Hello world!

This is the first of many blog posts for my new website. First, let me introduce myself.

Who is Colby:

My name is Colby Moorberg. I am a doctoral student in the Department of Soil Science at North Carolina State University. I grew up on a small hog farm in Iowa. After a short mishap on a duck hunting adventure (involving me getting stuck waste-deep in mud, Okoboji muck to be exact, with no waders on) I fell in love with wetlands as an academic interest. I later enrolled in environmental science at Iowa State University with the goal of eventually doing wetland-related research. Along the way, with the help of some incredibly enthusiastic soil science professors at Iowa State, I found a second academic interest – soils. I graduated with a BS in environmental science in 2008 and continued on to earn a Mast of Science in soil science from NCSU in 2010. I plan to graduate with my Ph.D. in soil science from NCSU in 2013 with a minor in water resources. My sub-disciplines are hydropedology and soil physics.

My masters work, and now my Ph.D. work in soil science focuses on phosphorus transport in restored wetland soils that were previously under agricultural production. In lamens terms, I am studying how nutrients from fertilizer (that are critical for the growth of crops) effect wetlands that were restored from farmland, and the resulting effects on water quality. My career goal is to continue to study soils, wetlands, and soil and water conservation.

I am married to my beautiful wife, Stacy. We have a beagle named Maisie, and we also foster dogs for the Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina. I am an avid cyclists and outdoorsman. If you want to know more about me, my family’s blog can be found here.

My goals for this website:

My initial plan is to provide a website that 1) informs the general audience about soils, wetlands, and science; 2) makes science personable, fun, understandable, and when possible – sexy; 3) gives you, the reader, direct access to a real life scientist (me) for any questions you may have, and 4) markets myself for a soil, wetland, or environmental scientist/professor position (let’s be honest, I’m a student who will need a job in a year and a half, I’ll be blunt about it).

So come back often, tell me what you think, ask me any questions you have, and suggest topics that you would like me to discuss in a blog post.