George Demas

George Demas (April 28, 1958 – December 23, 1999) was an American pedologist known for his pioneering studies of subaqueous soil and contributions to the understanding of soil formation. Born in the U.S., Demas earned a B.S. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980, followed by an M.S. in soil genesis in 1982. He later earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1998. During his career as a soil surveyor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Maryland and New Jersey from 1982 to 1994, Demas observed that submerged sediments function similarly to soils. His research led to the revision of USDA soil taxonomy and earned him prestigious awards, including the USDA Secretary's Honor Award for Scientific Research and the Soil Science Society of America's Emil Truog Award for outstanding contribution to Soil Science.