About the Author

John Pichtel is a professor of natural resources and environmental management at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. Dr. Pichtel holds memberships in the Institute of Hazardous Materials Managers, the Sigma Xi Scientific Society, the International Association of Arson Investigators, and the Indiana Academy of Science. Dr. Pichtel received a PhD in environmental quality/agronomy from the Ohio State University in 1987. At Ball State University he conducts research in remediation of contaminated sites, environmental chemistry, and hazardous waste management. Dr. Pichtel was twice awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. He was appointed docent in remediation science at the Tampere University of Technology in Finland. He has served as a consultant in field remediation projects and has conducted environmental assessments and remediation research in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, and Poland.