2017

MaryRose Sheldon is a 2017 graduate of the University of Maryland-College Park with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy, concentrating in Marine and Coastal Management. MaryRose worked with I-DROP during her internship with Dr. Karelyn Cruz at USDA NIFA (Summer 2017) to help explain and visualize the complexities of conservation practice adoption across the Mississippi River Basin as a part of our Walton Family Foundation project.

Shiyang Li was a visiting scholar studying advanced denitrifying bioreactor designs for I-DROP with both lab- and field-scale studies. Shiyang has since moved on to a faculty position in China.

2018

Jack Mrozek began his role as I-DROP’s field research technician in May 2017 immediately after completing his Bachelor of Science in Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. Jack has since moved on to working at a vineyard in Napa Valley, California.

Allan Hertzberger began a Master of Science specializing in Environmental Science in the Department of Crop Sciences in May 2016 and graduated in May 2018. Allan led the “Dissolving uncertainty: A comprehensive evaluation of dissolved P in tile drainage” project. He has since moved on to PhD studies in Dr. Andrew Margenot’s lab.

Teresa Tinta was a USDA NIFA intern through the HACU program (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) who had recently graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor of Science in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Teresa originally hails from Peru. As part of her USDA NIFA internship, Teresa worked with I-DROP and the SERA 46 multi-state committee to help spatially represent trends across the Mississippi River Basin.

 Ariel Roh, a junior studying for a Bachelor of Science in Crop Sciences, joined in the lab in February 2018.

 Patricia Leon is interned with the I-DROP lab during summer 2018 as a part of the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) and the Wildlife Engineers Co-managing Agriculture and Nature (WE CAN) program.

Corey Davidson was a part of the I-DROP team from August-December 2018 studying for a M.S. in Agricultural and Bio Engineering.

Hannah Dougherty graduated with a Master of Science in the Crop Sciences Department in December 2018 with the thesis: “Hydraulic evaluation of a denitrifying bioreactor with baffles”. Hannah has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study denitrifying bioreactors in New Zealand after her graduation.

2019

Brian DiDonato worked with the lab from May 2018 to May 2019 after completing his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Illinois. He now works as an engineer in North Carolina.

Daniel Hiatt was a Water Quality Specialist who worked with the group July 2016-October 2019.

Cameron McCoy worked with I-DROP during spring semester 2018 and is an undergraduate majoring in Crop Sciences with a minor in sustainability. He hails from the far south-side of Chicago. His research interests include soil quality, water quality, and the efficiency of sustainable agriculture. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in May of 2020.

Laura Krueger is a senior in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University. She worked with the I-DROP team on a research project as part of a summer internship program through the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) in 2019.

Fernando Zucher started with the I-DROP team at the University of Illinois in April 2019 as a visiting scholar.

2020

Guilherme Rodrigues de Sousa started with the I-DROP team in 2019 as a visiting scholar. He primarily assisted with data collection at the Dudley Smith Farm near Pana, Illinois where the team is studying the agronomic and environmental impacts of cover crops and 4R nitrogen management on tile-drainage nitrate losses.

God Ophtanie Jean joined IDROP in January 2020 as a visiting intern from Zamorano University.

 Christine Lepine completed her Master of Science’s degree in the online Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) program at the UIUC in May 2020 and continues employment with The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute.

Ana Paula Sanchez Bustamante Bailon joined the I-DROP team at the University of Illinois as a visiting scholar in January 2018 after completing her B. S. in Environmental Science and Development from the Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School in Honduras. Ana graduated in August 2020.

Mary Foltz started working with the I-DROP team in July 2018 and is advised by Dr. Julie Zilles and Dr. Jeremy Guest. She received received an Illinois Water Resources Center grant with Dr. L. Christianson.

2021

Giovani Preza Fontes started in the lab in May 2017, and was co-advised by Dr. Cameron Pittelkow (UC Davis). His PhD (May 2021) research is focused on evaluating the agronomic and environmental impacts of cover crops and 4R nitrogen management on tile-drainage nitrate losses and soil nitrous oxide emissions in a continuous corn cropping system. Dr. Preza Fontes is now a post doc at Purdue University.

Charles Dochoff was an undergraduate in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering program at the University of Illinois who joined I-DROP during summer 2018. He assisted with lab and field activities, as well as creating custom CAD images to better communicate our work.

Gabe Johnson, EIT, graduated with a M.S. in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in summer 2021 and is now pursuing a PhD at Iowa State University. Gabe’s thesis work focused on parameterizing physical properties of woodchips used in denitrifying bioreactors with the goal of improving bioreactor design and performance.

Jason Kandume began providing the I-DROP Lab critical field support in spring 2020. Jason is based with Dr. Rabin Bhattarai’s group in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

Andrew Pattison joined I-DROP Lab as a summer intern in summer 2021. He graduated with his BS in Environmental Science from Iowa State University in May 2021.

Ariana Muñoz began working with I-DROP in September 2018 as a visiting scholar, transitioned into a graduate student assistantship in Jan 2020, and graduated with her MS degree in Crop Sciences in May 2021.

Taylor Berkshire joined the I-DROP team for a summer 2021 visiting rotation in outreach as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Crop Sciences (advisor: Dr. Andrew Margenot). She holds an M.S. in Crop Sciences with an emphasis in environmental sciences (May 2021).

2022

Dr. Bryan Maxwell joined the I-DROP Lab in August 2020 to lead several bioreactor projects to completion. He is now a project engineer with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center in Urbana, Illinois.

Janith Chandrasoma joined the I-DROP team at University of Illinois in June 2017 as a PhD student in the Department of Crop Sciences and graduated in May 2022. His graduate research work focused on how the practices of controlled drainage and saturated buffers help reduce nitrogen loss in agricultural drainage water. He is now a postdoctoral associate at the University of Illinois.

Ann Brunton joined the I-DROP Lab in August 2020 as a MS student in Agricultural and Biological Engineering and was co-advised by Dr. Richard Cooke. She graduated in August 2022 and now works as a consulting engineering in Minnesota. Her master’s research involved nitrous oxide emissions from bioreactors.

Jack Pico studied Technical Systems Management program at the University of Illinois and joined the I-DROP Lab from May 2021- May 2022.

Molly Duncan studied Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and worked in the I-DROP Lab from early 2001 until graduating in May 2022.

Reid Christianson, P.E., Ph.D. joined the I-DROP team at the University of Illinois in May 2017 as a Research Assistant Professor and moved on in May 2022 to become a supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Through funding from the Walton Family Foundation, much of Reid’s work at the University of Illinois focused on the development of a tracking framework which Mississippi River Basin states will use to report progress to the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force . Dr. R. Christianson’s Ph.D. is from Oklahoma State University in Biosystems Engineering, and he is a registered civil engineer in Illinois, Iowa, and Maryland.

Ronnie Chacon began his role as I-DROP’s Field Research Specialist in April 2019 and provided many day-to-day field operations through fall 2022.

Jazmine Rodriguez joined the I-DROP Lab in January 2019 and was an instrumental undergrad assistant in the lab through her graduation in May 2022.

Anthony Grimes is an undergraduate at the University of Illinois who work with the I-DROP Lab in summer 2022.

2023

Dr. Niranga Wickramarathne completed her PhD in August 2022 where her dissertation explored bioreactor-related topics including fungal denitrification. She is now a post-doctoral associate at the Univ. of IL.

Dr. Luciano Alves was a Post-Doc in the I-DROP lab from May 2020 to April 2023. His work involved studying nutrient loss at the Dudley Smith Farm drainage plots and bioreactor tracer testing.

Mrs. Kristin Greer was an I-DROP Senior Research Specialist with emphasis on agronomy and environmental quality. She provided essential project management and leadership in the I-DROP Lab from April 2020 to August 2023 primarily for our activities at the Dudley Smith Farm.