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November 2017 Vol. 1, No. 2

WEEKLY READER

HONORS and AWARDS

The School of Natural Resources celebrated an evening of appreciation and awards (winners listed

below) with more than 100 guests enjoying this inaugural event. (Picture front row left to right:

Laura Hertel, Jenna Fusinatto, Jannice Newson, Rachel Owen; Back row left to right: David

Murphy, Peter Motavalli, Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, Chung-Ho Lin, Shibu Jose; Photo by Keith

Greenwood.)

SNR Outstanding Citizen Staff Award – Jenna Fusinatto

The TIGER Staff Award – Laura Hertel

The SNR Outstanding Research Faculty – Chung-Ho Lin

The SNR Excellence in Teaching Faculty – Peter Motavalli

The SNR Exceptional Service Faculty – Sonja Wilhelm Stanis

The SNR Outstanding Undergraduate Student – Jannice Newson

The SNR Outstanding Graduate Student – Rachel Owen

The SNR Black & Gold Distinguished Alumni – David Murphy

Al Vogt Award – Shibu Jose

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PRESENTATIONS/PUBLICATIONS/RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Li, C. J., Monroe, M.C., Ritchie, T. 2017. Integrating Social Science Research to Advance

Sustainability Education. In Filho, W. L et al. (eds.) Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science

Research, World Sustainability Series. Springer International Publishing.

Monroe, M.C., Oxarart, A., Ritchie, T., Li, C. J. 2017. Innovative Instructional Module Uses

Evaluation to Enhance Quality. In Filho, W. L et al. (eds.) Handbook of Sustainability and Social

Science Research, World Sustainability Series. Springer International Publishing.

Dr. Sonja Wilhelm Stanis (pictured

left) was an invited speaker at the

2017 Greenway Symposium in St.

Charles, Missouri. Her presentation

was on the role of parks and

greenspace in public

health. (Submitted by Sonja

Wilhelm Stanis; Photo by Seth

Treptow, Great Rivers Greenway.)

Parks, Recreation and Sport student and SNR Student Ambassador Alexis Kerman was featured

in an article published in VOX Magazine. The article (link below) highlights Mizzou’s female

Frisbee team for building a community through the sport. Alexis is a co-captain of the

team. http://www.voxmagazine.com/magazine/mu-s-female-frisbee-team-builds-community-

through-sport/article_4887bfb2-bf33-11e7-9661-376806c25d89.html

Keith Goyne, Professor and Associate

Director (pictured left) and Kristen

Veum, Research Soil Scientist, U.S.

Department of Agriculture-Agricultural

Research Service; (pictured second left)

participated in a panel discussion entitled

“Building Interagency Partnerships” that

occurred as part of the 25th National

Science Foundation, Experimental

Program to Stimulate Competition

Research (NSF EPSCoR) National

Conference. (Submitted and Photo by Pat Market.)

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SNR graduate students Lisa Groshong

(PhD, Human Dimensions of Natural

Resources emphasis; Advisor Sonja

Wilhelm Stanis) and Ryan Dibala

(Natural Resources PhD student with

the Center for Agroforestry)

participated in the 2017 Mizzou 3MT

competition presenting their research

in just 3 minutes. Pictured: 2017

Participants, left to right: Nettie Brock,

Communication; Zach Rubin,

Sociology; Lisa Groshong, Human

Dimensions of Natural Resources; Alex Howe, Philosophy; Freddie Jennings, Communication;

Susheel Bhanu Busi, Molecular Pathogenesis and Therapeutics; Liga Wuri, Animal Science; Anna

Perinchery, Biological Sciences; and Ryan Dibala, Natural Resources. (Photo provided by MU

Office of Graduate Studies.)

Fall 2017 Agroforestry graduate Hannah

Hemmelgarn successfully defended her M.S.

Thesis. Her graduate committee included:

Michael Gold, Hank Stelzer, and Anna Ball.

Hannah initiated her graduate program in Fall

2015. Her M.S. project is entitled:

“Agroforestry Education for High School

Agriculture Science: A Case Study of the Novel

Content Implementation Process.” Hannah and

her graduate committee are also project

members of an ongoing United States

Department of Agriculture Sustainable

Agriculture Research and Education

Professional Program Development (USDA

SARE PDP) grant closely linked to her thesis research: “Missouri Agroforestry Summer Institutes:

High School Educator Training for Curriculum Delivery.” (Submitted and photo by Michael

Gold.)

Grad School 101 Workshop was hosted by Matt Arri (CAFNR Career Services) and Jenna

Fusinatto. Laura Page and Terrence Grus presented on the frequently asked questions to over 20

SNR and CAFNR undergraduate students. Students had great questions for the presenters and

showed increased motivation to continue their education. (Submitted and photo by Jenna

Fusinatto.)

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In October, several faculty, staff, and students in the School of Natural Resources attended the

American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of

America international meeting in Tampa, Florida with the theme “Managing Global Resources for

a Secure Future”. Not only did our school present nearly 20 research presentations and posters, but

SNR individuals also planned symposia, participated on panel discussions, and served in a variety

of leadership roles. Dr. Kristen Veum served as lead organizer and moderator of The Nature

Conservancy’s Innovative Soil

Health Research cross-

divisional symposium and the

Next Generation Soil Health

Assessment symposium, as well

as organizer of the National and

International Policy and

Incentives for Soil Health

session, among others. The

Nature Conservancy’s

symposium highlighted talks by

Dr. Kate Scow (UC Davis), Dr.

Nick Goeser (NCGA/ Soil

Health Partnership), and Dr.

Jennifer Dungait (Rothamsted

Research, UK) on integrating

ecosystem services into soil health assessments. The talks were followed by interactive, roundtable

discussions where participants had the opportunity to share their ideas and perspectives on this

topic. The symposium was well attended, with standing room only! Rachel Owen, (PhD – SEAS),

served as the incoming graduate student representative to the SSSA board of directors and helped

plan several events for graduate students, including a Career Paths Panel, SSSA Graduate Student

Town Hall, and the Graduate Student Leadership Conference. In addition, she served on a panel

at the Graduate Student Science Policy Luncheon with Andy Knepp (Monsanto), Marcia DeLonge

(Union of Concerned Scientists), and Jimmy Zumba (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Congressional Science

Fellow). Dr. Kristen Veum was elected as the 2018 Chair of the ASA Land Management and

Conservation Section. Several members from SNR Agroforestry participated in and planned a

cross divisional symposium titled “Agroforestry for Sustainable Resource Management and Food

Security”. The symposium was moderated by Gregory Ormsby (PhD -Agroforestry). Dr.

Ranjith Udawatta moderated a technical session titled “Agroforestry for Soil Health and Water

Quality Benefits”. Niranga Wickramaranthe (former MS – SEAS) was awarded 2nd place in the

graduate student poster contest for her poster titled “Landscape and buffer effects on phosphorus

transport in groundwater under rotational grazing”. (Photo above by Kristen Veum: Attendees at

The Nature Conservancy’s Innovative Soil Health Research symposium.)

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Presentations:

Sougata Bardhan, Shibu Jose, Priyanka Sharma and Janith Chandrasoma. 2017. Bioenergy

Alley Cropping System: Establishment on Marginal Fallowland in the Missouri River

Floodplain.

Kristen S. Veum (2017) Labile C and N Methods; PMN as a Soil Health Indicator

Kristen S. Veum, Sudduth, K.A., and Kitchen, N.R. (2017) Sensor Data Fusion for Soil Health

Assessment

Shibu Jose. 2017. Agroforestry for farm diversification and ecosystem services in temperate

North America.

Ranjith P. Udawatta. 2017. Water quantity and Quality. How Agroforestry can help?

Niranga Wickramarathne, R.P. Udawatta, R. Lerch, F. Liu. 2017. Groundwater nitrogen and

phosphorus dynamics under grazed pasture: landscape and management effects.

Udawatta, R.P., and S. Jose. 2017. Agroforestry buffers for non point source pollution

reductions from agricultural watersheds.

Rankoth, L.M., R.P. Udawatta, and S. Jose. 2017. Use of agroforestry in biodiversity

conservation.

Posters:

Alagele, S.M., S.H. Anderson, and R.P. Udawatta. 2017. Effects of management practices on

soil hydraulic properties for claypan landscapes.

Rankoth, L.M., R.P. Udawatta, C.J. Gantzer, S. Jose, S.H. Anderson, and C. Weerasekara.

2017. Cover crop influence on soil water dynamics under corn-soy bean rotation.

Udawatta, R.P., C.J. Gantzer, T.M. Reinbott, R. Wright, R. Pierce, and W. Wehtje. 2017.

Influence of species composition and management on biomass production in Missouri.

Wickramarathne, N., R. Lerch, R.P. Udawatta, and F. Liu. 2017. Groundwater nitrogen and

phosphorus dynamics in a claypan watershed under crop management.

Wickramarathne, N., R.P. Udawatta, R. Lerch, and F. Liu. 2017. Landscape and buffer effects

on phosphorus transport in groundwater under rotational grazing.

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Chelsey Beringer, Elisabeth Webb, Robert Lerch, and Keith Goyne. 2017. Clothianidin

decomposition in Missouri wetland soils.

Tyler Steusloff. 2017. Optimal placement of nitrogen fertilizer sources to improve corn growth.

Chenhui Li, J. Moore-Kucera, V. Acosta-Martinez, L.M. Fultz. 2017. Soil enzyme activities as

indicators of soil health in long-term CRP and CRP converted to cropland.

Chenhui Li, J. Moore-Kucera, V. Acosta-Martinez, L.M. Fultz. 2017. Changes in soil microbial

community under a 28-year conservation reserve program in the semi-arid grasslands.

Lindsey Anderson, H. Blanco, B.S. Acharya, C. Creech, J. Schild, G. Hergert, R. Nielsen, and

B. Maharjan. 2017. Can high-carbon char improve soil properties?

Top left photo: Chelsey Beringer presenting her poster as part

of the soil chemistry general session for graduate student

posters. Bottom left photo: Niranga Wickramaranthe

presenting her poster during the student poster contest. She

was awarded 2nd place in her division! Top right photo: Soil

science undergraduate, Lindsey Anderson, presenting a poster

on her summer 2017 research internship where she worked

with a post-doc from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on

research in Western Nebraska. (Photos by Rachel Owen.)

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EVENTS/MEETINGS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Purchase a School of Natural Resources Graduate Student Organization T-shirt

Name:

Emphasis Area:

T-shirt Size:

T-shirt Color (Black, Navy, Forest Green, Maroon)

Please hand this order form along with $10 payment to Chelsey Beringer (treasurer) in ABNR 315

or Lauren Toivonen (president) in ABNR 303T. Order forms are due on Friday, November 17th.

The t-shirt design is by Fisheries and Wildlife graduate student Elisa Baebler and will be printed

in white ink.

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This Weekly Reader will be distributed electronically every Friday (except during breaks). Please

send announcements to Cindy Greenwood, Editor (greenwoodci@missouri.edu) by Thursday @

5 p.m. If you’d like to unsubscribe from the Weekly Reader, please email Cindy. Thanks to Laura

Hertel for the Weekly Reader Tiger logo.