Nicholas Boogades
M.S. Student
I’m Nick Boogades from Edgewater, Maryland and I’m a first year master’s student at Texas A&M under Dr. Lewis. I received my bachelor’s degree in environmental and soil sciences, along with minors in plant science and water management, from the University of Tennessee. During my time as an undergraduate I participated in soil judging, turf grass research and track & field. My travels while participating in athletics are what first sparked my interest in coming to Texas to pursue a master’s degree. We travelled to Texas several times for competition; twice to Texas A&M, and once to Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX. On that trip to Lubbock, it happened that the cotton fields we flew over as we landed at the airport would be the same fields I’d have the pleasure of conducting research in, less than two years later. My research focuses on soil health parameters in organic cotton and peanut production and compares them to conventional systems. In this project we investigate differences in soil enzyme activity, microbial community structure, greenhouse gas emissions and yield, among other factors, between the two systems and over time. Although early in my time as a master’s student, I have an interest in enzymes, their role in nutrient cycling and organic matter breakdown, and the changes in enzymes under different management practices. In the end, I hope my contributions will benefit farmers and the environment.