His research interests include the soil chemistry of plant nutrients, long-term effects of plant nutrient management, and scientific visualization at scales ranging from atoms to landscapes. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in soil fertility, fertilizers, and plant nutrition and received an EduCause Medal Award in 1999 for demonstrated effectiveness in using instructional technology. Barak is a co-curator, with Dr. Nater, of the Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules (http://www.soils.wisc.edu/virtual_museum/) Phillip will demonstrate Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules