Research Interests: I drifted into Pedology as an activity that involves more of the things that interest me; Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geology, and Ecology. This discipline of Pedology simultaneously challenges one intellectually, physically and brings one to the field in some of the most beautiful and interesting places imaginable. My research program is directed toward studying the origin and evolution of soils and quantifying the biologically mediated processes of soil formation in many environments around the world. I am interested in being able to evaluate the vulnerability of soils to changing climatic and land use conditions in the context of global and climate change research. Extension and Outreach: As the liaison between the university and cooperators in federal, state, local and private sectors, I work at strengthening our capacity for accessing and disseminating soils information. Much of the information about soils that people utilize comes directly out of Soil Surveys published through the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). I serve on several regional and national advisory committees for the NCSS