Egondu Umeobi, an ESGP PhD student (advised by Dr. Jim Ippolito in the School of Environment and Natural Resources) has been named a 2024 Bridge Scholar by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America. The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy, crop science, and/or soil science through education, national and international service, and research. Egondu holds a B.S. in Soil Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where she was engaged in a research project focused on conducting environmental impact assessments of mining-affected land in Ebonyi State, Nigeria and built expertise in this field. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Environmental Science Graduate Program at The Ohio State University and is a member of the Ippolito Research Team. Her research is dedicated to the restoration of soil health in mine lands contaminated with heavy metals. With a deep passion for soil and environmental science, Egondu is particularly interested in contamination, remediation, and soil health, striving to develop innovative strategies to reduce the environmental impact of mining. She has published research articles in international reputable journals.