I received a B.S. in Agronomy (1985) and M.S. in Soil Microbiology (1991) from Purdue University,and a Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology from Kansas State University (1998). After completing my PhD, I spent one year as a Congressional Science Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota and two years as a post-doctoral Research Associate at Michigan State University. Since 2001, I have been a Research Soil Scientist with the USDA-ARS at University Park, Pennsylvania. My research has focused on carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils and the impact of nutrient management on water and air quality. I currently lead projects studying impacts of using various manure application equipment on ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from soil; soil carbon sequestration and nitrous oxide emissions with switchgrass grown for biofuel feedstocks and in sustainable dairy forage rotations; and utilization of slow release and inhibitor- treated nitrogen fertilizers to reduce nitrogen gas emissions and enhance crop uptake. I am also part of a team researching impacts of various aspects of manure management on water quality. Currently, I am on a special assignment as with USDA-NRCS as Science Advisory for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, where I am proving input on the new and modified agricultural conservation practices to help reduce nutrient inputs into the Bay.
Agricultural Research Service
Building 3702, Curtin Road
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
curtis.dell@ars.usda.gov
Phone: (814) 863-0984
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