Faculty & Staff

Dr. Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh (Sam)

Biographical Sketch:

Samantha, a native of Kittery, received a B.S. in forest engineering from the University of Maine-Orono in 1987. She then continued work as an on-the-ground forest industry professional that she began as an intern with Scott Paper Co. during college.

When she attended graduate school at the University of New Hampshire, she discovered an affinity for teaching and scholarship and an interest in soil science.

After completing an M.S. in soils at UNH, Samantha traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn her Ph.D. in soil science, awarded in 1995.

Sam has been on the faculty of the Department of Environmental Science since 1996. As of 2010, Sam is Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity.

Education:

Ph.D., Forest Soils, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1995
M.S., Soil Science, University of New Hampshire, 1992
B.S., Forest Engineering, University of Maine at Orono, 1987

Courses Taught at USM:

• ESP 101-Fundamentals of Environmental Science

• ESP 102-Fundamentals of Environmental Science Lab

• ESP 150-Summer Field Immersion

• ESP 250-Soils and Land Use

• ESP 260-Soil and Water Conservation Engineering

• ESP 280-Research and Analytical Methods

• ESP 403-Bioremediation and Phytoremediation

• ESP 413-Forest Ecology

Research Interests:

The role of soils and dust in triggering adult and childhood asthma, interactions between soil quality and vegetation health in urban and forest ecosystems, and applications of phytoremediation techniques in mitigating heavy metal contamination in urban soils.

Representative Publications:

Wagner, T. and S.J. Langley-Turnbaugh. 2008. Examining the Contribution of Historical Sources of Lead in Urban Soils in Portland, Maine, USA. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management (in press).

Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J. 2007. Urban Soils and Backyard Gardens: Potential Contaminants and Remediation Techniques. City Farmer, http://www.cityfarmer.org/urbansoils.html

 Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J. and L. Hathaway. 2007. Getting the Lead Out: Phytoremediation in a Maine Community Garden. Community Gardener 6(2): 7-12.

Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J. and L.G. Belanger. 2007. Lead distribution in urban residential soils of Portland, Maine.  Soil Survey Horizons 48:18-22.

Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J., S. Locke , L. Cohen and N. Lightbody. 2007. Research Experiences for Undergraduates with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Majors.  In How to Design, Implement, and Sustain a Research-Supportive Undergraduate Curriculum. K.K. Karakstis and T. Elgren (eds). NSF Council for Undergraduate Research, Washington, D.C.

Wagner, T., S.J. Langley-Turnbaugh, R. Sanford and M. Cartwright. 2007. A Public University Science Department’s Experience with Problem-Based, Cohort-Learning.  In How to Design, Implement, and Sustain a Research-Supportive Undergraduate Curriculum. K.K. Karakstis and T. Elgren (eds). NSF Council for Undergraduate Research, Washington, D.C.

Wagner, T., S.J. Langley-Turnbaugh and R. Sanford. 2006. Using a scientific paper format to foster problem-based, cohort-learning in an undergraduate Environmental Science Department. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 35:53-61.

Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J., N.R. Gordon and T. Lambert. 2005. Airborne Particulates and Asthma: A Maine Case Study. Toxicology and Industrial Health. 21:1-18.

Keirstead, D. and S.J. Langely-Turnbaugh. 2004. Soil quality variations with degree of disturbance on forested lands in New Hampshire. Northeastern Naturalist (in press).

Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J. and K. Murphy. 2005. Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Soil Science Activities. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education. 33:155-160.

Langley-Turnbaugh, S.J., D. Wilkinson and D. Rocque. 2005. Portland Underground: Exploring Urban Soils in Maine. Soil Survey Horizons. 46:1-13.

Murphy, K. and S.J. Langley-Turnbaugh. 2005 Testing the Layers of Accessibility. Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities. 2:1-5.

Burke, A., S.J. Langley-Turnbaugh, and J. Waters. 2004. Design and Implementation of a Community Arboretum. American Nurseryman. 2(1):47-54.

Email: langley@usm.maine.edu