January 14, 2025
I am recruiting a new graduate student to work towards an MS degree in agricultural meteorology or environmental science starting in May/June 2025 (start date is negotiable). The present work is funded by NASA. The work could be continued towards a PhD. The overall project goal is to determine new ways to use remote-sensing satellites to determine if plants in U.S. Corn Belt agricultural ecosystems are "happy," that is, they have adequate soil water to photosynthesize and do what crops are supposed to do, which is to serve humans by producing one of the five "F's:" food, feed for cattle, fiber, fuel, or fossil-fuel replacements. Furthermore, "unhappy" plants do not transpire as much as "happy" plants, and this will decrease the amount of water that moves from the soil into the atmosphere. Consequently, this work is relevant to both agronomy and weather and climate. Here is a recent paper on which the student might build: "The Diurnal Variation of L-Band Polarization Index in the U.S. Corn Belt Is Related to Plant Water Stress."
The ideal student will have a BS in any physical or life science or engineering discipline (e.g., meteorology, physics, biology, agronomy, environmental science, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering), good quantitative skills (at least two semesters of calculus), good communication skills in English, some programming experience (any language), the motivation to enable a sustainable future, and interest in eventually earning a PhD. The student will conduct field work each summer at a nearby experiment site, mentor undergraduates, and have a one-semester teaching experience in an introductory agronomy or meteorology class. The student will become a member of a community of graduate students in agricultural meteorology, meteorology, and environmental science. Please see below. Apply or contact me for more information preferably before February 15, but applications will be considered until the position is filled.

Mary (current meteorology graduate student), Bailey (current undergraduate engineering student), Kyle (current agricultural meteorology graduate student), and Matt (current agricultural meteorology graduate student) at the Sustainable Advanced Bioeconomy Research Farm at Iowa State, Summer 2023.

Dr. Hornbuckle, Emma (current agricultural meteorology graduate student), Matt, Marissa (current agricultural meteorology graduate student), and Kyle at the 2024 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, DC, December, 2024.

Faculty, students, and spouses / significant others in the agricultural meteorology program at a Taylor Swift trivia night! Summer 2024.