Dr. Jim Thompson West Virginia University Division of Plant & Soil Sciences 1108 Agricultural Science Building PO Box 6108 Morgantown, WV 26506-6108 Phone: 304-293-6023 ext. 4348 FAX: 304-293-2960 E-mail: james.thompson@mail.wvu.edu

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I received a B.S. in Agronomy from Penn State University in 1990, an M.A. in Geography from The Ohio State University in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science with a minor in Water Resources from the University of Minnesota in 1996. I served on the faculty in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Kentucky from May 1997 to February 2001, and in the Department of Soil Science at North Carolina State University from March 2001 to August 2004 . I joined the faculty in the Division of Plant & Soil Sciences at West Virginia University in August 2004. Specific areas of study in soil science that interest me include soil management and land use planning, soils and landscapes, soil hydrology, wetland identification and delineation, and soil spatial variability.

I have taught or assisted in the teaching of many courses over the last 21 years. While at Ohio State, I assisted in the instruction of introductory courses in physical geography and climatology. At the University of Minnesota I assisted with courses in soil conservation and land use planning, wetland soils, and problem solving in natural resources. I taught an introductory soil science course at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1993 and 1994. At Kentucky and NC State I taught both a lecture and laboratory course on fundamentals of soil science. I teach soil judging (AGRN 125), soil survey and land use (AGRN 415), and soil genesis and classification (AGRN 417), and pedology (AGRN 552), and am a co-instructor of applied wetlands ecology and management (PLSC 574) here at WVU. While I have taught this material before, I am continually looking for opportunities to improve this course. As such, your input (comments, suggestions, etc.) throughout the term will be welcomed. My goal is to make this course, and soil science, interesting and challenging, yet enjoyable.