Department of Earth and Environmental Science

Alain F. Plante

Research team

Our research team seeks to characterize the quantity, quality and function of organic matter in surface soils from various ecosystems.

Current Team members:

Postdocs:

Jose Manuel Fernandez (coming soon) Characterization of soil organic matter quality by thermal analysis

PhD students:

Anarmaa Sharkhuu (started Fall 2008) Soil C biogeochemistry in northern Mongolia

Wenting Feng (started Fall 2008) “CSAT3 - Physico-chemical and biochemical controls on soil carbon saturation behavior”

Undergraduate researchers:

Chukuemeka Oje (Fall 2007) method development for soil respiration and microbial biomass measurements

Past Team members:

Amanda Conover (Undergrad, Summer 2008) “CSAT3 - Physico-chemical and biochemical controls on soil carbon saturation behavior”, collaborating with Anthony Aufdenkamp at Stroud Water Research Center

Inigo Virto (Postdoc, Fall 2007) Worked to separate soils using a sequential density fractionation technique with sodium polytungstate (SPT)

Aslihan Sen (Undergrad, Summer 2007) NSF REU Supplement to “Vulnerability of soil organic matter to temperature changes: Exploring constraints due to protection mechanisms and microbial community structure”

Charlie Slominski (Undergrad, Summer 2007) Penn Provost’s Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program, worked on “Vulnerability of soil organic matter to temperature changes”