Podcast

Discussions around land use for cattle grazing versus solar panels have valiant proponents on both sides, but some question the debate altogether. Why can’t land be used for both raising cattle and renewable energy sources such as wind or solar?

Should you be measuring water content or water potential? Like all good scientific questions, the answer is, “It depends.”

25 years ago Drs John Norman and Gaylon Campbell co-authored An Introduction to Environmental Biophysics. Their ability to work across disciplinary lines brought new understanding to countless scientists and taught us how to conduct better research through collaboration.

Champions of water potential, Drs. Kim Novick and Jessica Guo, team up to discuss the vital role water potential measurement plays in both plant and soil sciences and the work they are doing to establish the first-of-its-kind nationwide water potential network.

Dr. Dedrick Davis is an Assistant Professor in Soil Physics at Alabama A&M University. He obtained his PhD in Soil Science and Environmental Science from Iowa State University,and his teaching expertise is in soil physics and soil hydrology.

Dr. Arron Carter, professor and O.A. Vogel Endowed Chair of Wheat Breeding and Genetics at Washington State University, discusses breeding improved wheat varieties for cropping systems in Washington state that incorporate diverse rotations and environments.

Natalie Aguirre, a PhD candidate and plant physiology and chemical ecology researcher at Texas A&M University, dives into her research on pathogen infection, water stress, and how plants communicate and defend themselves.

Pete Tereszkiewicz, Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Carolina, explains how wind, water, sediment interactions, and seasonal vegetation affect beach dune creation, deformation, and erosion.

New Mexico State Climatologist Dr. David DuBois discusses the latest in climate observation and air quality research.