Research

TRESS supports mentored undergraduate research in soil science by providing:

104 hours of student wages at $10/h
$1000 in funding for research

Participants will be required to present their research findings at the annual UTRGV Engaged Scholar Symposium (ES2) and/or UTRGV College of Sciences Research Conference.

Outstanding students will also present their research at the annual meeting of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA).

Students interested in soil science research should identify a faculty-mentor to jointly develop the research project.

Faculty Mentors

Personnel	E-mail	Expertise
Dr. Engil Pereira, Assistant Professor	engil.pereira@utrgv.edu	Microbial soil ecology and efficient nutrient cycling.
Dr. James Kang, Associate Professor	jihoon.kang@utrgv.edu	Soil chemistry and nutrient management.
Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng, Associate Professor	chulin.cheng@utrgv.edu	Soil physics and water resources management.
Dr. Mirayda Torres-Avila, Lecturer	mirayda.torresavila@utrgv.edu	Horticulture and Agronomy
Dr. Bradley Christoffersen, Assistant Professor	bradley.christoffersen@utrgv.edu	Plant-water relations
Dr. Alejandro Fierro Cabo, Associate Professor	alejandro.fierrocabo@utrgv.edu	Restoration Ecology
Dr. Christopher Gabler, Assistant Professor	christopher.gabler@utrgv.edu	Plant ecology and climate change
Dr. Kristine Lowe, Professor	kristine.lowe@utrgv.edu	Environmental microbiology
Dr. Alexis Racelis, Associate Professor	alexis.racelis@utrgv.edu	Sustainable agricultural systems
Dr. Pushpa Soti, Assistant Professor	pushpa.soti@utrgv.edu	Cover crops and weed ecology

Training, Research, and Education in Soil Science (TRESS) School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences College of Sciences

Research

Faculty Mentors