Capping off a Great Summer!
Patrick Marty spent the summer between his junior and senior years of high school doing an internship in our lab. He helped with a lot of lab work as part of the organic grains soil health project, and learned a lot of new techniques and how a research lab operates. The end of the internship program was a poster session with his fellow high school scholars. Patrick’s poster was a hit, and we can’t wait to see what he does in the future!
Congratulations Yanyu!
Yanyu was selected for the Richard D. Powell Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a graduate student in soil fertility. Congratulations!
A Visit from the Soil Science Society of America Board of Directors
The board of directors of SSSA came to visit the department and took a tour of our lab. Lab members gave brief summaries of their research projects and we showed off our space and equipment. It was great to have soil scientists from many different fields and institutions come to visit, and we hope to see them again!
Photo credits: Samira H. Daroub
(7/31/2025)
Showcasing Research Excellence at the Dairy Symposium!
We are proud to share that Josh and Mitch presented their exciting research at the Dairy Symposium at our Memorial Union! Mitch won second place in the poster competition for his poster titled From slurry to soil: investigating the effects of acidified manure and dicyandiamide-treated
manure on nitrogen and Phosphorus dynamics.
Josh also delivered an excellent presentation showcasing his work on Agronomic and environmental benefits of novel manure solid-liquid separation, sparking great discussion and interest from attendees. Fantastic job to both of you!
(05/14/2025)
Congratulations!
Ella was selected for a Merlin E. Silverthorn scholarship through the College of Letters & Sciences! This great scholarship provides one-time awards to high-achieving students who are pursuing majors in the physical sciences, the biological sciences, computer sciences, or mathematics. We’re proud of you, Ella!
(05/09/2025)
A New Master!
Congratulations to Josh, who has successfully completed his Master’s! Today, he gave a great MS seminar entitled “Evaluating the effects of solid manure products on soil nitrogen dynamics in a silage corn system.” Josh will rejoin the Zhu-Barker Lab as a PhD student in 2025 Spring. Bravo, Josh!
(12/19/2024)
Welcome!
Confucius once said, “Is it not a joy to have friends coming from afar?” Today, we are delighted to welcome Peidan, a visiting PhD student from Northwest A&F University in China. With her expertise in Grassland Science, Peidan joins us for a six-month stay in the Zhu-Barker lab. We are excited about the fresh perspectives and innovative ideas she will contribute during her time with us!
(12/16/2024)
Congratulations!
Yanyu won 2nd place in graduate student competitions for the Nutrients and Environmental Quality community during the 2024 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in San Antonio. His presentation was titled Crossroad of Nitrate: How Deep Can Climate-Smart Practices Influence Denitrification in Soils? Well-done, Yanyu!
(11/16/2024)
Let’s go to Devil’s Lake!
Here comes fall again, and this year, Zhu-Barker Lab had a great time hiking and having a picnic at Devil’s Lake State Park with Dr. Huang’s lab! Do you know that the formation of Devil’s Lake is related to glacier movement? Free lectures from the two PIs of the Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences!
(10/05/2024)
Congratulations!
Dr. Xia Zhu-Barker’s research group has received a USDA NIFA grant through the Organic Agriculture Program. The title of the project is Developing Guidelines For Organic Grain Growers To Manage Soil Health And Mitigate Climate Change Impacts. The award amount is $997,301. Information can be found here. It was among 30 projects sharing NIFA’s $50.5 million investment. Now we have new positions for cool people to join us!
(09/02/2024)
Welcome!
Gryffindor? No…Ravenclaw? No…Slytherin? No… Hufflepuff! A new badger has come! Mitchell Wodrich has started his MS program in Soil Science while working as an RA in Zhu-Barker Lab. We Got Wodrich!
(08/26/2024)
Two scholarships received!
(07/30/2024)
Grant awarded!
(04/01/2024)
Fall is coming…with apple picking!
What do you think of the fall in Wisconsin? Colorful forests or sweet pumpkins? The answer from Zhu-Barker lab is an apple-picking adventure at Stutter’s Ridge Farm with the Freedman lab! In Wisconsin, it’s definitely a “thing to do”! And be careful with the Camero apple, cause it tastes like “Perfume”(by Dr. Zhu-Barker)/ “Air freshener” (by Yanyu) / “A car” (by Vincent).
(10/22/2023)
Agronomy-Soils Field Day!
On Aug 30, Zhu-Barker lab went to UW-Arlington Agricultural Research Station to give an outreach to the locals! You can find Dr. Zhu-Barker and Josh Mirabella giving a concise presentation named Assessing manure-based products’ impact on silage corn nitrogen dynamics and environmental footprint. at stop 4. A good practice of the Wisconsin Idea!
(09/01/2023)