UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 12, Page 10
November 21, 1991
Chairperson Donald L. Sparks receives national soil award

     Donald L. Sparks, chairperson of the Department of Plant and
Soil Sciences, has received national recognition for his
outstanding contributions in the areas of soil chemistry and
mineralogy.
     The Marion L. and Chrystie M. Jackson Soil Sciences Award is
presented annually to mid-career soil scientists by the Soil
Science Society of America. Sparks received the award on the basis
of significance and originality of research, excellence in creative
reasoning, quality of teaching and total impact of his
contributions to the field.
     In his research, Sparks has focused on the kinetics of soil
chemical phenomena, the surface chemistry of soils and soil
components and organic pollutant interactions on soil components.
     A fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the
American Society of Agronomy, Sparks is the author of Kinetics of
Soil Chemical Processes and has edited three other books. He is
editor of Advances in Agronomy and technical editor of the Soil
Science Society of America Journal, and he serves on the editorial
boards of Soil Science and Geoderma.
     The research efforts of Sparks, his graduate students and
postdoctoral associates have resulted in 53 refereed papers, 71
published abstracts and 19 book chapters. More than 50 percent of
the students in his classes on soil chemistry and soil physical
chemistry are drawn from other colleges at the University,
including marine studies and engineering.
     Sparks has made research presentations at universities and
institutes in the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe and has served as
a consultant to the Du Pont Co., the U.S. Borax Corp., the Research
Triangle Institute, the Bikini Atoll Rehabilitation Committee and
the U.S. Department of Energy.
     A member of the Delaware faculty since 1979, he holds a Ph.D.
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.