UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Rob Knight, class of 1972 at Penn State, originally thought being a soil scientist had to be the most boring job in the world. But the agronomy major, who was the recipient of the 2005 Soil Science Achievement Award from the National Cooperative Soil Survey, had his eyes opened.

As a young teenager growing up on a farm in Carmichaels, Pa., he had his first introduction to a soil survey and found it completely uninteresting. Though he became acquainted with the profession through his father, a soil conservation technician, and a friend of the family who was a soil scientist, he did not think of it as a possible career choice for him. He planned on becoming a farmer.

Knight, who now works with the National Resources Conservation Service in Greensburg, enrolled in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and was exposed to the various soil and plant sciences, soil management and crop production. He found some of his classes quite interesting, and he began to see soil as the medium for growth on a farm. The job of a soil scientist now seemed like more to him than just dealing with a pile of dirt.

And 30 years later, Knight is still interested in soil science. Though he admits that being a soil scientist may not be the most thrilling profession, Knight enjoys his job and finds it rewarding. "It is not a glamorous job, it's true," he says. "It's hard to get newspapers to run an article about what we do because it is not a very spicy topic. It is only when a landslide or something of that scale happens that people begin to realize the importance of what soil scientists do."

And just what is it that soil scientists do? Well, over Knight's career he has identified, classified and documented almost 3 million acres of soil in 22 counties in Pennsylvania. This includes producing soil surveys just like he read as a teenager. These surveys allow others to use the land as effectively as possible. For example, using information Knight generates, community planners can use make wise decisions regarding waste disposal, stormwater management, erosion and sedimentation ordinances, and wetlands. The surveys are also used to establish agricultural security areas and preserve farmland.

One of the features of his job that Knight, who is married and has two daughters, enjoys most is introducing others to the field and training new employees in fields related to his own. Stephen Carpenter, a fellow soil scientist from West Virginia, says, "Many people recognize the excellent job Rob has done in preparing new field soil scientists. It is not uncommon to hear that a particular soil scientist was 'Rob-Knight-trained,' which denotes excellence."

Knight, who went on to earn his master's degree in soil science from the University of Tennessee, also recently had the opportunity to be shadowed by a high school student. After spending time with Knight and being exposed to soil science, he went away a little more knowledgeable and a lot more interested. This may sound a little like Knight himself, who was originally bored by the idea of being a soil scientist but now enjoys seeing others choose the same path that he did. "I still find the profession personally rewarding, intriguing and important," he says.