March 2015 - Ese-faculty-list

Keystone Series 2015 Starts Tuesday March 31 5:30 with pizza, dessert, and beverages!
by Lee, Linda S 24 Mar '15

24 Mar '15

Get excited for this year’s ESE Keystone Series on Genetic Modification of Crops! First off, the World Café is Tuesday with pizza, dessert, and beverages! Phase I: ESE Global Café Tuesday, March 31 DLRC 131 Doors open @ 5:30pm, Event begins @ 6:00pm Global Café is an ESE-only meeting designed to allow participants to share their knowledge and passion about a subject through facilitated conversations. This year's Global Café will include a concept mapping activity and generation of questions for the Keystone Series Panel Discussion in April. Discussion topics will be holistic in nature and include economic, social, media, environmental, and policy concerns. Phase II: Keystone Series Panel Discussion Wednesday, April 15 PFEN 241 6:00pm The Panel Discussion is an all-campus event, bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives on a controversial issue. We're working to bring together a group of experts that will bring their personal insights to a discussion that is meant to encourage critical thinking about this important topic. Panelists will discuss their personal views on Genetic Modification of Crops as well as answer questions from the ESE Global Café. Keystone is centered on open discussion that is free from political bias or topic advocacy. It focuses on conversations that encourage critical thinking and respectful exchange to analyze the complexities that are often lost in the national debate. ________________________________ The ESE Keystone Series is a combination of events that brings ESE students, faculty, and staff together with the broader campus and Lafayette/West Lafayette communities to discuss a current, controversial environmental topic from an interdisciplinary perspective.Key

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Caitlin Grady's PhD Defense Announcement
by Musser, Christal A. 20 Mar '15

20 Mar '15

Caitlin Grady - PhD Defense Announcement International water and food security development: Performance evaluation and assessment of research needs at multiple scales Major Professor: Dr. Blatchley Friday, March 27, 2015 2:30 p.m. HAMP G212 Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program School of Civil Engineering Everyone is Welcome! Christal Musser Program Coordinator Ecological Sciences and Engineering Office of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs The Purdue University Graduate School | Purdue University Ernest C. Young Hall, Room B-40 | 155 S. Grant Street | West Lafayette, IN 47907 Email: musser(a)purdue.edu<mailto:musser@purdue.edu> | Web: www.purdue.edu/ese<http://www.purdue.edu/ese> Phone: 765-494-2102 | Fax: 765-496-6271 Like us on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/?sk=welcome#!/ESEatPurdue>

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Joshua Minai MS Defense Announcement
by Musser, Christal A. 11 Mar '15

11 Mar '15

Joshua O. Minai - Masters Defense Announcement Assessing the Spatial Variability of Soils in Uganda Major Professor: Darrell G. Schulze Friday, March 13, 2015 2:00 p.m. LILY 2-425 Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Department of Agronomy Everyone is Welcome! Abstract Uganda's soils were once considered the most fertile in Africa, but soil erosion and soil nutrient mining have led to soil degradation and declining agricultural productivity. Lack of environmental awareness among farmers, traditional agricultural practices, minimal inorganic fertilizer use, and little to no use of improved crop varieties all contribute to continued soil degradation. The objective of this study was: (1) to quantify and characterize the spatial distribution of selected soil properties in Uganda and (2) to identify the driving factors and processes for soil spatial variability and soil degradation at the national scale using biophysical and socioeconomic variables. This study used a 2003 Uganda National Household Survey dataset that included analyses for 2,144 soil samples that covered western, southwestern and northwestern Uganda, representing ~50% of the country. Variables include pH, organic matter, total N, available K, total K, total P, and soil texture (Nkonya et al., 2008, IFPRI Research Report 159). Ordinary kriging was used for spatial analysis, while a generalized linear model was used to identify the most dominant factors influencing soil variability. ANOVA results found significant variation among soil properties, as one would expect. Strong spatial correlation (< 25% nugget to sill ratio) was observed in available K, pH, sand, total N, and silt, while moderate spatial correlation (25% to 75% nugget to sill ratio) was observed for total K, clay, total P, and organic matter. Distances where spatial correlation occurred ranged between 69 and 230 km. Interpolated soil quality maps identified the Mt. Elgon and the southwestern highlands regions as having soils above the critical soil chemical and physical thresholds, indicating that these are the most favorable agricultural areas in the country. The remaining areas of the country had numerous constraints such as acidity, very sandy soils, low N and/or low organic matter, making these areas less optimal for agricultural production. Climate had the strongest effect on the variability of total N, with higher soil N in the cooler, higher elevations around Mt. Elgon and in the southwestern highlands. Geology and land use / land use management were the second most dominant factors influencing the variability of soil properties at the national scale. This study showed that geostatistical approaches can be used to evaluate spatial diversity of natural resources at larger scales. Policy makers can use this information to implement region-specific soil management approaches to address soil quality degradation. For example, programs to increase the soil pH of acid soils should be focus on the southwestern region where soils are generally more acid than other parts of the country. Christal Musser Program Coordinator Ecological Sciences and Engineering Office of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs The Purdue University Graduate School | Purdue University Ernest C. Young Hall, Room B-40 | 155 S. Grant Street | West Lafayette, IN 47907 Email: musser(a)purdue.edu<mailto:musser@purdue.edu> | Web: www.purdue.edu/ese<http://www.purdue.edu/ese> Phone: 765-494-2102 | Fax: 765-496-6271 Like us on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/?sk=welcome#!/ESEatPurdue>

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2015 Symposium - Need your Input by Friday, 13th
by Musser, Christal A. 10 Mar '15

10 Mar '15

Hello ESE Faculty, We are the co-chairs for the 2015 Symposium, and are reaching out to all current faculty of ESE for input on how to best structure this event. The theme of the 2015 Symposium, which will be held in the upcoming fall semester, will be inequality in complex systems. We are interested in focusing on drivers, mechanisms, consequences, and solutions of inequality. Our intent is to be as inclusive as possible to maintain the interdisciplinary approach of the ESE program. We would like to consider different aspects of inequality, including, but not limited to, technology, natural resources, social capital, wealth, economics/markets, human rights, and ecological impacts. With this theme in mind, do you think that you, or your students, have any past or ongoing research interests/projects that would apply to this theme? If so, how would you see yourself, or your students, contributing and participating in this event (presenting research, guest lecturing, serving on a discussion panel, etc.)? If you feel that this topic is not relevant to your research/current interests please let us know why. This way, we can attempt to structure the symposium to be more inclusive and appealing to a larger audience. Please reply to either Zach or Charlotte at zreaver(a)purdue.edu<mailto:zreaver@purdue.edu> or lee1876(a)purdue.edu<mailto:lee1876@purdue.edu>, respectively by Friday, March 13th. This will give time for the co-chairs to compile insights and suggestions to present to our cohort at our next meeting. Thank you for your time and consideration, Zachary Reaver, Co-Chair Charlotte Lee, Co-Chair

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