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Meet Waterborne Living Legend: Nathan Snyder | |
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“I’ve been with Waterborne for almost 30 years, and in that timeframe, I’ve held 30 different jobs.”
This is a simplified summary of a career that’s taken Nathan Synder, Principal, Exposure Modeling and Risk Assessment and this month’s Waterborne Legend, throughout the USA in pursuit of science and a cleaner environment. He began his long career in 1995, fresh from earning his Masters in Agriculture Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “My masters work was related to non-point source pollution and watershed studies that were looking at farming BMPs (Best Management Practices) focused on improving water quality within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. When it was time to look for my first job, I wanted to work with a company in that same field. One of my professor’s brothers worked at the EPA and knew Marty (Williams, Waterborne’s co-founder) and had heard that he’d set up his own firm in Leesburg, Virginia. I looked Waterborne up and blind-sent Marty my resume.”
“I was so young. At the time, I was still single. Not for long—my first phone call with Marty happened right before my wedding. I officially interviewed after my wedding. Today, my daughter is in graduate school and my son is a Junior in college, and I’m still with Waterborne,” he says with a chuckle. “Over the years, my clients have moved around to different companies, or their companies have been purchased/spun off. They’ve brought Waterborne with them. I like that I’m a consistent presence in their careers. That they know Waterborne will always have them covered.”
Nathan’s early days found him mostly on the road setting up monitoring stations and other field studies projects. “Half my job was spent working with electronic data and instrumentations at weather stations, and the other half was geographical information systems GIS, running regulatory models collecting data and running simulations for chemicals in water.” Today, he sums up his work as providing expertise in environmental quality investigations, including chemical fate and transport modeling, GIS and information processing, and field study design and instrumentation.
His early projects included the groundbreaking AEMP Midwest Watershed Study, which celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this month. “The study originally had 40 locations, and I installed 25 of them myself... >> Read the full article
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Clover: Nature's Swiss Army Knife Crop | |
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If one had to come up with a symbol for the month of March, the image that comes to mind might just be a four leaf clover. Between the month’s St. Patrick’s Day holiday and early spring’s new growth, clover is a worthy choice. But beyond its lucky connotations, clover is a versatile and useful plant that aids farmers and homeowners alike. Hardy and adaptable, clover can be found growing in diverse conditions, from dry, flat ground in full sun to clinging to the side of a shady hill. Its beauty lies in its rich colors and pretty, delicate flowers; it’s advantage lies in its growth.
It would be difficult to match clover’s advantage as a cover crop! A legume, clover transforms nitrogen gas found in soil into organic compounds that fertilize plants—up to 150 lbs per acre. Known as a “nitrogen fixer,” clover works in tandem with the beneficial bacteria, Rhizobia, to surround plants with nutrients, fueling growth.
Clover’s fibrous root systems aerate and loosen soil while simultaneously providing erosion and, due to its high biomass, excellent weed control, limiting the need for herbicides. Its dense foliage prevents water evaporation, helping to keep soil moist. As it dies, clover becomes “green manure compost” that adds organic matter back to the soil. One type, red clover, can yield up to 2 to 3 tons of dry matter per acre. >> Read the full article
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Waterborne Tips: Autosampler | |
Waterborne Announces Ann Sorensen, PhD., American Farmland Trust, as New Board of Directors Advisor | |
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Waterborne is pleased to announce that Ann Sorensen, PhD., American Farmland Trust (AFT), has joined its team as a Board of Directors Advisor. Sorensen, a Senior Research Advisor with AFT, brings a wealth of experience applicable to Waterborne’s agriculture-based business line.
“I’m deeply honored to act as an advisor for Waterborne Environmental and its stellar board,” said Sorensen. “Our future and the health of our environment depends on society’s ability to balance the needs of an expanding population with the need to protect our natural resources. That starts with having access to unbiased scientific data that measures the environmental impacts of what we do. That’s what Waterborne Environmental does so well – and why I wanted to be involved.”
Sorensen’s career has focused heavily on the agriculture industry and sound farming practices. She joined the American Farmland Trust in 1992 where her research played a key role in developing four farm bills, in analyzing the fiscal impacts of sprawl, and in fostering private markets for the environmental benefits produced by farmland. She has since directed many USDA and EPA grants and contracts while securing the participation of... >> Read the full article
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New Frontiers in Agriculture: Commodity Classic 2024 | | |
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Waterborne Experienced the Largest Commodity Classic in History! Waterborne's Shawn Meyer, Senior Scientist and Manager, attended the 2024 Commodity Classic held in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, February 28th - March 2nd. Shawn spent his time exploring what's new in Ag technology, sustainability, and biotechnology. He shared his notes from the event, below.
Over 11,500 attendees including more than 4,600 farmers along with exhibitors, industry stakeholders, and ag media were in attendance in Houston from February 28th-March 2nd for the 2024 Commodity Classic. This was the largest Classic to-date and broke the record set last year which was held in Orlando. This year’s theme, New Frontiers in Agriculture, certainly fit the bill as the conference’s what’s new and educational sessions highlighted the continued advancements we are seeing in the agriculture industry.
Two floors of exhibitors filled the area highlighting advancements in...
>> Read the full article
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Waterborne Environmental is a renowned consulting firm that has provided innovative solutions to the world’s most complex environmental problems since 1993. Our experienced, unbiased scientists and engineers work across industries to evaluate environmental, ecological, and human risks. Our work spans across industry and regulatory agencies to support the balance in the needs of a growing population with the environmental impact on our valuable natural resources.
Our The Current Newsletter is published monthly. Visit us online to find more articles, videos, and information about our work. Click here to contact us.
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Waterborne Environmental Inc.
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
897B Harrison Street SE
Leesburg, VA 20175
Phone: +1 (703) 777-0005
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