Sofia Gonzalez

Sofia is an MS student from Panama. Sofia received her BS degree from Zamorano University in Honduras in 2022 with a concentration in Environment and Development. In 2023, Sofia worked as a visiting scholar in the Soil Ecology Lab and gained experience in laboratory procedures, data processing, and field-related activities. She is now pursuing a Master’s degree and her thesis focuses on the study of corn root traits and their interactions with the soil environment that contribute to water use efficiency. She is also interested in understanding the influence of organic management practices on soil moisture dynamics.

Kimberly Araya Guzman

Kimberly is originally from Costa Rica. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Geography, with an emphasis in Land Planning, from the National University of Costa Rica. After working for 6 years in the private industry, she decided to apply to graduate school. For her MS work at the University of Puerto Rico, she evaluated soil fertility metrics as a tool to improve phosphorus fertility recommendations for tropical pastures. Kimberly’s Ph.D. research will focus on modeling efforts to estimate greenhouse gases in organic farming systems in Illinois. Kimberly wants to use diverse tools including AI and machine learning methods to develop more accurate nitrogen budgets for organic grain systems.