Experience

Washington State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Assistant Professor of Applied Soil Chemistry

  • Aug 2023 - Present



Austin Peay State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Assistant Professor

  • Aug 2022 - Aug 2023

  Teaches undergraduate courses in Soils, Soil Conservation, Fertilizers, Soil Taxonomy, and related fields. Serves as an academic advisor for students (including those in Professional Science Master's program), contributes to appropriate committee work/service activities, and is involved in scholarly activities/research. Teaches undergraduate courses in Soils, Soil Conservation, Fertilizers, Soil Taxonomy, and related fields. Serves as an academic advisor for students (including those in Professional Science Master's program), contributes to appropriate committee work/service activities, and is involved in scholarly activities/research.



Oklahoma State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Postdoctoral Researcher

  • Aug 2019 - Aug 2022

  Responsible for the maintenance of existing research projects including using biochar as a soil amendment, metal detection using XRF and cover crops in vegetable production. New research projects to address soil health assessment, laboratory procedures and other soil chemistry-related topics are initiated. The researcher is developing manuscripts of completed and ongoing research findings and submitting them for publication, writing grant proposals, and coordinating research activities in the research group. Show less

• PHD Student

  • Jul 2016 - Aug 2019

  Water shortage in Oklahoma and the Southern Great Plains has become a major limitation for crop production, which will have a major impact on local economy. Therefore, alternative sources of irrigation water need to be explored. Treated municipal wastewater (TWW) is one of the most readily available alternative water sources, although infrastructures to use TWW for crop irrigation are lacking in most places and public acceptance is probably low because of the lack of field evaluations in the state. Treated swine wastewater is also available in west Oklahoma and other regions. Besides providing valuable macro- and micro-nutrients to soils, both TWW and swine lagoon effluent supply organic matter to improve the soil’s physical and chemical properties. They also increase the infiltration of water and enhance the retention of nutrients, reduce wind and water erosion, and promote the growth of beneficial organisms. Lagoon effluent and reclaimed wastewater from sewage treatment plants can be a good source of water and nutrients for crop production if it is managed properly. Those alternative water sources contain common salts and other compounds. Nutrients and salts can be built up or lost to surface and ground water bodies. The suitability of TWW land application and the sustainability of swine effluent subsurface drip irrigation have not been thoroughly evaluated. Therefore, the objectives are to evaluate the benefits of using TWW and swine effluent as irrigation water sources under Oklahoma conditions. Nutrient (primarily N and P) and salt distribution and movement in the swine effluent subsurface drip irrigation system already in use for 11 years near the Swine Research Facility in Stillwater and the proposed municipal wastewater reuse project located at the South Central Research Station in Chickasha will be investigated. A baseline of nutrients and major contaminants at the beginning of the TWW project will be established and monitored every 6-month thereafter. Show less

• PHD Student

  • Jul 2016 - Aug 2019

  The second project focuses on the use of biochars to reduce heavy metal phytoavailability in a polluted soil. Biochars were produced from poultry litter (PLB) and switchgrass (SGB) feedstocks at 350 and 700 °C. Physicochemical and morphological characterization of all biochars have been done. The next steps are evaluating the effects of PLB and SGB on the immobilization and bioavailability of Pb, Cd and Zn in Tar Creek contaminated soils, as well as on the growth and absorption of these elements by perennial ryegrass. I served as a TA for the Soil Chemistry class, assisted students using VisualMINTEQ software as a soil solution speciation simulator and gave two lectures. I published in refereed journals and books, gave research lectures, developed extension reports and fact sheets during my study at OSU. Show less



USP / ESALQ

• Brazil
• Research
• 400 - 500 Employee

• Doctoral Student

  • Jul 2015 - Aug 2016

  Phosphorus is one of the macronutrients most demanded by soybean, and also one that deserves more attention as their availability in the soil and replacement in the form of fertilizers, given its dynamics, especially in tropical regions. The no-tillage system - NT in conjunction with the phosphate fertilizer and lime application may interfere with the availability of P to plants and forms of this element in the soil solution. However, studies on the chemical speciation of P in soils under NT are still scarce, especially in long-term experiments conducted under tropical humid conditions. An experiment field is being conducted in an Oxisol in NT since 1989 at EMBRAPA-SOYBEAN (Londrina, PR, Brazil), which assesses the fertilizer with phosphorus in different doses in conjunction with liming. This work will determine the levels of available P in the soil; the species of P in the soil solution by ionic speciation through Visual MINTEQ software and X-ray absorption spectroscopy in the K edge of phosphorus (X-ray absorption near edge structure - XANES-spectroscopy) in solid state; and accomplish the correlations of these species with the available P content and soil chemical properties, as well as mineralogical characterization. Show less



USP - Universidade de São Paulo

• Brazil
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Master's degree

  • Feb 2013 - Jun 2015

  Silicon (Si) is an element beneficial to plant development by providing increased capacity to defend against the attack of pests and diseases, and to ensure an more erect plant, which increases their photosynthetic capacity. Silicon sources, such as silicates of calcium and magnesium, provides Si to the soil and acts as liming. No-till system - NT in conjunction with the application of silicate can affect the Si availability to plants and the forms of this the element in the soil solution. However, studies related to Si in soils under NT are still scarce, especially in long-term experiments conducted under humid tropical conditions. Since 2002, a field experiment is being conducted in an Oxisol under NT, with financial support from Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), which assesses the surface application of soil amendments (lime and Ca/Mg silicate). It will be determined the contents of available Si to plants, the species of Si in the soil solution and the correlations of these species with levels of available soil Si and other soil attributes. Show less



Lakehead University

• Canada
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Visiting Scholar

  • Jul 2014 - Dec 2014

  Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the soil. In addition to being a toxic element to plants, Al3+ may also serve as an indicator of soil silicon content. In soils from humid tropical climate, the clay minerals, specifically aluminum oxides, tend to adsorb silicic acid (H4SiO4) strongly. At low pH values, a great amount of Al3+ is released by the oxides during the weathering process, which is taken up by plants. Surface application of soil correctives, such as lime and calcium-magnesium silicate, tends to correct the soil pH, thereby reducing the concentration of Al3+ and increasing the availability of Si in the soil solution. Adoption of No-till farming techniques (NT) ensures the maintenance of organic matter as surface mulch. Thus, organic acids tend to complex Al3+ in solution, thus decreasing its toxicity in the topsoil. Consequently, the speciation of aluminum becomes an important factor, since aluminum toxicity depends on its chemical forms in the soil solution. Non-destructive analysis such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) may identify the aluminum species present. Seeking to unite the benefits of surface application of correctives with the adoption of NT, this project aims to obtain the chemical species of Al in the soil solution through 27Al NMR (liquid-state) and correlate the results with the contents of available silicon and the other soil chemical properties. Show less



Oklahoma State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Internship Student

  • Jun 2012 - Nov 2012

  Soil testing provides a scientific basis for evaluating available plant nutrients and formulating a fertilization program. However, soil test results may be affected by sample preparation, but the impact of drying or drying temperature on routine soil test results is not well documented. This study is to evaluate if soil pH, macro- and micro-nutrients are affected by air or oven drying the samples. Ten soil samples were collected and analyzed for pH, ammonium-N, nitrate-N, plant available P, K, Ca, Mg, SO4-S, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, and B at field moist condition. The same analyses were performed on samples dried at 25oC (air dry), 45ºC, 65ºC, 85ºC and 105ºC for 24 hours. Soil pH was not affected by soil moisture or drying temperature. Ammonium-N, nitrate-N and sulfate-S were not impacted by drying temperature except for ammonium-N and S at 105ºC, which were significantly increased. No significant differences were found for Mehlich 3 extractable Ca, Mg, K and P. DTPA-sorbitol extractable Fe and B were not significantly affected by drying or drying temperature, while Mn, Cu and Zn were slightly increased by air-drying and drying temperatures. Our study showed that sample drying had no or minimal effects on common analytes offered by public and private laboratories. Similar studies should be conducted in different regions and for different soils. Show less