Undergraduate research assistant Amber Gunter has graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Soil Sciences with a concentration in Conservation Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability. In addition to graduating one semester early, Amber also earned four minors in Watershed Management, Plant Sciences, Food and Agricultural Business, and International Agriculture and Natural Resources.

For the past year, Amber has assisted us in the lab with several ongoing research projects and has been an indispensable part of the Soil Management Group. She plans to begin a Master’s degree in our lab starting this Fall. We are so happy for you, Amber!

We are excited to announce that Dr. Jagadamma has received the 2024 Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement award at the UTK Academic Honors Banquet! She is grateful to the Soil Management Lab members past and present for their creative research, hard work, and commitment to excellence.

Here is Dr. Jagadamma with with Hongwei Xin, dean of UT AgResearch, and Donde Plowman, Chancellor of the University of Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Genomics Center for the Advancement of Agriculture has awarded Drs. Wooliver, Jagadamma, and Stephanie Kivlin (EEB) a sequencing grant for their work on the role of soil microbial communities in mediating carbon cycling and climate resiliency in agricultural soils. With this grant, they will be able to use next-generation sequencing as an approach to understand composition of soil microbial communities from a recent lab-scale incubation manipulating soil moisture regimes and cover crop residue diversity. Congratulations Rachel, Sindhu, and Stephanie!

See UTIA’s post about GCAA awards here: https://utiagenomics.tennessee.edu/utia-genomics-center-for-the-advancement-of-agriculture-awards-seed-grants-2/

Dr. Jagadamma received UTIA’s Mid-Career Research Excellence Award. This award is for faculty members who finish 7 to 15 years of service, and she earned it after just 7 years of service! Dr. Jagadamma says this was only possible because of the hard work and dedication of current and past lab members. Congratulations and well-earned, Dr. Jagadamma!

Here is Dr. Jagadamma with Keith Carver, senior vice president and senior vice chancellor of UTIA, and Hongwei Xin, dean of UT AgResearch. Photo credit: Keith Carver.

Dr. Avishesh Neupane has been a postdoc in our laboratory since 2019. This past month, he joined Bayer as a post doctorate soil microbiologist. While in our lab, Avi’s research has contributed to our understanding of SOC in agricultural systems, including the influence of manganese, nitrogen, biochar, and microplastics on SOC dynamics, and the use of stable carbon isotopes to determine how global change will influence SOC. He has been instrumental in optimizing analytical techniques in our lab with his expertise in gas chromatography, dry combustion, and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry machines. Most importantly, he has helped all of us to grow into better scientists and people. He is now stationed in St. Louis, Missouri. Congratulations Dr. Neupane and please stay in touch!

Master’s student Amanda Kramer and undergraduate student Emily Walker have received the award for “Volunteer of Distinction” from UTK’s Office of the Provost. This award recognizes academic excellence among undergraduate and graduate students, and only a few awards are granted to each department every year. Amanda’s research has focused on the impacts of cover crop diversity on nutrient availability and crop productivity, and Emily’s research has focused on the effects of agricultural farming practices on pollinator diversity and abundance. We are very proud of Amanda and Emily for this huge recognition!

Dr. Jagadamma has received the University of Tennessee Graduate Student Senate’s Graduate Research Mentor of the Year award. She was chosen as the top mentor out of 20+ applications. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to mentoring the next generation of soil scientists, Dr. Jagadamma!

Drs. Surendra and Shikha Singh have recently joined Washington State University to lead Lind Dryland Station. Surendra has become the new director and agronomist at the Station, and Shikha has taken the role of research assistant professor and soil scientist. They will lead long-term soil health research in arid farmlands, one of the largest and most challenging areas to grow crops in the world. We are looking forward to see what Surendra and Shikha will accomplish in their new roles!

https://news.cahnrs.wsu.edu/article/surendra-and-shikha-singh-join-wsu-to-lead-lind-dryland-station-long-term-soil-research/

We are excited to announce that Dr. Jagadamma has received the Research Award from the University of Tennessee Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the International Honor Society of Agriculture. Thank you Sindhu for your contributions to the advancement of agriculture through soil health research!