Newswise — The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) will recognize the following individuals as the 2010 SSSA Fellows at a special Awards Ceremony during their Annual Meeting on Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Long Beach, CA, www.acsmeetings.org.

Members of the Society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Only 0.3% of the Society’s active and emeritus members may be elected Fellow. The 2010 class of SSSA Fellows are:

• Denis Angers – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Denis Angers is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Quebec City, Canada. He also serves as adjunct professor at McGill and Laval Universities. He received a B.Sc. from Laval University in Quebec, M.Sc. from the University of Guelph, and Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal. His research program focuses mainly on soil organic matter and carbon sequestration. Dr. Angers currently serves as associate editor of the Journal of Environmental Quality, and has been active in the Soil Science Society of America.

• Robert Darmody – University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. Robert Darmody is a professor of pedology in the University of Illinois Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Department. He received a B.S. in natural resources and M.S. and Ph.D. in soil science from the University of Maryland. He teaches soils and environmental courses at Illinois and conducts research related to soils, land use, and the environment including impacts of mining and of river sediment dredging and investigation into biofuel crops and associated carbon sequestration in soils. Dr. Darmody served as an associate editor for the Journal of Environmental Quality and is past national president of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation.

• Ivan J. Fernandez – University of Maine. Ivan J. Fernandez is professor of soil science and Cooperating Professor of Forest Resources at the University of Maine. He is appointed in the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences, the Climate Change Institute, and the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests. He received a B.A. from Hartwick College, and M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Maine. His program focuses on the biogeochemistry of forested ecosystems emphasizing long-term responses to forest management, air pollution, and climate change.

• Robert W. Fitzpatrick – CSIRO Land and Water, Australia. Robert W. Fitzpatrick is a chief research scientist in CSIRO and director of the Centre for Australian Forensic Soil Science Adelaide, Australia, and professor at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University. He received B.S., M.S and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Natal, South Africa. Dr. Fitzpatrick’s career has focused primarily on the interface of pedology, biogeochemistry, mineralogy and forensic science as applied to soil-landscape processes, including development of advanced techniques to characterize, assess and map soils.

• Jianying Gan – University of California-Riverside. Jianying Gan is a professor of environmental chemistry in the Environmental Sciences Department at University of California Riverside. He also serves as a Water Quality Specialist through UC’s Agricultural and Natural Resources Division. Dr. Gan received B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from Zhejiang University in China. His research and extension program focuses mainly on environmental fate and impacts of organic contaminants such as pesticides and protection of water quality. Gan served as an associate editor for the Journal of Environmental Quality, and has been active in the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, American Chemical Society, and Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

• Yuncong Li – University of Florida. Yuncong Li is the Research Foundation Professor of soil science in the Department of Soil & Water Science at the Tropical Research & Education Center, University of Florida. He received a B.S. in soil science from the Shandong Agricultural University, M.S. in agronomy from the University of Georgia and Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Maryland. His research/extension program focuses on water & soil quality monitoring, assessment & remediation, management practices to improve nutrient use efficiency, and nutrient cycling in soils.

• Mark Nearing – USDA-ARS, Tucson, AZ. Mark Nearing is a scientist and research leader at the ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center in Tucson, AZ. He received a B.S. degree at Indiana University and M.S. and Ph.D. at Purdue University. His research program is focused on advancing the fundamental understanding of soil erosion and developing models to assess erosion and evaluate the impacts of soil conservation management practices.

• Richard J. Norman – University of Arkansas. Richard J. Norman is a professor of soil fertility/chemistry in the Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Department at the University of Arkansas. He received a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Missouri, and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. His research focus is on the development of better nitrogen management strategies for rice through the investigation of the nitrogen balance in paddy soils. Dr. Norman has served as Chair of Division S-4, Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, and as Chair of the Rice Technical Working Group.

• Chandra Reddy – Tennessee State University. Chandra Reddy has recently been appointed as the Dean of the School of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences and Director of Research and Extension at Tennessee State University. He received a B.S. and M.S. from India and Ph.D. in agronomy from University of Florida. His research program focuses on crop production, environmental quality, and international agriculture. He is an active promoter of minority education in agricultural sciences and has been serving on the editorial board of the Soil Science Society of America Journal.

• E. John Sadler– USDA-ARS, Columbia, MO. E. John Sadler is research leader of the USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit in Columbia MO. He received a B.S from the University of Missouri and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M University. His focus is soil and water conservation. He has served as associate and technical editor of Agronomy Journal,, serves on the Science Advisory Board for the "Natural Resource Challenge" theme for the Cooperative Research Program of OECD, and is Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and American Association for the Advancement of Science.

• Jirka Simunek – University of California-Riverside. Jirka Simunek is a professor and hydrologist in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of California-Riverside. He received a M.S. from the Czech Technical University, and Ph.D. from the Czech Academy of Sciences, both in Prague, Czech Republic. His program focuses mainly on the development and application of numerical models (e.g., HYDRUS) simulating water flow and solute transport on soils. Dr. Simunek has served as an associate editor for Water Resources Research, Vadose Zone Journal, Hydrological Sciences Journal, and Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics.

• Thomas Thompson – Texas Tech University. Thomas Thompson is professor, department chair and J.A. Love Endowed Chair in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University. He received a B.S. from Abilene Christian University, M.S. from Texas A&M, and Ph.D. from Iowa State University. From 1991 to 2006 he was at the University of Arizona, with teaching, research, and extension duties. His research program focuses on nutrient and water management in irrigated and dryland cropping systems. He has been associate editor and is technical editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal.

• Laosheng Wu – University of California-Riverside. Laosheng Wu is a professor and cooperative extension water management specialist in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of California-Riverside. He received a B.S. from Zhejiang University, China, M.S. degree from Oregon State University, and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His program focuses mainly on characterizing soil physical properties and processes and developing best management practices to conserve soil and water. Dr. Wu has served as an associate editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal. He also has served as the associate and interim director of the University of California Center for Water Resources, and the California State Extension water quality coordinator.

For more information on the 2010 awards presented at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings, please visit www.soils.org/awards/award or contact Sara Uttech, 608-268-4948, [email protected]

Photos of the recipients receiving their awards will be posted to our News & Media webpage following the Annual Meetings: www.soils.org/news-media

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive, international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, and founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. It provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.