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Manbir RakkarAssistant Professor of Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management 131 Williams Hall 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691
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Current MembersAline de Camargo Santos, Postdoctoral Scholar Aline started her career in agricultural research as an agronomist in 2012 at the University of São Paulo. She continued her studies, earning a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Florida in the summers of 2019 and 2023, respectively. Throughout her career journey, she has focused on plant and soil nutrition, plant ecophysiology, and crop stress resilience. Her ultimate goal is to use her multidisciplinary training to conduct research that has a positive impact on farmers and enables collaboration with researchers at local, regional, and international levels. The primary objective of her research is the development of affordable technologies and strategies to overcome the many adversities that affect farmers. Additionally, she looks forward to improving science communication, which she sees as a way to translate scientific findings into practical results that meet the needs of farmers. |
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Louceline Fleuridor, Postdoctoral Scholar
Jaspreet Singh, M.S. Student Naiima Abdi, Student Intern Naiima Abdi is an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University, currently pursuing her bachelor's degree after earning an associate’s degree in Biology. As a participant in the DOSU (Destination Ohio State University) program, Naiima is gaining valuable research experience through a student intern position at the Soil Fertility Lab under the guidance of Dr. Aline de Camargo Santos. She is eager to deepen her understanding of soil science, expand her practical skills, and contribute to the lab’s research on crop production, soil health, and nutrient management. |
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Valeria is a visiting scholar from Ecuador. She graduated from Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Agricultural and Biological Engineering in 2021. In 2022 she started working as a research assistant at ESPOL, in a project focused on cadmium contamination in cacao production systems in Ecuador. As part of this project, she's been developing field activities such as soil sampling and laboratory analyses, as well as conducting plant community surveys in the field, to identify areas with high and/or low cadmium concentrations, and evaluate their effect on cacao performance and cadmium levels. Additionally, her research at ESPOL involves the application of soil amendments and micronutrients aiming to mitigate high Cd pollution in cacao plantations. She has experience working in the laboratory, mostly from the Soil and Plant Nutrition Laboratory at ESPOL, where she has learned how to process soil and plant samples, and to conduct chemical analysis. She is happy to start a new position at OSU's Soil Fertility Laboratory to expand her skills and abilities on soil and plant sciences that will enable her to grow up professionally. This is a great opportunity to learn more about perennial grain cropping systems, Ohio-based regenerative agricultural systems, and soil health and nutrient management.
Elizabeth Gilson, Student Assistant Elizabeth is an undergraduate student at Ohio State University, studying Agronomy. Elizabeth has achieved her associate's and is pursuing her bachelor's degree. She worked for the OARDC research greenhouses under the Horticulture and Crop Science department for two years. Elizabeth is interested in soil fertility and the effects of nutrient runoff on crops and the surrounding environment. She hopes to gain experience with IR Spectroscopy and soil analysis applications at the Soil Fertility Lab!
Ben Robinson, Research Associate
Roger Downer, Research Associate Roger has a PhD in Biology from The University of Portsmouth (UK) 1998. Thesis title “The impact of spray modifiers on pesticide dose transfer”. Prior to moving from England to join the Laboratory for Pest Control Application Technology at The Ohio State University in 1989, Roger spent 20 years in the Agrochemical Industry as an entomologist but with a significant input into and interest in pesticide application. He has traveled to many parts of the world carrying out insecticide development field trials primarily in cotton. For the past 25 + years he has been involved in a wide range of projects including research into the role, use and effectiveness of adjuvants in crop protection with a special interest in drift management. He joined the Doohan Weed Lab in November 2011 where he is involved in a variety of projects including laboratory and field performance evaluation of adjuvants and formulations for weed control. Roger is also involved in projects and organizations evaluating the role of pollinators in agricultural crop production and the effect pesticides have on those pollinators. He is currently a co-chair of the Pollinator Partnership task force on pesticides. Former Lab Leaders
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Former Lab Members
Graduate Students
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Theresa Brehm M.S. 2022 |
Jennie Pugliese, M.S. 2017 |
Phoo Pye Zone, M.S. 2018 |
Noely Gonzalez-Maldonado, M.S. 2019 |
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Jordon Wade, Ph.D. 2019 |
Louceline Fleuridor Ph.D. 2022 |
Postdoctoral Researchers
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Anthony Fulford Extension Advisor, University of California |
Vijay Chaganti PostDoc Researcher, Texas A&M |
Tunsisa Hurriso Assistant Professor, Lincoln University |
Christine Sprunger Associate Professor, Michigan State University |
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Will Osterholz Research Scientist, USDA-ARS |
Samaneh Tajik
Post Doctoral Scholar,
The Ohio State University
Research Staff
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Bethany Fortune Lab Manager |
Camila Gutierrez Manriquez Research Scholar |
Nicole Hoekstra Research Associate |
Meredith Mann Research Assistant |
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Stuti Sharma Research Assistant |
Muhammad Tariq Saeed |
Kenzie Reynen Research Assistant |
Priscilla Nyamai Research Associate |
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Clay Dygert Research Associate |
Mason Gingery, Research Assistant |
VISITING SCHOLARS
Berenice Montano (Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School)
Summer Interns
Elliot Edwards (College of Wooster), Faheem Ali (Case Western University), Aista Sall (University of South Florida), Nakian Kim (Rice University), Otto Oppenheimer Lugo (University of Puerto Rico), Andrew Herzog (Ohio State), Samantha Wander (Ohio State), Noely Gonzalez-Maldonado (University of Puerto Rico), Madison Campbell (Ohio State).
Undergraduate Student Assistants
Alyson Holzworth, Grace Chapman, Caroline Bensman, Brady Linker, Cassian Filbrun, Nick LaRue, Ryan Hayes, Grant Ratliff, Cassie Reed, Annamarie Davies, Hannah Johnson, Lexie Popejoy, Brenden Tully, Jodi Livesay, Kristina Workinger.