Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellowship
Perennial Agriculture Project Research Fellowship
Programs of Research and Scholarly Excellence Fellowship
Research and Work Experiences
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, CO, 2019 – current
Planned and organized greenhouse and field studies/ Designed, built, and created a protocol for 13C-CO2 pulse labeling chamber/ Performed soil DNA extraction, processed and analyzed 16S/ITS amplicon sequencing data/ Modified a protocol for root exudate collection, processed and analyzed untargeted metabolomics data resulting from LC-MS/MS/ Performed integrated statistical analysis of multi-omics dataset
Research Associate, Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, CO, 2017 – 2019
Performed microbial biomass extraction, soil enzyme assays, and size-based fractionation of soil samples for various projects/ Managed analyzed data generated from lab assays
Intern, The Land Institute, Salina, KS, 2017
Supported establishing field studies, collecting phenotypic data, maintaining plots, and processing samples/ Participated in seminars lead by TLI scientists
Research Assistant, Grossman Lab, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 2016
Performed general lab and field duties including soil sieving, glassware cleaning, soil sampling/ Carried out a summer undergraduate research project including soil enzyme assays and PLFA analysis
Publications
Hwang, S., Koziol, L., Mason, L., Grant, L., Wrighton, K.C., Crews, T.E., Fonte, S.J., in prep. Soil labile carbon pools of perennial and annual cereals respond differently to legume intercropping – 15N leaf labeling study.
Hwang, S., Brummer, J.E., Crews, T.E., Grant, L., McGivern, B.B., Wrighton, K.C., Fonte, S.J., in prep. Perennialization and intercropping effects on wheat rhizosphere communities.
Hwang, S., Grant, L., McGivern, B.B., Wrighton, K.C., Mathews, P., Boot, C.M., Crews, T.E., Fonte, S.J., in prep. Fine root production and specific exudation rate are enhanced in a novel perennial cereal hybrid compared to its annual and perennial parents.
Hwang, S., Machmuller, M.B., Gaudin, A.C.M., Fonte, S.J., 2024. A teosinte and modern maize hybrid use different carbon allocation strategies in response to cover crop residue nitrogen. Plant and Soil. doi:10.1007/s11104-024-06494-0
Osborne, B.B., Soper, F.M., Nasto, M.K., Bru, D., Hwang, S., Machmuller, M.B., Morales, M.L., Philippot, L., Sullivan, B.W., Asner, G.P., Cleveland, C.C., Townsend, A.R., Porder, S., 2021. Litter inputs drive patterns of soil nitrogen heterogeneity in a diverse tropical forest: Results from a litter manipulation experiment. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 158, 108247. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108247
Presentations
Hwang, S., Brummer, J., Crews, T., Grant, L., McGivern, B., Wrighton, K., Fonte, S.J., Novel perennial cereal grains Kernza and perennial wheat harbor distinct rhizosphere microbial communities compared to annual durum wheat, presented at biennial Soil Ecology Society meeting 2024, Grand Rapids, MI.
Hwang, S., Root exudate update, presented at the October 2022 Perennial Agriculture Project meeting, Salina, KS.
Osborne, B.B., Soper, F., Nasto, M., Hwang, S., Machmuller, M., Sullivan, B.W., Asner, G., Cleveland, C.C., Townsend, A., Porder, S., Litterfall inputs drive patterns of soil nitrogen heterogeneity in a diverse tropical forest, presented at the December 2019 American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Hwang, S., Grain Crop Hybridization, Root Exudates, and Soil Microbes: A Nitrogen Story, presented at the October 2019 Perennial Agriculture Project meeting, Lawrence, KS.
Hwang, S., Machmuller, M.B., Wallenstein, M.D., Going Back to the Roots: Evaluating the influence of ancient and modern maize on microbial nutrient cycling, presented at the May 2019 Soil Ecology Society meeting, Toledo, OH.
Hwang, S. and Machmuller, M.B., Going Back to the Roots: Evaluating the influence of ancient and modern maize on microbial nutrient cycling, presented at the February 2019 Front Range Student Ecology Symposium, Fort Collins, CO.
Outreach and Teaching
Introduction to Soil Science (Colorado Mesa University Tech, Fall 2024)
Guest lecture, “Nitrogen cycling: where does it come from where does it go?”
ECOL 592: Academia for Ecologists (Colorado State University, Spring 2024)
Organizing instructor. Created the syllabus, selected reading materials, arranged for guest speakers, and led in-class discussions on academic career paths within the field of ecology.
SOCR 421: Agroecosystem Management (CSU, Spring 2023)
Teaching assistant. Helped with course logistics, writing and grading exams and lecturing.
SOCR 681: Graduate Foundations for Soil and Crop Sciences (CSU, Spring 2023)
Guest lecture, “Managing finances in grad school”
Mentoring
FFAR fellowships program (Fall 2024-present)
Mentoring a PhD student as part of their FFAR fellowship program, including quarterly meetings, career/ professional development advice.
Undergraduate research assistant (Spring 2024)
Mentored an undergraduate research assistant while supervising their lab work. Trained them in microbial biomass extraction and helped them analyze the data for their class project.
Siwook Hwang 