Research

Project opportunities cover a wide range of topics from fundamental research to applications in contemporary environmental issues.
Students will be matched with mentors based on their interests and will work with their mentors to develop an individual research plan. Examples of past projects are listed below.
Students will be trained in scientific communication and will have opportunity to present their research at national scientific research conferences.

Presented at the Soil Science Society of America Meeting, Baltimore, MD

Comparing the Mineralogy of Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation to Naturally Occurring Sandstone
UAV-Based Characterization of Micro-Topographic Features for Use in Estimating Soil Moisture and Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Agricultural Fields
Nitrous Oxide Flux along a Micro-toposequence in No-till Corn
Utilizing Soil Electrical Conductivity and Halinity to Quantify Salinization in Coastal Farm Systems
The Effect of Long-Term Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilization on Soil Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon
Enzymatic Degradation of Siderophores in Soil by Fungi
Effects of Temperature and Moisture Conditions on the Stability and Bioavailability of Soil Nutrients

Presented at the Soil Science Society of America Meeting, San Antonio, TX

Effects of Chemical Hardwood Control in Loblolly Pine Plantation on the Litter and Topsoil Development
Microbial Exudate Production in Response to Toxic Metals in Soils
Inhibitors to Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria
Lateral Variability and Soil Formation in Alluvial Coal Deposits within the Schuylkill River Basin, PA
Utilizing Alternative Fertilizers and Surface Residues to Determine Differences in N Mineralization Rates
Ammonia Volatilization by an Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Nitrogen Product Used as a Slow Release Fertilizer
Cryptic Iron Cycling in Biogenic Iron Oxide Deposits
The Potential for Remediation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Using Feammox Bacteria

Presented at the American Geophysical Union Meeting, Washington, DC

Determining Soil Water Content Using Fiber Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing: Models in COMSOL Multiphysics

Presented at the Geological Society of America Meeting, Indianapolis, IN

Presented at the Society of American Foresters Meeting, Portland, OR

An Evaluation of Intensive Management Effects on Soil Microbial Biomass and Functional Diversity

Presented at the Soil Science Society of America Meeting, San Diego, CA

Relationship Between Nutrient Content, Microbial Communities, and Presence of Siderophores in North Carolina Soils
Relating Physical and Chemical Characteristics to Reactivity of Biogenic Fe(Oxyhydr)oxides
Comparison of NRCS Infiltration Test Method for Soil Quality to Other Procedures

Presented at the Geological Society of America Meeting, Seattle, WA

Presented at the Soil Science Society of America Meeting, Tampa, FL

Persistent Homology of Pore Structure in a Post-Agricultural Ultisol
Enzyme Activities and Microbial Community Evaluation of Featured Geomorphic Soils
Phosphate Uptake of Corn as Influenced by Applications of Phosphate-Enhancing Polymers
Using Remotely-Piloted Aerial Cameras to Estimate Runoff into Sediment Basins
Compost Amendments to Soil to Improve Physical Properties for Plant Growth
Assessing Mechanical Improvement of Coal Ash Using Enzyme Induced Carbonate Precipitation
Biotic and Abiotic Contributions to the Reduction of Fe-Oxides at Circumneutral pH

Presented at the Weed Science Society of America Meeting, Arlington, VA

Presented at the SACNAS National Conference, Long Beach, CA

Presented at the Soil Science Society of America Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

Assessment of Soil Strength Using a Cone Penetrometer
Optimizing the Rate of AVAIL Co-Polymer while Enhancing P Availability to Corn
Comparing Low-Cost Methods for Stabilizing Diversions and Ditches
Adsorption of Chlorantraniliprole: Which Soil Factors Affect Sorbent Affinity?
Effect of Greenways on Soil Microbial Ecosystem in Lake Johnson Park
Accessing Soil Microbial and Community and Functional Differences of Environmental Samples
Investigating the Relationship Between Manganese Reactivity and Arsenic Adsorption Capacity of Pleistocene Sediments from Southeast Asia

Presented at the American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco, CA

Quantification of Aerobic Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Soil Using Activity-Based Fluorescent Labeling of Ammonia Monooxygenase

Presented at the American Chemical Society Meeting, San Francisco, CA

Presented at the Soil Science Society of America Meeting, Minneapolis, MN

Assessing Biomineral Formation by Iron-oxidizing Bacteria (FeOB) in a Circumneutral Creek
Investigating the Impact of Dissolved Organic Carbon Sources on Arsenic Mobilization
Probing the Redox Reactivity of Mycogenic Manganese Oxides with Substituted Quinones
Specific Surface Area of Soils Across Geomorphic Regions of North Carolina
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Fractions Under Biofuel Cropping in the Piedmont of North Carolina
Use of Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation to Reduce Trace Element Leaching from Fly Ash
Morphology and Phylogenetic Characterization of Mn(II)-Oxidizing Superfund Site Fungal Assemblages
Characterizing and Mapping Field Scale Spatial Variability of Surface Properties with EM38

Presented at the American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco, CA

Uptake of Cadmium by Flue-cured Tobacco Plants: Exploring Bioavailability
Controlling Erosion on Construction Sites with Polyacrylamide: Optimal Mixing Time and Dose

Presented at the Phytotechnologies 12th Int’l Conference, Manhattan, KS