Here's the dirt on our new soil scientist

Dr. Steve McBride, the Biology Department's new soil scientist, has hit the ground running...er, digging...with his innovative research. Joining the faculty in fall 2022, Dr. McBride has begun research projects at the Selu Conservancy, mentored undergraduate research, and published his work. Among the highlights:

• Undergraduate researcher Jamison Reddy earned a SURF (Summer Undergraduare Research Fellowship) for this summer. He is determining the effects of manganese on the decomposition of plastic in soil. To date, Jamison has found that manganese and plastic interact to exert a time-dependent effect on soil respiration. This interaction suggests that manganese may support plastic decomposing organisms. 

• Dr. McBride and Dr. Amanda Raimer's student, Elizabeth Burrell, is a recent graduate from the Biology Department. She is starting a PhD program at Virginia Tech! This summer, she established field plots at the Selu Conservancy to investigate the role of nutrients and soil disturbance on plant and soil community dynamics. She also started an experiment investigating the role of nitrogen on plastic decomposition. To date she has found that nitrogen inhibits plastic decomposition.

• Finally, Dr. McBride published an article in the journal, Ecosystems, on his research in soil-litter mixing and decomposition (pictured, below)

Congratulations to Dr. McBride and his students for their research successes!