UD student’s pollution research nets national award

Amy Shober, a doctoral candidate in soil chemistry: “Linking science, management and environmental policy together is important for agriculture.”

3:48 p.m., June 28, 2004--Amy Shober likes to study soil and cares about the environment, pursuits that recently earned her national recognition and a $10,000 award. A doctoral candidate in soil chemistry at the University of Delaware, Shober has spent the last two years conducting research on a topic of national importance—water quality.

Shober’s research focuses on nonpoint surface water pollution by nutrients, particularly phosphorus. She is investigating the chemistry of phosphorus in soils amended with organic by-products, such as animal manures and municipal biosolids.

The loss of phosphorus from soils amended with these materials has lead to many serious water-quality problems worldwide, such as algal blooms and fish kills. Her goal is to understand the basic chemical reactions of phosphorus in soils and aquatic sediments in order to develop best management practices that allow beneficial agricultural use of these materials.

Recognition came to Shober from P.E.O. International, a nonprofit organization that awards 85 $10,000 prizes each year to women who are making an impact in their fields.

While her award-winning research is still in the early stages, Shober said she believes the study can help make agriculture sustainable and profitable for farmers, as well as help solve some serious water-quality problems that affect everyone.

“If we have a good scientific understanding of the reasons soil phosphorus is lost in runoff, we can design the practices farmers need to produce crops profitably and protect water quality,” Shober said, adding that “linking science, management and environmental policy together is important for agriculture.”

Shober plans to use the prize money for more research. In August, Shober will visit several universities in England and the Netherlands to share her findings and gain ideas from colleagues working on similar problems in Europe.

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