People
Dr. Walbridge is currently working as Program Director of the Ecosystem Science Cluster in the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation, in Washington, DC. Prior to this he was the chair of the Biology Department at West Virginia University. He received his Ph.D. in Botany (1986) from the University of North Carolina under the supervision of Dr. P. Vitousek. His Dissertation: was titled "Phosphorus Availability in Acid Organic Coastal Plain Soils". He received his M.S. in Biology (1982) from West Virginia University, and his B.A., cum laude, in Biology (1973) from West Virginia University.
Dr. J. C. Clement
Dr. Clément is an Ecosystem scientist
working on the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial and aquatic systems. He
obtained his PhD in 2001 in France, at the University of Rennes, where he
worked on riparian wetlands buffering capacities against nitrogen diffuse
pollutions. From 2001 to 2004, he worked as a postdoctoral associate at
Rutgers University in New Jersey on biogeochemistry in forested riparian
wetlands. In 2005 he was hired as a visiting Assistant Professor at West
Virginia University, to act as the replacement principal investigator for
Dr. M. Walbridge and to participate on an NSF grant on Phosphorus
transformations in forested floodplains. As a result, his background covers
a large spectrum of disciplines such as soil science, superficial hydrology,
plants and micro-organismal processes, and agricultural practices.
Dr. X. Huang
Dr. Huang is a post doctoral fellow in the Walbridge lab. He received his Doctoral degree in Wetland Ecology/Biogeochemistry from the University of South Carolina in 2002. His dissertation was titled "Phosphorus Biogeochemistry in the Secondary Succession of Former Rice Impoundments on the Upper Cooper River, South Carolina". At the same time he earned his M.E. in Computer Science and Engineering also from the University of South Carolina. He received his B.S. in Biology from Nanjing University in 1992. He joined the Walbridge lab in January of 2005 to assist in completion of the water chemistry aspect of the current project.
John received a Bachelor’s Degree with a Specialization in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Alberta, Canada. He completed his Master of Science Degree under the supervision of Dr. R. Kelman Wieder at the Department of Biology, Villanova University, Pennsylvania, US. His M.S. research used DNA fingerprinting techniques to compare microbial communities in boreal peat soils from Canada and Siberia. John joined the Walbridge lab in 2003 where he brings his expertise in the area of molecular microbial ecology to the team. Here at West Virginia University, his Doctoral research focuses on characterizing the microbial community profiles in forested floodplain soils, and liking the analysis of microbial diversity to biogeochemical function. His dissertation work also involves a biogeochemistry component with two complementary foci: the use of 31-Phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to examine the forms of organic phosphorous in floodwaters, and radioactive labeled (33 and 32-Phosphate) tracers to understand phosphorus retention and transformation processes in floodplain soils.
Heather is a Masters student in the Walbridge lab. She received her Bachelors from West Virginia University in Forestry in 2002. Her Masters project is titled "The Productivity and Nutrient Availability in Floodplain Forests of the Southeastern United States". Heather aims to graduate from West Virginia University in August 2005.
Nicola is a Research Associate in
the Walbridge lab. She received her Bachelors degree from Portland State
University with a double major in Geology and Environmental Sciences. Her
undergraduate thesis assessed the proportion of native and non-native plants
within and urban and rural framework, under the supervision of Dr. Alan Yeakley and Peggy O'Neill. She completed her Masters degree in Environmental
Sciences at the University of Virginia. Her Masters work studied the effects
of grasshoppers on salt marsh ecosystems, under the supervision of Dr.
Joseph Zieman. As a result her background covers a diverse array of
interests from botany, entomology and geology to wetland ecology and
biogeochemistry. She currently manages Dr. Walbridges lab, with her work
focused mainly on soil chemistry.
Undergraduate Researchers (2005):
Sarah Kelly (WVU) Sarah.Kelly@mail.wvu.edu
Brian Peklansky (WVU) bpeklans@mix.wvu.edu
Beth Taylor (WVU) biobeth@hotmail.com
Neha Ashok Kumar (WVU)
Morgan Darrow (WVU) mdarrow@mix.wvu.edu
Jessica Tumblin (Claflin University) jessicatumblin@yahoo.com