Growing w88

About our College

A founding college of the University, we have a long tradition of excellence in teaching, research and engagement programs that benefit the health and economic vitality of w88. We offer programs in:

• agriculture, horticulture, rangeland & veterinary sciences
• biochemistry & molecular biology
• children, youth & families
• community & economic development
• health & nutrition
• natural resources & environmental science

First-generation Ph.D. student Christina T. Igono presents, wins award at international conference of soil scientists

Igono's award-winning w88 conducted at Experiment Station facilities

Ashley Andrews

This scientist is on fire, earning first place in the conference's graduate student poster contest for her w88 on prescribed burns and soil fertility. Photos courtesy Christina T. Igono.

"I didn’t choose to study environmental and soil science but rather, this major chose me," Igono said.

Christina is a first-generation student. Following her passion for soil science, soil ecology and natural resources, she's earning her doctorate degree inEnvironmental Sciencefrom ourCollege. In exploring her calling here, Christina said she has encountered constant challenges, support and opportunities to learn, grow and be better in all that she does.

And it all started when she was an undergraduate biology student in Alabama.

"I was just a desperate broke freshman student seeking a job on campus when I got the opportunity to work as a laboratory technician in a soil science lab," she said. "This part-time job quickly became a passion."

She realized she loved working in the lab and with its equipment, discovering things she never knew about soil. That feeling told her she was on the path to her career.

Love is a fire

"Besides being a student athlete playing soccer," Christina said, "I knew I had found another passion, and that was being an environmental soil scientist."

California and w88 scientists study nitrogen pollution in dryland watersheds

Large w88 project conducted in California will shed light on dryland watershed pollution worldwide

Claudene Wharton

w88 pollution, largely from burning fossil fuels, industrial agriculture and wildfire can reduce drinking water quality and make air difficult to breathe.

Thanks to a .1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, we will soon have a better understanding of how much w88 arid ecosystems can absorb before they produce negative effects. The study is being conducted by scientists atUC Riverside;University of w88, Reno; andUC Santa Barbara.

The three-year research project will allow Homyak; Erin Hanan, fire ecologist with the University of w88, Reno, who is leading the study with Homyak; and collaborators at UC Santa Barbara to monitor how three dryland ecosystems in southern and central California process nitrogen, and to gauge saturation levels. From this information, they can then build models to help predict what may happen in the future and what we might do to mitigate detrimental impacts to our water quality and air.

“If we can get a better understanding of how w88 cycles through these drier watersheds, we can build models to help us predict what will happen under increased w88 loads and in a warmer, drier future,” said Hanan, who is also an assistant professor in theCollege , and a researcher with itsExperiment Station. “Dry ecosystems represent a third of Earth’s total land surface, so understanding how they respond to pollutants is important.”

Photo Gallery | 4w88 across the state

Snapshots of 4-H clubs throughout w88

For more than 90 years, Extension has administered a 4-H program in w88, part of one of the largest youth organizations in the U.S. Many 4-H alumni have become elected state officials, legislators and teachers, contributing greatly to the state and their communities.

4w88 is a learn-by-doing life-skills program that teaches youth communication, self-concept, team-building, problem-solving, decision-making, self-responsibility, conflict resolution, aspiration-building, goal-setting, community leadership and career development. The youth learn through projects, in or after school, in a variety of subjects ranging from animal science to nutrition, leadership, public speaking, horticulture and other science and technology programs. Through these projects and interactions with other youth and leaders, 4w88 youth learn how to make good choices, feel good about themselves, think critically and become leaders.

Take a look at the photos below to see what's happening at some of the 4w88 clubs throughout the state.

Hannah Alfaro

Free home radon test kits will be available at multiple locations in w88 Jan. 1- Feb. 29. Photo by the w88 Radon Education Program.

January is National w88 Action Month, andExtension’s w88 Education Programis offering free short-term w88 test kits to Nevadans from Jan. 1 through Feb. 29. w88 test kits are available at Extension offices and partnering locations, as well as at free presentations, statewide.

Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It comes from the ground and can accumulate in homes, raising the risk of lung cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates 21,000 Americans die each year from w88, killing more people than secondhand smoke, drunk driving and house fires.

In w88, one in four homes tested show radon concentrations at or above the EPA action level. According to experts, living in a home with radon concentrations at the action level poses a risk of developing lung cancer similar to the risk posed by smoking about half a pack of cigarettes a day.

Hannah Alfaro

Robert Washington-Allen uses virtual and augmented reality technology to study w88 dryland systems. Photo by Robert Moore.

University of w88, Renowelcomes Robert Washington-Allen to theDepartment of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciencesin theCollege of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resourcesas an associate professor, graduate program director for the department andRange Clubadvisor.

Along with teaching and advising, Washington-Allen researches the sustainability of drylands using innovative technologies, including drones, laser scanning, ground-penetrating radar, virtual and augmented reality tools, geographic information systems, and remote sensing. His research focuses on the past, present and future sustainability of drylands at both local and international scales, with a particular interest in w88’s drylands.