
Dr. Gilbert C. Sigua
Research Soil Scientist
United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
South Carolina, USA
Biography
Dr. Gilbert C. Sigua is a Research Soil Scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Center Coastal Plains Soils, Water and Plant Research Center, Florence, South Carolina, USA. He received his undergraduate degree in Soil Science from Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Philippines, Master of Science degree from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Research Interest
The focus of Dr. Sigua’s research program is improved soils and water resource sustainability, plant nutrient/water use efficiency, crop productivity, water/nutrient management systems, plant-soil-microbe interactions and soil health enhancement. He works collaboratively with other ARS units, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, universities, the Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Services Administration, farmers, industrial/commodity partners and worldwide network of researchers and scientists. Throughout his career, Dr. Sigua has consistently demonstrated outstanding originality and creativity for finding solutions to complex agricultural problems by conceiving and successfully conducting research projects in multifaceted scientific areas and diverse project management on protection, soil fertility management and sustainability of natural resources and water resources systems in the USA and other countries such as Brazil, Japan, Cambodia, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Dr. Sigua’s scholarly achievements, expertise and professional status have been widely recognized through numerous national and international honors and awards. As a testimony to this, he was recently awarded major awards, to wit: (a) Fellow of American Society of Agronomy; (b) William F. Fulbright Fellow; (c) Japan Society for Promotion of Science Fellow; (d) Department of Science and Technology “Balik Scientist” Fellow, Philippines; (e) Fellow of Soil Science Society of America; and (f) “Gintong Butil” (Golden Grain) Award for Science and Technology, CLSU Alumni. His professional activities have resulted in over 175 scientific publications. He served on various committees for the Agronomy Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and for the USDA-NRCS
Biography
Xi Lu, Associate Professor in School of Environment, Tsinghua University. Dr. Lu received his PhD in John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University in 2010. After then, he continued in working at Harvard as a postdoctoral fellow, research associate and lecturer until joining Tsinghua in 2015. His research interests emphasize study of the technical, economic, and environmental dimensions of low or zero carbon energy sources as a means to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollutants. His primary research area concentrates on modeling complex systems of renewable energy, environment and climate including resource assessment for wind and solar power, complementary effects of wind, solar and hydro power and the benefits for gird integration, energy storage, emission inventory of GHGs and air pollutants, as well as urbanization and energy systems. He published papers in Science, PNAS, Nature Energy, Environmental Science & Technology and Energy Policy on these topics. He won the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad in 2010, was selected in the One Thousand Program for Young Professionals in 2015, and won the Outstanding Youth Award of National Natural Science Foundation in 2017
Research Interest
His current research interests include: (1) options to mitigate variations of wind power and solar power, and their complementary effects; (2)interactions between development of meteorology-driven renewables and climate change; and (3) challenges and opportunities for low-carbon electric power systems in both China and the U.S.
Biography
Dr.Riccardo was born in Cisternino (Br), Italy, in November 1979. He received the degree in Environmental Science from University of Salento (Lecce) in April 2005, with a thesis on Flow and pollutant dispersion in urban environment with application to Lecce city, and the Ph.D. in Environmental Geophysics from University of Messina, Italy (Consortium of Univerities of Messina, Lecce and Palermo) in March 2009, with a thesis on Computational Fluid Dynamics and integral models applied to pollution dispersion in urban areas.
Research Interest
His research interests include Atmospheric Boundary Layer, Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics and Turbulence and Pollutant Dispersion. He developed a new methodology for the study of the aerodynamic effects of trees and ventilation (city breathability) through integrated modelling tools including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and meteorological models.