College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences

The Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University proudly recognizes Dr. Rabin KC, a recent PhD graduate from the Cassida Lab, whose work integrates field-based nitrogen assessments with advanced modeling and spectroscopic tools to improve sustainable nutrient management in agricultural systems.

In November, Rabin successfully defended his dissertation, “NITROGEN CYCLING IN AGROECOSYSTEMS: FROM FIELD ASSESSMENTS TO PREDICTIVE MODELING,” which provides a comprehensive evaluation of nitrogen availability, transformation processes, and soil health indicators across diverse management regimes.

“I hope that my research is a bridge between on-farm nitrogen measurements, laboratory incubations, and data-driven modeling approaches to enhance our understanding of how nitrogen behaves in cropping systems,” Rabin said. "This kind of integrated perspective supports more accurate nutrient recommendations and aids producers in improving both profitability and environmental stewardship."

Key Research Contribution: Predicting Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen with NIR Spectroscopy

One of the central components of Rabin’s recent work examines the capacity of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to rapidly estimate potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN)—a crucial soil fertility metric but one historically constrained by slow, labor-intensive measurement methods. His study, presented in the abstract: KC, R., Cassida, K. A., & Snapp, S. (2025). Can NIR Spectroscopy Predict Potential Mineralizable Nitrogen?[Abstract]. CANVAS 2025, Salt Lake City, UT. evaluated spectral response patterns associated with soil organic nitrogen fractions and applied chemometric models to test prediction accuracy. The results demonstrate promising potential for integrating NIR tools into routine soil testing and precision nutrient management systems.

Award-Winning Presentation at SSSA

Rabin’s scholarship received national recognition when he earned 1st Place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition (from a pool of 49 presenters) within the Soils and Environmental Quality Division of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). His award-winning poster translated both the technical depth and applied relevance of his NIR-based PMN prediction research. The project was funded by a NCR SARE Grant GNC23-368

2025 Annual International Meeting of the ASA, CSSA, & SSSA, Salt Lake City, UT. See the student winners here:

• Goutham Thotakuri, (Graduate research assistant: Kravchenko Lab), got 3^rd place in student presentation competition of Soil Physics and Hydrology Division (presenting his poster, left).
• Emma Kuhl (undergraduate research assistant: Patterson Weed Science Lab)  was elected as National SASES (Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences),
• MSU Agronomy club won 2nd place in "agronomic issues" - team includes CSS majors, Sydney DuRussell, and Lauryn Wishowski and Emma Kuhl. The topic was on 2,4-D resistance in waterhemp “We wanted to thank Eric Patterson and Christy Sprague for help with this presentation.” (Emma Kuhl)
• Audrey Martin (undergraduate research assistant: Dry Bean Breeding Program) won 2nd in Internship poster. 
• W. da Silva (Singh Lab) 1st place, Oral competition (M.S. students) of Applied Wheat Research Community of ASA. “Exploring Planting Strategies and Varietal Canopy Architecture for Maximizing Winter Wheat Yield”. 2 See paper here
• W. da Silva (Singh Lab) 3rd place, Poster competition (M.S. students) of C-3 division (Crop Ecology, Quality, and Management) of CSSA. “Short-Stature Corn: Optimizing Row Spacing and Seeding Rate for Northern Growers”. 2025 Annual International Meeting of the ASA, CSSA, & SSSA, Salt Lake City, See paper here  
  

MSU Agronomy club team (above) took 2nd place in the "Agronomic issues" competition reports president Emma Kuhl (undergraduate research assistant: Patterson Lab) who was also elected National Sases Vice President of SASES (Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences). "The topic was on 2,4-D resistance in waterhemp and we want to thank Eric Patterson and Christy Sprague for help with this presentation," Emma said. 

MSU’s Soil Club dug deep at the Pedology Contest (Mason Rutgers, Bernard Frantz and Dr Barrett Wessel, advisors) which placed in the national pedology contest , including:  Abbie Guza (2nd), Arianna Reid (3rd), and Grace Beem (4th). “Soil judging is one of the most efficient and effective ways to teach students about soils,” coach Mason Rutgers said.