We Measure The World

Texturing and analyzing soil in the field isn't all infiltrometers and digital sensors—you've got to get your hands dirty, too. Join us as University of Idaho graduate students MaryBeth Gavin and Paul Tietz discuss the exciting community of collegiate soil judging. Learn about the challenges in categorizing and documenting soils, even in difficult weather, and how those skills are supporting the n...

Sustainable irrigation starts with understanding how water moves through the entire system. Every interaction—from where it originates to where it’s taken off, stored, or lost—influences a crop’s ability to survive, especially in arid regions like Utah, USA and Punjab, India, where every drop matters. In this episode, PhD candidate Tejinder Singh joins us to discuss his research in soil hydraulics...

Scientific advancements only matter if they reach the people and places they’re meant to benefit. That’s why Dr. Jake Mowrer and other Extension Professors in Texas A&M’s AgriLife program work to bring the university’s research on soil nutrients and water management directly to the Texas community who can use it. Join Jake as he discusses new insights on effectively implementing biochar, under...

The story of the energy transition is told in many languages: meter-scale satellite imagery, hyperlocal atmospheric data, ecological sustainability studies, infrastructure sustainability studies and more. Understanding the full story requires researchers to harmonize data collected across political lines and scientific disciplines at different scales, on varying platforms, and by organizations wit...

Kai-Julian Hendler is a geotechnical consulting engineer at Boley Geotechnik in Munich, Germany. He holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering, with a specialization in geotechnical engineering from the University of Lisbon. Over the past 8 years working at Boley Geotechnik, he has been a site engineer on port construction projects in South Africa, Guinea, and Australia. In his current role, he...

As a third-generation builder, Bryce Wuori has always been passionate about construction. To further this passion, he studied Construction Engineering at North Dakota State University and earned a Master of Project Management from the University of Mary. As the CEO and co-founder of Pavewise, Bryce believes that technology is key to the future success of the pavement and construction industry.

Lauren is a PhD candidate at Idaho State University focusing on plant physiological ecology. She received her bachelor’s and master’s in biological sciences from Cal Poly Pomona. She was a 2022, recipient of meters G.A. Harris Award. Her research has focused on long-term water storage in trees and its importance for whole tree water relations at both tree and ecosystem scales.

Dr. Matt Yost is an associate professor, associate department head, and agroclimate extension specialist at Utah State University. He obtained his PhD in applied Plant Science at the University of Minnesota, after which he spent several years doing post-doctoral research in Minnesota and Missouri. His research and extension efforts focus on water optimization in agriculture, soil health, precision...

Alex received his bachelors in Mathematics & Astrophysics from Oberlin College in 2018. He is currently a Hydrologic Science PhD candidate in the University of Wyoming Plant Physiological Ecology Laboratory. Alex’s research focuses on modeling and measuring the relationship between ecosystem-scale processes and plant physiology, especially as they relate to land management and disturbance. Ale...

Cecilia earned her bachelor’s degree in agronomic engineering from the University of Passo Fundo in Brazil. Cecilia was a recipient of the 2022 G.A. Harris Fellowship sponsored by METER Group. She is currently a PhD candidate in horticultural sciences at the University of Florida, where her focus is on grafted blueberry physiology and production. Her research centers on developing production syste...

Katie completed her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Technology at Colorado Mesa University, where she focused her studies on water quality and conservation. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Environmental Science at Brigham Young University. After that, she hopes to work in the industry for a few years before continuing to her PhD.

Dr. Kathleen (Kate) Smits is a professor at Southern Methodist University’s Lyles School of Engineering and the Solomon Professor for global development. Prior to SMU, she was a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and associate professor at the Colorado School of Mines and the US Air Force Academy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from the US Air Force Acad...

Stephen is a professor in the department of geology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. He obtained his bachelors in geology and earth science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his PhD in geology from North Carolina State University. He teaches classes in structural geology, geomorphology, and field geology, and his research projects have focused mostly on tropical la...

Sara received her masters in soils and geochemistry from UC Davis, and her doctorate in engineering sciences from La Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile. She is currently assistant professor at that same university, where she teaches courses in environmental biophysics and statistical methods, and soon, geology and soil sciences and soil conservation. Her research centers around lab and field...

Michael is a senior adjunct research fellow at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, Founder of Implexx Sense, and Director at Edaphic Scientific, an exclusive distributor of METER Group instruments. He obtained his doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of New South Wales. He previously worked as an ecohydrologist at the University of Western Sydney and was a pl...

Mason Stahl is the James M. Kenney Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Geosciences and Environmental Science, Policy and Engineering program. His research spans the fields of hydrogeology, geochemistry and water resources. I study how perturbations to the environment influence elemental cycling and the quality of our water resources. A main focus of my research ha...

Ning is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He obtained his bachelor’s in Geotechnical Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology, and both his master’s and doctorate in Civil Engineering at John Hopkins University. He is well-known internationally for his work on stresses in variably saturated porous media, with his primary research interest in s...

Erin is an Agricultural Engineer and Professor in the Department of Soil and Water Systems at the University of Idaho. He obtained his bachelors in Agricultural Engineering with a Soil and Water Engineering emphasis at Washington State University, and then went on to get his master’s from the University of Minnesota and doctorate from the University of Idaho, both specializing in Hydrologic Measur...

Saul Alarcon is an agronomist for Gradient Crop Yield Solutions with over 30 years of experience in agriculture. As part of the Morning Star Company, his research into plant health has been instrumental in developing crop models for growers. He obtained his Bachelors in biology with an emphasis in plant health from the Instituto Tecnológico de Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Mexico and recently received hi...

Dr. Darren Ficklin is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at Indiana University. He received his bachelor's in geological sciences at Indiana University, obtained his master's in geology at Southern Illinois University, and a Ph. D. in hydrologic Sciences at the University of California Davis. After completing his Ph. D., he stayed in California and did postdoctoral work at Santa...

Steve Blecker PhD is a research soil scientist with the Ag Experiment Station at Colorado State University. He obtained his Bachelor's at Penn State University and graduate degree in pathology at Colorado State University. His research focuses on sustainable agriculture, soil health, and range land restoration. Steve is actively involved in collaborative projects with the farming community and con...

Taylor Bacon is a Ph. D. student of soil and crop science at Colorado State University. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University with a focus on energy and the environment and a minor in sustainable energy. As a Ph. D. candidate, she is researching nature-based climate solutions, land-use emissions, and food/energy systems. Podcast Transcript: BR...