Faculty Expertise

On-siteFaculty Research Focus:

Agricultural Experiment Station

Brinsfield, Russell - Nutrient Transport
Burton, Dennis - Aquatic Toxicology
Fisher, Daniel - Aquatic Toxicology
Hall, Lenwood - Aquatic Toxicology
Harrell, Reginal -Fisheries Science/Envir Ethics
Ristvey, Andrew - Commercial Horticulture
Staver, Ken - Hydrology/Nutrient Cycling/Biofuels
Yonkos, Lance - Aquatic Toxicology

Animal and Avian Sciences

Updike, M. Scott - Extension Beef Specialist

Entomology

Dively, Galen - Integrated Pest Management
Embrey, Michael - Apiary Specialist
Hooks, Cerrutti - Integrated Pest Management

Environmental Science and Technology

Coale, Frank -Soil Fertility/Nutrient Management
Hill, Robert - Soil and Water Management
McGrath, Josh -Soil Fertility/Envir Sustainability
Weil, Ray - Soil Science

Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture

Costa, Jose - Small Grain Breeding
Deitzer, Gerald - Horticulture
Everts, Kate - Pathology, Extension Specialist
Grybauskas, Arvydas - Disease of Field Crops
Kenworthy, William - Soybean Breeding
Kratochvil, Robert - Soil and Grain Crops
Lea-Cox, John - Nursery Research
Ritter, Ronald - Agronomic Weed Control
Swartz, Harry - Small Fruits
Walsh, Christopher - Pomology

Other MCE Faculty With Research at Wye REC

   Brust, Jerry - Vegetables
   Fiola, Joseph - Viticulture & Small Fruits
   Kays, Jonathan - Natural Resources

On-site Faculty Expertise:

Brinsfield, Russell B., Nutrient Transport

Dr. Brinsfield has been conducting research on the effects of best management practices on nutrient transport from various agricultural cropping systems since 1984. He has been the director of the Wye Research and Education Center since 1982 and has served as executive director of the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc. since 1999. In addition, he is a co-founder of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy which works with private land owners to preserve farms, forest and other unique natural areas for future generations. Since 1990, the Conservancy has preserved over 40,000 acres on Maryland's Mid-Eastern Shore. Dr. Brinsfield has co-authored over 100 publications, presentations and reports including the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation national award in 1999 for best journal article of the year. He currently serves as member of the Board of Trustees for the Chesapeake Bay Trust and was recenly appointed to Governor O'Malley's BayStat Council to provide advice on agricultural and environmental issues.

Burton, Dennis T., Aquatic Toxicology

Primary research interests are the toxicological effects to aquatic organisms of surface and subsurface water quality changes induced by municipal, utility, and industrial facilities. Also evaluates the effects of various inorganic and organic contaminants to soil and wetland sediment communities. Dr. Burton is currently the principal investigator ofthe following U. S. Army studies to determine: 1) the use of several biological monitoring techniques for toxicity assessment of contaminated wastewater, groundwater, and sediments; 2) an ecological stress and recovery assessment of a U. S. Army Superfund dump site; 3) an ecological risk assessment of diisopropyl methylphosphonate; 4) a mercury (both total and bonomethylmercury) bioaccumulation/risk assessment study of contaminated soils at a Superfund site and 5) a screening-level study of DDTrbioaccumulation in earthworms at a Superfund site. He is Co-PI of an ecological assessment of an oil refinery polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon discharge in the Delaware River. Dr. Burton has written more than 200 technical publications including two books.

Fisher, Daniel J., Aquatic Toxicology

Works with state and federal agencies and private companies to study the effects of pollution on the ecology of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. He earned his Ph.D. in Marine Science/Aquatic Toxicology in 1986 from the College of William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Since 1987 Dr. Fisher has managed the Maryland Department of the Environment's Bioassay Laboratory under contract at WREC.He conducts effluent toxicity compliance testing on industrial and municipal discharges to State waters. He has been the Principal Investigator or Co-PI for research grants and contracts in the following areas: aquatic toxicological studies in both the laboratory and field involving sediments, single compounds, mixtures, effluents and stormwater runoff; ecological risk assessment involving the development of water quality criteria for numerous compounds; and continuous versus intermittent toxicity of chemicals. Dr. Fisher has written more than 60 on a wide variety of environmental issues.

Hall, Lenwood W., Aquatic Toxicology

Lenwood W. Hall, Jr. is a Research Associate at the University of Maryland, Wye Research and Education Center. Areas of expertise are: aquatic toxicology; ecological risk assessments of pesticides, metals, and organometallics; exposure characterization of pesticides; development of biological/physical habitat indicators and bioassessments. He has conducted research or consulting for 45 different government, academic and industrial organizations. He has published the following: 107 peer-reviewed papers; 4 books; 24 book chapters/monographs (some are peer-reviewed) and 109 technical reports. During 28 years of research, he has generated over $12 million in funding from approximately 70 different research grants or contracts.

Ristvey, Andrew, Commercial Horticulture

Eastern Regional Extension Specialist for Commercial Horticulture at Wye Research and Education Center at Queenstown, MD and affiliate faculty with the Plant Science and Landscape Architecture Department at the Univeristy of Maryland, College Park. Education: Master of Science degree in 1993 from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore in the MEES program; Doctorate in Horticulture, University of Maryland College Park. Present extension and research interests are plant nutrition, sustainable alternative crop production and green roof systems. Click here for more details regarding expertise.

Staver, Kenneth W., Nutrient Cycling/Biofuels

Primary research interest is the development of agricultural production systems that maximize nutrient and energy use efficiency and minimize environmental degradation at the field and system level. His academic training is in systems ecology (B.A.; Cornell), marine science (M.S.; U. MD) and engineering (Ph.D.; U.MD). Dr. Staver has worked at the Wye Research and Education Center since 1984 focusing initially on nutrient transport patterns in Coastal Plain watersheds and the development of practices that reduce nutrient losses from cropland at the field level. More recently his research focus has shifted to development of multi-discipline approaches to regional environmental problems. His current research activities include: 1) assessment of nutrient flow patterns in grain/poultry production systems at field, watershed and regional scales; 2) assessment of changes in subsurface nitrogen storage and transport in Coastal Plain watersheds where nutrient control strategies have been implemented; 3) assessment of the effect of phosphorus management strategies on phosphorus losses in field drainage; 4) development of land placement options for sediment dredged from Chesapeake Bay shipping lanes; and 5) assessment of the nutrient uptake and retention, and biofuel potential of native warm season grasses.

Yonkos, Lance T - Aquatic Toxicology

Dr. Yonkos investigates point and non-point source pollution effects on the health of aquatic biota particularly in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. His principle area of interest involves endocrine disruption as a consequence of environmental exposure to complex contaminant mixtures. His academic training is in natural sciences and mathematics (B.S.; Washington & Lee Univ.) and environmental sciences with emphasis on aquatic toxicology (M.S.; Ph.D.; Univ. of MD). Dr. Yonkos has worked continuously at the Wye Research and Education Center since 1990. His initial research included whole effluent toxicity testing in support of the state of Maryland biomonitoring program and development of water quality criteria for single compound contaminant exposures. Currently he serves as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator for laboratory and field projects aimed at determining the impact(s) of poultry manure-associated contaminants on fish and amphibians in Delmarva watersheds. Additionally, in 2008 Dr. Yonkos joined the Baltimore-based Maritime Environmental Research Center (MERC) performing toxicological studies on the efficacy and residual toxicity of ballast water invasive species treatment technologies. Dr. Yonkos also has a faculty appointment with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources - Environmental Science and Technology Department (ENST) where he teaches courses on environmental health, aquatic toxicology and contaminant related topics. Dr. Yonkos has 14 publications in refereed journals on a variety of environmental issues, has written 38 abstracts (30 as first author) and has presented extensively at national scientific meetings.

For more information, contact Barbara South

Last updated: 03/10/2009