Carmen Ugarte
Dr. Ugarte’s is an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and the Project Administrator of the Illinois Organic Project that is one of ASAP’s priority projects.
Her research focuses on understanding the effects of soil management practices on soil quality and function. She is especially interested in studying the dynamics of soil food webs and their influence on soil ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and the regulation of population densities of deleterious soil organisms. Our ability to gain insight on these relationships and processes is fundamental to improving soil management and ensuring sustainability of our natural resources. Her work includes basic and applied research at different scales (e.g., experimental and replicated trials, on-farm research) at the regional and national levels in agronomic and natural systems.
Zhongie Yu
Is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
His research interests lie at the intersection of watershed hydrology, nitrogen biogeochemistry, and sustainable agriculture. He is also interested in developing and applying novel stable isotope techniques to understand water and nutrient cycling in hydrologic and agricultural systems. In addition to research, he teaches courses in Soil and Water Conservation, Aquatic Biogeochemistry, and Topics in Isotope Hydro-Biogeochemistry
Joy O’Keef
Joy O’Keefe, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Wildlife Extension Specialist at the University of Illinois. Dr. O’Keefe’s lab conducts research that facilitates the coexistence of wildlife and humans in human-altered landscapes. They focus on bats, working to understand roosting and foraging ecology, identify best practices for studying bat ecology, characterize bat behaviors, and assess the quality of mitigation practices designed to help bats.
Chloe Wardropper
As an assistant professor in NRES Chole is as an interdisciplinary natural resources social scientists studying how people and organizations make decisions on working landscapes. Her research team focuses primarily on the nexus of water and multifunctional working lands (e.g., mixed-use watersheds that may include agricultural, urban, and mining land uses). They work to advance landscape governance by understanding: institutional and individual drivers of sustainable practices, the role of science in decision-making, and opportunities for effective and inclusive governance.
Alums
Steve John
The late Steve John was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Agricultural Watershed Institute (AWI), a nonprofit organization established in 2003. AWI’s mission is to conduct research and educational programs on practices and policies that improve water quality, maintain or restore ecosystem health, and conserve land and water resources in agricultural watersheds. A major focus of AWI’s recent work is on perennial biomass crops for co-production of agricultural goods and environmental services, including water quality, soil health, wildlife habitat, and climate mitigation/adaptation. Prior to AWI’s formation, Mr. John was an environmental consultant specializing in water quality planning. From 1987 to 1995, he served on the Decatur (Illinois) City Council. He has long been active in watershed management to protect Lake Decatur and has served on the Decatur City Plan Commission and the core group for the Decatur Sustainability Plan. He is currently on the board of the Macon County Community Environmental Council and the steering committees of the Green Land Blue Waters Consortium and the Midwest Conservation Biomass Alliance. He has a BA in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.
Bryan Endres
bendres@illinois.edu
(217) 333-1828
Bryan Endres is a Professor of Food and Agricultural Law in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Endres studies the impact of law throughout food and bio-products supply chains and develops solutions to improve regulatory outcomes. He is active in the Bock
Leslie Duram
duram@siu.edu
(618) 453-6084
Leslie Duram is a Professor of Geography at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Director of the Environmental Studies Program since 2012. She is a Fulbright Scholar and conducts research on organic farming systems and environmental sustainability. With more than 50 journal articles and peer-reviewed publications to her credit, her academic range encompasses local food, alternative agriculture, environmental education, sustainability, water quality, and grassroots participation in environmental management. A frequent lecturer, writer, and speaker, Duram shares her commitment to sustainable food systems development with students, researchers and farmers across the planet.