The Sequestration: Lal Carbon Center Newsletter Spring 2024

Cover of 2024 Spring Newsletter

Welcome to the 2024 Spring Edition of The Sequestration, containing in-depth news about events at the Lal Carbon Center (formerly C-MASC) this season.

Please click here to access a PDF version of this newsletter or read on to access our digital version. 

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1. Top Stories

  1. Kansas State University hosted the second annual conference for the Carbon Farming Alliance for Research and Management (C-FARM) project on March 26th – 27th.

  2. Dr. Rattan Lal was privileged to be invited by Kansas State University Professor Nathan Nelson, Chair of Ellis Lecture Committee, to give the 2024 Rosco Ellis Jr. Lectureship in Soil Science on 

  3. The Lal Carbon Center would like to commend our colleague in the School of the Environment and Natural Resources Professor Nicholas Basta for his reappointment for 2023-2026 to the U.S.

  4. Soil Health at Ohio State University Extension has concluded a successful and educational Soil Health Webinar Series that ran from January 11 – March 7, 2024.

2. Quarterly Viewpoint

  1. From the Desk of Visiting Fellow Professor Toru Nakajima

    Carbon (C) credit, a system that assigns a monetary value to farmers for enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) stock through agricultural practices (e.g., Regenerative Agriculture), serves as a powerful tool for

3. Center Updates

  1. PhD students Anna Kolganova and Brittany Multer joined dozens of their peers at the Ohio State University Union on Friday, March 1st, for the 38th Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research forum.

  2. PhD students Anna Kolganova and Brittany Multer joined dozens of their peers at the Ohio State University Union on Friday, March 1st, for the 38th Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research forum.

  3. Lal Carbon Center graduate student has been selected for an American Concrete Institute (ACI) Foundation Fellowship

  4. (Left to right) Dr. Roger Williams, Dr. Matthew Hamilton, Dr. Rattan Lal and Panel Moderator Mike Estadt.	Photo by Duane Gandelot

    Nineteen extension agents at The Ohio State University from all over the state joined the Lal Carbon Center at Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory on April 10th for a Carbon Academy workshop.

  5. Dr. Sandhya Karki is working on the Sloan Foundation project dedicated to achieving net-zero emissions cropping systems across the Midwestern US through implementing best agricultural practices. Dr. Karki primarily evaluates the impact of integrated best agriculture practices on soil health. 

  6. Dr. Lal was very pleased to welcome Aman Anand, Senior Digital Partnerships Manager with Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail arm of the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services to Kottman Hall on March 5th, 2024.

  7. Dr. Lal gladly welcomed Dr. Luthor Smith, President of the Agro Science Foundation to Kottman Hall on April 5th, 2024. Dr. Smith brought news of the upcoming speaker for the Rattan Lal Climate Lectureship at the ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meeting on November 10-13, 2024.

  8. Congratulations to Regina Loayza for her recognition as a Distinguished Senior! Regina majored in Environmental Policy and Decision Making with a minor in Andean and Amazonian Studies. We are so grateful for her important contributions to the Lal Carbon Center during her time as a work study

4. Arrivals & Farewells

  1. Rebecca Chacko is thrilled to join the Lal Carbon Center as the Program Manager. Rebecca is returning to the university after a short break and spent 7 years in the College of Education and Human Ecology (EHE) Office of Research.

  2. During my tenure as a Data Science Researcher at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I engineered machine learning models, executed topological data analysis, and collaborated with geoscience experts to deliver comprehensive solutions.

  3. Noor Us Sabah holds a Ph.D. in Soil Science and possesses seven years of teaching and research experience in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences at the College of Agriculture in the University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.

  4. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors, Brennan, and we hope that you will keep in touch

5. The Lal Carbon Center Near & Far

  1. Jedda, Saudi Arabia — 9th January 2024

    At the invitation the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Dr. Lal was privileged to be a keynote speaker during the 2024 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) on January 9th. He presented Sustainable Management of Soil Health and

  2. Rabat, Morocco — 4 - 5th February 2024

    Dr. Lal presented Neglected and Under-Utilized Crop Species for Food and Climate Security at the MENA Regional Conference on Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species (NUS) on scheduled for February 5-6, 2024, in Rabat, Morocco, with

  3. Meknes, Morocco — 22nd April 2024

    Dr. Rattan Lal was honored to present at the 4th Annual Ministerial Conference of the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change (AAA) at the invitation of His Excellency Mohamed Sadiki, Minister of

  4. Columbus, Ohio —2nd May 2024

    Dr. Rattan Lal was honored to be selected as one of six recipients of the ENR Honorary 100 Award for 2024.

  5. Dr. Lal has been featured as a "soil hero" in the book Soil to Table and he has released an article entitled Unleashing AI: Revolutionizing 21st Century Agriculture in Agriculture World.

6. Quarterly Publications

  1. On-farm conservation agriculture practices effects on soil health and agronomic productivity in the Midwestern USA by Yadunath

  2. A list of books edited, refereed journals, chapters in multi-authored books and keynote presentations for the first quarter of 2024.