Collick receives USDA research grant

Dr. Amy Collick, assistant professor of precision agriculture/agritech at Morehead State, has been awarded a research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Collick has received a three-year research award of $74,694 for her research into phosphorus build-up on agricultural sites. The grant will pay for a work-study and software for the project, which is expected to last for three years. Collick explained that high levels of phosphorus in soil can pollute nearby waterways, causing a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

"My part in this research focuses on watershed modeling and investigating ways to simulate phosphorus transport in streams and rivers across the United States," Collick said. "The watershed model that we will be using to simulate the hydrology and nutrient transport in different watersheds across the US is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool Plus (SWAT+). I have worked several years with this model with collaborators at the USDA-ARS, Virginia Tech, Chesapeake Bay Program, and Cornell University."

Collick added she'll be working with a team at the USDA Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple, Texas, on the project and she'll also be looking for a student work-study to assist her with the research in the spring.

For more information about the project, contact Collick at a.collick@moreheadstate.edu.

To learn more about programs in agriculture or agritech, contact the Department of Agricultural Sciences at 606-783-2662.