23 faculty awarded Nebraska Environmental Trust grants

The Nebraska Environmental Trust has awarded 23 grants totaling more than $2.1 million to University of Nebraska–Lincoln projects.

The grants were awarded by the NET board last month, part of 113 projects receiving more than $18.35 million.

The following Husker projects and principal investigators received 2021 awards:

• Direct removal of groundwater nitrate coupling water treatment and algae growth, James Allen, research assistant professor of biochemistry, $216,775.
• Assessment of greenhouse gas sequestration resources in Districts 5, 6 and 7 to improve carbon management opportunities in Nebraska, Seunghee Kim, assistant professor of civil engineering, $196,467.
• StreamNet: Building capacity to improve water quality, Jessica Corman, assistant professor, School of Natural Resources, $183,996. Details
• Improving statewide performance of conservation investments on Eastern redcedar invasions, Dirac Twidwell, associate professor of agronomy and horticulture, $161,000. Details
• Nebraska farmers and farmland owners’ attitudes of targeted conservation, Andrew Little, assistant professor, School of Natural Resources, $152,447. Details
• Nebraska Master Naturalist — engaging Nebraska’s youth as naturalists, Dennis Ferraro, professor of practice, School of Natural Resources, $142,630. Details
• Flaming alfalfa to preserve soil health and prevent surface and ground water degradation, George Gogos, professor of mechanical and materials engineering, $141,143. Details
• Adaptive management of Sandhills grasslands, Craig Allen, director, Center for Resilience in Agricultural Working Landscapes, and professor, School of Natural Resources, $134,192. Details
• Surface water nutrient removal in eutrophic ponds using floating treatment wetlands, Tiffany Messer, adjunct assistant professor, School of Natural Resources and biological systems engineering, $111,797. Details
• Detecting atrazine dissipation and evaluating herbicide programs without atrazine for weed control in corn and their environmental impact quotient: research and extension, Amit Jhala, associate professor of agronomy and horticulture, $96,195. Details
• Improving soil health using heat‐treated manure, Xu Li, professor of civil and environmental engineering, $90,314.
• Water use and soil‐water storage effect of individual and mixed cover species’ impacts on soil quality, Suat Irmak, Harold W. Eberhard Distinguished Professor of biological systems engineering, $87,884.
• Transforming manure and cedar mulch from “waste” to “worth” – Part II, Amy Schmidt, associate professor of biological systems engineering, $81,949. Details
• Delivery of watershed science education to decision-makers — a multi‐agency collaboration, Troy Gilmore, assistant professor, School of Natural Resources, $78,600. Details
• Improving water quality and surveying fish populations using eDNA in Nebraska, Mark Pegg, professor, School of Natural Resources, $75,000. Details
• Developing statewide community tree canopy map, Yi Qi, assistant professor, School of Natural Resources, $44,218. Details
• Developing a decision‐support tool for the successful incorporation of cover crops into Nebraska cropping, Andrea Basche, assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture, $41,180. Details
• Effects of redcedar on the diversity and ecosystem services of Nebraska’s forests, Sabrina Russo, professor, School of Biological Sciences, $28,163. Details
• Niobrara River ecology and education, Jessica Corman, assistant professor, School of Natural Resources, $27,637. Details
• Protecting the terns and plovers of Nebraska and mentoring the next generation, Mark Vrtiska, professor of practice, School of Natural Resources, $21,884. Details
• Milkweed in the classroom, Douglas Golick, associate professor of entomology, $19,259. Details
• Student-integrated forest and prairie management at Cedar Point Biological Station, Jon Garbisch, associate director, School of Biological Sciences, $14,794. Details
• Eastern redcedar design — build microdwelling, Jason Griffiths, W. Cecil Steward Professor of Architecture, $6,500. Details

The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the trust has provided more than $349 million in grants to more than 2,400 projects across the state. Anyone — citizens, organizations, communities, farmers and businesses — can apply for funding to protect habitat, improve water quality and establish recycling programs in Nebraska. The Nebraska Environmental Trust works to preserve, protect and restore natural resources for future generations.