Through a Subsurface Drip Irrigation System.

Lazorko, Heidi M. Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 K.C.J. Van Rees Root Distribution, Activity, and Development for Boreal Species on Reclaimed Oil Sand Minesoils in Alberta, Canada.

Mahnken, David Univ. of Florida 8/12/08 P.C. Wilson Non-thesis.

Matson, Amanda L. Univ. of Saskatchewan 5/26/09 D.J. Pennock, A.K. Bedard-Haughn

Greenhouse Gas Exchange and Nitrogen Cycling in Saskatchewan Boreal Forest Soils.

McCullers, Stephen Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 M.W. Clark Non-thesis.

Nyamai, Priscilla Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 T. Prather Evaluating Restoration Methods Across a Secondary Succession Gradient.

Randhawa, Rupin-der

Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 D.D. Archibald, H.D. Karsten

Evaluation of Dry-soil Infrared Techniques for Soil Organic Carbon Charac-terization.

Richard, John T. Univ. of Rhode Island 9/16/08 J.A. Amador Fate of Ammonium in Aerated and Conventional Septic System Leachfield Mesocosms Using 15n Tracer Techniques.

Saleh, Abdelhafid A. Univ. of Manitoba 10/28/08 D. Flaten Phosphorus Losses From Soil and Vegetative Residue Under Simulated Freez-ing and Thawing Conditions.

Sewards, Joseph Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 M.W. Clark Non-thesis.

Smith, Shannon D. Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 J.W. Jawitz Non-thesis.

Solchik, Elisabeth Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 K.R. Reddy Non-thesis.

Taft, Jessica Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 A.L. Wright Non-thesis.

Tremorin, Denis G. Univ. of Manitoba 2/4/09 M. Tenuta Green House Gas Emissions from Grassland Pasture Fertilized With Liquid Hog Manure.

Undercoffer, Jason S. Ohio State Univ. 6/14/09 N.T. Basta Monitoring Phosphorus Transport and Soil Test Phosphorus From Two Dis-tinct Drinking Water Treatment Residual Application Methods.

Varaghur, Ranjani Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/16/08 R.L. Day Evaluation of the Soil Land Inference Model in Big Elk Creek Watershed, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Whitacre, Shane D. Ohio State Univ. 6/14/09 N.T. Basta Soil Controls on Arsenic Bioaccessibility: Arsenic Fractions and Soil Proper-ties.

Yudin, Richard Univ. of Florida 8/12/08 Y. Li Non-thesis.

No Division Specified

Aly, Bronwyn Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 K.L. Steffey Non-thesis.

Frier, Mary Carol Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 G.W. Roth The Agronomic Potential of Spring Canola (Brassica Napus L.) and Its Oil in Pennsylvania.

Justus, Ian M. Univ. of Arizona 5/16/09 C. Kubota Development of a Short Term Storage Technique for Grafted Muskmelon Seedlings.

McKay, Jessica Univ. of Florida 12/23/08 S. Grunwald Using a Knowledge-based System to Test the Transferability of a Soil-land-scape Model in Northeastern Vermont.

Miller, Andrew Univ. of Arizona 5/16/09 M.J. Ottman Irrigation Timing Effects on Sugar Accumulation and Ethanol Yield in Sweet Sorghum [sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench].

Nakka, Sridevi Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 F.Y. Zhao Molecular Characterization of Selected Two-component Signal Transduction Systems in Erwinia Anylovora.

Pham, Tung A. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 G.L. Hartman Evaluation of Soybean for Resistance to Phakopsora Pachyrhizi in Green-house and Field Conditions.

Tang, Eugenia Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 G.L. Hartman Molecular Quantification and Carbon Source Utilization of Fusarium Virguli-forme the Causal Agent of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome.

Tinsley, Nicholas Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 K.L. Steffey Effects of Current and Future Soybean Aphid Management Tactic on Soybean Aphids and Their Natural Enemies in Illinois.



Doctorate Degrees in Agronomic Science Fields

A-3 Agroclimatology & Agronomic Modeling

Berger Ricca, Andres G.

Cornell Univ. 5/24/09 S. Riha Competition for Above and Below Ground Resources Among Annual Species from the Plant to the Field: Quantification Analysis and Modeling.

Kariyapperuma, Kumudinie

Univ. of Guelph 12/3/08 C. Wagner-Riddle Non-growing Season Nitrous Oxide Fluxes from Agricultural Soils.

Yang, Yu Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 J. Tiedje Toxicity of Oxide Nanoparticles on Escherichia Coli Strains K12 and Exig-uobacterium Sibiricum Strain 255-15.

A-5 Environmental Quality

Fong, Theng Theng Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 J. Rose Occurrence and Transport of Waterborne Viruses in Surface Water in Michi-gan and Associated Public Health Risks.

Hillis, Derek G. Univ. of Guelph 12/8/08 P.K. Sibley, K.R. Solomon

Effects of Selected Pharmaceuticals on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi.

MacDonald, Ian Univ. of Guelph 5/22/09 J.C. Hall A Whole-Plant Bioassay System for the Detection of Residues of ALS/AHAS Inhibiting Herbicides in Soils and Determination of Safe Planting Intervals for Sensitive Crops.

A-8 Integrated Agricultural Systems

Carranza Cerda, Ignacio

Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 R.E. Mullen The Role of Capitals in the Promotion of Sustainable Community Microfi-nance Organizations.

Syswerda, Sara P. Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 G.P. Robertson Ecosystem Services from Agriculture Across a Management Intensity Gradi-ent in Southwest Michigan.

Doctorate Degrees in Crop Science Fields

C-1 Crop Breeding and Genetics

Acuna, Carlos A. Univ. of Florida 5/5/09 A. Blount, K. Quesen-berry

Physiological and Genetic Implications to Consider in Tetraploid Bahiagrass Breeding.

Avila, Carlos Univ. of Arkansas 12/16/08 J.McD. Stewart Reniform Nematode Resistance in Gossypium Arboreum: Introgression into Upland Cotton and Host Gene Expression.

Berger, Joyce Univ. of Arkansas 12/16/08 P. Chen Genetic Study of Agronomic and Quality Characteristic of Food-grade Soybeans.

Chu, Chenggen North Dakota State Univ.

8/18/08 S. Xu, E. Elias Evaluation, Identification and Mapping of Genes Conferring Tan Spot and Stagonospora Nodorum Blotch Resistance and Hybrid Necrosis in Wheat.

Coles, Nathan D. North Carolina State Univ.

12/15/08 J.B. Holland, J.M. Alonso

The Genetic Architecture of Maize Photoperiod Sensitivity as Revealed by Recombinant Inbred Line, Backcross, and Heterogeneous Inbred Family Populations.

Edwards, Diane Univ. of British Co-lumbia

5/25/09 P. Jolliffe Towards a Plant-based Method of Guiding CO2 Enrichment in Greenhouse Tomato.

Guttikonda, Satish K.

Univ. of Missouri 5/4/09 H.T. Nguyen, R.E. Sharp, W. Gassmann

Genetic Engineering of Candidate Genes to Improve Drought Tolerance in Soybean.

Huhn, Melissa North Dakota State Univ.

1/6/09 E. Elias Tetraploid Tunisian Wheat Germplasm as a New Source of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance.

Jia, Haiyan Univ. of Minnesota 6/30/09 G. Muehlbauer Transcriptome Analysis of Wheat and Barley Near-isogenic Line Pairs Carry-ing Contrasting Alleles for Different Fusarium Head Blight Resistance.

Lebaka, Ntjapa Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

8/28/08 J.G. Coors Ruminal Starch Digestibility in Opaque Endosperm 2 and Stover Composi-tion and Quality in Maize.

Li, Xuehui Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 E.C. Brummer Genetic Investigations of Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression in Diploid and Tetrapolid Alfalfa.

Lorenz, Aaron Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

11/25/08 J.G. Coors Characterization, Inheritance, and Covariation of Maize (Zea Mays L.) Traits Relevant to Cellulosic Biofuels Production.

Lorenzana, Roben-zon E.

Univ. of Minnesota 4/30/09 R. Bernardo Quantitative Trait Loci, Trait Correlations, and Accuracy of Genotypic Value Predictions for Maize Stover Cell Wall Composition and Glucose Release for Cellulosic Ethanol.

Wallace, Jessica M. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 M.J. Plewa Comparative Mammalian Genotoxicity and Acute Cytotoxicity of Emerging Nitrogenous Drinking Water Disinfection By-products.

Ward, Meredith Pennsylvania State Univ. 12/20/08 W.S. Curran Ecological Weed Management: the Role of Ground Beetles in Weed Seed Predation.

Woodyard, Andrew Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 D.E. Riechers Utilizing the Joining Activity of Photosystem II and HPPD Inhibitors for Weed Management in Maize.



Maxwell, Judd J. North Carolina State Univ.

11/3/08 J.P. Murphy, G. Brown-Guedira

Genetic Characterization and Mapping of Wheat Powdery Mildew Resis-tance Genes from Different Wheat Germplasm Sources.

Mayor, Maria L. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 M. Lee Genetic Analysis of Ear Development and Tassel Architecture in Maize (Zea Mays L. Ssp. Mays).

Mayor, Patricio J. Univ. of Minnesota 4/30/09 R. Bernardo Joint Use of Doubled Haploids and Molecular Markers to Increase Genetic Gain in Maize.

McGill, Mary Ann Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

6/11/09 H.F. Kaeppler Transformation Efficiency Increase Via RNAI-Mediated Suppression of Chromatin-Associated Genes.

Mozzoni, Leandro Univ. of Arkansas 5/9/09 P. Chen Quality Attributes, Processing, and Selection of Vegetable Soybean.

Nelson, Paul T. North Carolina State Univ.

12/8/08 M.M. Goodman Genetic and Phenotypic Characterization of Maize Germplasm Resources: Ex-PVPA Inbreds, NCSU Inbreds, and Elite Exotic Inbreds.

O’Boyle, Patrick Virginia Tech 5/5/09 C.A. Griffey, M.A. Saghai-Maroof

Genetic Characterization and Linkage Mapping of Barley Net Blotch Resis-tance Genes.

O’Rourke, Jamie A. Iowa State Univ. 8/9/08 R.C. Shoemaker A Genomic Study of Soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis.

Powers, Carol A. Univ. of Minnesota 6/30/09 K. Smith Patterns of Linkage Disequilibrium and Association Mapping of Malt Quality Traits in a Barley Breeding Program.

Quincke, Martin Oregon State Univ. 6/30/09 C. J. Peterson Phenotypic Response and Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Cepha-losporium Gramineum in Winter Wheat.

Rehman, Aziz Univ. of Saskatchewan 11/19/08 T. Warkentin Characterization and Molecular Mapping of Drought Tolerance in Kabuli Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.).

Rigor, Alex T. Univ. of Minnesota 12/31/08 J. Anderson Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Associated With Resistance to Preharvest Sprouting in Wheat.

Sakiroglu, Muham-met

Univ. of Georgia-Athens 5/8/09 E. C. Brummer Population Structure and Genetic Diversity Assessment and Association Mapping in Diploid Alfalfa.

Sharma, Vivek Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 J.A.G. da Silva, W.L. Rooney

Identification of Drought-related Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) in Sugarcane (Saccharum Spp.) Using Genetic Markers.

So, Yoon-Sup Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 J.W. Edwards, K.R. Lamkey

Prediction of Cultivar Performance and Heterogenity of Genotype Variance, Correlation, and Error Variance in the Iowa Crop Performance Tests - Corn (Zea Mays L.)

Teran Santofimio, Henry

Univ. of Idaho 12/13/08 S. Singh Selection for White Mold Resistance in Pinto Bean.

Woronuk, Grant Univ. of Saskatchewan 8/11/08 K. Bett Responses to Low Temperature Stress in Phaseolus Species.

Yu, Jing Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 C.W. Smith, R.J. Kohel The Construction of a Gossypium Ad-genome-wide Comprehensive Refer-ence Map Based on Diverse Data Resources.

Zwonitzer, John C. North Carolina State Univ.

10/31/08 J.B. Holland, P.J. Balint-Kurti

Genetic Analysis of Southern Leaf Blight, Gray Leaf Spot, and Northern Leaf Blight Resistance Using Near-isogenic Lines and Mapping Populations in Maize.

C-2 Crop Physiology & Metabolism

Boucher, Alain Univ. of British Co-lumbia

11/24/08 S. Cowan Recommendations for Selection Efforts to Improve the Therapeutic Quality of Echinacea Angustifolia Crops in British Columbia.

Church, Jeffrey B. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 S.P. Moose Functional Genomics of Nitrogen Use in Maize.

Etehadnia, Masoomeh

Univ. of Saskatchewan 6/22/09 K. Tanino Salt Stress Tolerance in Potato Genotypes.

Gutierrez-Rodri-guez, Mario

Oklahoma State Univ. 5/8/09 A.R. Klatt, M.P. Reynolds

Spectral Reflectance Indices for Estimating Yield and Water Content in Spring Wheat Genotypes Under Well Irrigated, Water Stress, and High Tempera-ture Conditions.

Mann, Kirandeep Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 A.W. Schumann, T.A. Obreza

Characterization and Amelioration of Yield-limiting Soil Variability in Florida Citrus Production.

Rajan, Nithya Texas Tech Univ. 12/14/07 S. Maas Estimation of Crop Water Use for Different Cropping Systems in the Texas High Plains Using Remote Sensing.

Rybak, Maria R. Univ. of Florida 5/15/09 K. Boote On Peanut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) Injury and Yield.

Shipman, Rebecca Univ. of California-Davis

6/11/09 K. Inoue Physiological Function of Plastidic Type 1 Signal Peptidase 1 in Two Mem-branes of Arabidopsis Thaliana Chloroplasts.

Torrion, Jessica A. Texas Tech Univ. 12/13/08 S. Maas Development of a New Crop Water Stress Index for Agricultural Crops Using Red, Near-infrared, and Thermal Imagery.

Wentzell, Adam Univ. of California-Davis

6/11/09 D.J. Kliebenstein The Structural Outcome of Glucosinolate Activation Is Regulated By Envi-ronmental and Developmental Conditions and Controlled By a Complex Genetic Network.



C-3 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality

Armstrong, Jon-Joseph

Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 C. Sprague Row Width and Plant Population Effects on Glyphosate-resistant Sugarbeet Production in Michigan.

Belcher, Jason L. Auburn Univ. 8/9/08 R.H. Walker Acrolein (2-propenal): A Potential Alternative to Methyl Bromide.

Blaser, Brock C. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 L.R. Gibson, J.W. Singer

Quantifying and Predicting Interseeded Legume Establishment in Winter Cereals.

Falkenberg, Nyland R.

Texas A&M Univ. 5/16/09 J.M. Chandler Interspecific and Intraspecific Competition of Common Sunflower (Helian-thus annuss L.) in Field Corn (Zea Mays L.).

Flis, Sally Univ. of Vermont 10/1/08 S. Bosworth The Effects of High Copper Dairy Manure on Manure Storage, Soil, and Plant Growth and Composition.

Frihauf, John Kansas State Univ. 5/1/09 P.W. Stahlman Weed Control Efficacy and Winter Wheat Response to Saflufenacil.

Fronning, Bradley E. Michigan State Univ. 12/19/08 K. Thelen Cover Crop and Soil Amendment Effects on Carbon Sequestration in a Soy-bean– Silage Corn Cropping System.

Grover, Kulbhushan Pennsylvania State Univ. 8/16/08 H.D. Karsten Long-term Cropping System Effects on Soil Aggregate Stability, Corn Grainyields and Yield Stability.

Heggenstaller, andrew H.

Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 M.Z. Liebman Productivity and Nutrient Cycling in Bioenergy Cropping Systems.

Hudson, Daniel J. Michigan State Univ. 8/28/08 R. Leep Using Switchgrass and Big Bluestem in Cool-season Grazing Systems to Improve Seasonal Forage Yield and Livestock Gains.

Law, Audrey D. Univ. of Kentucky 5/9/09 R. Geneve Evaluating the Effects of Organic and Conventional Inputs on Soil Chemical and Biological Properties in a Four-year Vegetable Rotation and the Investi-gation of Soil Microbial Properties on Plant Gene Expression.

Mahran, Amro Univ. of Manitoba 10/21/09 M. Tenuta Suppression of the Root-lesion Nematode Using Liquid Hog Manure.

Marchesi, Claudia Univ. of California-Davis

6/11/09 R.E. Plant, A.J. Fischer Regional Analyses of Constraints Affecting Rice Production Systems in California: Grain Milling Quality At Harvest and Evolution of Herbicide Resistant Echinochloa Spp.

Ndou, Aifheli M. Kansas State Univ. 5/1/09 A. Dille Interaction of Weed Emergence, Weed Density, and Herbicide Rate in Soy-bean.

Parker, Robert G. North Carolina State Univ.

11/14/08 W.D. Smith, L. Fisher Evaluation of Nitrogen Sources and Rates on Yield and Quality of Modern Flue-cured Tobacco Cultivars.

Paudel, Lekhanath Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 U.R. Bishnoi Efficacy of Chemical and Cultural Weed Control Methods in Canola.

Rotundo, Jose L. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 M.E. Westgate Physiological Bases of Environmental and Genotypic Effects on Soybean Seed Composition.

Saphangthong, Thatsaka

Univ. of Kentucky 12/19/08 W.W. Witt Glyphosate Tolerance of Horseweed (Conyza Canadensis (L.) Cronq.) Acces-sions from Kentucky.

Taylor, Zachary G. North Carolina State Univ.

11/12/08 W.D. Smith, L. Fisher Effects of the Ethylene Binding Inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene on Flue-cured Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum L.).

Thapa, Babita Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 A.D. Knapp, E.C. Brummer

Understanding Cold Acclimation in Medicago Truncatula.

Wall, David P. North Carolina State Univ.

12/1/08 R. Weisz Soil Tests for Winter Wheat Nitrogen Management in the Southeastern USA.

Whitaker, Jared R. North Carolina State Univ.

3/27/09 A. York Distribution, Biology, and Management of Glyphosate-resistant Palmer Amaranth in North Carolina.

C-4 Seed Physiology, Production & Technology

Genhan, Jayasuriya Univ. of Kentucky 7/31/08 C. Baskin Comparative Biology of Seed Dormancy - Break and Germination in Convol-vulaceae (Asterids, Solanales).

Kaur, Gaganpreet Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 U.R. Bishnoi Effect of Polymer and Fungicide Seed Coatings on Germination, Seedling Emergence, and Field Stand Establishment in Winter Canola.

Zhang, Wentao Univ. of Saskatchewan 7/24/08 L.V. Gusta A Comprehensive Study on the Role of Hormones, Seed Coat and Genes During the Germination of Canola (Brassica Napus) Under Adverse Envi-ronmental Conditions.

C-5 Turfgrass Science

Pannkuk, Timothy R.

Texas A&M Univ. 8/14/09 R. White Evaporation and Leachate Quality of Warm-season Turf and Native Grasses Under Different Texas Landscape Climates.

Schwartz, Brian Univ. of Florida 12/15/08 K. Kenworthy Zoysiagrass Evaluation for DNA Content, Sting Nematode Response, Nitro-gen Management, and Estimates of Heritability for Turfgrass Performance Traits.



C-6 Forage & Grazinglands

Duesterhaus, Jamey Kansas State Univ. 7/1/08 G.E. Ham A Micrometerorology Study of Stock Watering Ponds, Rangelands, and Woodlands in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Houx, James H. Univ. of Missouri 12/31/08 R.L. McGraw, P.R. Beuselinck, R.L. Kallenbach

Establishing Silvopasture in Tall Fescue—Recommendations for Limiting Resource Competition and Minimizing Inputs.

Interrante, Sindy M. Univ. of Florida 12/15/08 L. Sollenberger Yield, Nutritive Value, and Persistence Responses of Bahiagrass Genotypes to Extended Daylength and Defoliation Management.

Karki, Uma Auburn Univ. 12/19/08 M.S. Goodman Southern-pine Silvopasture Systems: Forage Characteristics, Soil Quality, and Landscape Utilization By Cattle.

Qiu, Jie Univ. of Saskatchewan 5/14/09 Y. Bai Patterns of Genetic Variation in Festuca Hallii (Vasey) Piper Across the Canadian Prairie.

C-7 Genomics, Molecular Genetics & Biotechnology

Andaya, Cynthia Univ. of California-Davis

9/12/08 T. Tai Genetic and Molecular Characterization of the Low Phytic Acid (Lpa1) Locus in Rice (Oryza Sativa L.).

Buyyarapu, Ramesh Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 R. Kantety Development of Tools for Comprehensive Analysis of Cotton Genome.

Duressa, Dechassa O.

Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 K.M. Soliman Aluminum-induced Transcriptome Dynamics Analysis in Soybean Using Dna Microarrays.

Hu, Xiaojun Univ. of Idaho 5/16/08 A. Karasev Genetic Diversity and Recombination in Potato Virus Y.

Hunt, Matt R. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 L.O. Vodkin Molecular Analysis of the Soybean Glabrous Mutation (1) and of Transgenic Lines Designed to Modify Seed Composition.

Jones, Sarah I. Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 L.O. Vodkin Transcript Profiling of Soybean Seed Development from Fertilization to Maturity.

Luo, Yao Univ. of California-Davis

3/21/09 R.W. Michelmore Comparative Analysis of Rin4, An Evolutionary-Conserved Regulator of Disease Resistance in Plants.

McHale, Leah Univ. of California-Davis

9/12/08 R.W. Michelmore Global Analysis of Disease Resistance Genes in Lettuce.

Moeller, Lorena B. Iowa State Univ. 5/8/09 K. Wang Maize for Production of Recombinant Proteins: Fundamental and Practical Considerations.

Rowe, Heather Univ. of California-Davis

3/21/09 D.J. Kliebenstein The Interaction of Natural Variation in a Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogen, Botrytis Cinerea, With Plant Defense in the Arabidopsis Thaliana Model System.

Sales, Marites A. Univ. of Arkansas 12/16/08 N.R. Burgos Genome-wide Analysis of the Nitrogen Stress Transcriptome of Red Rice (Oryza Sativa L.).

Seth, Kiran North Dakota State Univ.

5/27/09 S. Kianian High Resolution Mapping of the Scs Ti Gene in Durum Wheat and Conserved Colinearity Across Three Grass Genomes: Wheat, Rice and Brachypodium.

Solheim, Courtney Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 G.J. Scoles Identification and Characterization of Copper-Responsive Proteins in Arabi-dopsis.

Tilahun, Yonathan Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 R. Kantety Gene Expression During Early Infection to Reniform Nematode in Gos-sypium Species.

Wang, Hongyun Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

12/22/08 M.E. Hudson Developmental Regulation of Oil Deposition in Arabidopsis Seeds.

Wong, Mark V. Michigan State Univ. 8/28/08 J. Rose Examining the Presence and Prevalence of Key Human Enteric Viruses in Environmental Samples Using Cultivation, Molecular and Array-based Tools for Detection.

Yang, Shengming Univ. of Kentucky 7/31/08 H. Zhu Map-based Cloning of An Anthracnose Resistance Gene in Medicago Trun-catula.

Zhu, Jin Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

5/17/09 S.J. Clough An Investigation of Plant Hypersensitive Response and Photosynthesis Inhibition on a Genomic and Physiological Scale.

C-8 Plant Genetic Resources

Burle, Marilia Univ. of California-Davis

9/12/08 P. Gepts Assessing the Genetic Diversity of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.). Landraces from Brazil: from Genetic Structure to Landscape Distribution.

Lavelle, Dean Univ. of California-Davis

6/11/09 R.W. Michelmore Genetics of Candidate Genes for Developmental and Domestication-related Traits in Lettuce.

Shivrain, Vinod Univ. of Arkansas 12/16/08 N.R. Burgos Genetic Diversity of Red Rice in Arkansas and the Role of Gene Flow in Red Rice Diversification.

C-9 Biomedical, Health-Beneficial, and Nutritionally Enhanced Plants (Provisional)

Riascos, John J. North Carolina State Univ.

12/11/08 A. Weissinger, S. Weissinger

A Genomic-Based Search for Novel Soybean (Glycine Max L.) Allergens.



Doctorate Degrees in Soil Science Fields

S-1 Soil Physics

Abdu, Hiruy Utah State Univ. 5/1/09 S.B. Jones, D.A. Robinson

Characterizing Subsurface Textural Properties Using Electromagnetic Induc-tion Mapping and Geostatistics.

Abit, Jr., Sergio M. North Carolina State Univ.

6/19/09 A. Amoozegar, M.J. Vepraskas

Hydrologic Effects on Subsurface Fates and Transport of Contaminants.

Bilgili, Ali V. Cornell Univ. 1/19/09 H. van Es Using Hyperspectral Reflectance Spectroscopy and Spatial Statistics for Soil Characterization.

Buckley-Ziemen, Megan

Kansas State Univ. 7/1/08 G.J. Kluitenberg Effect of Tillage on the Hydrology of Claypan Soils in Kansas.

Elliot, Thomas Univ. of Guelph 12/23/08 R. Heck Characterization of Soil Micromorphology Using X-ray Computed Tomogra-phy for Predicting Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity.

Fouli, Ymene Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/17/08 D. Fritton Crop Intensification Effects on Forage Yields and the Water Balance in South-eastern Pennsylvania.

Golson-Garner, Karnita

Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 T.D. Tsegaye Assessing Water Quality in the Indian Creek and Huntsville Spring Branch Watersheds.

Heinse, Robert Utah State Univ. 3/2/09 S.B. Jones Measurement and Modeling of Reduced-gravity Fluid Distribution and Transport in Unsaturated Porous Plant-growth Media.

Mukundan, Rajith Univ. of Georgia-Athens 8/1/09 D.E. Radcliffe Monitoring, Modeling, and Fingerprinting Suspended Sediment in a South-ern Piedmont Stream.

S-2 Soil Chemistry

Ahmed, Zia U. Cornell Univ. 1/19/09 J. Duxbury Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater and Soils: Spatial Variability and Its Effect on Arsenic Uptake, Speciation, Growth and Yield of Rice.

Hardie, Ailsa G. Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 P.M. Huang Pathways of Abiotic Humification As Catalyzed By Mineral Colloids.

Hodges Snyder, Elizabeth A.

Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 G.A. O’Connor Fate, Transport, and Risk of Biosolids-borne Triclocarban.

Kaur, Amninder J. Univ. of Vermont 5/1/09 D. Ross Soil Moisture and Season Effects on Nitrogen Transformation Rates in Seep Soils of Two Northern Hardwood Forests in Vermont.

Martinez, Nadia Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/17/08 C.E. Martinez Trace Metals Partitioning and (Re) Distribution in Model Soil Systems.

Nguyen, Binh T. Cornell Univ. 1/19/09 J. Lehmann Black Carbon Stability in Soil.

Seiter, Jennifer M. Univ. of Delaware 5/30/09 D.L. Sparks The Fate and Speciation of Arsenic in Soils and Poultry Production Systems.

Tappero, Ryan Univ. of Delaware 2/13/09 D.L. Sparks Spectromicroscopic Study of Cobalt Speciation and Localization in Hyperac-cumulator Alyssum Murale.

S-3 Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Ali, Aala Univ. of Guelph 4/29/09 K. Dunfield, M.Goss Evaluation of Storage Time and Management Practices on Pathogen Reduc-tion in Stored Sheep Manure.

Cardenas, Erick Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 J. Tiedje Analysis of Microbial Communities in a Contaminated Aquifer Undergoing Uranium Bioremediation.

Culman, Steven W. Cornell Univ. 8/1/08 G. Fick Soil Microbial Dynamics and Associative Nitrogen Fixation in Kansan Tall-grass Prairies.

Hu, Ping Kansas State Univ. 12/1/08 C.W. Rice Impact of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Nematodes on Growth of Andropogon Gerardii Vit., Soil Microbial Components and Soil Aggregation.

Liang, Chao Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

8/22/08 T.C. Balser Evaluating Microbial Role in Terrestrial Carbon Storage.

Melzer-Drinnen, Susan E.

Colorado State Univ. 3/3/09 E. Kelly Pedological and Ecological Controls on Biogenic Silica Cycling in Grass Dominated Ecosystems.

Nunez, andres Univ. of Kentucky 12/19/08 E. D’Angelo Microbial Community Structure Dynamics in Ohio River Sediments During Reductive Dechlorination of PCBs.

Penton, Christo-pher R.

Michigan State Univ. 12/19/08 J. Tiedje Distribution, Abundance, and Activity of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidizing (Anammox) Bacteria.

Phillips, Lori A. Univ. of Saskatchewan 5/26/09 J.J. Germida, C. Greer The Relationship Between Plants and Their Root-associated Microbial Com-munities in Hydrocarbon Phytoremediation Systems.

Saleh, Saleema Univ. of Guelph 4/30/09 J.T. Trevors, C. Goyer Effect of Environmental Factors on Denitrification Gene Expression and Cumulative Activity in Pseudomonas Mandelii.

S-4 Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition

Bassil, Elias Univ. of California-Davis

12/13/08 P.H. Brown Use of Phenylboronates to Investigate Boron Function in Plants.

Clover, Matthew W. Iowa State Univ. 12/19/08 A.P. Mallarino Soil and Fertilizer Potassium Impacts on Corn and Soybean Grain Yield, Potassium Uptake, and within-Field Grain Yield Variation.



Gentile, Roberta Univ. of California-Davis

9/12/08 J. Six Short- and Long-Term Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Integrated Soil Fertility Management Systems.

Golden, Bobby R. Univ. of Arkansas 5/9/09 N.A. Slaton Nitrogen Release from Polymer-coated Urea in Soils Cultivated for Delayed-flood Rice Production.

Kapkiyai, Jane J. Cornell Univ. 8/1/08 J. Duxbury Legume Crop-based Soil Phosphorus Management and Effects on Maize (Zea Mays) Productivity in Western Kenya.

Kimetu, Joseph M. Cornell Univ. 1/19/09 J. Lehmann Soil Organic Matter Revitalization: Implications on Food Production and Security in Tropical Agricultural Systems.

King, Jacqueline D. Cornell Univ. 1/19/09 J. Duxbury Impact of Nutrient Management, Planting Date, and Location on Papaya Yield and Quality in Bangladesh.

Major, Julie Cornell Univ. 5/24/09 J. Lehmann Biochar Application to a Colombian Savanna Oxisol: Fate and Effect on Soil Fertility, Crop Production, Nutrient Leaching and Soil Hydrology.

Martin, Kent Kansas State Univ. 5/1/09 S. Staggenborg Effect of Phosphorus Placement in Reduced Tillage Crop Production.

Moshia, Matshwene E.

Colorado State Univ. 7/15/09 R. Khosla Precision Manure Management Across Site-specific Management Zones.

Ngoze, Solomon O. Cornell Univ. 8/25/08 S. Riha Soil Nutrient Depletion and Repletion in a Tropical Agroecosystem.

Nhamo, Pauline Univ. of California-Davis

12/13/08 J. Six Exploring Mechanisms By Which Organic and Nutrient Sources Regulate Nutrient Cycling.

Pinno, Bradley D. Univ. of Saskatchewan 10/17/08 N. Bélanger Site Productivity of Poplars in Canada: Relationships With Soil Properties and Competition Intensity.

Shaver, Timothy M. Colorado State Univ. 4/2/09 D. Westfall, R. Khosla Ground Based Active Remote Sensors for Precision Nitrogen Management in Irrigated Maize Production.

Xue, Kai Cornell Univ. 5/24/09 J. Thies Carbon Allocation and Field Residue Decomposition Dynamics of Mon863 Bt Corn and Public Perceptions of Transgenic Crops in China.

S-6 Soil & Water Management & Conservation

Amuri, Nyambilila Univ. of Arkansas 12/16/08 K.R. Brye Evaluation of the Impact of Alternative Wheat Reside and Water Manage-ment on Soil Properties and Soybean Yield in a Wheat-soybean Double-crop System, Eastern Arkansas.

andersen, Barbara Univ. of Idaho 12/13/08 R. Mahler Residential Landscape Water Use and Conservation.

Gacengo, Catherine N.

Auburn Univ. 8/9/08 J.N. Shaw, C.W. Wood Agroecosystem Management Effects on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling Across a Coastal Plain Catena.

Jagadamma, Sindhu Ohio State Univ. 6/14/09 R. Lal Stabilization Mechanisms of Organic Carbon in Two Soils of Midwestern United States.

Madden, Nicholaus Univ. of California-Davis

6/11/09 J.P. Mitchell Soil Properties and Particulate Matter Emissions from Tillage.

Martin, Melissa R. Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 K.R. Reddy A Multi-disciplinary Evaluation of the Invasion and Management of Mela-leuca Quinquenervia.

Mishra, Umakant Ohio State Univ. 6/14/09 R. Lal Predicting Storage and Synamics of Soil Organic Carbon At Regional Scale.

Netthisinghe, An-nesly

Texas Tech Univ. 12/13/08 W. Hudnall Surface and Sub-surface Water Flow Relationships to Ogallala Aquifer Re-charge on the Southern High Plains of Texas.

S-7 Forest, Range & Wildland Soils

Epps, Kimberly Y. Univ. of Florida 5/5/08 N.B. Comerford Identifying Suitable Areas for the Reestablishment of Pinus Elliottii Var. Densa on Previously Farmed Lands in the Hole-in-the-Donut Restoration, Everglades National Park.

Galang, Marco A. Univ. of Georgia-Athens 8/14/08 D. Markewitz, L. Morris

Prescribed Burning Effects on Gully Hydrology, Erosion, and Soil Phospho-rus Pools in the Piedmont Region of South Carolina.

McLaughlin, John Univ. of Guelph 8/7/08 T. Hsiang Abiotic and Biotic Factors Associated With Pocket Mortality of Red Pine (Pinus Resinosa Ait.) in Southern Ontario.

Meidav, Joshua Univ. of California-Davis

9/12/08 M.G. Barbour Vegetation, Landscape, Management, and Restoration Effects on Sediment and Nutrient Transport in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Plascencia-Escalan-te, Ofelia

Univ. of Guelph 11/25/08 A.M. Gordon, P.K. Sibley

An Analysis of Some Components of the Nitrogen Cycle as Affected by Land Use Adjacent to the Riparian Zone of a Southern Ontario Stream.

SanClements, Michael

Univ. of Maine 5/9/09 I.J. Fernandez The Chemistry of Acidic Soils in Humid, Temperate Forested Watersheds With Emphasis on Phosphorus, Aluminum and Iron.

S-10 Wetland Soils

Kim, Hyun-Woo North Carolina State Univ.

4/24/09 S.W. Broome Evaluation of Hydrology in an Agricultural Watershed and Nitrogen Re-moval by Constructed Wetlands.



S-11 Soils & Environmental Quality

anderson, Richard H.

Ohio State Univ. 12/14/08 N.T. Basta Soil Physical and Chemical Property Effects on Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of As (V), Cd, Pb, and Zn By Herbaceous Plant Receptors.

Baker, Lucas Kansas State Univ. 12/1/08 G.M. Pierzynski In Situ Remediation of Pb/Zn Contaminated Materials: Field- and Molecular-Scale Investigations.

Jaja, Ngowari Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 M. Mbila Biochemistry of Trace Metals in Altered Ecosystems.

Nwaneri, Sam O. Alabama A&M Univ. 5/8/09 W. Tadesse Assessment of Land Use/transportation Interaction Using Remote Sensing and GIS in Owerri, Nigeria.

Subramanian, Senthil K.

Michigan State Univ. 5/1/09 A. Kravchenko Effect of Topography and Soil Properties on Spatial Variability of Soil Carbon(C) Sequestration in Different Crop Management Systems of a Long-term Experiment.

No Division Specified

Luo, Lifang Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/16/09 H. Lin Quantification of Soil Macropore Network and Its Relationship to Preferential Flow Using Combined X-ray Computed Tomography and Breakthrough Curve Analysis.

Mirsky, Steven Pennsylvania State Univ. 5/17/08 W.S. Curran, D.A. Mortensen

Evaluating Constraints and Opportunities in Managing Weed Populations With Cover Crops.

Park, GyoungJu Univ. of Arizona 8/14/08 R.A. Wing Comparative Genomics in Two Dicot Model Systems.

White, Gerard J. Univ. of Arizona 12/20/08 H. VanEtten The Effect of Conditionally Dispensable Chromosomes of Nectria Haema-tocca Mpvi on Rhizosphere Colonization and the Identification of a Gene Cluster for Homoserine Utilization.


Your hard work, dedication and perseverance have paid off and an exciting career in our sciences now begins. ASA–CSSA–SSSA are here for you every step of the way. For those of you that are members, congratulations on ensuring you have a partner in your career success. For those of you that have yet to include membership in your career plan, now is the time.

Discover the many benefits of membership and join today.

www.agronomy.org/membership/ www.crops.org/membership/ www.soils.org/membership/

Best wishes to all of our 2009 Master’s and Ph.D. graduates!

Congratulations Graduates!

American Society of AgronomyCrop Science Society of AmericaSoil Science Society of America

Career Center


Masters/Equivalent RequiredIllinois—Weed Science Technical Manager. Are you innova-tive? Are you passionate about applied agronomy? Do you love to solve problems? Do you want to provide solutions, not just products? If the answer is “yes” to all of these questions, this may be the opportunity for you! Growmark, Inc. is looking for a Weed Science Technical Manager to work out of our Bloom-ington, Illinois corporate headquarters. Responsibilities of this position include evaluating and developing recommendations for present and potential crop protection and seed trait prod-ucts related to weed management, Developing components of pest management plans that utilize crop protection products and services relating to weed management, hybrid/variety trait options relating to weed management, and Best Agronomic Recommendations, Summarizing features, advantages, and benefits of products in the crop protection and seed line that are related to weed management, Preparing and presenting formal education programs designed to enhance expertise in practical, environmentally sound techniques for crop protection and seed product storage, handling, application, and use of products re-lated to weed management, providing in-field diagnostic sup-port to Growmark Member Cooperatives, Maintaining product-related technical and operational communications to Member Cooperatives and Growmark staff, Planning, coordinating, and participating in technical training schools, print materials, Maintaining current information on technical developments. Normally requires MS in an Agronomy-related field with at least 3 years of agronomy sales experience and advanced un-derstanding and experience within agronomy-related areas. For a comprehensive job description or to apply, please visit www.growmark.com and click on Employment.

The deadline for Career Center listings is the first of the month preceding publication (e.g., 1 March for the April issue). To submit a listing online, go to: www.careerplacement.org and click on “post jobs, graduate assistantships & internships” or email [email protected]. The listing will be posted online within three business days. The charge for listings is based on the number of characters and whether or not you want it to appear online, in CSA News magazine, or both.

If you want to post a B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or postdoctoral level position online only, the charge is $450 for 3 months for any character count. For internships or assistantships posted online only, the charge is $200 for 3 months for up 1,200 characters (including spaces). If you want to post a B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or postdoctoral level position BOTH in CSA News magazine and online, the charge is $300 per month for 0–1,000 characters, $450 per month for 1,001–2,000 characters, and $600 per month for 2,001–3,000 characters. To post internships or assistantships in BOTH CSA News magazine and online, the cost is $200 per month for up to 1,200 characters.

If you have questions, email [email protected] or call 608-268-4972. Search job openings and resumes online at www.careerplacement.org.

Doctorate/Equivalent RequiredFlorida—Assistant Professor: Citrus Horticulture & Physiol-ogy. University of Florida, CREC A 12-month, tenure-accruing 80% research, 20% extension position is available at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. This position requires a Ph.D. in Horticulture or a closely related dis-cipline. A whole plant horticultural physiologist is being sought with desirable areas of expertise including plant physiology, molecular biology, genetics of fruit trees, stress biology, host/pathogen relationships, or biochemistry, as related to plant pro-duction systems. Tenure will accrue in the Horticultural Scienc-es Department. The faculty member will participate actively in undergraduate and graduate education by chairing and serving on graduate committees, supervising thesis and dissertation re-search, supervising undergraduate research, and publishing the results with his/her graduate students. The faculty member will attract extramural contract and grant funding to support his/her program. The faculty member will engage in extension activities in his or her program area. For a complete description, qualifications, and application instructions, visit https://jobs.ufl.edu and search for requisition 0803587. Application Dead-line: March 1, 2010 or until filled. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity employer.

Florida—Assistant Professor: Landscape Biogeochemist. The Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, in-vites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in research on biogeochemical cycles coupled to hydrology and climate change across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems influenced by anthropogenic and natural stressors. Research emphasis should be placed on integrating field-scale biogeochemical pro-cesses and stressors into larger scale landscape (and/or global) models to allow scenario assessment across various ecosystem in subtropical landscapes, such as Florida. The successful can-didate will engage in scholarly activities related to instruction, including teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses in on-campus and distance education modes and advising of stu-dents. Salary will be negotiable and commensurate with experi-ence. Full job description can be found at: http://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/ Applicant should hold a Ph.D., at the time of application in Soil and Water Sciences or Geosciences or Environmental Sci-ences or a closely related field. Submit an application online at https://jobs.ufl.edu (Requisition # 0803591) and provide a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and official transcripts show-ing receipt of the doctoral degree. Four letters of recommenda-tion should be sent to Dr. Sabine Grunwald, Chair Search and Screen Committee, University of Florida, Soil and Water Science Department, 2169 McCarty Hall, PO Box 110290, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (352-392-1951 x204; [email protected]). This position is available until March 30, 2010, and will be filled as soon thereafter as an acceptable applicant is available. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity and equal ac-cess employer. Women, minorities and members of other un-der-represented groups are encouraged to apply.

Florida—Assistant Professor: Translational Genomics. This is a 12-month tenure-accruing position that will be 30% teach-ing and 70% research, available in the Agronomy Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida, starting July 1, 2010. Duties will include: 1. Develop

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Note: These are only a few of the job opportunities available. View all positions at www.careerplacement.org


an internationally recognized, competitively-funded, multidis-ciplinary research program utilizing state-of-the-art molecular breeding/quantitative genetics approaches for the exploitation of genomics data in germplasm enhancement and improvement of bioenergy crops. 2. Develop and integrate molecular mark-ers with field agronomic data to help predict field performance; develop plant improvement strategies to guide cultivar devel-opment; relate basic research in genomics to the creation of plant improvement strategies and productive germplasm; and conduct collaborative research with faculty in related biological disciplines. 3. Teach a graduate course in plant genomics and an undergraduate course in genetics. 4. Engage in scholarly activities related to instruction. An earned doctorate in plant breeding/genetics or a closely related discipline is required. Teaching and postdoctoral experience is desirable. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Individuals wishing to ap-ply should go online to: https://jobs.ufl.edu, search for requisi-tion # 0803521, and submit the materials described in the in-structions. For further information, please contact: Dr. Wilfred Vermerris, Chair, Search Committee, position 0001-4560, Uni-versity of Florida, PO Box 103610, Gainesville, FL 32610-3610. Tel: 352-273-8162; Email: [email protected]. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity and equal access employer. Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable ac-commodation. The “government in the sunshine” laws of Flor-ida require that all documents relating to the search process be available for public inspection.

Florida—Assistant/Associate Professor: Plant Physiologist. This is a 12-month tenure-accruing position that will be 30% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences) and 70% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station), available in the Agronomy Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), at the University of Florida. This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. Duties will include physiological research to understand the responses of crop plants to climate change and climatic stress factors such as temperature, carbon dioxide, and interaction of these fac-tors with water and nutrient availability. Research will focus on understanding mechanisms of photosynthesis, transpiration and reproductive and vegetative growth processes important to crop productivity for world food security, biofuel produc-tion, and/or for the urban environment such as turfgrasses. The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching a gradu-ate course in Crop Physiology and a second course in his/her area of expertise and engage in supervising undergraduate and graduate research. The successful candidate will be expected to integrate the research and teaching programs with existing departmental and IFAS programs and to actively seek contract and grant funding to support his/her program. Qualifications include an earned doctorate in plant physiology or a closely related discipline. Teaching and postdoctoral experience is de-sirable. Candidates should have demonstrated skills in verbal and written communications, interpersonal relationships, and procurement of extramural funding. This position is available July 1, 2010, and will be filled as soon thereafter as an acceptable applicant is available. Individuals wishing to apply should go online to https://jobs.ufl.edu, search for requisition # 0803657, and submit the following online: 1) letter of application that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications rela-tive to the credentials listed above, 2) statements of research and teaching interests, and 3) complete vita (including current posi-tion and responsibilities). Also, the following must be submit-ted directly to J. M. Bennett, Chair, Search and Screen Commit-

tee at the University of Florida Agronomy Department, PO Box 110500, Gainesville, FL 32611-0500: official transcripts showing receipt of the doctoral degree and three letters of recommen-dation (submitted under separate cover). Review of application materials will begin on or before February 26, 2010 and will continue until a suitable applicant is identified. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity and equal access employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Florida—Cropping Systems Specialist, Assistant Professor. This is a 12-month tenure-accruing assistant professor posi-tion that will be 60% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 40% extension (Florida Cooperative Extension Service), available at the West Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Duties will include: 1) Develop a systems approach to enhance the sustainability and profitability of traditional ag-riculture (row crops) and emerging cropping systems such as specialty, biomass crops, agri-ceuticals, and carbon sequestra-tion; 2) Develop and utilize state-of-the-art techniques to dis-seminate cropping systems information through extension to end-users. The faculty member will participate actively in grad-uate education and will actively seek contract and grant fund-ing to support his/her program including operational costs, technical support, and equipment. Tenure will accrue in the Department of Agronomy. An earned doctorate in agronomy or a closely related discipline is required. Postdoctoral experi-ence is desirable. For a detailed position description or to apply for the position go online to https://jobs.ufl.edu and search for Requisition # 0803542. Applicants need to submit the following: general application; cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above; complete vita. In addition official transcripts showing receipt of the doctoral degree and three letters of recommen-dation must be submitted directly to: Dr. Barry Brecke, Chair, Search and Screen Committee, WFREC, 5988 Hwy 90, Bldg 4900, Milton, FL 32583; e-mail: [email protected]; 850-983-5216, ext 108. To ensure full consideration please apply online and submit additional materials by February 1, 2010. Position will remain open until a viable applicant pool is determined. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Maine—Research Agronomist/Horticulturist. The USDA-ARS New England Plant, Soil & Water Laboratory in Orono, ME seeks a permanent, full-time Research Agronomist or Research Horticulturist to contribute to an interdisciplinary research program aimed at developing and transferring sustainable food systems that are profitable, efficiently use nutrients and water, and control plant and human pathogens with minimal chemi-cal inputs. Incumbent will conduct research to evaluate and develop soil and crop management practices for optimal yield and quality in organic and conventional vegetable cropping systems, and to develop optimal agronomic strategies for incor-porating bioenergy crops into Northeast production systems. Salary is commensurate with experience ($67,613 - $123,519 per year) plus benefits. To apply, see vacancy announcement on the ARS Careers Website (www.ars.usda.gov/careers), and follow the directions provided. Applications must be postmarked by March 12, 2010. U.S. citizenship is required. USDA-ARS is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

Nevada—Assistant Professor: Geoscience. The University of Nevada Las Vegas is seeking candidates for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track position to commence Fall 2010. Review

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of applications will begin February 16th, 2010, and continue un-til the position is filled. For a complete position description and application details, please visit http://jobs.unlv.edu or call 702-895-2894 for assistance. EEO/AA Employer.

Texas—Assistant/Associate Professor. Texas AgriLife Re-search Environmental Soil Chemistry, Fertility, Management, and Plant Nutrition. A 12-month, non tenure-track, soil chemis-try and fertility research position with Texas AgriLife Research, Texas A&M System, is available at the Texas AgriLife Research & Extension Center at Overton. Position requires a Ph.D. in soil science with major emphasis in soil chemistry. Focus is on en-vironmental soil chemistry/fertility, nutrient management and plant nutrition to develop a basic and applied research pro-gram on forage systems, horticultural production and/or fuel energy crops. Successful candidate is expected to seek extra-mural funding to support the research program. Written and oral communication skills are required for interacting with the scientific community, grant funding institutions, and stake-holders. Apply at http://greatjobs.tamu.edu NOV-04644. Texas AgriLife Research is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Postdoctoral PositionsMissouri—Research Agricultural Engineer/Agronomist/Soil Scientist/Physical Scientist. The USDA, Agricultural Re-search Service, Cropping System and Water Quality Research Unit in Columbia, Missouri, is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate, (Research Agricultural Engineer/Agronomist/Soil Scientist/Physical Scientist) for a two year appointment. Ph.D. is required. Salary is commensurate with experience (GS-11:$56,411- $73,329; GS-12: $67,613-$87,893 per annum) plus benefits. Citizenship restrictions apply. Position duties include utilizing geographic information system (GIS) software and techniques to help develop a high-resolution soil productivity index for comparing the bioenergy from cropping systems. This index will be based on relationships found between landscape/soil features and grain yields obtained from a large database of producer-obtained yield maps. With these relationships as a foundation, develop decision-support tools that will help to de-

termine optimal locations within the landscape to grow grain versus biomass (e.g., switchgrass) bioenergy crops, and to create improved site-specific nutrient management plans. Knowledge and previous experience with GIS analyses are essential. Knowl-edge of soil genesis and morphology in relation to landscape features and crop growth limiting factors are desirable. Skills are also desirable in spatial data management and interpreta-tion applied to agricultural and environmental issues. Refer to http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/divisions/hrd/hrdhomepage/vacancy/pstdclst.htm for further information on Postdoctoral Research Associate Jobs, for complete application instructions, and the full text announcement (RA-10-038-H). Send applica-tion materials and references to Dr. Newell Kitchen, 243 Agri-cultural Engineering Bldg., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211 or e-mail [email protected]. USDA/ARS is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Internships/AssistantshipsUtah—Research Assistants: Evolutionary Plant Genomics. The Department of Plant and Wildlife Science at Brigham Young University invites applications for MS Graduate Research Assis-tants. The prospective candidates should be highly motivated with an interest in plant or evolutionary genomics, genetics, or molecular biology. Students with interests in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and plant biology are strongly encouraged to ap-ply. The NSF Plant Genome Program, U.S. Forest Service, McK-night Foundation, BYU, and other national and international funding agencies provide support for these assistantships. As-sistantships may include tuition, stipend, and health benefits commensurate with applicant’s strength of application and experience. Research foci include cotton evolutionary genom-ics, bioinformatics of plant genomes, and genomics of quinoa, amaranth, sagebrush, and lupine. Applications are accepted on-line (http://www.byu.edu/gradstudies/). Applications should include a cover letter highlighting qualifications and interests, current CV, transcripts, GRE score, and three letters of refer-ence. For more information assistantship opportunities please contact Dr. Joshua A. Udall ([email protected]).

17–20 March, International Conference on Soil Fertility and Pro-ductivity, Berlin, Germany; www.uni-due.de//soil-fertility-productivity2010/motivation.shtml

7–9 April, 3rd International Symposium on Soil Water Mea-surement Using Capacitance, Impedance, and TDT, Murcia, Spain; www.soil-water.net

17–19 May, International Conference on Soil Classification and Reclamation of Degraded Lands in Arid Environments and Launching of Abu Dhabi Soil Survey Report, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; www.biosaline.org

25–27 May, Climate Change and the Implications for Plant Protec-tion Symposium, Guelph, ON, Canada; www.cropprotection.open.uoguelph.ca

31 May 2010–4 June 2010, XXII Soil Science Congress of Argen-tina, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina; www.suelosrosario2010.com.ar

6–11 June, 2010 Trilateral Meeting on Clays, Seville, Spain; www.sea-arcillas.es/2010TMC

20–24 June, Joint Meeting of the Canadian Society of Agron-omy and the Canadian Society of Soil Science, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

1–6 August, 19th World Congress of Soil Science, Brisbane, Australia; www.19WCSS.org.au

30 August–3 September, XI Congress of the European Society for Agronomy, Montpellier, France; www.esagr.org

13–16 September, 18th International Conference on Environ-mental Indicators, Hefei, China; www.isebi2010.org

3–8 October, Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture Con-ference, Banff, AB, Canada; www.ggaa2010.org

27–30 October, 9th International Conference of the East and Southeast Asia Federation of Soil Science Societies, Seoul, Korea; www.esafs9korea.org

2011

2–8 April, IX International Rangeland Congress, Rosario, Ar-gentina; www.irc2011.com.arC

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Calendar (continued from page 24)

Early Career Members


Whither to Publish or Perishby Rob Michitsch

Academia relies on the peer-review process in order to ensure the relevance, validity, and ac-curacy of work that is published for a general

audience. In most situations, jobs and promotions are linked to successfully publishing one’s work. “Publish or perish” is a phrase we’ve all likely heard at some point during our education or career. For many professors, researchers, and students, this phrase has led to sleepless nights.

The types of publishing op-portunities avail-able today range widely, such as refereed and non-refereed journal articles, popular press articles, books, book chapters, letters, reports, manuals, various multi- media, etc. However, aca-demia tends to focus on refereed journal articles. Since there are hundreds to thousands of journals in which to publish, im-pact factors now play a role in the publishing game by ranking the quality of a given journal. Basically, the higher the impact factor, the better. Overall, writing and publishing can be a confusing and (often times) cutthroat part of academia.

The publishing process starts with a quality manu-script. We all have different writing styles and levels of experience (and success) for drafting and publishing our work. At times, especially after hours of editing a draft, we may lose our objectivity. This makes it important to include our colleagues in the editing process.

There are many tips and rules that can be followed to improve this entire process, especially for those of us in

the early part of our careers. For ex-ample, the words clarity and brevity have been burned into my psyche. Bourne (2005) provided a list of 10 general rules to follow to help your manuscript get published, and how to approach the process. An empha-sis on the quality of your manuscript and “learning to live with rejection” were highlights of this list.

At the 2009 Annual Meetings, the Early Career Members Committee sponsored a panel session on how to publish a manuscript, led by four editors of ASA, CSSA, and SSSA publications. The session produced many good ideas, hints, and tips, including Editor-in-Chief Warren Dick’s “Top 10 Tips for Publishing Manuscripts” (see sidebar). The pan-el members thoroughly explained the review process and also outlined many common mistakes that authors

make in their submitted manuscripts. As a committee that represents early career profes-

sionals and students, we felt it was important to make this list available to you. Enjoy, and happy publishing.

ReferenceBourne, P.E. 2005. Ten simple rules for getting published. PLoS

Comput Biol 1(5):e57.

R. Michitsch, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Early Career Members Committee; [email protected].

ASA Editor-in-Chief Warren Dick (right) provides insights into journal publishing as Rob Michitsch, Early Ca-reer Members Committee, presides.

Warren Dick’s Top 10 Tips for Publishing Manuscripts

1. Try to avoid massively large tables. Boil it down. Keep them neat, clean, and simple.

2. Font size of figures must be legible for the aver-age reader.

3. Use color wisely in figures so that contrast, if the figure is printed in grayscale, distinguishes be-tween treatments. Color will be more prominent in the future.

4. Watch your significant digits.5. Use and follow the proper referencing style for

the journal.6. Provide a focused introduction.7. In the results section, focus only on the key

points that appear in tables/graphs. Not every data point or value in a graph or figure needs to be mentioned in text results.

8. Provide a well thought out discussion. Highlight what is new and what is the contribution.

9. Have a strong concluding section. This should be three to five sentences maximum that is given in a simple declarative statement.

10. Abstracts must be clear and simple. As much as possible, include quantitative information.

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Student & Career Activities


2010 Scholarships, FellowshipsUndergraduate Students

The National Society of Consulting Soil Scientists (NSCSS) is providing two $1,000 scholarships to pro-mote undergraduate education in the area of soil science. The scholarships will help recruit top quality students into nationally recognized soil science programs and encourage them to pursue a career in the field of profes-sional soil science consulting, helping to meet the various needs and practical applications of this science. Funds for the scholarships are made available by gifts from NSCSS to SSSA.

The J. Fielding Reed Scholarship recognizes an out-standing undergraduate senior pursuing a career in soil or plant sciences and graduating in 2011. The scholarship is in the amount of $1,000 and is made available through ASF.

The Frank D. Keim Fellowship is awarded to a recipi-ent of the 2010 National Student Recognition Program who will go on to pursue a graduate degree. One $2,500 scholarship is offered per year and is made available through ASF.

The Hank Beachell Future Leader Scholarship is given to an undergraduate student to expand their agri-cultural knowledge by participating in activities that en-hance their university studies. The scholarship is in the amount of $3,500. Funds are made available by the ASF Beachell Fund.

The Cross-Cultural Experience Program provides support to an undergraduate student going on an in-ternational summer or semester abroad program. The scholarship is in the amount of $2,500. Funds are made available by the ASF Lewis B. Nelson Fund.

Graduate StudentsThe USB Fellowship promotes graduate education

in the area of plant sciences, focusing on improved ways to grow soybeans. The fellowship provides a $25,000 an-nual stipend, membership in ASA, and a subscription to Agronomy Journal for the duration of the fellowship. Funds are made available by the United Soybean Board (USB) to ASA.

The Pioneer Fellowship promotes doctoral-level graduate education in the area of plant sciences, with a specific focus on crop management, crop physiology, and other related areas. The fellowship provides a $25,000 annual stipend to a student for up to four years to be ap-plied to degree completion. Funds are made available by the Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) Pioneer Fund and are administered through CSSA.

The Gerald O. Mott Scholarship recognizes a top-notch graduate student who has completed one year

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Scholarship and Fellowship applications must be initiated by 23 Mar. 2010. Reference letters and final application submission is due 30 Mar. 2010. Scholar-ship and fellowship descriptions, eligibility require-ments, and application can be found at:

www.agronomy.org/awardswww.crops.org/awardswww.soils.org/awards

For questions, contact Leann Malison at [email protected] or 608-268-4949.

West Virginia University Finishes First in Southeast Soil Judging ContestThe 2009 Southeast Region Soil Judging Contest was

hosted by the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Stu-dents attending the contest were housed at the Clyde York 4-H Center in Crossville on the Cumberland Plateau. West Virginia University took first place followed by Virginia Tech University, Auburn University, Clemson University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Tennessee at Martin. These teams will represent the Southeast Region at the National Collegiate Soils Judging Contest to be held 21–26 Mar. 2010 in Lubbock, TX.

Pictured are (front row, l to r): Katie Payne and Saman-tha Spencer and (back row, l to r): Ben Bennett, Katey Buckland, Sarah Taylor, Chris Orndorff, Josh Hall, and T.J. Montgomery. The team was coached by Dr. Jim Thompson.


Education


The forces shaping private forest management in the U.S. have changed dramatically in recent years. For one, urban sprawl has increased substantially and

is not expected to slow anytime soon. At the same time, up to half of the nation’s private forests are expected to be transferred to a new generation of owners. As a result of sprawl and transfers, a sizeable amount of private forests have been converted for other non-forest uses while those that remain have frequently been broken into smaller parcels and sold or bequeathed to multiple individuals. Compounding the situation is the fact that harvesting on private forests in the U.S. has risen steadily and is expected to continue in the coming decades.

All of this makes for a challenging outreach situation. How can forest management educators reach a rapidly expanding base of younger and newer private stewards in a timely fashion? And how can advocates of sound, sustainable forest practices engage the next generation of owners and opinion leaders? Efforts are underway on many fronts to develop and test innovative methods for doing both. It was with this mind that members of the Forestry Committee at James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia sought to contribute to national efforts by developing an outdoor sustainable forestry classroom. The goal was to leverage the historical appeal of the estate and build upon Madison’s progressive land management vision as a way to reach new and important private forest stewardship audiences.

The 2,650-acre Montpelier estate is perhaps James Madison’s most celebrated natural contribution. It houses more than 1,500 acres of forestland, 200 of which include a relatively undisturbed old-growth deciduous

forest designated by the U.S. Department of Interior as the James Madison Landmark Forest. A well-maintained trail system and a series of educational signs traverse the Landmark Forest and are important aspects of the Mont-pelier educational mission and experience.

To further Montpelier’s outdoor educational capacity and work toward enhancing sustainable forest manage-ment awareness and outreach among new private forest stewardship audiences, Forestry Committee members and Montpelier staff identified a 28-acre section of sec-ond-growth forest abutting the Landmark Forest where sustainable forestry practices could be demonstrated. Targeted sustainable practices include timber stand im-provement, mid-rotation thinning, invasive plant con-trol, desirable species regeneration, stand rehabilitation, habitat management, and best management practices for water quality. These sustainably managed areas are to be serviced by an integrated trail and sign system, periodi-cally monitored for changes in health and productivity, and made available for discretionary visitation and coor-dinated technical programs.

Michael C. Quinn, president of the Montpelier Foun-dation, promotes the initiative as an opportunity to “use Montpelier’s remarkable natural resources to showcase innovative techniques of sustainable forestry that are in keeping with Madison’s advanced ideas of conserva-tion.” Today, the outdoor classroom is nearly complete and offers an opportunity for exploring the nature of and potential for engaging new stewardship audiences. Re-search described in the 2009 issue of the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education highlights the extent to which Montpelier’s sustainable forest education pro-gram could reach younger owners of smaller, suburban parcels and the general public more broadly. The authors of the report used established guidelines to conduct a formative program evaluation as a way to look closely at potential visitor participation in outdoor sustainable for-estry education at Montpelier.

The authors found that a sizeable number of key con-stituents are inclined to participate in outdoor forestry


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Sustainable Forest Education Program Seeks to Reach the Next Generation of Forest Stewards

LEFT: Canopy opening in Montpelier’s outdoor sustainable forestry classroom. MIDDLE: Montpelier trees flagged for crop tree release. RIGHT: Montpelier skid trail seeded with native grasses. Photo by Kevin Riedel.

by Mary C. Savin

Science is exciting. No matter how small, a new discovery can open doors to reveal potential path-ways to continue one’s journey. Furthermore, tech-

nological and scientific advances make this a time of great discovery and innovation. Just as in science, there is advancement in pedagogy. Best practices in teaching encourage more active approaches for increased learn-ing. (See the following for examples: Handelsman et al., 2004 for the importance of reform in scientific education; Silberman, 1996 for a range of active learning techniques; and Wyckoff, 2001 for changing teaching strategies to more interactive approaches.)

There is much discussion taking place in science edu-cation today that could lead to enhancement of learning. There is a great need to get students and the public to understand the process of science and, furthermore, why science is important. Scientific literacy, or illiteracy, is a cause for concern as demonstrated by the ongoing de-bate of intelligent design versus evolution.

Many undergraduate students, because they are re-quired to take a science course in college, take general biology; however, for many students, biology is not just the entry into science but also the exit. Because many students do not take any other collegiate-level science courses, there is an opportunity in biology to instill un-derstanding of the scientific process and its importance in everyday life.

This is particularly relevant to ASA, CSSA, and SSSA because all three Societies are intricately linked to biol-ogy. There are some incredible opportunities for the Soci-eties and their members to contribute to undergraduate biology and, more generally, scientific literacy. My reason for writing this article is to inform ASA–CSSA–SSSA members of conversations and initiatives occurring in the realm of undergraduate science education, particu-larly in undergraduate biology education.

Over the past few years, there have been several conversations about achieving change in undergradu-ate science education in the U.S. For example, in 2006, a conversation in Washington, DC was organized by the National Academies’ Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources to discuss the future of agricultural under-graduate education (Fagen et al., 2007). A different set of conversations ensued over undergraduate biology education. One of those conversations in 2008 was the “Discussion for Professional Societies’ Representatives on the Future of Undergraduate Biological Sciences Edu-cation.” This conference was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Association

for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was held in conjunction with the AAAS/American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) Education Summit. Questions guiding the NSF/AAAS conversation fell into three main categories: (1) discussion of goals and learning outcomes, (2) curriculum design and delivery, and (3) preparation at the faculty and institutional levels. Small working-group discussions were meant to identify and prioritize issues in effecting change and factor in where and how professional societies can facilitate reform and promote excellence in science education.

Developing a Vision to Implement ChangeThis past summer (15–17 July 2009), I attended a con-

ference in Washington, DC titled, “Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology: A View for the 21st Century,” sponsored by AAAS’s Directorate for Education and Hu-man Resources Programs and Vision and Change Advi-sory Board. Funding came from the NSF’s Directorate for Biological Sciences and Division of Undergraduate Edu-cation. The emphasis of this meeting was to develop a vision that could be used to begin to implement changes. In essence, the overall goal was to find ways to engage students in the scientific process by teaching biology in a way that better represents its real-world practice. As with the conversation of the previous year, faculty at undergraduate and graduate institutions; professionals from other biological science societies, funding agencies, research centers, and other organizations; and yes, even students, attended. Both the regional and national lead-ers as well as the workers “in the trenches” were invited to provide input.

Eight working groups were formed at the conference under three major themes. One theme enveloped the goals of biological education concepts and competen-cies. What do students really need to know, and what should all students be able to do? The second theme included practices to achieve those goals. Appropriate pedagogy with an emphasis on student engagement and assessment of learning were covered. The third theme discussed ways of bringing about change, including tool-kits, training, as well as personal and institutional barri-ers and incentives. The importance of proper assessment seemed to be discussed in almost every working group.

I participated in a group discussing integration of sci-entific research experiences into the curriculum. What is a research experience? If you have not thought about it, you may be surprised at the list generated. What actu-ally needs to be included in a class, and how does one accomplish that? Highlights brought out in this discus-sion about what separates a typical laboratory experience from a research experience included the importance of ownership by the student, relevance and novelty of the data (including literature searches), ability to replicate

Achieving Change in Undergraduate Science Education


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M. Savin, chair of the 2007 ASA Education Task Force and current chair-elect of Division A-1 (Resident Education); [email protected].


data, report writing, skill development, and mentorship. The amount of data students must generate seemed to vary according to actual target student group (e.g., ma-jors versus non-majors).

A key attribute of all of the discussions is that changes to undergraduate education need to be implemented at all levels. Support for these efforts needs to permeate the entire academic culture. Cultural shifts do not occur overnight. In my limited experience, this extends to col-legiate education where major curricular reforms take quite a bit of research, discussion, planning, training, implementation, and revision (see Wyckoff, 2001 for one example). There is recognition that lasting change will take some time, trial and error, and patience. Despite the challenges, there are effective teaching and learning strategies being implemented. Change for the better can occur. Part of the Vision and Change conference included sharing what people are implementing currently; how-ever, more than that, an important purpose of the confer-ence was to spur action.

Role of Professional Scientific SocietiesAs with the previous year’s NSF/AAAS conversation,

I again came away with new knowledge of exciting in-novations that some of our more inspired educators are implementing in science education. I also left with some frustration at the lack of coordination of efforts. Biology, for the interdisciplinary nature of the science, is quite fragmented. One of the important goals of this Vision and Change initiative is to coordinate reform efforts at a national level. What will be the role of professional scien-tific societies like ASA, CSSA, and SSSA in this reform? The Societies already do contribute to the national (and international) science education effort, and I believe there is an opportunity for their roles to be expanded.

In 2007, the ASA board of directors directed an Edu-cation Task Force to discuss and evaluate the future of the ASA’s educational programs and what needed to be done to position the Society to be the leader in agricul-tural education as part of the fulfillment of its strategic plan. The outcomes of this task force and subsequent changes being implemented by the Societies are in line

with roles proposed for scientific societies by the Vision and Change conference. One of the main suggestions of the task force was to improve the website, making it an important source of information. Societies can create and coordinate (provide a forum for innovation) and dissemi-nate (be clearinghouses for resources) information. Many educational resources exist already (see Handelsman et al., 2004 for some websites), but lack of knowledge of them is hampering utilization.

Societies need to work together to provide materi-als from research to the public and for educational use. Outreach to the public and representation to the govern-ment are critical for raising the importance of scientific literacy and dispelling misconceptions. Beyond serving as a clearinghouse, scientific societies can raise aware-ness and prominence, set standards, evaluate and award excellence, and be stewards of the disciplines. To help address the concerns about proper assessment of edu-cational practices, societies can work to present model assessment plans for individuals or institutions to follow.

Societies hold meetings and facilitate networks. They promote the value of education, provide leadership, contribute to research, and train members in professional development.

Attendance at the above-mentioned conferences has reinforced my belief that while the Societies have many strong programs in place at the undergraduate level, their recognition outside our Societies seems to be lim-ited. All too often societies have no idea what others are doing. Just as I left impressed with many of our Societies’ efforts and somewhat frustrated at the lack of recogni-tion of them, I also left amazed at how many other excit-ing activities are taking place. For example, did everyone know that 2009 was the Year of Science? (See www.copus.org.)

Our Societies could enhance opportunities for smaller societies to join in annual meetings. In conjunction with and beyond the annual meetings, the Societies have resources available that many smaller societies do not have. The Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

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LEFT: Image from the article, “Referencing Science: Teaching Undergraduates to Identify, Validate, and Utilize Peer-Reviewed Online Literature,” by William A. Berzonsky and Katherine D. Richardson (J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ. 37:8–13). MIDDLE: Image from the article, “Improving a Field School Curriculum Using Modularized Lessons and Authentic Case-Based Learning,” by Roy V. Rea and Dexter P. Hodder (J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ. 36:11–18). RIGHT: Photo by Scott Bauer (USDA-ARS).



of work leading to an M.S. or Ph.D. degree within any divisional areas of CSSA and who has outstanding po-tential for leadership. The scholarship is in the amount of $2,500. Funds are made available by the ASF Mott Fund.

The Francis and Evelyn Clark Soil Biology Scholar-ship is awarded to a student enrolling in graduate study in soil biology, biochemistry, or microbial ecology. One $1,000 scholarship is offered per year. Funds are made available through ASF.

2010 National Student Recognition Program

The National Student Recognition Program recognizes outstanding seniors in agronomy, crop, soil, and envi-ronmental sciences. Those eligible for the award must be seniors at a four-year institution or a second-year student at a two-year institution in 2010; belong to an active chapter of the Students of Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences (SASES); and be members of ASA, CSSA, and/or SSSA in 2010. Students are selected by their departments based on their scholarship, leader-ship activities, and personal qualifications. The deadline to apply is 9 Feb. 2010.

The program is supported by ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, and recipients receive a laser-engraved, wooden plaque and recognition in the April issue of CSA News maga-zine. For more information and how to apply, go to www.agronomy.org/students, www.crops.org/students, or www.soils.org/students.

2010 Gerald O. Mott AwardThe Gerald O. Mott Meritorious Graduate Student

Award in Crop Science recognizes top-notch graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in crop science dis-ciplines. Departments select students based on academic achievements, research, and teaching contributions; lead-ership accomplishments; service activities; and personal qualifications.

Candidates for this award must have completed at least one year of graduate work leading to an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in a field of emphasis within any crop sci-ence–related discipline. Students must be enrolled in a U.S. college or university and be 2010 members of CSSA or ASA.

The award is offered by CSSA, and recipients receive a certificate and are recognized in CSA News magazine. The deadline to apply is 9 Feb. 2010. For more informa-tion and how to apply, go to www.crops.org.

education at the Montpelier estate. To test for demo-graphic differences between potential Montpelier at-tendees and participants in existing forest management education programs elsewhere in Virginia, the authors studied audiences at forestry bus tour programs offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension. Compared with bus tour participants, Montpelier visitors own smaller acre-age and are younger, more often from the suburbs, and less likely to have participated in forest management education before.

“The outdoor classroom at James Madison’s Montpe-lier provides an excellent setting to introduce sustainable forest management to both forest landowners and Mont-pelier visitors more generally,” says Jennifer Gagnon, coordinator of the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program. “The future health and productivity of forests in Virginia and other states depends on both of these audiences understanding the importance of sustainable forestry. The Montpelier classroom is a valuable tool for promoting this understanding.”

Adapted from Munsell, J.F., R. Hamilton, and A.K. Downing. 2009. Prospective scope of forest management education at James Madison’s Montpelier. J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ. 38:198–203. View the article online at www.jnrlse.org/issues.

Scholarships (continued from page 46)

Forest Education (continued from page 47)

Education is a good example. It is multi-societal publica-tion, yet I spoke with representatives from other biologi-cal societies that were unfamiliar with it.

Opportunities for change abound. Above are only some potential avenues for scientific societies to sup-port improvements in undergraduate science education and scientific literacy in general. A document with a “blueprint for change” is forthcoming. In the meantime, for more information, please check out the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education website for information and updates: www.visionandchange.org.

ReferencesFagen, A.P., R. Schoen, and J.B. Labov. 2007. Leadership summit

to effect change in teaching and learning: Undergraduate ed-ucation in agriculture. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 6(1):25–26.

Handelsman, J., D. Ebert-May, R. Beichner, P. Bruns, A. Chang, R. DeHaan, J. Gentile, S. Lauffer, J. Stewart, S.M. Tilghman, and W.B. Wood. 2004. Scientific teaching. Science 304:521–522.

Silberman, M. 1996. Active learning 101: Strategies to teach any subject. Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA.

Wyckoff, S. 2001. Changing the culture of undergraduate science teaching: Shifting from lecture to interactive engagement and scientific reasoning. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 30:306–312.

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Science Education (continued from page 49)

Soil ScienceStep-by-Step Field AnalysisSally Logsdon, Dave Clay, Demie Moore, Teferi Tsegaye, editors

Natural resource manager, agronomist, land use consultant, educator, environmental consultant.... The lines are blurred, the questions are complicated, and soil science is required knowledge. Soil Science: Step-by-Step Field Analysis provides the knowledge for conducting specific activities related to improved natural resource management. Readers will learn both new procedures and tips for improved performance in the field, with a focus on usefulness for real-life applications.

Learning objectives: • safety protocols for soil sampling • soil profile description • reducing sampling error for samples sent to a lab • understanding variability of soil properties―pH, electrical conductiv-

ity, nutrient levels, and salinity―and how they affect crop growth • site evaluation for specific end uses • installing wells and piezometers, monitoring water table information • surveying using simple or sophisticated equipment • cleaning yield monitor data • evaluation of overall soil quality • identification of water repellency • measuring soil density and water content, infiltration, temperature,

and rainfall rate

2008, PDF Downloads Soil Science Society of America

Order Today Buy only the Chapters you need. $15.00 (Member Price: $12.00)

www.SocietyStore.org

Click “Downloads”

Soil Science Society of America677 S. Segoe Rd. • Madison, WI 53711TEL: 608-273-8080 • FAX: 608-273-2021www.soils.org

Now available as Individual Chapter Downloads at www.SocietyStore.org Click “Downloads”

Documents

Soils-The Good, The Bad, And the Beautiful