Speaker: Thea Whitman, Associate Professor, Soil Science Department, UW Madison

About the Presentation: You may have heard a lot about soil health and soil organic matter. What are these two concepts, and how are they connected? Thea will discuss what soil organic matter is, the factors that determine whether the amount of organic matter in soil grows or diminishes, and the co-benefits of soil organic matter with respect to soil health. She will also discuss one specific form of soil organic matter - biochar – a brief overview of its history and its use as a soil amendment.

Bio: Dr. Whitman has always been fascinated by the complexity of soils, and her research program looks at the relationships among soil biology, chemistry, and geology. She uses field research, lab experiments, and molecular techniques to determine how these factors impact microbial ecology, soil health and global environmental change. Whitman also studies biochar as a soil amendment using lab- and field-based experiments.

**Please note that this is a virtual event. Zoom links will be sent to the email you used to register for the event 2 days, 2 hours, and 10 minutes before the event begins. You may need to check your spam folder.**