14th Annual Leonard Robock Lecture with Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, March 18, 2025
February 10, 2025The UW–Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences is pleased to announce Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe as the 14th Annual Leonard Robock Lecture speaker. The lecture, “What’s soil got to do with climate change?” is free and open to the public on Tuesday, March 18, from 7–9 pm at the DeLuca Forum in the Discovery Building. A reception with refreshments and appetizers will follow the talk.
Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe is a Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry and Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology at the University of California, Merced. She previously served as the Director of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science (Senate confirmed, Presidential Nomination). Her research interest lies at the intersection of soil science, geochemistry, global change science, and political ecology. Prof. Berhe’s work seeks to improve our understanding of how the soil system regulates the earth’s climate and the dynamic two-way relationship between soil and human communities. Numerous awards and honors have recognized her scholarly contributions and efforts to improve equity and inclusion in STEM. She is an Elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, and a member of the inaugural class of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s New Voices in Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
Abstract
The soil system stores twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and all the world’s vegetation combined. The exchange of greenhouse gases between the soil and the atmosphere controls the composition of the earth’s climate. Over the last two centuries, human actions have increased the flux of greenhouse gases from soil to the atmosphere. Recent studies highlight soil management’s role in reversing the increasing concentrations of greenhouses in the atmosphere by implementing climate-smart land management practices. This presentation will discuss the fundamental mechanisms by which the soil system controls the earth’s climate and the potential of different land management practices to bend the curve of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
In addition, Dr. Berhe will discuss her career trajectory from being a professor to leading one of the largest science funding agencies in the nation and the critical role of an inclusive excellence framework in addressing critical issues of our time, including climate change. Infusing the perspective of an earth system scientist into the realm of science policy, Dr. Berhe’s presentation will delve into how the Office of Science works to drive the frontiers of science across disciplines, enable solutions to some of the grand challenges of our time, and expand participation of folx from all walks of life in science.
About the Leonard Robock Lecture Series
This annual public lecture series is sponsored by the UW–Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and made possible by a generous gift from the estate of Leonard Robock. The series features an expert to present on an issue related to the public interest, such as climate change, tornadoes, hurricanes, hydrothermal vents, etc. The lecture is open to the public and aims to educate attendees on the state of our knowledge on these issues.