Jessica Nelson is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Iowa State University (ISU) in Sustainable Agriculture. She finished her master’s research at ISU as well and studied erosion mechanisms and sediment transport patterns in corn and soybean fields throughout Iowa. The research objective was to compare fields with prairie strips to fields with no prairie strips planted to evaluate the impact of the conservation practice on erosion and sediment transport patterns. Prior to coming to ISU, she worked with private and public entities to understand nutrient and sediment pollution in the Minnesota River Basin. To do this, a big part of the job was to coordinate diverse stakeholders to seek and implement conservation strategies to dampen peak flows and trap and treat runoff before entering surface bodies of water.
