Monday, February 17, 2025, 11am-12pm
Title: The Promise of Regenerative Agriculture- using agroecology to support farm productivity
Speaker: Jonathan Lundgren
Description: Regenerative farmers are developing new approaches for food production that encourage soil health and promote biodiversity, while growing nutritious food profitably. Often they are doing so in the absence of science. The 1000 Farms Initiative is a grass roots research project intended to fill the data gap surrounding the potential benefits of regenerative food systems. Nitrogen cycling is one outcome of healthy regenerative ecosystems. View Zoom recording here.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 11am-12pm
Title: Beyond the cycle: Nitrogen as a Socio-Ecological Connector in Agricultural Systems
Speaker: Gabriela Hidrobo
Description: This seminar will explore the intricate role of nitrogen within agricultural and natural ecosystems. We'll briefly recap how nitrogen moves through various biological and chemical pathways, including fixation, mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification, and discuss how understanding these cycles can lead to more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices. The talk will also highlight recent research on biological nitrogen fixation and its potential applications in contributing to resilient food systems. Additionally, we'll delve into the social and economic implications of nitrogen management, exploring how different agricultural practices and policies affect communities, food security, and environmental justice. View Zoom recording here.
Thursday, April 17, 2025 1:25-2:15pm
Title: Designing Catalysts and Reactive Separations for Electrochemical Wastewater Refining
Speaker: William Tarpeh
Description: This seminar will focus on recent work understanding catalytic and mass transport mechanisms, designing nitrogen-selective processes and materials, and systematically probing and valorizing real wastewaters.
Friday, April 18, 2025, 11:15am-12:15pm
Title: Sacrificing Iowa's Land and Water to "Feed the World"
Speaker: David Cwiertny
Description: Iowa proudly "feeds and fuels the world", leading the nation in corn and soybean production, while also being the leading producer of hogs and laying chickens. The agricultural intensification of Iowa's landscape presents immense environmental challenges while raising human health concerns over risks from agrochemical exposures. This presentation will look at three different aspects of Iowa's environmental and public health challenges: the continental-scale problem of nitrate pollution that both contributes to Gulf hypoxia and imperils local drinking water supplies; unique pollutant discharges found at the food-energy-water nexus; and the fate and effects of the widely used but understudied chemicals that help Iowa lead the nation in crop production and animal agriculture.