Lauren Hale is the new Research Soil Scientist at the USDA-ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Fresno. I knew Lauren from her PhD research at UCR under David Crowley. Her thesis explored the use of biochar as a shelter for beneficial soil microbes. She subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oklahoma's Microbial Ecology lab, where Dr Hale researched total microbial community response to climate change and how that response affects carbon and nitrogen cycling.

Her research projects going forward will include how the soil microbiome affects and is affected by soil health. This currently includes field experiments on the influence of biochar on plant yield under deficit irrigation. Dr. Hale is particularly interested in whether biochar stabilizes microbial communities in cases of drought stress. Future research will investigate biochar for use in water purification.

Contact information: lauren.hale@usda.gov . Office phone:  559-596-2865

Congratulations to Steve Feher, Butte College, and a fine list of conference participants for the excellent Biochar Workshop. Good to see a lot of people from within and outside of California that work on biochar given a chance to speak and interact. Steve has done an excellent job over the last several years of making, characterizing, and using biochar for hands-on instruction.  He has done this conference each February for the last few years so I think we have to call it an annual event.

If anyone wishes to donate materials, money or time to Steve's efforts should contact him. The enthusiasm of the students make it all worthwhile. 

Assistant professor positions in soil biogeochemistry and soil health that would touch on biochar-related areas have opened up at the University of Missouri. For more information search: http://hrs.missouri.edu/find-a-job/academic/

IBI Biochar World Congress 2019