Spring 2025
February 3
Wendy Bohon, Branch Chief, California Geological Survey
February 24
Research Roundtable “Agriculture for the Future 1”
Faculty panelists: Sarah Kurtz, Andrea Joyce, Reza Ehsani
March 3
Ellen Preece, Senior Environmental Scientist, California Department of Water Resources
March 17
Xue Zhang, Research Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
March 10
Research Roundtable “Agriculture for the Future 2”
Faculty panelists: Rebecca Ryals, Srabani Das, Josue Medellin-Azuara and Thomas Harmon
March 31
Greg Barron-Gafford, Professor and Associate Director of the School Garden Workshop, University of Arizona
April 7
Research Roundtable “Climate Change and Society”
Faculty panelists: Paul Almeida, John Abatzoglou, and Paul Almeida
April 14
Melinda Adams, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas
April 21
Research Roundtable “Sustainability of Fresh and Salt-water Ecosystems”
Faculty panelists: Sora Kim, Erin Hestir, Michael Beman
April 28
Melissa Foley, Program Science Director, San Francisco Estuart Institute
May 12
Cynthia Gerlein-Safdi, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley
Fall 2024
September 23
"Navigating the Cascade of Sociohydrological Tipping Points: Reflections on the Intersectionality of Policy, Technology, & Nature"
Joshua Viers – Professor and Associate Vice Chancellor of Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives, UC Merced
October 9
"Pursuing Wild Microbes: How Microbiome Interactions and Ecophysiological Traits Shape the Persistence of Soil Carbon"
Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
October 21
Hannah Waterhouse, UC Santa Cruz
November 18 - Online
"Agri-voltaic system for PV generation and crop production from a single land unit"
Priyabrata Santra, Central Arid Zone Research Institute
December 2
"Building climate resilience in post-fire landscapes through geochemical observations and community engagement"
Jackie Pena, UC Davis
Spring 2024
January 22
"The Practice of Ecological Engineering with Water in Two Case Studies"
Paul Frank, Flow West
February 5
"Sensors for Detecting Biotic and Abiotic Stress in Plants"
Reza Ehsani, UC Merced
March 4
Kendra Baumgartner, USDA
March 18
"Wildland Fuels: Questions that need answering"
Jonathan Greenberg, University of Nevada, Reno
April 1
"Exploring mosquito-pathogen interactions within the framework of microbial control and the implications of a changing climate"
Jose Luis Ramirez, USDA
April 15
"Regional precipitation changes under global warming"
Akintomide Akinsanola, University of Illinois Chicago
April 29
"Bridging the Gap between Fabrication Methods and Microstructure of Porous Electrodes in Electrochemical Devices”
Jay Sui, University of Victoria
Fall 2023
August 28
"Introduction to DELTA Science Program"
Aaron Angel, Delta Stewardship Council
September 11
"Moving the Needle: Why do Mercury Interventions Take So Long to Reduce Mercury in Fish?"
Kahlil Abusaba, WSP USA Corp.
September 25
"Progress Toward Sustainable Energy and Opportunities for You to Help"
Sarah Kurtz, UC Merced
October 9
"The Deep History of People and Ecosystem Change in Eastern Africa: Evolutionary to Contemporary Views"
Kendra Chritz, University of British Columbia
October 16
"The Role of Dairy Manure Management and Land Application in Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions in California"
Michael Rodriguez
October 23 - in ADMIN 350
"Scaling Up and Skilling Up at the ABPDU"
James Gardner, Lawrence Berkeley Lab
November 6
“Pliocene climate of the northern tropical Andes”
Lina C. Pérez-Angel, Brown University
December 4
Plamen Atanassov, UC Irvine
Spring 2023
January 20: Organizational - syllabi review
January 27: Russell Callahan, UC Santa Cruz, Faculty Host: Claire Lukens
February 3: David Dralle USFS, (Davis office), Faculty Host: Claire Lukens
February 10: Hannah Palmer, GSA-USGS Congressional Fellow, Faculty Hosts: Claire Lukens/Sora Kim
February 17: Darshan Karwat, Arizona State, Faculty Host: Sam Markolf
February 24: Rebecca Lybrand, UC Davis, Faculty Host: Claire Lukens
March 3: Sharon Bywater-Reyes, University of Northern Colorado, Faculty Host: Claire Lukens
March 10: Dana Chadwick, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, Faculty Host: Claire Lukens (Zoom link)
March 17: Matt Hutchinson, UC Merced, Host: Claire Lukens
March 24: Marilia Gaiarsa, UC Merced, Host: Claire Lukens
April 7: Aditi Mukherji, IWMI-Delhi, Faculty Host: Safeeq Khan
April 14: Lejo Flores Boise State, Faculty Host: Safeeq Khan -POSTPONED
April 21: Sarah Aarons Scripps/UCSD, Faculty Host: Claire Lukens
April 28: Jennifer Pett-Ridge, LLNL, Faculty Host: Claire Lukens -- POSTPONED
Fall 2022
January 19, 2022: Organizational - syllabi review
January 26, 2022: Marta Berbe-Blazquez - ASU - Faculty host: Sam Markolf
February 2, 2022: Mojtaba Sadegh - Boise State Univ - Faculty host: John Abatzoglou
February 9, 2022: Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida - UCS - Faculty host: Angel Santiago Fernandez Bou
February 16, 2022: Jennifer Adam - Washington State University - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
February 23, 2022: Oriana Chegwidden - Carbon Plan - Faculty host: John Abatzoglou
March 2, 2022: Daniel Eisenberg - Naval Postgrad School - Faculty host: Sam Markolf
March 9, 2022: Rebecca Ryals - UC Merced - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
March 16, 2022: Kristina Dahl - UCS, San Francisco - Faculty host: John Abatzoglou
March 23, 2022: Spring break
March 30, 2022: Laurel Larsen - UC Berkeley - Faculty host: Josué MedellÍn-Azaura
April 6, 2022: Lauren McPhillips - Penn State - Faculty host: Sam Markolf
April 13, 2022: Yuval Burstyn - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) - Faculty host: Claire Lukens
April 20, 2022: Daniel Kammen - UC Berkeley
April 27, 2022: Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy - Georgia Institute of Technology
May 4, 2022: Bryan Pivovar - National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
May 11, 2022: Jason Kelley - US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS)
Fall 2021
August 25, 2021: Cancelled
September 1, 2021: Introduction - syllabi review
September 8, 2021: ES Faculty presentations - part 1
September 15, 2021: ES Faculty presentations - part 2
September 22, 2021: Sam Markolf - UC Merced - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
September 29, 2021: Clair Lukens - UC Merced - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
October 6, 2021: Xuan Zhang - UC Merced - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
October 13, 2021: Adeyemi Adebiyi - UC Merced - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
October 20, 2021: Scott Bradford - USDA Davis, ARS, Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Unit, Davis - Faculty host: Teamrat Ghezzehei
October 27, 2021: Bart Nijssen - University of Washington - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
November 3, 2021: Nathalie Voisin - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - Faculty host: Safeeq Khan
November 10, 2021: Arthur Chan - University of Toronto - Faculty host: Xuan Zhang
November 17, 2021: Kristy Kroeker - UC Santa Cruz - Faculty host: Mike Dawson
November 24, 2021: Thanksgiving break - no seminars
December 1, 2021: Yeowon Kim - Carlton University - Carleton University - Faculty host: Sam Markolf
December 8, 2021: Malcolm North - USDA-PSW Davis - Faculty host: Emily Moran
Spring 2021
January 20, 2021: Syllabus Review and Course introduction - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
January 27, 2021: Matto Mildenberger - UC Santa Barbara - "Will the effects of climate change reshape the politics of climate policy?" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
February 3, 2021: Kyle Davis - University of Delaware - "Large-scale land investments and their socio-environmental effects in the tropics" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
February 10, 2021: Fonna Forman - UC San Diego - "Climate Justice Here and Now: Practical Ethics for Urgent Times" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
February 17, 2021: Benis Egoh - UC Irvine - "Moving beyond ecosystem services as an argument for biodiversity conservation: lessons from IPBES" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
February 24, 2021: Asa Bradman - UC Merced - "20 Years and Strong: The CHAMACOS Community-University Partnership" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
March 3, 2021: Lauren Parker - UC Davis - "Saving Eden: What climate change could mean for California agriculture and what we can do about it." - Faculty host: John Abatzoglou
March 10, 2021: Julie Sze - UC Davis - "Situating Climate Justice and Sustainability: Connections, Convergence, and Confounding." - Faculty host: Roger Bales
March 17, 2021: Beth Rose Middleton - UC Davis - "Addressing Indigenous Environmental Injustice in California Water Policy" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
March 24, 2021: Spring Break - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
March 31, 2021: Thirtha Banerjee - UC Irvine - "A micrometeorological perspective into wildland fire dynamics" - Faculty host: Martha Conklin
April 7, 2021: Deepti Singh - Washington State University - "Influence of climate variability and change on concurrent regional droughts" - Faculty host: John Abatzoglou
April 14, 2021: Melissa Kenney - University of Minnesota - "Human-Environmental Decision Support Systems" - Faculty host: John Abatzoglou
April 21, 2021: Jim Mihelcic - University of South Florida - "Getting the Lead (Pb) Out: Health and Economic Benefits of Reducing Lead Exposure in Sub-Saharan Africa" - Faculty host: Joshua Viers
April 28, 2021: Tina Cannon Leahy - State Water Resource Control Board (Attorney IV) - "Never let a good crisis go to waste: lessons from SGMA on the art of the possible" - Faculty host: Josué Medellín-Azuara
May 5, 2021: David Pellow - UC Santa Barbara - " 'The Water was Black': Theorizing and Confronting Environmental Injustices in Carceral Institutions" - Faculty host: Roger Bales
Fall 2020
August 26, 2020: Syllabus Review and Course introduction - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
September 2, 2020: ES faculty presentations, part 1
September 9, 2020: ES faculty presentations, part 2
September 16, 2020: John Foran, UC Santa Barbara, “The Future of Revolutions: Intersectional Global Climate Justice as Humanity’s Best Hope” – Host: Roger Bales
September 23, 2020: Karletta Chief, University of Arizona, "Community Driven University Partnerships to Assess Exposures and Risk Perceptions of Diné Communities following the Gold King Mine Spill" - Host: Colleen Naughton
September 30, 2020: Clare Cannon, UC Davis, "Community-engaged environmental health disparities research in California's San Joaquin Valley" - Host: Roger Bales
October 7, 2020: Nicole Athearn, NPS, "Using Decision Science to Strengthen the Conservation Impact of Research" - Host: Jessica Blois
October 14, 2020: Camila Alvarez, UC Merced, “Military, Race, and Air Toxics: Exploring the Military’s Role in Producing Environmental Inequality in the United States” – Host: Roger Bales
October 21, 2020: Colleen Reid, CU Boulder, "Using machine learning to estimate population exposure to air pollution during wildfires and its associated health impacts" - Host: Xuan Zhang
October 28, 2020: Lemir Teron, State University of New York, “Environmental Justice in the Aftermath of COVID-19” – Host: Marie-Odile Fortier
November 4, 2020: Kevin Cromar, NYU, "Environmental Justice Indicator for Managing Local Air Pollution" – Host: Xuan Zhang
November 11, 2020: Veterans Day - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
November 18, 2020: Michael Mascarenhas, UC Berkeley, " Thirsty for Environmental Justice. Racialized Austerity and Michigan’s War over Urban Water" – Host: Roger Bales
November 25, 2020: Fall Break - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
December 2, 2020: Jesse Jenkins, Princeton University, "Clean electricity: the linchpin in a net-zero economy" - Host: Sarah Kurtz
December 9, 2020: AGU week - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
Spring 2020
January 22, 2020: Syllabus Review - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
January 29, 2020: Dr. Stu Weiss, Creekside Center for Earth Observation. Smog is Fertilizer: The Long and Winding Road from the Pages of Conservation Biology to a Regional Habitat Conservation Plan. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Rebecca Ryals
February 5, 2020: Dr. Judy Drexler, USGS California Water Science Center. Soils as a Key to Understanding Wetland Formation, Disturbance, and Sustainability. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Erin Hestir and Christiana Ade (PhD Student).
February 12, 2020: Dr. Manuela Girotto, UC Berkeley. Data Assimilation of Terrestrial Water Storage, Snow, and Soil Moisture: Challenges and Opportunities. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Roger Bales
February 19, 2020: Dr. Angel Fernandez Bou, UC Merced. How leaf-cutter ant nests change soil CO2 dynamics in Neotropical rainforests
& Dr. Jing Yan, UC Merced. What lies beneath? Towards an integrative understanding plant feedbacks to the mismatched distribution of soil resources.
February 26, 2020: Dr. Alexander Petersen, Management of Complex Systems, UC Merced. Discrepancy in scientific authority and media visibility of climate change scientists and contrarians. Host: Dr. Mike Dawson
March 4, 2020: Dr. Thomas Kirchstetter, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, Berkeley Lab. Quantifying in-use performance of diesel truck pollutant emission controls, and Community-wide black carbon air pollution sensor networks to support AB617 efforts in California. Host: Dr. Marc Beutel.
March 11, 2020: Dr. Paul Selmants, USGS Western Geographic Physical Scientist. Ecosystem carbon balance in the Hawaiian Islands under different scenarios of land use and climate change. Host: Dr. Stephen C. Hart.
March 18, 2020: Speaker canceled. No public seminar.
March 25, 2020: SPRING RECESS - NO SEMINAR
April 1, 2020: Speaker canceled. No public seminar.
April 8, 2020: No public seminar. Speaker rescheduled for Fall 2020
April 15, 2020: No public seminar. Speaker rescheduled for Fall 2020
April 22, 2020: No public seminar. Speaker rescheduled for Fall 2020
April 29, 2020: No public seminar. Speaker rescheduled for Fall 2020
May 6, 2020: No public seminar. Speaker rescheduled for Fall 2020
Fall 2019
August 28, 2019: Dr. Maria J. Santos, University of Zurich. Biodiversity and Social-ecological Co-evolution in the Context of Global Change. (Read Abstract and Bio) Host: Dr. Erin Hestir.
September 4, 2019: Syllabus Review - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
September 11, 2019: Dr. Kevin Orner, UC Berkley. Addressing Multiple Sustainable Development Goals and Grand Challenges through Nutrient Management. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Colleen Naughton.
September 18, 2019: Jon Reiter, Cavalrei. Water in the Agricultural Sector. (Read Abstract and Bio) Host: Dr. Josué Medellin-Azuara.
September 25, 2019: Dr. John Callaway, Delta Science Program and Delta Stewardship Council. Applying Science to Management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Estuary. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Josué Medellin-Azuara.
October 2, 2019: Dr. Aradnha Tripati, UC Los Angeles. Glacial Climate from Clumped Isotope Thermometry. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Asmeret Berhe.
October 9, 2019: Mid-semester reflection & evaluation - NO PUBLIC SEMINAR
October 16, 2019: Dr. Nancy Love, University of Michigan. Environmental Engineering and Science Academic Scholarship in Service to Society: Our Role and Responsibility. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Colleen Naughton.
October 23, 2019: Dr. Ryan Peek, UC Davis. Bridging Troubled Waters: Merging Disciplines for Conservation in Freshwater Ecosystems. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Joshua Viers.
October 30, 2019: Dr. Samantha Ying, UC Riverside. The Many Faces of Manganese: an Under-recognized Contaminant & Driver of Biogeochemical Cycles. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Rebecca Ryals.
November 6, 2019: Dr. Marie-Odile Fortier. From Bioenergy to Ocean Energy, Location Affects the Life Cycle Climate Change Impacts of Emerging Energy Systems. (Read Abstract and Bio)
November 13, 2019: SEMINAR CANCELED
November 20, 2019: Dr. Max J. Krause, US EPA. Five Days in EPA’s Office of Research and Development. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Marie-Odile Fortier.
November 27, 2019: THANKSGIVING - NO SEMINAR
December 4, 2019: Dr. Chelsea Carey, Point Blue Conservation Science. Restoration and sustainability of California's Rangelands. (Read Abstract and Bio). Host: Dr. Stephen C. Hart.
December 11, 2019: Dr. Ralf Zimmermann, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Rostock, Germany and Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany, New methods and instruments for accessing the composition, sources and health-relevance of aerosols: From lung cell exposure-based biological effects analysis to single-particle laser mass spectrometry (Read Abstract and Bio). Hosts: Dr. Fabian V. Filipp & Dr. Wolfgang F. Rogge.
Dr. Zimmermann's talk will be followed by the End of Semester Discussion for students taking the class.
Spring 2019
January 23, 2019: No speaker (introduction to the course).
January 30, 2019: Dr. Emily Moran and Dr. Jay Sexton, UC Merced. Plant Ecology and Evolution Research at UC Merced (read Abstract and Bio ò). Host: ES Lead Group.
February 6, 2019: Dr. Catherine Keske, UC Merced. Sustainable Biomass and Waste Management in Canada's Semi-Arctic and Boreal Ecosystems (read Abstract and Bio). Host: ES Lead Group.
February 13, 2019: Dr. Jay Lund, UC Davis. California's water future and the mission of scholarship and the university (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Josue Medellín-Azuara.
February 20, 2019: Dr. Ross Vander Vorste, UC Berkeley. Extreme drought impacts California’s endangered coho salmon: Is there a silver lining? (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Josh Viers.
February 27, 2019: Dr. Paolo D'Odorico, UC Berkeley. Water controls on food and energy security (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Martha Conklin.
March 6, 2019: No speaker (mid-semester discussion).
March 13, 2019: Closed session for enrolled students.
March 20, 2019: Dr. Eion Brodie, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Microbial life in soil: Signatures of niche adaptation and their application (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Sam Traina.
March 27, 2019: No class (Spring Break).
April 3, 2019: Dr. Susan Zimmerman (LLNL). Bad Droughts, Big Flood: How well do we know the Medieval period in California? (read Abstract and Bio) Host: Sora Kim. Luncheon at SE2 102, 11:00 am.
April 10, 2019: Dr. Renata Brillinger (CalCAN). Climate Smart Agriculture in California (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Rebecca Ryals.
April 17, 2019: no speaker.
April 24, 2019: Dr. Christine Lee (JPL). Of microscopes and satellites: engineering innovations to improve water quality and ecosystem monitoring for sustainable water and coastal resource management (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Erin Hestir.
May 1, 2019: Dr. Kingsley Odigie (UC Riverside). Pyrogenic Remobilization and Fate of Toxic Trace Elements (read Abstract and Bio). Host: ES Lead Group.
May 8, 2019: no speaker (end of the semester discussion).
Fall 2018
August 29, 2018: Dr. Alex Hall, UCLA. Projections of climate change in California's Sierra Nevada (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Asmeret Berhe.
September 5, 2018: Dr. Leopoldo Mendoza-Espinosa, UABC-Ensenada. Achieving reclaimed water reuse in a drought-prone city in northern Mexico (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Josue Medellín-Azuara.
September 12, 2018: UC Merced Postdoc Showcase: Dr. Bennett Widyolar, Dr. Lauren Schiebehut and Dr. Fernanda Santos (read Abstract and Bio). Host: ES Lead Group.
September 19, 2018: Dr. Richard Luthy, Stanford. Sustainable Urban Water Supply for Semi-arid Cities (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Tom Harmon.
September 26, 2018: Dr. Maya Almaraz. Nitrogen and sustainable food systems (read Abstract and Bio). Host: Rebecca Ryals.
October 3, 2018: No seminar.
October 10, 2018: Dr. Natasha Stavros. Host: Erin Hestir.
October 17, 2018: Dr. Akula Venkatram. Methane emissions from California agriculture. Host: Mark Matsumoto.
October 24, 2018: Dr. Sarah Kurtz. Innovations in solar research. Host: ES Lead Group.
October 31, 2018: Dr. Aric Mine. The role of microbes in Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. Host: Sora Kim.
November 7, 2018: Dr. LeRoy Westerling. Wildfire in California. Host: ES Lead Group.
November 14, 2018: Dr. Van Butsic. Environmental impacts of illegal cannabis. Host: Sam Traina.
November 21, 2018: No seminar.
November 28, 2018: Dr. Nigel Quinn. Cyberinfrastructure for real-time water quality decision support in the San Joaquin River Basin.
Spring 2018
The seminar organizer during this semester was Josué Medellín-Azuara (jmedellin-azuara@ucmerced.edu).
January 24: Kevin Simonin (SFSU) Genome downsizing drove physiological novelty and the rise of the flowering plants (Host: Stephen Hart)
January 31: Jeremy Wimpey (Applied Trails Research) Outdoor recreation management on Public Lands, balancing resource protection with recreation access (Host: Jeffrey Jenkins)
February 7: Susan Harrison (UC Davis) Winter Drought and Community Change in Californian Grasslands (Host: Jason Sexton)
February 14: Park Williams (Columbia University) The impact of human-caused warming on drought and forest fire in the western US (Host: Leroy Westerling)
February 21: Arnold Dekker (Australian National University) Design Considerations for An Aquatic Ecosystem Earth Observing System (Host: Erin Hestir)
February 28: Barbara Cade-Menun (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) Phosphorus Forms and Cycling in Soils and Other Environmental Samples (Host: Student Nomination/Stephen Hart)
March 7: Erin Hestir (UC Merced) Remote Sensing for Aquatic Ecosystem Sustainability (Host: ES Seminar Lead Group)
March 14: Jennifer Martiny (UC Irvine) The role of microbial communities in mediating ecosystem to environmental change (Host: Student Nomination/Mike Dawson)
March 21: Mark Rains (USF) Connecting the Dots: Hydrological Connectivity between Vernal Pools and Downgradient Waters (Host: Joshua Viers) – NOTICE: Held in Student Services Building (SSB) 170
March 28: No Seminar (Spring Break)
April 4: Jeffrey Mount (Public Policy Institute of California) Consequences of Groundwater Sustainability in California (Host: Joshua Viers) – NOTICE: Held in Student Services Building (SSB) 170
April 11: Nicola Ulibarri (UC Irvine) Collaborative Governance and Modeling for Managing Water Infrastructure (Host: Marc Beutel)
April 18: David Sandino (CA Department of Water Resources) Understanding the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Ecosystem and Water Supply. (Host Marc Beutel)
April 25: John Harte (UC Berkeley) Predicting the Fate of Ecosystems in the Anthropocene (Host: Asmeret Berhe)
May 2: Kurt Schwabe (UC Irvine) (Host: Roger Bales)
Fall 2017
The ES/ESS Seminar Series occurs weekly each semester during the academic year. Unless otherwise noted, all talks are from 12:30 to 2:00 pm in SSB 120. For questions about the seminar series, please contact Josué Medellín-Azuara (jmedellin-azuara@ucmerced.edu).
September 6: Katie Ferris (UC Davis) Of Mice and Mimulus: the genetic and phenotypic basis of adaptation to harsh environments (Host: Jay Sexton)
September 13: Fernanda Santos (UC Merced) Impacts of fire on soils and rivers (Host Asmeret Berhe); Dannise Ruiz-Ramos, and Lauren Schiebelhut (UC Merced) Tracking a mass mortality event along the California coast: tracing the genetic consequences of sea star wasting disease. (Host: Michael Dawson).
September 20: William Cooper (UC Irvine) Recent studies of NOM excited states in the photochemical (sunlight) fate of organic compounds and application in the design and optimization of constructed wetlands (Host: Thomas Harmon).
September 27: Ate Visser (Lawrence Livermore National Lab) Tracking Water through the Critical Zone using Isotopic Tracers (Host: Martha Conklin)
October 4: Alvar Escriva-Bou (Public Policy Institute California) Policy Priorities for California's Water Management (Host: Josué Medellín).
October 11: Benjamin Sullivan (University of Nevada, Reno) Biogeochemistry of Tropical Forests (Host: Steve Hart)
October 18: John Battles (UC Berkeley) Consequences of 100+ million dead trees: Has the Sierran conifer forest reached a tipping point? (Host: Emily Moran)
October 25: Shazeen Attari (Indiana University) Misperceptions of water use and water systems (Host: Jessica Blois)
November 1: Neslihan Taş (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) Deep look into deep permafrost: Impact of warming on microbial functions. (Host: Teamraat Ghezzahei)
November 8: Anne Hansen (Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua) Development of strategies to evaluate methods of controlling eutrophication in water bodies (Host: Marc Beutel)
November 15: Fernando Rosario-Ortiz (University of Colorado Boulder) Assessing the Impact of Wildfires on Water Quality (Host: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe)
November 22: No seminar (Thanksgiving break)
November 29: Mark Marvin-DiPasquale (USGS) Mercury Cycling in a West Coast Watershed: Historic and Contemporary Tales from the San Francisco Bay-Delta (Host: Student nomination/Peggy O’Day)
Spring 2017
January 25: Mengqiang (Mike) Zhu (University of Wyoming) Phosphorus Biogeochemical Transformation and Effects of Aeolian Dust Deposition during Long-term Soil Development in Semi-arid Ecosystems (Host: Stephen Hart)
February 1: Benjamin Sullivan (University of Nevada, Reno) Biogeochemistry of Tropical Forests (Host: Stephen Hart)
February 8: Jeremy Wimpey (Penn State University and Applied Trails Research) Outdoor recreation management on Public Lands, balancing resource protection with recreation access (Host: Jeffrey Jenkins).
February 15: Binayak Mohanty (Texas A&M) Soil Moisture Remote Sensing Across Space and Time – Scale Up and Scale Down (Host: Teamrat Ghezzehei)
February 22: Steven Sadro (UC Davis) Title: Exploring the climate sensitivity of Sierra Nevada lakes and the consequences of warming for ecosystem function (Host: Marc Beutel).
March 1: Jon Keeley (U.S. Geological Survey) Different future fire regimes in climate-limited vs. ignition-limited ecosystems (Host: Emily Moran)
March 8: Javier Ceja-Navarro (Lawrence Berkeley Lab) Arthropod-Microbiome Interactions and their Role in the Host's Success to Environmental Adaptation (Host: LeRoy Westerling)
March 15: Hoori Ajami (UC Riverside) Towards Improved Hydrologic Prediction using Integrated Land Surface-Groundwater Models (Host: UC Water)
March 22: Joe Wagenbrenner (U.S. Forest Service) Watershed impacts of wildfire and post-fire management (Host: Roger Bales)
April 5: Gara Villalba (UC Merced) Simulation of Carbonyl Sulfide (COS) to better understand the urban biosphere signal (Host: Elliott Campbell)
April 12: Scott Anderson (Northern Arizona University) Vegetation transitions along coastal California, from the last glaciation to the Euro-American period (Host: Stephen Hart)
April 19: Seema Sheth (UC Berkeley) Title TBD (Host: Jason Sexton)
April 26: Kurt Schwabe (UC Riverside) Title TBD (Host: UC Water)
Fall 2016
August 31: Rosemary Gillespie (UC Berkeley) Evolution of ecological communities through the lens of an island chronosequence. (Host: Dan Edwards/Jessica Blois)
September 7: Anne Kelly (UC Merced) Ecohydrological drivers of western US ecosystems. (Host: Martha Conklin)
September 14: Adrian Harpold (University of Nevada, Reno) Variable and unexpected hydrological response to changing snowpack dynamics: determining future winners and losers. (Host: UC Water and Roger Bales)
September 21: Josh Schimel (UC Santa Barbara) The biogeochemistry of drought. (Host: ES Graduate Students)
September 28: Cascade Sorte (UC Irvine) Will climate change increase the success and impacts of invasive species? (Host: Jessica Blois)
October 5: Open seminar slot
October 12: Amanda Zellmer (Occidental College) Applications of species distribution modeling to problems in conservation biology. (Host: Dan Edwards)
October 19: Satish Myneni (Princeton) Title TBD. (Host: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe)
October 26: Markus Kleber (Oregon State University) Beyond recalcitrance. (Host: Asemeret Asefaw Berhe)
November 2: Harry Beller (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Title TBD. (Host: Peggy O’Day)
November 9: Kathleen Kay (UC Santa Cruz) Title TBD. (Host: Jay Sexton)
November 16: Jennifer Pett-Ridge (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Title TBD. (Host: Carolin Frank)
November 30: Wil Burns (Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment) Into the great wide open: The promise, and potential perils, of climate geoengineering. (Host: LeRoy Westerling)
December 7: Jenni Dungait (Rothamsted Research North Wyke) Title TBD. (Host: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe)
Spring 2016
January 20: Sam Traina (UC Merced) Fracking in California: what do we know and what do we not know . (Host: Environmental Systems)
January 27: John Perlin (UC Santa Barbara) Let It Shine: the 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy (Host: UC Water and Roland Winston)
February 3: Carol Kendall (U.S. Geological Survey) Goldilocks and the Three Blooms: Using isotopes to quantify nutrient sources to algae in ecosystems experiencing HABs, hypoxia, or foodweb collapse (Host: Marilyn Fogel)
February 10: Cliff Dahm (University of New Mexico) Catastrophic forest fires and degraded water quality: using continuous sensors to assess impacts (Host: Martha Conklin)
February 17: George Salvaggio (WRA Consultants) Vernal pool restoration (Host: Marc Beutel)
February 24: Amelia Wolf (Columbia University) Species interactions and global change: how interactions affect plant trait plasticity, community dynamics, and ecosystem function (Host: Jessica Blois)
March 2: Dimitri Vlassopoulos (Anchor QEA) Biogeochemical Controls on Mercury Methylation and In Situ Management Strategies in Estuarine Sediments (Host: Peggy O’Day)
March 9: Jay Famiglietti (UC Irvine) Towards A High-Resolution Hydrological Modeling and Data Integration Platform for the Western United States (Host: SNRI)
March 16: David Sandino (California Department of Water Resources) Restoring the San Joaquin River - Understanding the legal framework (Host: UC Solar)
March 30: Ryoko Oono (UC Santa Barbara) Community patterns in foliar fungal endophytes -from landscapes to individual leaves (Host: Carolin Frank)
April 8 (Friday): Sudeep Chandra (University of Nevada, Reno) Limnology and aquatic ecology (Time and location TBA) (Host: CITRIS)
April 13: Suzanne Alonzo (UC Santa Cruz) Sexual selection and social plasticity: theory and data (Host: Dan Edwards)
April 20: Jirka Simunek (UC Riverside) Modeling Water Flow and Solute Transport in Soils Using the HYDRUS Software Packages (Host: Tom Harmon)
April 27: Hugh Stafford (UC Davis) Past, present, and future in the forests of the Sierra Nevada: elevational variability in forest response to environmental change, and management strategies to promote ecosystem resilience (Host: Stephen Hart)
Fall 2015
August 26: Introduction; Environmental Systems Faculty Research Summaries, Part 1
September 2: Environmental Systems Faculty Research Summaries, Part 2
September 9: Dr. Susan Mazer (UC Santa Barbara) Plant Adaptation - Host: Jay Sexton The evolution of mating system, life history, and physiological performance in annual wildflowers: genetic correlations and the evolution of risky mating behavior in a changing climate.
September 16: Dr. Mike Beman (UC Merced) Aquatic Microbial Ecology 'Oceans of Ocean Data'
September 23: Dr. Sarah Bisbing (California Polytechic State University) Forest Ecology and Genetics - Host: Steve Hart Shaping a species: landscape influence on range-wide patterns of genetic structure
September 30: Dr. Calla Schmidt (University of San Francisco) Hydrology, N-cycling, Groundwater - Host: Nate Bogie Isotopes to the rescue: understanding nitrogen cycling in surface water and groundwater
October 7: Dr. Robert Graham (UC Riverside) Soil Weathering and Origins - Host: Roger Bales A soil climosequence in the White Mountains, eastern California
October 14: Dr. William Walton (UC Riverside) Wetlands and Mosquito Biology - Host: Andrea Joyce Do Top-Down Effects Bottom-Out in Constructed Wetlands?
October 21: Dr. Michael Dettinger (UC San Diego/US Geological Survey) Hydroclimatology - Host: Leroy Westerling Large Storms, Drought, and the Sierra Nevada Environment
October 28: Emilio Camacho (CA Energy Commission) - Host: Robyn Lukens Climate, Energy, Innovation and the Future of California
November 4: Dr. Susan Hubbard (Director of Earth Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) Geophysics - Host: Teamrat Ghezzehei Identification and quantification of ecosystem functional zones using geophysical methods.
November 11: Veterans Day – no seminar
November 18: Dr. Carolin Frank (UC Merced) Endosymbiotic Bacteria From cells to ecosystems: above ground bacterial endophytes in conifers
November 25: Day before Thanksgiving – no seminar
December 2: Dr. Andrew Latimer (UC Davis) Plant Ecology and Evolution - Host: Erin Babich "Responses of plant populations to climate gradients in Mediteranean-climate regions"
December 9: Dr. Alex Sessions (California Institute of Technology) Stable Isotopes - Host: Marilyn Fogel Isotope 'clumps' help unravel the sources of arctic methane
Spring 2015
January 21: UC Merced Faculty Seminars
January 28: UC Merced Faculty Seminars: Dr. Jason Sexton, Dr. Emily Moran, Dr. Mike Behman, Dr. Jessicca Blois
February 4: Dr. Stephen Kaffka (UC Davis) Bio-Energy in California, with an emphasis on Ag-derived bio-mass
February 11 : Rebecca Milczarek, PhD (USDA) Microwave Research in Food Processing: Commodities, Co-Products, and Consumer Products
February 18: Sarah Brown, PhD. (UC Merced) Reconstructing the evolutionary history of the domestic dog: From village dogs to ancient DNA - Faculty Host: Jessica Blois
February 25: Frank Davis (UC Santa Barbara) Changing windows of opportunity for tree seedling establishment under 21st Century climate change - Faculty Host: Emily Moran
March 4: Steve Shackleton (UC Merced Parks and Protected Area Management) - Parks and universities: A global community of practice for a flourishing and peaceful planet Faculty Host: Roland Winston
March 11: Dr. Michael Isaacson (UC Santa Cruz) The US-Denmark Program on Renewable Energy: In Practice - Faculty Host: Roland Winston
March 18: Steve Horne, Consultant - Concentrating Photovoltaics Faculty Host: Roland Winston
March 25: SPRING BREAK
April 1: David Sandino (CA. Dept. of Water Resources) Understanding California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014: Will It Keep the Well from Running Dry? Faculty Host: Jessica Blois
April 8: Joe Hereford, PhD (UC Davis) Climatic adaptation among California populations of the C3-C4 intermediate Mollugo verticillata. Faculty Host: Jason Sexton
April 15: Heather Poiry, Kim McFarlane, P.E., Helen Tan (Gallo) Water Reduction Efforts at E. & J. Gallo Winery - Faculty Host: Roland Winston
April 22: Jacob Fleck, (US Geological Survey) Mercury in California: A look at the past and hope for the future
Faculty Host: Peggy O'Day
April 29: Caroline Masiello, Ph.D. (Rice University) Biochar, water, and microbes: Tracking the mechanisms behind biochar's environmental effects - Faculty Host: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
May 6: Adam Moule (UC Davis) Probing the morphology of bulk heterojunction films using electron microscopy Faculty Host: Roland Winston
