Celebrate Earth Day with the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN), the Sustainability Institute at Ohio State, and Ohio State University Extension, and the Undergraduate Student Government Sustainability Committee on April 20. Details on registering below.

The National Collegiate Soils Contest seeks volunteers 

School of Environment and Natural Resources faculty member Brian Slater, along with the Ohio State Soils Team, NRCS, and ODA soil scientists will host the 2022 National Collegiate Soils Contest on April 19 – 23, 2022.

More than 20 teams from across the United States will compete in-person in Ohio after cancelling for two-years due to COVID-19. Contestants will engage in the description and classification of soils, and interpretation for various land uses.

Dr. Slater would really appreciate some assistance during the contest (April 22 and 23), particularly pit monitors to work with visiting students at sites during the contest, and help with grading score cards on April 22. If you would like to volunteer on one of the contest days, please reach out to Dr. Brian Slater via email: slater.39@osu.edu. 

Registration Open for signature Earth Day event on April 20

Ohio State’s 2022 Signature Earth Day event “Time to Act on Climate Change” highlights efforts underway to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Leaders from various sectors in Ohio will address the realities of the climate crisis and encourage the audience to leverage their individual innate strengths, interests, and relationships to solve our complex climate challenges. Co-hosted by the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN), the Sustainability Institute at Ohio State, and Ohio State University Extension, and co-sponsored by the Undergraduate Student Government Sustainability Committee. Registration is free for this public in-person event at the Ohio Union’s US Bank Conference Theater in Columbus or virtually through an EPN livestream production. Registration here.

Join the Ohio Woodland Stewards (OWS) program on April 22  for Top 15 Trees for the Landscape - a webinar with Secrest Arboretum Curator Jason Veil as we celebrate Earth and Arbor Day. Trees are the verdant backbone of our forests, landscapes, and neighborhoods. Botanical gardens like the Secrest Arboretum exist to conserve and showcase their amazing diversity. Those exhibiting a useful combination of ecological value, ornamental beauty, and cultural sustainability deserve our attention and admiration. Register here.

SENR's Matt Shumar, Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative Program Coordinator joined the OWS program and presented a webinar earlier this month on the Joy of Spring Migration. You can access the recording of this informative and engaging program here.

The SENR Seminar Series welcomes Dr. Joan Maloof, Professor Emeritus at Salisbury University, who will present, "Understanding Old-Growth Forests" on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. 
Join via Zoom at 12:00 p.m. 

Flyer available here.

Plan to join via Zoom, James Wright's graduate exit seminar on April 1, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.  James will present, "Dynamics of a seed dispersal mutualism between avian seed-hoarders and nut-bearing trees: Implications for management of oaks and restoration of American chestnut."

Plan to join via Zoom Theresa Brehm's graduate exit seminar on April 6, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.  Theresa will present, "Evaluating the effects of underground pipelines installation on soil and crop properties of agricultural Ohio."

Plan to join via Zoom Manfred Mayer's graduate exit seminar on April 11, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.  Manfred will present, "Factors Affecting the Bioaccessibility of Pb in Soils Amended with Phosphate: A Meta-analysis and Bench-scale Study."

Plan to join via Zoom Shannon Pace's graduate exit seminar on April 11, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.  Shannon will present, "The impact of spatiotemporal data resolution on monitoring nutrients in The Little Auglaize River."

Plan to join via Zoom Ningzhu Bai's graduate exit seminar on April 12, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.  Ningzhu will present, "Investigating the diversity and small mammal host ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi in Ohio."

Greater detail, including abstract and flyer are available for each seminar via our website event calendar (click on title of calendar entry).

Program propels emerging leaders

A new faculty program to propel emerging leaders culminated in a forum with participants presenting their personal research program plans for the next five years. 

SENR faculty members Suzanne Gray and Shoshanah Inwood were both selected and completed the inaugural College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) STARS Program Cohort.

The CFAES STARS program seeks to propel emerging research leaders – those individuals with the interest, vision, and motivation – to take their research programs to a higher and more collaborative level. 

Learn more about the program here.

New documentary explores water access and affordability in Ohio

A new documentary written and directed by Ramiro Berardo, associate professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources is available to watch for free on YouTube. The documentary, And Water for All, debuted on World Water Day (March 22) at the Environmental Professionals Network breakfast program followed by a community screening at Studio 35 in Columbus, OH.

Watch the film here and read more about the debut here.

Undergraduate Research Spotlights
Available here.

Discover how SENR undergraduates are engaged in research, ways research experiences have impacted their professional development, advice on getting involved in research and much more!

The 2022 CFAES Distinguished Seniors recognition program that premiered on YouTube is linked in our multimedia and available here. Five SENR seniors are recognized as top CFAES Distinguished Seniors!