Congratulations to Alexandra Kravchenko, GLBRC researcher and professor of plant, soil, and microbial sciences at Michigan State University, who was awarded the 2020 Don and Betty Kirkham Soil Physics Award by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The annual award is designed to recognize a mid-career soil scientist who has made outstanding contributions in the areas of soil physics.
Kravchenko's program focuses on spatial and statistical aspects of soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. She is internationally recognized for her contribution to understanding how landscape variability regulates land use and management effects on soil processes. She currently leads research on micro-scale interactions between soil physics, biology, and biochemistry, deciphering mechanisms of carbon protection and N2O production. Kravchenko has authored or co-authored over 110 journal articles and over 170 conference presentations. She served as an associate editor for both the SSSA and Agronomy Journals, and as a board member for the American Society of Agronomy. She has taught statistical data analyses methods to more than 1,200 graduate students.
The Soil Physics Award is is presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education, national, and international service, and research and is supported by the Don and Betty Kirkham Fund established through the Agronomic Science Foundation and administered by the SSSA. The award consists of a certificate, an engraved bronze medal, and $2,000.