[Enviro-lunch] Tomorrow! Enviro-lunch Seminar: Erika Foster on "Reframing the soil carbon dilemma"

[Anna Jurusik]

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Hello all,



Welcome back! We hope you had some restful and restorative moments during our Spring break. This week, we are happy to host Dr. Erika Foster for tomorrow’s Enviro-Lunch seminar to discuss the soil carbon dilemma! Please join us tomorrow, Thursday 4/1/21 from 1:30-2:30 pm PST via the link at the end of this email!



Details:



Enviro-Lunch Seminar Thursday 4/1/21 at 1:30-2:30p PST



Title: Reframing the soil carbon dilemma

Abstract: The proposed 'soil carbon dilemma' contrasts our need for soil organic matter to naturally cycle to support ecosystem functions and the need to sequester soil carbon as a natural climate solution (Janzen 2006). Our understanding of organic matter cycling has changed dramatically over the last couple of decades, with increased emphasis on microbial controls on carbon stabilization. With the advent of new organic matter models (e.g., MEMS 2.0) and interest in dynamic soil properties and function (e.g., soil health), has the framework of our soil carbon dilemma changed? We will explore agricultural datasets from field experiments with biochar and organic amendments, briefly examine preliminary meta-analysis results, travel to Peru to discuss ecosystem externalities, and discuss findings from an ongoing synthesis of soil carbon sequestration science for policy. The talk will be approximately 35 min and end with an open discussion on approaches to the soil carbon dilemma.

Bio: Erika’s research delves into soil biogeochemical responses to agricultural management. She studies the plant-soil-microbial interactions that control nutrient availability, including response to organic amendments, such as biochar. In her PhD work at Colorado State, some of her favorite analyses included genomic and enzymatic techniques to assess shifts in microbial nutrient cycling under different sustainable irrigation and soil management strategies. Her postdoctoral work at Purdue revolves around recent agricultural expansion in marginal lands southern Peru for the Arequipa Nexus Institute for Food, Water, Energy, and the Environment<https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/arequipa-nexus/en/index.php>. She and collaborators from Univ. de San Augstin will calibrate VNIR and XRF analysis for rapid field characterization of soil health, and distribute soil health test kits to small-scale farmers in the region. Please find more information on her research projects on her webpage<http://ejfoster7.wixsite.com/ejfostersoilecology>.

We’ll see you there!

Anna Jurusik, KJ Min, Manisha Dolui (Student and Post-doc coordinators) and Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe (Faculty coordinator)

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