Alex Haus

From Wartburg to Iowa State. Not a long journey if you know what a Wartburg is! Alex Haus, the third member of our 2026 REU class, is a student at Wartburg.

For you non-Iowans, Wartburg is a small liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa (Learn more about Wartburg). We are so pleased to note that Alex is a returning Research Undergraduate Intern. His experience last year proved so valuable that he is now back to gain even more knowledge from his RegenPGC mentor team. (Learn more about Alex’s 2025 summer)

ALEX HAUS – WARTBURG COLLEGE

Brief Bio. I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University studying Mathematics and Secondary Education with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. I grew up in Gilbert and later moved to Flagstaff to attend college. Alongside school, I am also a licensed hairstylist and enjoy doing hair part-time while pursuing my degree.

I recently began my practicum experience, where I have worked in both science and math classrooms, which has strengthened my passion for teaching and working with students.

Outside of academics and work, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows, working out, and spending quality time with friends and family. Something unexpected about me is that even though I am a huge math enthusiast, geometry is actually my least favorite area of math.

Why I applied… I applied again to meet new people and build meaningful connections, because last year I met some amazing individuals and had a truly positive experience. Last time, the program provided me with valuable knowledge, new perspectives, and strong relationships, and I am hoping to continue building on that experience. I want to keep growing by learning from others, challenging myself in a new environment, and gaining skills that will support me throughout my college experience and future career.

My expectations for the REU program include… My expectations for the summer RET/REU program include gaining hands-on research experience, building meaningful connections, and finding opportunities to thrive in a new and challenging environment. I want to push myself to grow both personally and academically while learning from others and developing skills that will support me in my future career in education.

RegenPGC research team releases latest progress report

Great news! Our RegenPGC research team has just shared our latest progress report. This report, which highlights our research, education, and extension efforts from August to October 2025, is designed to be easy to follow.

This report keeps our agency funder, USDA-NIFA, in the loop, and it’s also a way for the public, who supports our work, to stay informed.

You can find the report on our website at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-01-30-RegenPGC-YR-5-Q1-FINAL.pdf

Contact: Dr. Raj Raman, Iowa State University Dept. of Agriculture & BioSystems Engineering rajraman@iastate.edu

Hallie Sandeen graduates from the University of KY

Hallie Sandeen graduation photo standing in corn

This holiday season, we celebrate the graduation of another member of our Graduate Education Community, Hallie Sandeen. Hallie has earned her Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky, where she was mentored by Dr. Erin Haramoto, Co-Project Director of RegenPGC. Hallie’s thesis, “Evaluation of Poaceae Species and Suppression Application Methods for Perennial Groundcover in Corn,” will contribute to the perennial ground cover research portfolio that our project is developing.

Hallie is the fifth graduate student to complete their degree with support from RegenPGC.

Hallie Sandeen, December 2025, Crop Ecology & Management (Master’s, University of Kentucky) – Dr. Erin Haramoto

Jack Moran, June 2025, Crop Ecology & Management (Master’s, Iowa State University) –  Drs. Susana Goggi & Ken Moore

Oluwatuyi (“Tuyi”) Olowoyeye, June 2025, Ecosystem Services and Modeling (Ph.D, Iowa State University) – Dr. Amy Kaleita

Max Eness, May 2025, Soil Health & Nutrient Management (Master’s, Iowa State University) – Dr. Marshall McDaniel

Kaila Topping, 2023 May, Ecosystem Services & Modelling (Master’s, University of Wisconsin, Madison) – Dr. Rob Anex

Meet future teacher Alex Haus

Alex Haus 2025 REU

Every teacher has a story, and everyone who wants to become a teacher has their own inspiration. Learn what drives Alex Haus, a 2025 RegeNPGC “Research Experience for Undergraduates” participant.

Alex Haus, Wartburg College

I grew up in the small town of Charles City, Iowa. I’m a first-year student at Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa), studying to become a middle school teacher with a focus on grades 5–8 science and math, along with a coaching endorsement. While I’m still gaining experience, I’m passionate about education and excited to help future students grow. I have a twin, and I’ve ridden in RAGBRAI twice, an experience that really challenged and inspired me. In my free time, I love fishing, listening to music, and playing the ukulele.

I applied to the REU program because… of my desire to gain useful experience in math and science that I can bring into my future classroom. As someone who will be teaching middle school in the future, I understand that real-world learning, particularly in STEM, often requires trial and error and, at times, failure. I want to demonstrate to my students that failure is not the end but rather a component of the learning process. I am aware that I will encounter challenges and difficulties in this program, and I am confident that those experiences will improve my teaching abilities. When I tackle challenges on my own, I can assist my students in grasping that making mistakes, looking for assistance, and endurance are all accepted actions. It is just as important to learn how to fail in the future as it is to reach the appropriate response. I desire for my classroom to be a space in which students feel safe, curious, and supported, particularly when challenges arise.

My expectations from the REU program are… to gain real-world experience in science and math from the summer RET/REU program that I can use in my future classroom. I also look forward to the chance to collaborate with others from around the country, working together with people I have yet to meet. I think collaborating with people from various backgrounds and viewpoints will be extremely beneficial. Not only will it assist me in getting new ideas and methods, but it will also prompt me to communicate and resolve issues in ways that may vary from my regular procedures.

Why do you want to become a teacher? My decision to become a STEM teacher stems from a strong desire to learn and share knowledge. STEM topics always attracted my interest because of their ability to tackle current issues and promote creativity. I hope to inspire the next generation of thinkers and innovators by making these topics more approachable and entertaining. Teaching allows you to spark students’ interest, assist them in understanding complex ideas, and promote critical thinking and problem-solving—all of which are essential abilities in any field.

RegenPGC Airs Webinar Series Jan-Feb 2025

Week 2 of our January- February 2025 Webinar Series, “UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF PERENNIAL GROUNDCOVERS IN CORN AND CORN/SOYBEAN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS,” will air live on January 21 at noon (Central Time).

Learn more about the entire 5-week series at https://www.regenpgc.org/resources/webinars/

Register now. If you missed Week 1, you can catch up on our YouTube site at https://www.youtube.com/@RegenPGC

Week 2. Selecting Perennial Groundcovers for Corn & Soybean Production Systems and Their Ideal Characteristics

Amina Moro (Iowa State University)

  • Crop Zone Requirements

Dr. Sara Lira & Brent Wilson (Corteva Agrisciences)

  • Techniques for maintaining a crop growth zone in corn and soybean production systems

Dr. Erin Haramoto & Kiera Searcy (University of Kentucky)

  • Chemical weed control options for perennial groundcover systems. Experiences & Options

Math class? RegenPGC trained teacher Amy Jurasek promises fun

Amy Jurasek is a math teacher at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, who participated in our 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program.

As a teacher, Amy is inspired to develop lessons integrating environmental themes into mathematical problem-solving activities. She wants her students to understand the relevance of algebra and geometry to solving real-world problems.

As part of Amy’s experience in the 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program*, we asked Amy to produce a reflective video describing her experience as a teacher intern. We think that you will agree that what she has produced is utterly charming. Any adolescent would have a fantastic experience in Amy’s classroom!

You can learn more about Amy’s research project “Perennial Groundcover for Corn Systems – Is There an Ideal Distance?” at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amy-Jurasek-poster-2024.pdf.

*Apply now to be a RegenPGC Research Experience Teacher!  We are starting to recruit for our Summer 2025 Research Experience for Teachers program. Check out the program at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/RET-Recruitment-Card.pdf.

Research? Just never stop learning.

“Withut deviation progress is not possible.” This is probably the first time a USDA-NIFA report has inspiration in a quote attributed to Frank Zappa!

The quote is interesting, but we don’t totally agree with it in the context of our latest quarterly report (May 1 – July 31, 2024). We have never stopped learning about perennial groundcover since we started this project in 2021. Each research result teaches us something new, and we reassess what we previously believed in light of new information. At the same time, we never deviate from our goal of developing and increasing the reliability of perennial ground cover systems.

We measure our progress on our ability to make continuous course corrections. With that mindset, we think we are well on our way to demonstrating that perennial groundcover can be a useful approach to providing a range of farm operations with cover crops that require low labor inputs, provide significant ecosystem benefits, increase row crop resiliency, and have similar economic profiles as conventional row crop practices.

RegenPGC CoPd Sara Lira to lead new DOE grant

Dr. Sara Lira,* RegenPCG Commercialization Theme Leader, is the new project director for a significant grant ($5M), Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels from Perennial Ground Cover Systems: FAB-PGCs, from the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Lira will lead a team with members from Corteva Agriscience, Iowa State University, C. Bartel Inc., The Land Institute, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, University of Wisconsin, and POET. Several of the team members already participate in the RegenPGC project.

The new project helps link perennial ground covers grown in row crops to emerging biofuel opportunities. According to the DOE, “This project works to make PGC stover systems more reliable through better crop management while also modeling and documenting reduced N2O emissions and increased soil carbon storage, potentially unlocking tens or hundreds of millions of tons of low CI stover. “

The DOE Office of Bioenergy Technologies (BETO) awarded nine grants “to develop biomass feedstocks to produce affordable biofuels and bioproducts that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” Learn about all nine projects here.

*Dr. Sara Lira is a graduate of Iowa State University with a B.Sc. in Ecology, an M.Sc. in Genetics, and a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding. Dr. Lira has worked at Corteva/Pioneer for 17 years. Her first years focused on corn breeding. Currently, she is working to develop new cropping systems. Lira’s work is focused on new double and cover cropping systems for grain and livestock. Through research, Dr. Lira’s team hopes to optimize the value of agricultural systems for growers and society.