Donald Lewis Sparks

Donald L. Sparks (born June 26, 1953) is an American soil scientist, currently Unidel S. Hallock duPont Chair of Soil and Environmental Chemistry,[1] Francis Alison Professor,[2] and Director, Delaware Environmental Institute,[3] University of Delaware.[4]

Donald L. Sparks
DonSparksMatterhorn
University of Delaware Professor Donald Sparks at Matterhorn
EducationVirginia Tech
AwardsAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, Geochemistry Medal, Liebig Medal
Scientific career
FieldsEnvironmental Soil Geochemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Delaware

Biography

Sparks received a B.S. in Agronomy in 1975 and an M.S. in Soil Science in 1976 from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science in 1979 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Sparks was president of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) in 2000,[5] and the International Union of Soil Sciences from 2002-2006.[6] For three years he chaired the U.S. National Committee for Soil Sciences,[7] which advises the National Academy of Sciences.

Sparks was an early leader in promoting critical zone science and was principal investigator of one of the first six National Science Foundation (NSF) supported Critical Zone Observatories (CZO),[8] the Christina River Basin Critical Zone Observatory (CRB-CZO).

In 2019-2020, he served on the National Academies Committee on Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences (CORES), a study focused on developing research recommendations for the National Science Foundation for the decade 2020-2030.[9]

In 2021, the European Geosciences Union awarded Sparks the Philippe Duchaufour Medal[10] for his influential research on soil chemistry and physical chemistry that helped develop the field of soil science. His work has transformed the understanding of kinetics of soil chemical processes, surface chemistry of soils and soil components, and the physical chemistry of soil potassium.

Awards and honors

He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,[11] the Geochemical Society,[12] the European Association of Geochemists, the American Society of Agronomy,[13] and the Soil Science Society of America.[14] He has received the Geochemistry Medal from the American Chemical Society,[15] the Liebig Medal[16] from the International Union of Soil Sciences, the McMaster Fellowship from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the Einstein Professorship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences,[17] and the Pioneer in Clay Science Award from the Clay Minerals Society.[18] He was President of the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences.

Selected publications
  • Fendorf, S.E.; M.J. Eick; P.R. Grossl; D.L. Sparks (February 1997). "Arsenate and Chromate Retention Mechanisms on Goethite. 1. Surface Structure". Environmental Science & Technology. 31 (2): 315–320. Bibcode:1997EnST...31..315F. doi:10.1021/ES950653T. ISSN 0013-936X. Wikidata Q105727422.
  • Hochella, M.F. Jr.; S. K. Lower; P. A. Maurice; R. L. Penn; N. Sahai; D. L. Sparks; B. S. Twining (1 March 2008). "Nanominerals, mineral nanoparticles, and Earth systems". Science. 319 (5870): 1631–1635. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.1141134. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 18356515. Wikidata Q37115255.
  • Arai, Y.; D. L. Sparks (September 2001). "ATR–FTIR Spectroscopic Investigation on Phosphate Adsorption Mechanisms at the Ferrihydrite–Water Interface". Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 241 (2): 317–326. Bibcode:2001JCIS..241..317A. doi:10.1006/JCIS.2001.7773. ISSN 0021-9797. Wikidata Q105727455.
  • Peak, D., R.G. Ford, and D.L. Sparks. 1999. An in-situ ATR-FTIR investigation of sulfate bonding mechanisms on goethite. J. Colloid Interf. Sci. 218:289-299.
  • Amundson, R., A. A. Berhe, J. Hopmans, C. Olson, A. E. Sztein, and D. L. Sparks. 2015. Soil and human security in the 21st century. Science 348(6235) 1261071-12610716. DOI: 10.1126/science.1261071

Books
  • Sparks, D.L. 1989. Kinetics of Soil Chemical Processes. Academic Press, New York.
  • Sparks, D.L. 1995. Environmental soil chemistry, Academic Press, San Diego.
  • Sparks, D.L. Environmental soil chemistry. 2002. 2nd edition. Academic Press, San Diego

References
  1. "College of Agriculture and Natural Resources | Provost - University of Delaware". University of Delaware. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. "Alison Professors | Provost - University of Delaware". Provost - University of Delaware. University of Delaware. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  3. "Our Staff". DENIN. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. Sparks, Donald. "Our Faculty and Staff". Department of Plant & Soil Sciences. University of Delaware. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  5. "Presidents of the Soil Science Society of America". Soil Science Society of America Journal. 80 (3): 805–815. 2016. doi:10.2136/sssaj2015.0107pres_and_yearly_reports. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  6. "IUSS - The International Union of Soil Sciences | Past officers". www.iuss.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  7. "Sparks appointment". UDaily. University of Delaware. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  8. "NSF Award Search: Award#0724971 - CZO: Spatial and temporal integration of carbon and mineral fluxes: a whole watershed approach to quantifying anthropogenic modification of critical zone carbon sequestration". www.nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. "Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences (CORES): A Decadal Survey for NSF's Division of Earth Sciences". www.nationalacademies.org. National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  10. "Donald L. Sparks". European Geosciences Union (EGU). Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  11. "AAAS Honorary Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org.
  12. "Geochemistry Fellows | Geochemical Society". www.geochemsoc.org. Geochemical Society. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  13. "Environmental Quality Research Award | American Society of Agronomy". www.agronomy.org. American Society of Agronomy. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  14. "View Awards | Soil Science Society of America". www.soils.org. Soil Science Society of America. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  15. Davis, Michael. "2015 Geochemistry Medal Award". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  16. "IUSS - The International Union of Soil Sciences | Von Liebig award". www.iuss.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  17. "Chinese Academy of Sciences "Einstein Professor Donald L. Sparks visited ISSAS". Institute of Soil Science. Chinese Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  18. "IUSS - The International Union of Soil Sciences | Von Liebig award". www.iuss.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
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