Myakka gives a special identity to the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences.
It is the Seminole word for “big waters” and the name of Florida’s state soil: Florida's State Soil - Myakka Fine Sand.
2181 McCarty Hall A, PO Box 110290 | Gainesville, FL 32611-0290 | (352) 294-3151
Greetings, from the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences.
The fall 2025 semester is winding down as I write this. What began in August with much excitement over new classes and projects, ends with another form of excitement – relief and a sense of accomplishment. This is particularly true for our students who were awarded their degrees at the recent Winter Commencement. We are proud of our most recent five Ph.D., 13 M.S., and 10 B.S. graduates this semester, as well as all the others making up the SWES Gator Nation! In addition, four undergraduates from across UF earned a minor in SWES. Congratulations to all!
Personally, I’m experiencing another type of excitement as the semester closes – anticipation of the new year. For a little more than a year, I have had the privilege to serve as the interim chair of SWES. This has been a challenging and rewarding experience that has stretched me out of my comfort zones in many different ways. I have a new appreciation for the complexity of our support operations and the critical roles that our administrative and technical staff play. I also really enjoyed learning about the incredible breadth of programs within our department.
Some of our department’s highlights over this year included:
These, and many other accomplishments not mentioned, are the direct result of many people’s efforts, and I thank all who were involved! Looking forward into the new year, Dr. Susan Crow will join us on January 1st as our new Chair. She most recently served as a professor of soil ecology and biogeochemistry in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. More details about Dr. Crow follows this column. I look forward to working with her as she leads us into the future!
Read on in this newsletter to see many highlights of the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and staff over the past semester.
Thank you to all our alumni, friends, former faculty, and stakeholders who continue to engage with our department through research and teaching collaborations, student internships, and many other ways. We look forward to strengthening these relationships in 2026 and beyond!
Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season!
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Susan Crow as the new chair of the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences. Dr. Crow brings a collaborative, vision-driven leadership style grounded in transparency, shared governance, and a strong commitment to mentoring and community engagement. With a focus on expanding real-world impact through strategic partnerships, strengthening interdisciplinary research, and advancing mission-oriented initiatives in soil, water, and ecosystem resilience, she is poised to guide the department into an exciting new chapter.
Florida has more than 75,000 stormwater ponds, designed to reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rain. They also filter pollutants from water running off roads, parking lots, and driveways—but many fall short.
Dr. AJ Reisinger, associate professor of urban soil and water quality, and his lab team are uncovering how nature itself can make these ponds work better.
Phosphorus keeps our global food system alive—but its supplies are finite, and misuse is damaging ecosystems. At the first-ever African-hosted Global Sustainable Phosphorus Summit, Dr. Jango Bhadha, associate professor of soil, water, and nutrient management, was among those who gathered to tackle the challenges in phosphorus sustainability.
From just 39 surviving clams, researchers launched one of Florida’s most ambitious ecological restoration efforts. Today, more than 25 million clams are back in the Indian River Lagoon. The project — led by Dr. Todd Osborne, professor of biogeochemistry — shows how science, technology, and community partners can revive an ecosystem.
A drone lifts off, rising high above a farm field as part of a series of test flights that brings cutting-edge soil science into the air. Dr. Ebrahim Babaeian, assistant professor of soil physics, is using a drone-mounted microwave sensor to study what happens below the soil surface.
“We’re testing the system to make sure everything works as expected,” Dr. Babaeian said. "As the drone flies over fields, it measures changes in surface brightness temperature."
The data collected are combined with physics-based models and artificial intelligence to map soil moisture in the root zone and track how quickly water infiltrates and drains through the soil.
These early flights help the research team fine-tune flight plans, sensor settings, and data processing before launching full-scale experiments.
"The goal is to provide better information to guide irrigation decisions," he explained, "helping farmers apply water more efficiently while protecting soil health."
Oysters and clams support Florida’s aquaculture economy and help remove excess nitrogen from coastal waters. Dr. Ashley Smyth, associate professor of biogeochemistry, is uncovering how shellfish farming can work as a natural filtration system, turning aquaculture into a powerful tool for ecosystem restoration.
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
(Advisors in parentheses)
Seyed Mostafa Biazar Seighalani (Golmohammadi)
Justina Dacey (Smyth & Reisinger)
Soil and Water Sciences
(Advisors in parentheses)
Swarnali Mahmood (Lin)
Saman Rabiei (Babaeian & Grunwald)
Ravinder Singh (Sharma & Zotarelli)
Interdisciplinary Ecology
(School of Natural Resources & Environment)
(Advisors in parentheses)
Trista Brophy Cerquera (Bean & Smidt)
Jenna Reimer (Smyth & Reisinger)
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
(Advisors in parentheses)
Babak Abdi (Gerber)
Chelsea Brown (Meyer)
Benjamin Grubbs (Wilson)
John Hussain (Reynolds)
Cyrus Januarie (Kadyampakeni)
Kondwani Kamsikiri (Kadyampakeni)
Kelly Laplante (Golmohammadi)
Kendall Mackin (Maltais-Landry)
Linsey McFadden (Maltais-Landry)
Tyler "Intyre" McKee (Golmohammadi)
Mary Moffett (Babaeian)
Jacob Stevens (Wright)
Emily Weaver (Wilkie)
Interdisciplinary Ecology
(School of Natural Resources & Environment)
(Advisors in parentheses)
Andre Brebion (Osborne)
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
(Advisors in parentheses)
Lucas Anrecio (Maltais-Landry)
Stacy Smith (Maltais-Landry)
Soil and Water Sciences
(Advisor in parentheses)
Mengzi Zhang (Li)
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
(Advisors: Bonczek & Sisk)
Izabelle Young, Soil Science specialization
Interdisciplinary Studies: Environmental Management in Agriculture and Natural Resources
(Advisors: Enloe, Fletcher & Sisk)
Sienna Ahlers
Kristen Arthur
Jason Eaton
Giuseppe Masiero Caldas
Samantha Miller
Jeffrey Naeyaert
Emily Patterson
Christopher Rackley
Cheyenne Sikes
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
Sophie Blews
Riley Sauter
Soil and Water Sciences
Caila Duray
Sarah Laboda
Biodegradation and Bioremediation
(Advisor: Daroub)
Megan Withiam
Soil Ecosystem Services
(Advisor: Strauss)
Timothy Thibault
Soil, Water, and Public Health
(Advisor: Meyer)
Erin Phelps
Sustainable Land Resource and Nutrient Management
(Advisor: Daroub)
Ganga Chakraborty
Wetland and Water Resource Management
(Advisor: Clark)
Lindy Bates
Elizabeth Blessing
Linsey McFadden
Intyre McKee
Dante Palumbo
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
Renan Becker (Nunes)
Shalom Sapkota (Bhadha)
Interdisciplinary Ecology (via SNRE)
Harrison Hobbs (Osborne)
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
Shelby Beck (Daroub-temporary)
Maximus "Max" Chou (Lusk)
Tasha Dailey (Daroub-temporary)
Angelina Galletta (Daroub-temporary)
Callie Hathorn (Daroub-temporary)
Lindsay Hoffmeister (Daroub-temporary)
Thelma Okoli (Daroub-temporary)
Tiffany Petersen (Daroub-temporary)
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
(Advisors: Bonczek & Sisk)
Abigaile Cavalleri (Soil Science specialization)
Madison King (Soil Science specialization)
Interdisciplinary Studies: Environmental Management in Agriculture and Natural Resources
(Advisors: Enloe, Fletcher & Sisk)
Richmond Abellera
Matthew Fasig
Julio Gomez
Jude Kempany
Tyler King
Mariel Mendoza
Diego Osorio
Styng Turrill
Dr. Jango Bhadha was awarded a five-year $1,030,587 grant from the USDA NRCS to work on Conservation Efforts Assessment Projects within South Florida, such as the effects of cover crops, crop rotation, and application of amendments to improve soil and environmental quality within the Everglades Agricultural Area.
Laura Cano Castro (Schumann & Strauss) received the Dr. Rafael and Mrs. J. Fe Padron de Angulo Scholarship from the UF Association of Hispanic Alumni.
Oluwasegun John Olubisi (Lusk & Kadyampakeni) received the Best Poster Presentation Award in the Ph.D. category at the 2025 SNRE Research Symposium.
Finella Campanino (Reynolds & Barry), awarded the 2026 Florida Sea Grant Guy Harvey Fellowship.
Monika Peddapuli (Kadyampakeni) won third place in the Poster Presentation at the UF/IFAS Inter REC Poster Competition at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Her research poster topic was evaluating variable zinc rates for the resilience of HLB-affected citrus trees.
Kondwani Kamsikiri, Monika Peddapuli, and Duplicate Sambani (all advised by Kadyampakeni) are recipients of a Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association Scholarship.
Saba Shaghaghi (Golmohammadi), Seyed Mostafa Biazar Seighalani (Golmohammadi), Nikhil Deep (Babaeian), and Shuo Chen (Reisinger postdoc) received a UF Water Institute Travel Award.
Noor Basar, Yasmeen Saleem, and Duplicate Sambani (all advised by Kadyampakeni) received Davidson Graduate Student Travel Scholarships from CALS.
Duplicate Sambani (Kadyampakeni) was selected for the 2025 Graduate Student Leadership Conference at the ASA/CSSA/SSSA annual meeting.
The Soil, Water, and Nutrient Management Lab (Bhadha) at the Everglades REC took part in The Florida Rice Growers’ Training and Field Day on August 21, 2025. More than 40 stakeholders and scholars attended the event which covered topics related to plant nutrition, pest prevention, and soil sustainability.
(formerly the Tri-Societies Conference):
Seyed Mostafa Biazar Seighalani received the Resilience Award from the Range Cattle Research and Education Center. Seyed earned his Ph.D. this semester, focusing on Hydrology and Watershed Management under the guidance of his faculty advisor, Dr. Golmar Golmohammadi. He is pictured below (middle) with RC-REC Director Dr. Brent Sellers (left) and co-recipient Joao Lazarin.
Congratulations to Miurel Brewer (MS 2014, PhD 2023) for being recognized by Hispanic Heritage en SWFL during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Melissa Santiesteban, interdisciplinary studies: environmental management in agriculture and natural resources major, spent the fall semester in Costa Rica as a CIEE Latin America Student Fellow. CIEE is a nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization.
2025 V.W. Carlisle Fellowship
2025 George Hochmuth Education Enrichment Award
2025 Sam Polston Fellowship
2025 William Robertson Fellowship
2025 Ben Skulnick Fellowship
2025 Woodruff Family Scholarship
2025 SWES UF Soil Environmental Modeling Award
2026 Biogeochemistry Graduate Fellowship Award
Donald A. Graetz Education Award
Frederick Smith Award
George J. Hochmuth Education Award
View the Awards Banquet photo album.
Jade Hua received a Sustainability Scholars research award for spring 2026 from the UF Sustainability Studies Program. Dr. Sabine Grunwald is her undergraduate honors thesis advisor.
Doris Lowe and Earl and Verna Lowe Scholarship
Agricultural Women's Club Scholarship
Vermelle C. "Vam" York Agricultural Scholarship
Brelan E. Moritz Scholarship
Edward E. Fischer Scholarship
Orange County Farm Bureau Scholarship
Suwannee River Resource, Conservation, and Development Council Scholarship
Florida Rural Rehabilitation Corporation Scholarship
Doris Lowe and Earl and Verna Lowe Scholarship
Dr. Nikos Tziolas, assistant professor of soil science artificial intelligence, participated in a Florida House of Representatives “AI Week” hearing in early December. He spoke to members of the Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee on the use of AI in emergency management and natural disasters.
In his testimony, Dr. Tziolas highlighted a key challenge facing Florida: the state has vast amounts of environmental and agricultural data, but growers and emergency managers who need it most can't find it or the information is in an unusable form.
"The problem is not a lack of data or AI models," he said, "but the difficulty of turning those resources into practical, timely insight for real-world decisions."
To address this gap, Dr. Tziolas introduced GAIA Bot, a conversational AI system that allows users to interact with satellite data using plain language. Instead of navigating complex dashboards or GIS tools, users can ask simple questions about crop damage, vegetation changes, or storm impacts. GAIA Bot automatically retrieves relevant satellite imagery, applies analytical models, and returns maps and clear, plain-language summaries. This gives small growers, who only have a smartphone, access to the same analytical power as large operations.
The system works by interpreting user intent, extracting key details such as location and event timing, analyzing trusted satellite data, and translating technical results into useful insights.
"Florida has an opportunity to lead in defining trustworthy, transparent, and user-centered AI for disaster response and agriculture," Tziolas emphasized. "We can set the standards that prioritize accessibility and real-world usefulness."
The UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station caught Dr. Mark Clark, associate professor of wetland ecology, with members of the Wetland Biogeochemistry Lab and several Gator Corps members who joined in the 2025 Coastal Cleanup at Cedar Key. They maneuvered into hard-to-reach spots by canoe, hauling leftover debris from Hurricane Helene out of the mangroves and marshes. Thank you, Dr. Clark, Serena Brown, Amaya Borroto, Dante Del Rosario, Isabelle Findell, Garrett Jones, and Sean Westley, for all your hard work!
