Tom Heron, Apss Email & Phone Number

Wilmington, De, Us

Tampa, Florida, Us

New York, Ny, Us

I supported Senior Project Managers and Associates with:• Subsurface Investigations of soil and groundwater• Due diligence (Phase I/Preliminary Assessments & Phase II/Site Investigations)• Remedial investigation (collecting data to characterize site conditions, determine nature of contamination, and conduct treatability tests such as tracer injections to evaluate potential treatment technologies)• Remedial action (oversight of remedial soil excavations, in-situ injections, and performed O&M activities for in-situ bioremediation systems)• Aboveground/underground tank investigation and closure• Remediation evaluation & mitigation (including in-situ and ex-situ soil and groundwater remediation)• Hazardous material sampling and management (PFAS/PFOA, lead, PCBs, and more)• Soil characterization, description, and classification, including USDA, Modified Burmister, and USCS systems• Statistical analysis of large, complex datasets in numerous settings with unique environmental conditions

Moscow, Id, Us

I studied soil phosphorus availability in forested watersheds of the Lake Tahoe Basin to better understand terrestrial influences on water quality/eutrophication and provide useful information to land managers. I characterized changes in multiple pools of soil phosphorus in response to certain environmental factors including ecosystem type, geologic substrate/soil parent material, and seasonal dynamics within some of the Basin's meadow systems. Additionally, using geostatistical methods, I assessed links in spatial distribution between soil physicochemical properties and phosphorus content across the Basin. Responsibilities included:• Designing field sampling protocols to investigate phosphorus transport throughout research sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin • Soil characterization using laboratory techniques to explain intra-soil phosphorus dynamics • Utilizing advanced geostatistical methods to assess the spatial distribution of soil phosphorus • Overseeing undergraduate research assistants in the lab During my time at the University of Idaho, I emphasized much of my coursework around building a deeper background in hydrologic processes to expand my understanding of soil influence on water and contaminant transport through environmental media. This included coursework on environmental hydrology, hydrogeology, soil and environmental physics, and more. Alongside a fellow peer, I also took the opportunity to establish and train a competitive team of undergraduate students to participate in "site and soil evaluation" contests, more commonly known as National Collegiate Soil Judging. We trained this group of students to identify important soil morphological characteristics and properties, and helped them to develop their observational and evidence-based decision making skills as field scientists.

Moscow, Id, Us

In this role, I filled in to teach a lab section for an advanced soil science course on Pedology. I was responsible for conveying principles of soil genesis to advance student comprehension of soil formation, classification, and soil-landscape relationships. To accomplish this, I led students on field trips and lab exercises to engage with and apply classroom concepts.

Idaho Falls, Id, Us

While working within the Biofuels Modeling and Simulation Group, I was tasked with assessing the feasibility of a torrefied wood pellet supply chain for co-firing with coal at a power plant in the Mid-Atlantic United States. To evaluate this, I developed a mixed integer linear programming model that would minimize costs by selecting for best combination of feedstock type and source locations. I was also responsible for conducting the background research on the market to determine system parameters and constraints.

Ames, Iowa, Us

I spent the summer working in a soil chemistry lab conducting an experiment related to the characterization of carbon stability in biochar (funded by USDA-NIFA). My summer research project contributed data refuting the methods of a standardized ASTM protocol for characterization of biochar carbon. I processed samples and collected a variety of mineralogical and organic chemistry datasets from instrumentation including X-ray diffractometer, FTIR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). I was responsible for reporting a detailed weekly log of my lab work and progress to the program director. My internship culminated with a presentation of the results of my biochar fractionation experiment at the annual CenUSA Bioenergy conference.

University Park, Pa, Us

Research support and assistant roles in Entomology and Agronomy labs within the College of Agricultural Sciences

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences

Master Of Science - Ms, Soil Science