John E. Gilley, Ph.D., P.E.
Research Agricultural Engineer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and Adjunct Professor, Biological Systems Engineering
The diverse research interests of Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) allow the department to take part in creative partnerships with other entities such as government agencies and industry. Dr. John E. Gilley works for the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) as a member of the Agroecosystems Management Research Unit. John also serves as an adjunct faculty member within BSE.
Roles such as the one John has uphold both the mission of the USDA-ARS to ensure food quality and enhance the environment and the mission of the university to provide quality research and educational experiences.
John’s current research focuses on identifying sustainable cropping, management, and conservation practices for using manure while minimizing the negative environmental impacts of manure application. Manure is a valuable nutrient source for crop production and yet it can also be a source of contaminants via excess nutrients, bacteria, or antibiotic resistant bacteria. This research hopes to fill knowledge gaps about the effects of manure components on the environment.
Specifically, this work analyzes the mechanisms for transport of nitrogen and phosphorus following land application. John hopes to add to the knowledge about effects of selected manure application procedures on runoff, erosion, and hydraulic processes. The study also will identify the effectiveness of various conservation practices within cropland areas.
The five-year project funded by USDA-ARS will allow producers to select manure management alternatives best suited to their production strategies while maintaining established environmental standards.
John’s past projects including developing new erosion prediction technology, developing the hydraulics component of the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) Model, and helping to establish the use of vegetative barriers as an accepted conservation practice for reducing soil loss and nutrient transport from cropland areas. For their efforts, John and UNL colleagues received the Grand Prize Award for the top Environmental Research Project from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists in 2015.
Within BSE, John’s contributions are largely in his interactions with students. As an adjunct faculty member, John serves on graduate student committees and provides advice on research projects. He has served as a senior advisor and on the graduate committees of over 40 students across many university departments.
John has also mentored over 100 undergraduate student interns who assist with natural resources and environmental systems research activities. John has routinely hired several students each summer to assist with his field hydrologic studies. These paid opportunities provide students with valuable engineering experience that they can include on resumes and job applications.
This student engagement supports John’s USDA-ARS research projects and the teaching mission of the university. The department is thankful to John and the USDA-ARS for placing him with the BSE Department.