Principal Investigator
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| Who: |
Julie Grossman |
| Where: |
4235 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-513-1041
julie_grossman@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Julie Grossman finished her PhD at the University of Minnesota in Agronomy and Plant Genetics with an emphasis in Agroecology in Spring 2003. Her dissertation concerned soil ecology, farmer knowledge of nutrient cycling, and nitrogen fixation in trees that shade organic coffee agroforestry systems in Chiapas, Mexico. She was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University prior to starting at NC State in 2008. |
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Dr. Grossman's Curriculum Vitae |
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Lab Technician
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| Who: |
Sarah Seehaver |
| Where: |
4242 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-513-3453
saseehav@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Sarah is originally from Michigan. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Kalamazoo College in Michigan. Her undergraduate thesis investigated maize root proliferation across a nitrogen gradient under the direction of Dr. Phil Robertson at Michigan State University's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. Sarah has conducted field research in organic vegetable production systems at Cornell University, and is currently completing her M.S. degree evaluating the competitive ability of naturalized soil rhizobia with legume cover crops on North Carolina organic farms. |
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Graduate Students
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| Who: |
Matthew Brown |
| Where: |
4234 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-513-3453
mibrown@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Matthew is from New York state and prior to joining our research team, spent 7 years as a soil scientist in Central Park, New York City. His M.S. project looks at how killing legume cover crops using different methods impacts nitrogen cycling and availability in organic systems. |
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| Who: |
Erika Larsen |
| Where: |
4234 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-515-1460
emlarsen@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Erika is from Jacksonville Beach, FL. She is identifying
biological and physical indicators of soil quality associated with
surface runoff under long-term organic and conventional management
and different tillage systems. She is interested in how different
cropping systems can affect the quality and sustainability of
soil. |
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| Who: |
Mary Parr |
| Where: |
4234 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27607 |
| Contact: |
919-515-1460
mcparr@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Mary, an Oregon native, started her Ph.D. in Fall 2010 focusing on rhizobia ecology and food security relating to soybean in Malawi. She is seeking to understand what soil factors drive diversity in native rhizobia communities, and how this diversity plays a role in improving N fixation and soil fertility on smallholder farms. Previously she earned her M.S. in the Grossman lab investigating the nitrogen dynamics of organic cover cropping systems. Mary loves gardening and cooking, and she hopes one day to have a small farm. |
| Blog: |
http://soilplantfood.wordpress.com/ |
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| Who: |
Sarah Smith |
| Where: |
4234 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-513-3453
sasmit15@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Sarah comes to us from New Hampshire. In collaboration with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Sarah is designing a training guide for students involved in service-learning projects with community gardens located in low-income Raleigh neighborhoods. |
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| Who: |
Arun Jani |
| Where: |
4234 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-513-3453
arunjani267@gmail.com |
| Research: |
Arun is from Massachusetts. He is studying the effects of different termination strategies on winter annual legume cover crop root system decomposition rates and architectural characteristics. He has worked as a field crop extension agent in Senegal, West Africa with the US Peace Corps for three years where he investigated no-till models for millet, maize, sorghum, and cowpea cultivation. Most recently, Arun spent two years with the USDA-ARS Sunflower Research Unit in Fargo, ND. |
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| Who: |
Sean Bloszies |
| Where: |
4234 Williams Hall, NC State University, NC 27695 |
| Contact: |
919-513-3453
sabloszi@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Sean comes from Georgia. He's focusing on how soil microbes, plant nutrient demand, and plant residue quality interact to protect new and old organic matter. His work looks at how decomposition responds to crop roots and different cover crop species and tillage practices. |
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Undergraduate Researcher
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| Who: |
Jacob Rutz |
| Contact: |
jcrutz@ncsu.edu |
| Research: |
Jacob hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and is majoring in Plant and Soil Science focusing in Agroecology. He is conducting an independent research project on cover crop root contribution to soil organic matter and other nutrient pools. Jacob is a Campus Farmer's Market Co-Manager and member of the Occupy Movement. |
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Other Staff
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| Who: |
Maximilian Sherard |
| Contact: |
mksherar@ncsu.edu |
| Major: |
Anthropology - Bioarchaeology |
| Hometown: |
Nashville, North Carolina |
| Research: |
Max is from Nashville, NC and is majoring in Anthropology and Bioarchaeology. Along with helping with routine lab analysis, Max is Dr. Grossman's Soil Agroecology Teaching Assistant where he assists with the logistics of the service-learning activities with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle |
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Former Lab Members
