Responsibilities and Interests:

I am a soil scientist who conducts research on:

1. changes in soil physical, chemical and mineralogical properties due to disturbance and how ecosystems change in response;
2. soil genesis, classification, and mapping;
3. problematic soil physical and chemical properties in urban environments and their management;
4. land use assessment based on soils.

Detailed information on my research and soil information pertinent to Pennsylvania can be found on the Penn State Soil Characterization Lab Web site.

Education:

• 2000 — Ph.D. Soil Science. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
• 1996 — M.S. Environmental Pollution Control. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
• 1992 — B.S. Natural Resource Management. Cook College-Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Other:

• 2001 — University of Maine, Maine Compost School, medium- and large-scale composting certification.

Professional Background:

• Assistant Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 2007–present.
• Director, Pine Lake Institute for Environmental & Sustainability Studies, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY. 2006–2007.
• Assistant Professor, Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV. 2004–2006.
• Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV. 2003–2004.
• Assistant Professor, Shepherd College, Institute for Environmental Studies, Shepherdstown, WV. 2000–2003.
• Ph.D. Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Agronomy (now Crop and Soil Sciences), The Pennsylvania State University. 1996–2000.
• M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Environmental Pollution Control Program, The Pennsylvania State University. 1994–1996.

Selected Publications:

1. Drohan, P.J., and T. J. Farnham. 2006. A proposal for the formal designation of rare and threatened soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 70: 2086–2096.
2. Himes, J., and P.J. Drohan. 2006. Soil and topographical relationships associated with pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) populations in central Nevada. Journal of Arid Environments 68(3):371–382.
3. Mrozek, S.A., B.J. Buck, P.J. Drohan, and A.L. Brock. 2006. Decorative landscaping rock as a source for heavy metal contamination. Soil and Sediment Contamination 15(5):471–480.
4. Drohan, P. J., C.N. Ross, J. Anderson, R. Fortney, and J. Rentch. 2006. Soil and hydrological drivers of Typha latifolia encroachment in a marl wetland. Wetlands Ecology and Management 14(2):107–122.
5. Drohan, P.J., G.W. Petersen, and E.J. Ciolkosz. 2003. Soil survey mapping unit accuracy in forested field plots in northern Pennsylvania. Soil Science Society of America Journal 67:208–214.
6. Drohan, P.J., G.W. Petersen, and S.L. Stout. 2002. A study of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) decline during 1979 to 1989 in northern Pennsylvania. Forest Ecology and Management 170(1–3), 1–17.
7. Drohan, P.J., and K.L. Butler. 2002. Evaluating many instructors across multiple lab sections—consistency and equity. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 31:73–80.
8. Drohan, P.J., and D.R. DeWalle. 2002. Defoliation and atmospheric deposition influences on spring baseflow chemistry in 56 Pennsylvania mixed land-use watersheds. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 133(1–4), 31–48.