Category: Experts

Cows, Crops, and Climate: Rebecca Smith’s Research on Sustainable Forage Crops and Plant-based Biofuels

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Dr. Rebecca Smith’s research focuses on making forage crops, which are crops grown to feed animals, more sustainable by reducing methane emissions and improving plant traits, like digestibility. This is done by altering the lignin within the plant cell wall. The altered lignin increases nutrient availability and potentially reduces the time required for cow digestion. Dr. Smith hopes that her work will benefit the scientific community and improve the quality of forage crops and plant-based biofuels to make agriculture more sustainable.

A Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Fertilizer with Jean-Michel Ané

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As the environmental costs of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer grows, Dr. Jean-Michel Ané’s research group is developing sustainable alternatives by engineering partnerships between crops and nitrogen-fixing microbes that colonize the roots. While early efforts focused on modifying bacteria to release more nitrogen, the team found a breakthrough in maize from Southern Mexico that naturally fosters microbial nitrogen fixation through a root secreted mucilage. By exploring these interactions from both the microbial and plant side, the lab hopes to develop methods to enhance this partnership and introduce it to other cropping systems.

Cultivating Resilience: How Chris Kucharik is Transforming Agriculture Amid Climate Change

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Chris Kucharik’s lab investigates the dynamic interactions between climate change and land management through fieldwork and ecosystem modeling, focusing on ecosystem services like crop production, water quantity and quality, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. His research highlights the anticipated stress on agricultural systems due to climate change, which reduces crop yields and harms both farmers and consumers. Dr. Kucharik aims to inform policymakers and develop regulations to support farmers in mitigating climate impacts on their own and surrounding land.

From Coffee Cherries to Aronia Berries: How Food Science Professor Brad Bolling is Rethinking Food

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Brad Bolling works to increase access to healthy, nutrient-dense foods to minimize costly chronic diseases. He uses a holistic approach, participating in the entire life cycle of his research; he measures the nutrients and bioactive compounds in foods, assesses their nutritional content and health impacts, then collaborates with food producers and consumers to grow support for foods that will be sustainable sources of nutrition for Wisconsin. His work promotes practices that reduce waste, support biodiversity, and prevent diet-related diseases to address systemic inefficiencies in food production and healthcare.

Public trust in scientists is falling fast, so Nan Li looks to art and emotion

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This article, by Tayt Armitage, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories. Public trust in scientists is falling fast. A study by the …

For Luca Mastropasqua, fuel cells combine basic science and practical applications

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This article, by Caiti Lahue, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories. Despite the worldwide pursuit of green energy alternatives and low- to …

Qunying Huang uses AI and machine learning to make predictions — and save lives

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This article, by Rodrigo Cuellar, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories. AI, or artificial intelligence, is an increasingly common subject, but many …

Systems modeling, electrification, and equitable energy access: A look into Morgan Edwards’s Climate Action Lab

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This article, by Joie Ling, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories. Walking around during graduate school at MIT, Morgan Edwards, who is …

“How do I contribute to making society better?” For Melissa Bublitz, the answer can be found in food.

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This article, by Zach Lewis, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories. Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the death of …

Ankur Desai’s research benefits both local farmers and the International Panel on Climate Change

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This article, by Zach Thomas, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories.  As the world makes plans to mitigate and adapt to a …