Why What How
Motivated by the need to sustainably and equitably support a growing world population, we study the physical underpinnings that make the soil a habitable environment. Our research blends fundamental environmental and soil physics with agroecological and environmental applications. Inclusivity and equity are the basis for the topics we study, how we treat one another, and how we engage with our community.
Recent Publications
Updates & News
Yulissa wins 3rd place at SSSA
Yulissa Perez-Rojas won 3rd place in the Soil Physics and Hydrology Division for her presentation at the Soil Science Society of America annual meeting.
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Teamrat selected to be SSSA Fellow
Teamrat A. Ghezzehei was selected to join the 2022 class of Soil Science Society of America Fellows. Fellow is the highest recognition bestowed by the SSSA.
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Nitrogen Management Grant
New grant from California Dept. of Agriculture, Fertilizer Research & Education Program to test a novel nitrogen management strategy at Kearney Fied Station.
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Our lab at 2021 SSSA Meeting
Toshi and Yulissa represented our lab and presented their research results at the Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, in Salk Lake City.
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New USDA Water Grant
Our lab is part of a new grant for securing a climate resilient water future for agriculture & ecosystems through innovations in measurement, management & markets.
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NSF Training Grant
New training grant on Convergence of Nano-engineered Devices for Environmental and Sustainable Applications
Read MoreAreas of Interest
Flow & Transport
Dynamic soil properties, such aggregation and disaggregation cycles and tilagge, and associated effects on flow and tranport in soils.
Machine Learning & AI
Physics-informed Neural Networks for modeling soil water dynamics and application of Machine Learning in soil and environmental problems.
Hydro-Biogeochem
Physical factors that control biogeochemical processes including effects of soil structure and wetting-drying cycles on soil respiration.
AgroEcology
Conservation tillage, inter-cropping of native shrubs and food crops, and applications of organic amendments on water and nutrient use efficiency.
Courses
ESS 110 Hydrology & Climate
Basics of the hydrological cycle and the global climate system. Fundamentals of surface water hydrology, hydrometeorology, evaporation, precipitation, statistical and probabilistic methods, unit hydrograph and flood routing.
ESS 112 Subsurface Hydrology
Hydrologic and geologic factors controlling the occurrence and use of groundwater on regional and local scales. Physical, mathematical, geologic and engineering concepts fundamental to subsurface hydrologic processes. Introduction to ground-water flow and transport modeling, with emphasis on model construction and simulation.
ES 290 Nano Fabrication
This course will provide a survey of top-down and bottom-up techniques to fabricate nanoscale structures and devices, including but not limited to optical and electron lithography, nano imprinting, physical and chemical vapor deposition, and self-assembly. State-of-the-art methods for the characterization of fabricated structures and devices will also be introduced, including electron and scanning probe microscopy approaches.
For Prospective Students
Like what you see here? We would love to hear from you if you have interest to join our lab as a student or to collaborate with us. You can find out about admission and degree requirements and offerings by visiting the websites of the Graduate Division and Environmental Systems Graduate Program (links are below).
