Dr. Brent Hallock, Department Chair   bhallock@calpoly.edu Phone: (805)756-2436 Favorite Soil :

     I attended Mt. SAC College (1967) and earned an AA degree. I went onto the University of California, Davis; and earned a B.S. (1970) and M.S. (1972) in Range Management and a Ph.D.(1976) in Soils and Plant Nutrition. I am presently a Certified Soil Scientist and a Certified Professional Soil Erosion Control Specialist.

     My teaching emphasis is in conservation practices, soil morphology and taxonomy, geo-morphology, rangeland management, and erosion control measures.

     My outside professional activites include past president, Professional Soil Science Association of CA (PSSAC), and board members on the SLO Coastal RCD and Zone 9 flood control.

     My current activites revolve around rangeland resources, storm water management, and erosion control plans. The Rangeland Resources minor is dose to being approved. Students who participate in this minor will learn to recognize plant types, impacts of animal behavior, relationships of plant and animal with water quality, economics, ecology and soil quality. Students work in teams to develop a rangeland water quality plan. According to Nature Jobs ??? , 1/24/02: A new awareness of environmental problems is changing. This is creating jobs for disease range specialists and rangeland management is another area with bright job prospects.

     Erosion control and stormwater management is my second area. I presently have a grant to evaluate the effectiveness of vegetation in both erosion control and water quality. We have 2 Norton rainfall simulators that we use to develop trials. We are presently looking at 5 treatments with 3 types of vegetation. The goal is to assist CalTrans improving the road water quality and keep the soil on the hillsides.

     In between, I am the Golden Key International Honour Society 6 Advisor. I develop training programs and erosion control plans and I still teach and enjoy the students. I was awarded the Cal Poly Distinguised Teacher Award for 2000-2001. A real treat.

Above all, I still enjoy my family time.  

Thomas J. Rice, Ph.D.,C.P.S.S.
trice@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2420
Favorite Soil : Sandy loam (since it's easy to till and is relatively easy to manage for plant growth).
Favorite Family: fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Haploxerert (because when these get dried out, they have a reputation for being "cracked up !")

     Dr. Thomas Rice is a professor of Soil Science and passed Department Chairman of the Soil Science Department, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. He has been a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (C.P.S.S.) since 1982. He is a native of Marshfield, Wisconsin.      Dr. Rice earned a B.S. degree in Natural Resources from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974, an MS degree in Soil Science from Montana State University-Bozeman in 1976, and a Ph.D. Degree in Soil Science - Geology from North Carolina State University in 1981. He has been a Cal Poly faculty member since 1981. He is responsible for teaching university courses in soil science, land use planning, soil geomorphology, soil resource inventory, and advanced land management.

     Dr. Rice has directed and performed soil resource inventories in California, Montana, North Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin. He has supervised over fifty masters theses and senior projects dealing with soil chemistry and viticulture, soil resource inventories of vineyards, soil-serpentinite mineralogy relationships, environmental mercury contamination, land use planning, and nonpoint source pollution-water quality studies.

     Dr. Rice has published numerous journal articles, research reports, and popular press articles. He has been the project director for funded studies involving soil taxonomy updates in California, Nevada, and Utah; a comprehensive soils database for California; nonpoint source pollution in western rangelands; mercury pollution in a California watershed; soil mapping of a national wildlife refuge; and soil map unit interpretation record updates for California. He has served as a private soils consultant and has testified as an expert witness in legal depositions, California civil courts, and legal arbitration proceedings.

Dr. Christopher (Chip) Appel   
cappel@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-1691
Favorite soil: Corozal clay from the central mountainous area of Puerto Rico. It is an Ultisol.

     I grew up in Laguna Beach, California, where I was blessed with opportunities to do many ocean-related activities with my brothers Rob and Matt. In 1990, I moved to San Luis Obispo for college where I received a B.S. in biochemistry and an M.S. in agriculture with a soil science concentration. In 1998, I had the opportunity to begin a doctorate in soil chemistry that was completed in December of 2001. I recently, January 2002, joined Cal Poly’s Earth and Soil Sciences Department as a part-time lecturer and am glad to be back.

Dr. Del Dingus   
ddingus@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2753
Favorite Soil : Pembroke, found in Loess deposits

     I was born in the small rural mountain community of Nickelsville, Virginia - one among a family of 10. My formal education began first at Berea College in Kentucky where I earned a BS degree in Soil Science. I next attended West Virginia University and earned a MS degree in Agronomy. I then attended Oregon State University and earn a Ph.D is Soil Chemistry. I also worked on a NSF funded project on pumice weathering at the University of Hawaii.

     I have been employed by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for the last 30 years in the Soil Science Department. In addition to regular instructional duties, I serve as International Agriculture Development Coordinator. This program fosters the development of international student and faculty exchanges, short courses, development projects and graduate studies in International Agriculture Development. Through the National Student Exchange Council alliances with over 100 academic institutions have been established to bring enriching educational opportunities to the university community. Building educational bridges to other cultures is my inspired passion.

My hobbies include Photography, Birding, Culinary Art,and hiking.

List of Recent Publications:
1. Introductory Soil Science Laboratory Manual. 9/1998
In press. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ.

2. World Population and the Food Supply, Seeking a Balance for Survival.
Educational Video, VEP Productions. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 1998.

Dr. Lynn Moody   
lmoody@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2807
Favorite Soil : No reply

     I arrived at the Soil Science Department at Cal Poly as a lecturer for the 1995/96 academic year. I was a student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo way back in the late 1980's! I earned my BS degree in Geology in 1974 from the University of Cincinnati, and worked about 6 years as a petroleum geologist in Louisiana and California.
     My MS is in Agriculture with a specialization in Soil Science from Cal Poly in 1989, and my Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of California, Riverside in 1993. Before coming to Cal Poly, I was a project leader for a soil survey being conducted on Edwards Air Force Base. My main interests in Soil Science are coastal soils, the Coast Ranges, mineralogy, and soil genesis.

Dr. Thomas Ruehr   
truehr@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2552
Favorite Soil : No reply

     Tom grew up on an Ohio vegetable farm which was an organic Histosol. After receiving degrees from Ohio State, Iowa State and Colorado State, Tom joined the Cal Poly faculty in 1974. Tom teaches courses in fertilizers and plant nutrition, soil microbiology and biochemistry, advanced soil fertility, soil vadose zone remediation,and soil interpretations. Dr.Ruehr also team teach classes in fertigation (AE 405), Human Values in Agriculture (HUM 302),and World Food Politics (POLS 371).

     Tom was awarded the Cal Poly Distinguished Teacher Award in 1980 and the Teaching Award of Merit from the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture in 1994. Tom is a charter member of the Environmental Biotechnology Institute, which has a 1.4 million dollar grant to study soil microorganisims and their decomposition of petrolem contanmination on the third largest oil pollution site in the U.S.

     Tom is a member of the Irrigation Training and Reasearch Center where he and Dr. Charles Burt in Bioresources and Agricultural Engineering lead fertigation and chemigation workshops. Tom leads certified crop advisor training programs throughout Calfornia for growers and professionals producing and marketing fertilizers and agricultural minerals. Tom conducts teaching and research on fertilizers, plant nutrition in various crops, environmental clean-up, remediation and in agricultural ethics and systems thinking.

Dr. Terry L. Smith   
tsmith@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2262
Favorite Soil : No reply

     I was born and raised on a general agriculture farm near Allen, in Northeastern Nebraska. I worked for the Soil Conservation Service, which sparked my interest in soils. In 1972 I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a BS in agronomy-Soil Science concentration. I received my MS in Soil Science from University Nebraska Lincoln in 1975. From 1975 to 1980 I taught Introductory Soils and Soil Fertility at Iowa State University, and received my Ph.D. in Soil Fertility/Plant Nutrition from Iowa State University in 1980. I began at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in the Fall of 1980, serving as department chair from 1988 to 1994. My primary interests are Soil Fertility, Plant Nutrition and the environmental aspects related to agriculture soils. I received the Sunkist Agriculture Faculty award in both 1995 and 1996. Professionally, I've been involved with the California Chapter - American Society of Agronomy and served as president in 1997. For the last five years I've been involved with developing a soils and environmental curriculum for the MESA - Ag initiative program.

Administrative Support Coordinator 
Lisa Wallravin
lwallrav@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2261
Favorite Soil : Tropical Island Sand

     Greetings everyone.  I'm looking forward to working in the ERSS Department.  I enjoy working with students and all the terrific faculty in the department.   They all make me feel very welcome and an important part of a great team.  I'll be doing my best to earn your trust.  I have been at Cal Poly for 16 years. I dearly love kitty cats, family, and horses.

 

Craig Stubler   
cstubler@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-2188
Favorite Soil : No reply

     Craig Stubler is the department laboratory technician. Craig assists in preparing all labs for most major courses. Craig is an alumnus of the department and is planning on eventually attending graduate school.

Dr. Ron Taskey   
rtaskey@calpoly.edu
Phone: (805)756-1160.
Favorite Soil : No reply

     I am participating in the Faculty Early Retirement Program and teaching part-time BS forestry, MS forestry from the University of Montana. Ph.D. Soil Science from Oregon State University. I teach Introductory Soils, Rock and Minerals, Soil Physics, Soil Resource Inventory, and Research Planning. My professional interests include Soil Surveying, Landscape stability, Soil mineralogy, forest and genesis and watershed management. Usually I work for the U.S. Forest Service in the summer. We have completed the High Sierra Soil Survey. I enjoy outdoor activities -- Scuba diving, canoeing, and hiking.

Courses Taught :
SS121 Introductory Soil Science, SS223 Rocks and Minerals, SS431 Soil Resource Inventory, SS432 Soil Physics, SS440 Forest and Range Soils, SS501 Research Planning.

Professional Experience :

Soil Survey of Yosemite National Park. Project leader. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. (In progress).

Soil survey of the High Sierra area. Project leader. USDA Forest Service.

Development of a soil-landscape model for Radiata pine forest. Rayonier New Zealand Ltd.

Soil and geologic investigation for rehabilitation of land disturbed by forest fires and other impacts, ski area operation, timber harvests, forest road and trail construction, and erosion monitoring on national forests in California, Colorado, and Montana. USDA Forest Service

Selected Publications :
Taskey, R.D., M.E. Harward and C.T. Youngberg. 1978. Relationship of clay mineralogy to landscape stability. In Proceedings Fifth North American Forest Soils Conference. pp. 140-164

Taskey, R.D., C.L. Curtis and J. Stone. 1989. Wildfire, rye grass seeding, and watershed rehabilitation. In Berg, Neil (ed.) Proceedings of the Symposium on Fire and Watershed Management. October 26-28, 1988, Sacramento, Calif. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. General Technical Report PSW-109. pp 115-124.

Taskey, R.D. 1993. Twenty definitions and four article-Mono Lake, Old-growth forests, Wilderness, and Wildfire. In Environmental Encyclopedia. Gale Research, Inc. Detroit, MI.

Taskey, R.D. 1994 ch.4. Revision and rescue of an undergraduate soil science program. In Baveye, P. (ed.) Soil science education: philosophy and perspective. Soil Science Society of America.

Taskey, R.D. 1995. Soil survey of High Sierra Area, California. USDA Forest Service, Sierra and Inyo National Forest. US Gov't Printing Office. 249pp. +maps

Downie, Denise E. and Ronald D. Taskey. 1997. Soil characteristic of blue oak and coast live oak ecosystem. In Pillsbury, Norman H., Jared Vener, and William D. Tietje (Tech. Coords) Proceedings of a symposium on oak woodlands: ecology, management, and urban interface issues. Pacific Southwest Research Station. USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rept. PSW-GTR-160. pp.65-73