Soil Toilers
Just as the Soil Food Web is a network of organisms within which energy and nutrients are exchanged for survival, USI is similarly networked. We maintain the only global platform for the exchange of people’s soil-related learnings. In science, as in life, we’re the work in progress, always. Connecting, provoking, inspiring alongside you.
The Urban Soils Institute exists to advance the scientific understanding of urban soils and to promote their sustainable use for the health of all life.
We are an international group of physical and social scientists and artists, each rigorously involved in our disciplines, collaborating to support a sustainable human existence.
USI Team
Tatiana Morin
USI Director and Co-Founder
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With beginnings in geology, Tatiana moved to hydrogeology and then rooted herself in soils. Humbled by the complex interconnectedness of our whole environment through soils—how soils connect our cultures, disciplines and backgrounds, and how similar we are, in fact, to soils, she is committed to being a life-long student of soils. The beauty of symbiogenesis blows her mind, and she feels there's very little that compares to it in positivity. Tatiana would rather live outside, has a mini farm, and loves composting toilets! Her motto “Take care of your own sh**”.
George Lozefski
Director of Education & Field Investigations
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George has conducted environmental research at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory for over ten years and has been teaching geosciences courses for over ten years at CUNY – Brooklyn College. George teaches soil science courses at the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture. At USI George manages soil testing services. He designs and conducts soil science education and testing workshops and provides training in soil quality evaluation for academic and community settings. George manages technical and consulting services for soil restoration/remediation projects. He also collaborates on research in soil quality, biogeochemistry and green infrastructure. George received his B.S. in Geology at CUNY–Queens College and M.A. in Environmental Science at CUNY–Brooklyn College. / LinkedIn /
Igor Bronz
Technical Services Consultant
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Igor oversees the technical aspects of Urban Soils Institute. His duties include data analysis and management of research activities, laboratory performance metrics, and deployment of the latest USI services. Igor's professional interests are focused around the various aspects of integrating nature into cities, more specifically, how existing physical & supply-chain infrastructure could be re-engineered to support ecology and more efficient logistics. Igor Bronz holds a Master of Science in Applied Geosciences: Hydrogeology from the University of Pennsylvania. / LinkedIn /
Paul Mankiewicz, PhD
Co-Founder
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Paul holds patents on a modular, in-vessel composting system, on an ultra-lightweight green roof plant growth media, and for a biogeochemical reactor for the breakdown of dioxins and PCBs. Paul was a former president of the Torrey Botanical Society, chair of the NYC Soil & Water Conservation District, and former chair of the Bronx Solid Waste Advisory Board. He has designed and built natural landscapes to remove and sequester metals, hydrocarbons and excess nutrients from runoff and wastewater, capture carbon, and lower air conditioning and heating costs. Paul received his Ph.D. from the City University of New York/New York Botanical Garden Joint Program in Plant Sciences.
Susan Smith, PhD
Co-Director, Art Extension
Shino Tanikawa
Co-Founder
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Shino Tanikawa is the Executive Director of the New York City Soil & Water Conservation District. She has a Master of Science degree in Marine Environmental Sciences from Stony Brook University, which is why she manages the “water” part of the organization. We cannot sustain life without soil AND water together. Nature is to be respected and revered, not to be conquered and controlled. Soil and water, with their intricacy and complexity give us the humility we need to create a harmonious world. I live by this proverb: "We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children." / LinkedIn /
Rebecca Murtaugh
Co-Director, Art Extension
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Rebecca is a sculptor and art educator. She received her MFA in Ceramics from Virginia
Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Penn State. Her work
explores the relationship between nature and the human made to imbue a sense of wonder and
curiosity to engage the viewer to consider their relationship to our biosphere. She investigates
the material intelligence of locally harvested clays from Long Island and Central New York
through the lens of sculpture and environmental studies. She’s broadly exhibited in solo and
group exhibitions and her work has been included in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and
American Craft. Rebecca resides on the south shore of Long Island is a Professor of Art at
Hamilton College. She also leads soil chromatography workshops with USI.
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Co-Director of USI’s Art Extension Service, Boozer lives and works in Prince Georges County, MD, outside Washington, DC. She has a BFA in sculpture from Auburn University and an MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her practice of digging clays led to collaborations with soil scientists and work that explores intersections of art and science. Noticing cause and effect in the environment, she borrows strategies that inform the visual and the physical forces behind her work. She is interested in how beauty can foster stewardship… how a small souvenir of soil can carry great meaning, stories and emotional impact. Boozer directs Red Dirt Studio, an artist incubator in Mt. Rainier, MD. margaretboozer.com
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Dr. Susan L Smith, is a practicing artist and educator, Associate Research Professor of Art, and Graduate Coordinator of the Intermedia Programs at the University of Maine. Susan holds an Interdisciplinary PhD from the University of Maine, the focus of the research in social practice and capitalist modes of cultural production. Smith’s research is situated within issues of land/power and questions concerning extractivist practices, economic and climate forced migration.
Her practice encompasses community- based collaboration, and site-based research. Recent work centers on the struggle of asylum seekers on the US southern border, and Smith is a recipient of a juror’s award from the International Surface Design Exhibition for works addressing immigration, produced in textile and sculpture, a 2020 participant in the Center for Maine Contemporary Art Biennial, and currently exhibiting in the multi-location international exhibition “Crossing Borders.” Recent publications include The Indian Quarterly, A Theology of Practice-Based Research, and Surface Design Journal. She is a recipient of a 2024 Faculty Fellowship from The Center for Artistic Activism, working on community-based civic engagement and preservation of democracy. Smith believes the physical work is not the art, but an “artifact,” the art lies in the process of immersion and witness of place and community.
Susan is currently working with Stanford University climate focused art initiative MAHB, and the Urban Soil Institute, NYC to create works that focus on stewardship and interdependency as a way to radically imagine a sustainable future.
Walker Tufts
Co-Director, Art Extension
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Walker Tufts is an artist and game designer. Walker’s work explores our relationship to others (human and more-than-human) through games, objects, film and performances. With various collaborators Walker makes games and events that playfully place player’s bodies in physical relationship with global systems, dirt, bodies and microbiomes. Walker currently collaborates with Kosmologym, Dirty Time and Listening With.
Walker’s work has been shown internationally including: MassMoCA, Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, VEGA Arts, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and Flux Factory. Walker received a BS in Art from James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA, US) and an MFA at the University at Buffalo. More at walkertufts.com, kosmologym.com dirtytime.us and listeningwith.com.
Mastodon: https://tldr.nettime.org/@walker
Instagram: jw4lker
Walkertufts.com
Dirtytime.us
kosmologym.com
Richard Shaw, PhD
Co-Founder
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Rich served the USDA-NRCS for 24 years as State Soil Scientist providing leadership for technical soil service delivery for the state of New Jersey and the City of New York, including site inspections, soils training, distribution of soils information and technical assistance for soils based research. Rich served as primary state contact with two MLRA regional offices and three Soil Survey offices to maintain quality soil survey information. He also served as state liaison to National Cooperative Soil Survey cooperators and other federal, state, local users of soils data in the state. Rich received his PhD and MS in soil science from Rutgers University and his BSc in Natural Resources Managment from University of Maine. His many publications include Estimation of Carbon Stocks of Two Cities: New York City and Paris, Carbon Storage in Urban Soils and Urban Soil Mapping.
Margaret Boozer
Co-Director and Co-Founder, Art Extension
USI Collaborators
Ksenia Pitaleff | USI Soil Artist & Illustrator
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Ksenia is a freelance artist. She studied fine art and illustration and developed a love for Icon Restoration. She has worked on branding and imagery for USI symposia for 4 years.
The marriage of science and art isn't new to the world but it's new to me! It is wonderful and inspiring to dig around my creative brain and put visual artistic images to scientific concepts. The symposiums have opened up a whole new world of soils and people that never fail to amaze and inspire me. I never know what each new year will bring. There are so many new threads and people every time. It's fascinating to work art into this scene and find a connection. It is also very fulfilling to work with people who toil for the earth, in the earth, and make the world a better place!
Maha Deeb-Collett, PhD | Research Team Leader
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Faculty at Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris (iEES Paris—Sorbonne Université), Maha aims her work towards improving the quality of urban soils and their ecosystem services in order to improve quality of life for urban residents. She has a particular strength and specialization in soil structure. She is constantly discovering and unearthing new avenues of research in the urban soils frontier. Maha has a special gift for probing and developing research, identifying the story, combining the parts, and nurturing collaborations. Her character naturally fosters interdisciplinary approaches to her work and she easily identifies the synergy and potential in others and their work. For the USI, Maha has been the golden thread, weaving together education, art, science, and the humanities. Many fruitful meetings and implementations have resulted from gathering around her table of delicious Syran cuisine! Maha received her M.S. in Soil Pedogenesis at University of Damascus. After moving to France in 2011, Maha obtained a second Masters in Environmental Science at Lorraine University, followed by a Ph.D. from the Université Paris Est in December 2015.
Ramilla Brykova, PhD | Extended Team Partner, RUDN University, Moscow
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Ramilla is a Research Fellow at the Center of Mathematical Modeling and Design of Sustainable Ecosystems of Agrarian-Technological Institute at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) in Moscow. Her current area of scientific interests are radioecology and soil chemistry.
Elvira Dovletyarova, PhD | Extended Team Partner—RUDN University, Moscow
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Dr. Dovletyarova is the Director of the Department of Landscape Design and Sustainable Ecosystems RUDN University of Russia and an Associate Professor. She is also the Co-Chair of USI Symposia.
In 2007, under her leadership, RUDN University’s Department of Landscape Design and Sustainable Ecosystems was established.
Dr. Dovletyarova is Vice-President of the Association of Landscape Architects of Russia and a Member of the Soil Science Society, named after V. V. Dokuchaev.
Bharath Prithiviraj, PhD | Extended Team Partner
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Bharath’s was co-mentored by the first World Food Prize winner, Prof. MS. Swaminathan, during his doctoral research. He has spent a total of 15 years in Microbial Ecology and Metagenomics. More specifically, he focuses on Environmental Biomonitoring thereby informing impact on public health directives.
Bharath is a lead for India on the Bill and Melinda Gates funded, MetaSUB project—Metagenomics and Epigenetics of Subways with an overarching goal of mapping anti-microbial resistance using genome forensics. Additionally, Bharath has helped develop distinct environmental sampling methods from diverse sample types i.e. soils, wastewater, air (bioaerosols), fungi, algae, feces, bacteria, viruses as part of the global Earth Microbiome Consortium and built environments samples such as surface on subways.
He works with USI to build whole perspective on the urban ecosystem, linking the microbiome of the soils with the human microbiome adaptation to the environment within a One Health framework. He is passionate about designing grassroot solutions using Bioprospecting approaches / www.indianbiome.com / @indianbiome
Edward Landa, PhD | Extended Team Partner & Art Extension
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Edward Landa holds an MPH in environmental health and a PhD in soil science from the University of Minnesota. From 1978 to 2013 he served as a research project chief in the aqueous geochemistry group at the U.S. Geological Survey. Since 2010, he has been an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. Ed’s research has focused on radionuclide and metal mobility in soil and water environments, and has included studies of uranium mill tailings and traffic-related contaminants.
He participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Chernobyl Project, and in studies of radioactive contamination in the Arctic regions. Pedogenic processes occur in a wide variety of technologically enhanced, soil-like materials such as municipal water and wastewater treatment sludges, river / harbor dredge and mining spoils, coal-combustion ash, mineral-extraction tailings, and tire dust particles. Ed firmly believes that training in soil science is an optimal pathway for the study of the fate of such materials and their contaminants in the surficial environment.
After studying soils and soil-like materials for more than 50 years, he still marvels at the smell of freshly dug soil, and the architecture and biology of this “excited skin of the earth’s crust”. Ed’s free time is spent on screenwriting, and exploring the world of collage; found object sculpture. He is a tireless advocate for critical thinking in all aspects of life, and is often heard to say “ I just did a back-of-the-envelope calculation, and …” / Please see more of Dr. Landa’s work as a faculty member at the University of Maryland and, for a more complete publication list, see Dr. Landa’s Google Scholar profile.
Viacheslav I. Vasenev, PhD | Extended Team Partner, RUDN University, Moscow
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Dr. Vasenev is Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Design and Sustainable Ecosystems at RUDN Unviersity (Russia). He is a soil scientist and environmental scientist and the co-founder and coordinator of the international summer school 3MUGIS and a double-diploma Master’s program “Management and Design of Urban Green Infrastructure.”
His primary research interests and scientific expertise relate to urban soils and their functions and services, including soil organic carbon stocks, microbiological activity and green house gases emissions.
Most of the research projects leaded by Dr. Vasenev link urban soils to sustainable development of urban green infrastructure. Viacheslav is an Associate Professor at the Department of Landscape design and sustainable ecosystems in RUDN University.
Makalé Cullen | Anthropocene Fellow
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Makalé’s work at USI links ecological and cultural diversity. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, her work documenting the cultural stewards of regional food plants and medicinal plants ultimately de-centered the human as she began to understand plants as deeply communicative organisms and soils as extraordinarily complex living systems not at all subordinate to human cultural systems or reducible to eco-system services. Her graduate and undergraduate degrees are in cultural anthropology from the University of Virginia and George Mason University, respectively. She also trained as a horticulturalist at the New York Botanical Garden. Like her USI soil-mates, she loves a good pun. Mostly though, she follows the maxim, ‘attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.’ Pay attention. I hear you springtails and actinomycetes. LinkedIn / makale-makale.com
Anna Paltseva, PhD | Research Fellow
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Anna Paltseva, a PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences, focuses on understanding the levels of contamination in, and risks of consuming, vegetables grown in soils with lead and arsenic. She has developed educational materials, led soil workshops and coordinated collaborations with international researchers for the NYC USI. Anna’s mission is to educate communities about the critical importance of soil health for growing nutritious food and medicines, supporting healthy ecosystems, and helping to sequester harmful greenhouse gases. annapaltseva.com
Pablo O. Garcia | Extended Team Partner
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Pablo works with visual learners and informal and formal learning sites His interest in microbial soil activity began with knowledge of actinomycetes being responsible for the sweet smell of soil aroma.
Pablo actively researches climate variables and soil organic matter, which began with establishing best practices for interior ornamental phytoremediation in commercial office buildings.
Pablo is a member of the Organic Industry and Legislative committees of the Solid Waste Advisory Board of Brooklyn, where he supports research on innovative ways to divert organic waste from city landfills through Institutional and community composting.
His work with Brooklyn College’s community garden compost system, serves as an informal training site for outreach to citizen scientists researching the effects of surface soil, water, and air on critical root zones.
At Governors Island Harbor School, Pablo developed the soil curriculum for entering freshmen, helping students understand the methods of collecting accurate data on soil runoff into the New York/New Jersey estuary. The complex cognitive and visual content to all this interconnected activity can be confusing and misleading to the novice. To them I say; visualize the simplicity in the complexity, for there is clarity in the protection our environment.
Pablo received his M.A. in Earth Science Education, from Brooklyn College and B.F.A. in Visual Communication from the Pratt Institute.