FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Dr. Angel Cruz, Academic and Extension Initiatives Manager – aecruz@ncsu.edu
Raleigh, NC: The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) Graduate Fellowship was developed to provide financial support and recognition for future leaders, researchers and contributors in sustainable agriculture and local food systems while they engage in academic research to further the field of study.
The Fellowship offers a one-year, $5,000 stipend for Master’s students and a two-year, $5,000-per-year stipend for Doctoral students.
The Fellowship is an important opportunity for students to meet and interact with graduate students from other departments, with other areas of expertise. “With climate change and other pressing food systems challenges, we need interdisciplinary solutions and we hope this Fellowship is the start of students working beyond their discipline. Some of our past Fellows are now collaborating with other CEFS Fellows on ideas sparked during their Fellowship experience. I’m excited to see what happens with this year’s cohort,” says Dr. Angel Cruz, CEFS Academic and Extension Initiatives Manager.
The CEFS North Carolina State University (NC State) Graduate Fellowship Program was made possible by an endowment from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
The 2023-2024 CEFS NC State Graduate Fellows and their departments/research areas are:
2023-2024 Cohort – NC State
Bianca Jimenez | Doctorate | Applied Ecology | NC State University
Bianca Jimenez is a PhD student within the Applied Ecology Department conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Rebecca Irwin. Her research is centered on understanding the underlying mechanisms that facilitate the transmission of the bumble bee parasite, Crithidia bombi, particularly in the context of spillback transmission. Recent studies have revealed that although bumble bees serve as the primary hosts for Crithidia bombi, other potential hosts can also become infected. What remains largely unexplored is the extent to which these alternate hosts can transmit these infections back to bumble bees. Parasitic infections in bumble bees have been linked to population declines, and such declines have direct implications for our food systems due to their role in pollination. Gaining insights into the spillback mechanisms associated with these infections could potentially contribute to mitigating the decline of bumble bee populations and thereby offer significant benefits for our food systems. In the future, Bianca aspires to continue her research, delving deeper into the factors driving bee population decline and their impacts on our food systems. She is also excited to connect with other CEFS fellows and work together to create sustainable food systems.
DoYeong Hur | Doctorate | Soil Science | NC State University
DoYeong Hur is a Ph.D. student in Soil Science at North Carolina State University, in the Sustainable and Organic Soil Fertility Lab led by Dr. Alex Woodley. His research is primarily focused on the evaluation of enhanced efficiency fertilizers for reducing nitrous oxide emissions and ammonia volatilization in corn systems. The objective of his research is to provide production level regional emission factors, economic assessments, and reduction potential of environmental externalities of management choices that include full and reduced nitrogen rates with the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers. DoYeong’s research aims to investigate the possibilities of reducing N losses in the form of nitrous oxide and ammonia while sustaining crop productivity by applying enhanced efficiency fertilizers. Moreover, he intends to utilize data collected over three years from six field sites annually, in conjunction with DeNitrification DeComposition (DNDC) modeling, to simulate nitrogen cycling and assess nitrous oxide emissions.
Prior to joining NC State, DoYeong completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Soil Science at Pusan National University in South Korea. During his graduate studies, he researched recycling byproducts like bottom ash to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, he contributed to research that registered nitrous oxide emission factors from various types of animal manure in South Korea with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Throughout the CEFS program, he eagerly anticipates gaining insights from colleagues and experts in this field, all the while applying and disseminating that knowledge through research and extension initiatives.
Lillian Lower | Doctorate | Biological and Agricultural Engineering | NC State University
Lillian is a Ph.D student in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University, in the Biocarbon Utilization and Sequestration Lab. Her research is focused on producing anode materials for lithium-ion batteries from unique biomasses and waste materials via catalytic graphitization. This process can produce battery-grade graphite from previously non-graphitizing materials and will enable the valorization of lignocellulosic wastes and residues while producing an energy storage material. The goal of this work is to study the particular implications mechanism, biomass, catalyst type and loading have on electrochemical performance of the anode materials produced. Lillian hopes that this work will create more avenues for sustainability and waste utilization in North Carolina’s food and agriculture systems while establishing interdisciplinary partnerships between material scientists and agricultural stakeholders. Before beginning her doctoral program, Lillian received her Bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University in Civil Engineering and her Master’s degree from NC State in Biological and Agricultural Engineering. She has also had the chance to work on small and large-scale urban and rural farms through an AmeriCorps term of service in West Virginia. She continues to pursue her passions for sustainability and service by being an active member of her department’s education and outreach group. Through the CEFS Fellowship, Lillian hopes to learn more about North Carolina’s farming systems and how her and her peer’s research and extension projects can create lasting impacts. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog and cooking.
Sam Carroll | Master’s | Crop Science | NC State University
Sam is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Crop Science at NC State under the direction of Dr. David Suchoff in the Alternative Crops Lab. Her research is part of a large grant focused on developing best field practices for fiber hemp in the Southeast. She is hoping to help establish fiber hemp as an economically viable and sustainable option for growers in North Carolina as a response to the declining tobacco acreage and increasing environmental pressures. Sam’s research focuses on yield and fiber quality. Fiber hemp is a “new” crop for North Carolina (due to legislation and loss of generational knowledge of growing practices), so she enjoys experimenting with new and improving methods for planting, harvesting, and processing fiber. Fiber hemp has numerous applications in the woven and non-woven industries, which has opened the door for partnership with the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State. She hopes to use her time at NC State to build relationships between researchers, growers, and the textile industry.
Fred Teasley | Doctorate | Crop and Soil Sciences | NC State University
Fred Teasley is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences working with advisor Dr. Alex Woodley. His research is investigating soil health dynamics of farming systems transitioning from conventional to organic management. Soil health, a concept that can be broadly defined as functioning for a desired purpose, is largely tied to soil organic carbon in agroecosystems. Soil organic carbon is important for organic farming because it promotes soil biological activity, which in turn controls the release of plant nutrients from important sources, such as cover crop residues. Farmers seeking to adopt organic management are often hampered by low soil organic carbon levels, a condition especially pertinent to the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina. Therefore, the conventional-to-organic transition period represents a period of increased risk for farmers seeking to maximize yields and maintain profit.
Soil health indicators, laboratory tests that couple the biological, chemical, and physical functions of soil, can provide useful insight into the capacity of agricultural soils for supporting organic management during the transition period. However, test results may be subject to differences between soils of different regions, necessitating region-specific studies that seek to better understand how test results should be interpreted. Fred’s research seeks to better understand which soil health indicators are of the most relevance to organically managed, low carbon soils of the North Carolina Coastal Plain.
Fred obtained a B.S. from Towson University in Environmental Science and a M.S. from the University of Delaware in Plant and Soil Science. His interest in agriculture was initially kindled while engaged in work-trade arrangements on small farms located throughout the United States. Upon graduating from the University of Delaware, he took a job unrelated to agriculture working for a local government, but realized that his interest in agriculture was not abating when he found himself running backyard, DIY field studies in soil fertility. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, cooking, and repairing vintage motorcycles.
For more information about the CEFS NC State Graduate Fellows Program, please visit the CEFS website.
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of NC State University, NC Agricultural and Technical State University and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. CEFS develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities, improve health outcomes, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. For more information, visit www.cefs.ncsu.edu.