Featured Scientist


Dr. Peter Groffman

Peter Groffman has been interested in science for a long time. "I have always wanted to be a scientist, since I was in the third grade." In high school he took a "great Advanced Biology course" that helped him become interested in environmental science and biology.

And then, after taking an introductory Ecology course at the University of Virginia, Peter narrowed his interests and decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Ecology. He now works as a full-time scientist at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies (IES) in Millbrook, NY, and is interested in soil and ecosystem ecology, with a focus on nitrogen and carbon cycle processes.

Basically, this means that Peter studies how microbes and fauna ("little critters bigger than microbes") that live in the soil affect nitrogen and carbon cycles. He is particularly interested in how nitrogen (an important plant nutrient) behaves in its different gaseous forms - this is very hard to measure, and scientists don't know much about it.

- Dr. Groffman's Research -

Peter is involved in research projects all over the world, including Hubbard Brook. Here he is interested in how different types of disturbances - such as soil freezing, acid rain effects, and ice storms - affect these microbes and soil processes.

Like most ecosystem researchers, Peter studies disturbances by conducting experiments that alter the forest; and then he measures how the forest responds.

Because Peter is interested in soil processes, some of his typical research involves taking soil samples from his forest experiments and bringing them back to the lab. There, he can study these samples to help him learn more about how the soil microbes and other fauna function. One of his most exciting discoveries at Hubbard Brook is that soil fauna (those little critters) are very important in the carbon and nitrogen cycles in northern hardwood forests.

As Peter explains, "The dominant organisms in the soil are bacteria and fungi. The soil fauna regulate the populations and activity of the bacteria and fungi by eating them. One of the most important environmental changes that have occurred over the last 50 years or so is the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Forest trees take up some of this extra carbon dioxide and transport some of this carbon to the soil. The bacteria and fungi in the soil respond to this carbon (it is food for them), but their response is strongly controlled by the soil fauna." Human activities are responsbile for these higher global CO2 levels.

A career in science?

When we asked Peter if he had any thoughts about what it takes to have a career in science, he remarked, "Success in science depends on a funny mix of skills. Certainly it is important to have good skills in math and basic science courses. But perhaps more importantly, the ability to ask interesting, testable questions about nature is the key to being a good scientist. So I think it is important to maintain a sense of curiosity about the world around you."


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