The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
ANNUAL REPORTING FORM
 
Michael Essington, Professor
Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science
Annual Performance Period: January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006


A. SUMMARY AND IMPACTS.

1. Summary. Provide an overall summary (500 words or less) of your accomplishments during the reporting period.

Research concluded to elucidate the chemistry of 2-ketogluconate (KG), a microbial byproduct of glucose (a root exudate and monosaccharide) oxidation, and to enhance our ability to predict the fate and behavior of substances in soil systems.

The multivariate statistic analysis of spatially-indexed soil chemical data illustrate that landscape position and soil drainage characteristics are reflected in the chemical data. Although such a finding is expected, the observation that only minor changes in topographical characteristics (e.g., elevation) strongly impacts the chemical characteristics of west Tennessee loess-derived soils was unexpected.

Conducted research to test the hypothesis that the source of stream sediments could be identified using mult-elemental analysis and multivariate statistical techniques. Preliminary findings indicate that the technique has considerable promise.


2. Impacts. List up to three significant impacts of your program. Impact statements should be one to three sentences and should be written in a way that would be meaningful to the public.

The textbook, ‘Soil and Water Chemistry: An Integrative Approach,’ (M.E. Essington, 2003, CRC Press) is currently being employed at numerous national and international universities in soil chemistry and environmental soil chemistry courses. More than 1600 copies of the text have been sold, and the book is now in its second printing and modifications for a second edition are in progress. The book is now listed as a 'best seller' according to CRC Press.

2-Ketogluconate (KG) is a microbially-produced low-molecular-mass organic acid the may be found in soil at significant concentrations, particularly in manure-amended soil and in soils that contain low bioavailable phosphorus levels. Our research indicates that this microbial exudate may play an important role in the cycling of nutrients (Fe and P) and in the detoxification of trace elements (Al) in the soil environment. The results also indicate that soil biota have several chemical tools at thier disposal (in addition to citrate, oxalate, etc.) that are capable of enhancing nutrient availability and metal behavior in soil.

Through the multielemental analysis of watershed surface soils and stream sediments, we were able to show that stream sediments could be traced to source. This is a major finding that could potentially revolutionize current practices for evaluating the impacts of land management on non-point source pollution. The method is analytically simplistic and statistically valid.



B. PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS (EXTENSION, RESEARCH AND TEACHING). As applicable, list title, names of participants (PIs, Leaders, Co-PIs, Co-leaders, Collaborators etc.), project number, sponsor, your role ( leader/co-leader/collaborator) and your percent effort on the project as stated in the project description or document.

Mineral controls on P retention and release in soils and soil amendments (Multi-State S1014). M.E. Essington (PI and Leader), TEN00296, 20%.

Off-site technical support for DoD-SERDP-funded research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. M.E. Essington (PI and leader), 100%.

Improving the design and implementation of total daily maximum loads (TMDLs) through the development of a method for identifying ther sources of in-stream sediments. M.E. Essington and F.R. Walker (Co-PIs), 7%.


C. INSTRUCTION, TEACHING AND EXTENSION EDUCATION. Detail credit and non-credit instruction and teaching activities.

1. College credit instruction. List courses in which you were an instructor or guest lecturer during the current calendar year. Include special topics, independent study and internship courses. Provide course number and title, your involvement, semester(s), credit hours and number of students. Please append a summary of teaching evaluations (student and/or peer) if this information is available.

Course number and title Involvement Semester Credit
hours
Number of
students
ESS613 Advanced Topics in Soil Chemistry & FertilityTotalSpring21
ESS603 SeminarTeamSpring11
ESS503 SeminarTeamSpring12
BsE603 SeminarTeamSpring11
BsE503 SeminarTeamSpring14
BsET503 SeminarTeamSpring15
ESS513 Advanced Soil ChemistryTotalSpring37
ANR512 Teaching Internship in Agriculture and Natural ResourcesTotalFall11
ESS503 SeminarTeamFall13
BsE603 SeminarTeamFall13
BsE503 SeminarTeamFall16
BsET503 SeminarTeamFall13
ESS434 Environmental Soil ChemistryTotalFall310
ESS120 Soils & Civilizations (Cultures & Civ)*GuestFall389

2. Formal continuing education (certification programs, seminar series, in-service training, field days, faculty and/or staff training, journal club, etc.). Provide descriptive title of activity, your involvement, number of participants or students involved, number and duration of each session.

Descrip. title, including dates Involvement Number of students
or participants
Number of
sessions
Duration of each
session (hours)
         

3. Extension presentations and workshops. Indicate title, type, and scope of presentation; number of times presented; attendance estimates. Include evidence of effectiveness (e.g. evaluation summaries) where applicable.

Title/Type of presentation Scope Number of times presented Total attendees
       

4. Public addresses to lay audiences (TV/radio presentations, service groups, etc.). Indicate title, type, scope of presentation; number of times presented; attendance estimates. Include evidence of effectiveness (e.g. evaluation summaries) where applicable.

Title/Type of presentation Scope Number of times presented Total attendees
       

5. Presentations at professional meetings, without published abstracts. List presenter, co-authors (if any), title, date and name of meeting (list scientific oral or poster presentations having published abstracts or proceedings at D5).

6. Student mentoring. Fill in the boxes to indicate number of students in each category.

Level of students No. of students advised No. of active graduate committees on which you served as:
Major professor Committee member
Undergraduate      
Masters  
Doctoral  

7. Student or commodity club activities (e.g. club advisor, team competitions, honor or professional societies, etc.). List the club or group; your role with the club or group; and the activities, honors or awards received by this group under your mentorship.

8. Other instructional and teaching activities.


D. PUBLICATIONS. List only publications that were published during the annual reporting period (for #8, submitted during reporting period). Format citations as typical and appropriate for outlet. If a co-author(s) is a student or was working under your direct supervision, place an asterisk after that person's name.

1. Refereed articles or refereed reviews appearing in peer-reviewed professional journals.

2. Book chapters or books.

3. Bulletins, reports, circulars, pamphlets, factsheets.

4. Popular press, trade, UTIA magazine or newsletter articles.

5. Abstracts from scientific or discipline meetings, papers from conference proceedings, etc.

Essington, M. E., and Anderson, R.M..  2006.  Influence of inorganic ligands on the adsorption of 2-ketogluconate.  Annual Meetings Abstracts [CD-ROM]. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, WI.

Essington, M. E.  2006.  The aqueous complexation of metals in the rhizosphere: do we know what we think we know?.  Abstracts of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science on CD-ROM (IUSS, Wageningen, The Netherlands). July 9 - 15, 2006, International Union of Soil Science.  (invited)

Lee, J., Seo, Y., and M. E. Essington.  2006.  Nonequilibrium sorption and transport of agricultural antibiotics in soil.  Annual Meetings Abstracts [CD-ROM]. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, WI.  (invited)

6. Theses/Dissertations completed by students that you directed.

Anderson, R.M.*  2006.  Adsorption of 2-ketogluconate by gibbsite, goethite, and kaolinite.  MS Thesis.

7. Other publications.

8. Articles submitted during the reporting period that are in review, in press or rejected. Please do not list articles in preparation.


E. FUNDING. Format each entry as a citation, include as applicable: investigators (with percent effort shown on grant or contract document), title, source/agency.

1. Grant and contract proposals submitted but not awarded during this reporting period. Indicate date of submission and status (still pending, rejected).

David C. White (35%), M. Radosevich (20%), F. R. Walker (15%), N. S. Eash (15%), M. E. Essington (15%).  Environmentally sustainable mgt. of soil phosphorus through elucidation of microbial responses....  USDA CSREES.  1/18/06.  $498,638.  (rejected)

2. Grants and contracts awarded during this reporting period. List inclusive period of support (start and end dates) and total amount of award.

Essington, M. E. (80%), F. R. Walker (20%).  Improving the Design and Implementation of TMDLs.  Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.  12/1/06-8/31/09.  $40,000.

3. Grants and contracts awarded in past years that continued into this reporting period. List inclusive period of support (start and end dates) and total amount of award.

Tyner, J. S. (80%), M. E. Essington (10%), J. Lee (10%).  Subsurface Phosphorous Transport by Colloid Association and Preferential Flow.  USGS .  3/1/05-2/28/06.  $27,228.

Essington, M. E. (100%).  Decreasing Toxic Metal Bioavailability with Novel Soil Amendment Strategies..  UT Battelle, LLC.  3/1/05-2/28/06.  $25,000.

4. Gifts. List recipients, donor, items or amount donated and dollar equivalent received during the reporting period.

5. Grant reports submitted. List authors, title, to whom submitted, date submitted.

6. Other (e.g. sales, royalties).


F. OTHER CREATIVE ACTIVITIES.

1. Tech. advances (intell. prop., patent, copyright, products, processes, genetic lines/varieties).

2. Computer software (e.g. instructional or research software, CD ROMs).

3. Educational tools.

4. Internet activities.

5. Other creative products and activities.


G. SERVICE. List client outreach activities (both public and private sectors) and professional service.
    
1. Client service.
 a. Commodity or discipline group service activities. List committees, offices held or other roles.

b. Clinical and diagnostic services. List type of service provided and client(s).

c. Service to individual producers, businesses, or corporations as a specialist, consultant or expert advisor (whether paid or unpaid). List your one-on-one service activities with this group of clients.

d. Other (e.g. Ag Day activities, Varsity Visit, judging, presentations at clubs and K-12 schools).

2. Professional service (for professional colleagues).
a. Within the university.
I. Committee work. Briefly describe your involvement during the reporting period.
i. University.

Alternate Faculty Senator (CASNR)

ii. UTIA.

Ag Caucus of the Faculty Senate (Member)

Departmental Representative to Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences Ph.D. Steering Committee (Member)

Soil Testing and Fertilizer Committee (Member)

Departmental Representative to the UTIA Promotion and Tenure Committee (Member)

iii. Department.

Curriculum Committee (Member)
Graduate Admissions Committee (Member)
Promotion and Tenure Committee (Member)
Bylaws and Faculty Handbook Liaison Committee (ad hoc) (Member)
Seminar Committee (Chair)
Faculty Search Committee (Soil Nutrient Management Position) (Chair)

II. Other (e.g. technical assistance to colleagues, peer reviews,
mentoring of junior faculty, hosting visiting scientists).


Mentor to Dr. J. Lee
Mentor to Dr. Amy Johnson
Supervisor of Water Quality Laboratory and of analytical instrumentation in Ellington (and associated (2) Senior Research Associates), which provide analytical data and intpretation to university, institute, and departmental faculty and students.

b. Outside the university (e.g. committee work/offices in professional or public organizations or societies, editorship, editorial boards, review of manuscripts (indicate outlet) and project proposals (indicate agency), meetings organized, member of grant review panel or study section, moderator, etc.).

Board of Directors, Soil Science Society of America

Manuscript Reviewer: Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.; Soil Sci.; Clays and Clay Min.; Microporous & Mesoporous Materials

Tennessee's Technical Representative, Multi-State S1014 (Chair)



H. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (meetings, workshops, classes, trips, etc.). List the event or activity, sponsor, duration of event and your role.

18th World Congress of Soil Science: July 9-15, 2006; attended and presented one invited scientific paper.

Annual Meetings of the Soil Science Society of America: Nov. 12-16, 2006; attended and presented one scientific paper (coauthored one other); participated (as elected member) in SSSA Board of Director's Meetings.


I. PERSONNEL SUPERVISION. List the postdoctoral fellows, research associates, research assistants, technicians, extension associates, extension assistants, graduate assistants, undergraduate students, clerical personnel or others that you supervised during the year.

ClassificationFTE's per semester
SpringSummerFall
Postdoctoral fellows      
Research associates, assistants, technicians
Extension associates, assistants      
Graduate students, assistants
Undergraduate students
Clerical personnel      
Other      


J. HONORS AND AWARDS. List honors and awards received during reporting period, including the name of the organization presenting the award.