Jim Ippolito
Rattan Lal Endowed Professor of Soil Health and Soil Fertility within SENR
Jim has 30+ years of experience focused on soil health across numerous ecosystems. Jim also works with land application of biosolids, biochar, manure, water treatment residuals, and other materials for ensuring improved environmental quality/health. Jim is originally from New Jersey, obtained a BS degree from the University of Delaware, an MS and PhD from Colorado State University, and has worked for Colorado State University, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and now The Ohio State University.
Current Projects:
1. USDA-ARS: The soil health nexus: Biochar use for improving soil health and limiting PFAS movement in soils;
2. Assessing soil health and soil carbon alterations across agroecosystems at the Grace Drake Farm, Wooster, Ohio;
3. USDA: Climate Smart Commodities-Soil Health-Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources (STAR) program across Colorado and the West;
4. NRCS: A Collaborative Multi-State Research and Technical Assistance Consortium State of Science and Future Opportunities to Address PFAS in Agriculture; NRCS: A Colorado Soil Health Program: Supporting producers and conservation districts to improve drought resilience and water utilization;
5. USDA NRCS/General Mills/NFWF Conservation Partners Program: Advancing soil health through technical assistance and producer incentives in the Republican River Watershed (CO);
6. US EPA & USDA-ARS: Investigating naturally revegetated chat-contaminated soils-assisted revegetation;
7. Project GREEEN (Collaborative research with Michigan State University: Accumulation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Historically Achieved Corn and Wheat Grains;
8. Colorado Dep. Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division: Implementing agricultural best management practices alongside the STAR program;
9. US EPA National Priorities: Evaluation of pollutants in biosolids - Assessing biosolids treatment processes on environmental fate and plant uptake of pollutants from land application of biosolids;
10. Colorado Dep. Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division: Water quality, soil health and regenerative agriculture: A nexus for sustainability.
Other interests: I really enjoy anything outdoors, and used to extensively run, hike, mountain bike, ski, mountain climb, etc. Now, and when I can, I love to spend time as well as travel with my wife and family. I really like solving problems, either at work or at play, and I like helping others be successful.
Liping Li
Visiting Scientist from Henan University of Technology
Professor of Environmental Soil Chemistry
Liping has worked in the field of heavy metal pollution and risk control for more than 20 years. Liping is originally from Lingtai County, Gansu Province in western China. He obtained a BS degree from Gansu Agricultural University in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, an MS from Northwest A&F University in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, and a PhD from the Institute of Soil Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. Liping is a Professor at the School of the Environment, Henan University of Technology in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China. Liping has worked as a visiting scientist at the US EPA (Cincinnati, OH) with Dr. Kirk G. Scheckel (2012-2014), and at Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO) with Dr. Jim Ippolito (2019-2020). Currently (2024-2025), he is working as a visiting scientist with Dr. Ippolito at The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH). His current research interests focus the control of health risks of heavy metals, especially cadmium, including investigation of heavy metal migration in the food web, human accumulation of heavy metals and the control of cadmium accumulation in crops.
Main research projects:
1. Mechanism of the effect of Ca on the immobilization of Pb in soil with soluble phosphate (National Science Foundation of China).
2. Research and demonstration of the immobilization of heavy metals in Pb-smelting pollution areas (Sub-project of National Key Research and Development Program of China. Ministry of Science and Technology of China-US Environmental Protection Agency Project).
3. Mechanism of Cd absorption by wheat roots, shoots, and leaves, and inner-plant translocation mechanisms (Key Scientific Research Plan of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province, The Education Department of Henan Province).
Other interests: I love cooking and my nickname is Chef Li. My dream is to run a Chinese restaurant somewhere after I retire.
Meet the Team
Elizabeth Chou
MS Candidate, ESGP, The Ohio State University
Elizabeth is originally from Chicago, Illinois, and relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to pursue a BS in Environmental Science with a Minor in Sustainability Studies at the University of New Mexico. Her passion for agriculture was sparked during a study abroad experience in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where she immersed herself in sustainable agroecological practices and learned about farmers' methodologies for soil preparation within the region’s largest sustainable food system. Following an internship with the New Mexico Environmental Department, Elizabeth developed an interest in environmental policy and is working to bridge the connection between her PFAS soil research and its implications for policy. She is currently pursuing an MS in Environmental Science with a concentration in Climate Change Science and Policy at The Ohio State University.
Projects: Elizabeth’s project focuses on quantifying PPCPs and PFAS in short-term greenhouse trials using biosolids. The experiment will compare the effects of one-time versus long-term biosolid application on soil health and PPCP/PFAS accumulation in wheat and corn. Soil samples have been collected from untreated land in Eastern Colorado, air-dried, and will be placed into containers for surface application of biosolids at different rates. These crops will be grown in a controlled greenhouse setting, and the samples of soil, wheat, and corn will be analyzed to determine the impact of biosolids on PPCP and PFAS content.
Other Interests: Elizabeth loves to travel, play club badminton, try new foods, and cook!
Tad Trimarco
PhD Candidate, Colorado State University
Tad has 7 years of experience studying soil-water relations in agricultural settings. Tad’s primary focus is on the interaction of regenerative agriculture and the ecosystem services provided by healthy soils – namely water quality protection and greenhouse gas mitigation. His current work focuses on the role of Best Management Practices in regulating ecosystem health. Tad is originally from central CO, obtained his BS in Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University and is a current PhD student at the same institution.
Projects:
1. Colorado Dep. Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division: Water quality, soil health and regenerative agriculture: A nexus for sustainability.
2. Colorado Ag Water Alliance: Assessment of biochar as a potential water quality and water storage regulator in agricultural soils
Other interests: I love to travel and adventure around the world and within the US and find myself most at home when I’m not at home. I’m a very active person and love to spend my days hiking, camping, playing basketball or ultimate frisbee, or scampering around a forest or cliffside. I also paint, write, and play music to activate the creative side of my brain and get out of the world of numbers for a minute.
Austin P. Hopkins
PhD Candidate, Colorado State University
I grew up in South-Eastern Idaho working on an Ag research farm, moving irrigation pipe, harvesting potatoes, raising 4-H pigs etc. I worked with my dad (who is also a soil scientist) from a young age. I took thousands of plant and soil samples before I even started middle school and I suppose it was punishment enough that I wanted to keep it going in my own adult life. I earned my B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science from Brigham Young University (BYU). My thesis work centered around estimating leaf area index in irrigated wheat fields to better inform variable rate irrigation systems within precision agriculture. I’m working towards a career in the USDA-ARS, I’m tentatively planning my next step in my career around a post doc in the Forage and Rangeland Research lab in Logan, Utah with the USDA-ARS focused on modeling climate change effects on newly developed rangeland genetic material aimed at increased resilience with harsher conditions.
Projects:
1. USDA-ARS: Measured Annual Nutrient Loads from Agricultural Environments (MANAGE) Database. How do agriculture management decisions affect the water quality across North American Ecoregions?
2. Varda: Soil Hive. A platform for accessing, comparing and visualizing global soils data and how it can prove valuable to a variety of audiences and users.
Other interests: Work interests: Precision Ag, Remote Sensing, Water Quality, Soil Conservation, UAV and Satellite Imagery, Statistical Modeling.
For Fun!: Being with my wife Karenna and my two young girls. Racquet sports, biking, cooking (and subsequently eating), hiking, fishing, hot springs, nature sketches, LEGO’s, collecting and enjoying books and records, wood working, living life.
Catherine Schumak
PhD Candidate, Colorado State University
I grew up in North Carolina alongside one of the cleanest rivers in the state. From a young age, I was fascinated with water and its multifaceted role in the environment. This motivated my academic interests, leading me to a B.S. with Honors in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.S. in Water Resources Management with a focus on Hydrologic Modeling from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. My PhD research centers on modeling claypan hydrology, nutrient and atrazine fate and transport at the watershed scale to quantify the impact of mitigation strategies.
Projects:
1. USDA-ARS: Creating phosphorus and pesticide components for the AgES watershed model. Dynamic Claypan Modeling – characterizing the hydraulic conductivity of shrink-swell smectitic clay soils.
2. Waterborne Environmental/Syngenta: Process-based versus regulatory Models - simulating atrazine concentrations in Goodwater Creek, MO using the AgES and SEAWAVE-QEX models; Quantifying the impact of mitigation strategies on atrazine loading and exposure using the AgES model.
Other interests: Hiking and birding with my husband Jon, nature photography, gardening, and enjoying time with my two horses Amore and Thunder.
Egondu Umeobi
PhD Candidate, ESGP Program, The Ohio State University
Egondu Umeobi is an accomplished academic, earning a Bachelor of Science in Soil Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a research which focused on environmental impact assessment of mining-impacted land, specifically monitoring contamination levels in mine impacted land in Ebonyi State Nigeria. Egondu is pursuing her Ph.D., which she began in Soil Science at Colorado State University, and is now continuing in Environmental Science at Ohio State University.
Projects:
Egondu's current PhD research centers on restoring soil health in heavy metal-contaminated mine lands. She is passionate about soil and environmental science and is particularly interested in contamination, remediation, and soil health. Egondu's goal is to develop innovative strategies for restoring soil health in mining-impacted areas to mitigate the impact of mining on the environment.
Other interests: Egondu enjoys traveling and engaging in physical activities such as running. In addition, Egondu finds cooking therapeutic and enjoys experimenting with new recipes and cuisines. Cooking is also a great way for Egondu to bond with friends and family over delicious meals.
Oliver Hoffman
MS Candidate, SENR, The Ohio State University
Oliver, originally from Oregon moved to Colorado for his bachelors degree at CSU in Soil and Crop Science, complemented with a minor in GIS. His work in agriculture took shape while aiding in the management of family farmland in southern Minnesota. While in Colorado, Oliver worked for a number of institutions: Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Cutrufo Soil Innovation Lab, the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, and the Soil Health and Environmental Quality Lab. Oliver is now in progress on the completion of a Master’s degree in SENR at The Ohio State University.
Projects:
1. Investigating the ability of the Soil Management Assessment Framework’s ability to quantify soil health in ecological and agricultural systems in Faribault County, MN.
2. Assessing the influence of the soil microbiome on soil health frameworks in Faribault County, MN.
3. Federal CIG: A Colorado Soil Health Pilot Program: Supporting producers and conservation districts to improve drought resilience and water utilization.
4. CDPHE + CDA State 319: Implementing agricultural best management practices within Colorado Soil Health Pilot Program.
5. CPP: Advancing Soil Health through Technical Assistance and Producer Incentives in the Republican River Watershed of Colorado.
Other interests: Separate from the office or lab, you can usually find Oliver in the mountains snowboarding or climbing and occasionally doing this out of the country.
Xucheng Hu
MS Candidate, SENR, The Ohio State University
Xucheng grew up in Beijing, China, before he came to OSU as an international student. After receiving his B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from OSU in May 2023, Xucheng is currently pursuing an M.S. degree with Dr. Jim Ippolito. He recognized his interest in soil when he was doing field sampling and lab analysis in the soil chemistry lab. Additionally, he focused on comparing the methodologies in pyrogenic carbon quantifications in soils in his undergraduate research. Currently, he is passionate about soil health associations regarding different landscapes and management practices. He is also interested in soil carbon pools and carbon dynamics in agroecosystems.
Projects:
1. Assessing soil health and soil carbon alterations across agroecosystems at the Grace Drake Farm, Wooster, Ohio;
2. Comparison between the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) and the Haney Soil Health Test (HSHT) in diverse agroecosystems under varying management practices in Colorado.
Other interests: Xucheng loves traveling, especially taking photographs of natural and landscape sceneries. Besides that, he also enjoys hiking, going to the symphony, and playing sports. His favorite dish is Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish.
Others that Dr. Ippolito currently serves:
Ohio State University:
- Serving as committee member for Mr. Mason Reid, PhD candidate, ESGP
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Serving as committee member for Mr. Mithlesh Mithlesh, PhD candidate, FABE
- Serving as committee member for Mr. Jaspreet Singh, MS Candidate, SENR
- Serving as committee member for Ms. Chinmayee Priyadarshini, PhD candidate, SENR
- Serving as committee member for Ms. Brittany Multer-Hopkins, PhD candidate, SENR
- Serving as committee member for Mr. Ren Ying Lai, PhD candidate, SENR
- Serving as committee member for Mr. Alec Ogg, MS candidate, SENR
- Serving as committee member for Mr. Jorge Rodriguez, MS candidate, HCS
- Serving as committee member for Ms. Betsy Cunningham, MS candidate, HCS
Colorado State University:
- Serving as committee member for Ms. Huma Tariq, PhD candidate, Dep. Soil & Crop Sci.
- Serving as committee member for Mr. Ryan Anderson, PhD candidate, Dep. Civil & Environmental Engineering
Washington State University:
- Serving as committee member for Ms. Madeline Desjardins, PhD candidate, Washington State University