Research Expertise and Interests
• Agricultural and Environmental monitoring using Remote Sensing and GIS.
• Land Use and Land Cover change, Global Environmental change detection.
• Imaging Spectrometer and Hyperspectral data acquisition and analysis.
• Monitoring the effects of Heavy metal and Nutrient Pollution on Soil, Plant and Atmosphere.
• Soil Contamination, Remediation and Restoration.
Research Accomplishments
- Monitoring the land use and land cover changes and environmental contamination trends in the urban watersheds of Houston-Galveston Region.
- Mapping and monitoring the water quality of the Galveston Bay, Texas and Lake Victoria in East Africa.
- Quantify and monitor the landscape level changes on the mercury concentrations at watershed scale.
- Develop geospatial database to map mercury concentration in soil, sediment, water and fish in Tennessee watersheds.
- Quantify the physical and chemical changes of soils in the Lake Erie drainage basin as a result of sewage sludge, dairy and poultry manure applications.
- Monitoring the chemical concentrations in soils and plants through traditional chemical analysis and to map the areas of high chemical concentrations using the satellite imagery.
- Mapping and measuring the algal blooms and other water quality parameters in Lake Erie through traditional analytical methods and also through remote sensing and GIS techniques.
- Mapping the distribution and effects of the Salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima) an invasive plant species along the riparian areas of the Lower Colorado region.
- Conducted green house studies using mustard, barley and fern plants for phytoremediation and restoration of the toxic metal contaminated soils.
- Application of remote sensing and spectral reflectance to monitor the heavy metal stress in plants
- Analyzed the As, Cd, Cr, Cs, Sr and Zn accumulation in soils and plants through traditional chemical analysis and microscopy
Research Grants Funded
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (Co-PI). Building Research, Education, And Leadership for Agriculture and Related Career (bREAL – ARC) 2022-2026, $1,00,000, USDA-HSI (Funded).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Evaluation of High Tunnel Systems on Dragon Fruit Production in South Florida. 2022-2023, $75,000, USDA-NRCS (Funded).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (Co-PI). Experiential and Experimental Training for Multicultural Undergraduate Scholars in Agroecology and Natural Resource Sciences at Florida International University. 2022-2026, $600,000, USDA-HSI (Funded).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Excellence in Research: Analyzing the impact of landscape changes on the watershed dynamics of a flood-prone urban region. 2018-2023, $500,000, NSF-EIR-GSS. (Funded – NSF Grant).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (Co-PI). Characterization, dynamics and biological impact of indoor airborne dust exposure. 2018-2023, $999,786, NSF-RISE. (Funded – NSF Grant).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Infusion of Geospatial Informatics to Enhance an Undergraduate Biological Science Program. 2016-2020, $399,999, NSF-TIP. (Funded – NSF Grant).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Impact of landscape and environmental changes on the water quality of Galveston Bay, TX. 2016-2017, $20,000, Texas Space Grant, NASA Space Grant Consortium. (Funded).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Spatial and temporal modeling of mercury fate and dynamics in East Tennessee watersheds. 2014-2018, $39,996, Supplemental Grant, NSF-HBCU-UP. (Funded – NSF Grant).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Spatial and temporal modeling of mercury fate and dynamics in East Tennessee watersheds. 2014-2018, $199,999, NSF-HBCU-UP. (Funded – NSF Grant).
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Landscape level patterns of mercury contamination and bioaccumulation in East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) watershed, 2014-2015, $ 15,000. (Funded – DOE Grant)
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Use of a geospatial database and model to map mercury distribution and transport in the East Fork Poplar Creek watershed, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 2013-2014, $ 15,000. (Funded – DOE Grant)
- Maruthi Sridhar BB. (PI). Monitoring agricultural sewage sludge, 2012-2013, $10,860. (Funded – USDA subcontract through University of Toledo) Sub Award No. 10390057-TSU
- Vincent RK, Maruthi Sridhar BB. Calibration and validation of remote sensing data for the Lower Colorado River Region, 2007-2011, $56,000. (Funded – USBR subcontract through Central State University)
- Vincent RK, Maruthi Sridhar BB. Monitoring agricultural sewage sludge, 2010- 2013, $468,000. (Funded – USDA subcontract through University of Toledo)
- Vincent RK, Maruthi Sridhar BB. Monitoring agricultural sewage sludge, 2009- 2012, $101,765. (Funded – USDA subcontract through University of Toledo)
Patents
- Maruthi Sridhar BB, Vincent RK. 2014. Method and system for detecting phosphorus in soil from reflected light reflected light. US Patent No. 8,655,601.
- Maruthi Sridhar BB, Vincent RK. 2013. Method and system for detecting copper in soil from reflected light. US Patent No. 8,426,211.
- Maruthi Sridhar BB, Vincent RK. 2013. Method and system for detecting sulfur in soil from reflected light. US Patent No. 8,367,420.
- Vincent RK, Maruthi Sridhar BB. 2011. Methods and apparatus for detecting organic materials and objects from multispectral reflected light. US Patent No. 0024,632 / US Patent No. 8,030,615 / US Patent No. 8,058,617.
- Vincent RK, Maruthi Sridhar BB. 2010. Methods and apparatus for detecting organic materials and objects from multispectral reflected light. US Patent No. 7,767,966.