GCLab @ AGU25

We at the Global Computing Lab (GCLab) are thrilled to participate in AGU25! Join us throughout the week as we present our research, engage in discussions, and contribute to panels, workshops, and student showcases. We look forward to meeting you—come say hello!

Meet the Team and Collaborators at AGU25

Dr. Michela Taufer
(GCLab Director)
Dr. Jack Marquez
(GCLab Research Assistant Professor)
Dr. Kin Wai NG
(GCLab Research Assistant Professor)
Dr. Kyle Davis
(Collaborator at the U. of Delaware)
Dr. Holly Michael
(Collaborator at the U. of Delaware)
Dr. Rodrigo Vargas
(Collaborator at the U. of Arizona)

Researchers attending from our collaborators at Global Food Futures Lab

  • Aarti Arora, UD PhD Student
  • Endalkachew Kebede, UD PhD Student
  • Bhoktear Khan, UD PhD Student
  • Afia Sarwar, UD PhD Student
  • John Uponi, UD PhD Student
  • Amaja Mack, UD PhD Student
  • Hanan Abou Ali, UD PhD Student

Researchers attending from our collaborators at Holly Michael’s Research Group

  • Dannielle Pratt, UD Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Cindy Chen, UD Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Claudia Zoccorato, UD Visiting Researcher
  • Romana Ibrahim, UD PhD Student
  • Abigail McGraw, UD MS Student
  • Tahmidur Junayed, UD PhD Student

Project Showcase

At AGU25, GCLab showcases how we support scientists tackling complex data and computing challenges. Our projects reflect a dedication to open, reproducible, and inclusive research that advances the frontiers of HPC and AI.

Schedule of GCLab Activities at AGU25

Monday, December 15 - Friday, December 19, 2025

GCLab Booth Information

Time:

  • Monday, 15 December — 15:00–18:00 CST
  • Tuesday, 16 December — 10:00–18:00 CST
  • Wednesday, 17 December — 10:00–18:00 CST
  • Thursday, 18 December — 10:00–13:00 CST

Location: Booth #928 in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (Halls B2–C)

GCLab Booth Image
Monday, December 15th
10:30 – 12:00 CST
Oral Session: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture and Irrigation through AI and Remote Sensing I
Primary Convener: Kyle Davis (UD)
Co-Conveners: Piyush Mehta (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Marta Tuninetti (Politecnico di Torino), Bhoktear Khan (UD)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
14:15 – 15:45 CST
Oral Session: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture and Irrigation through AI and Remote Sensing II
Chair: Kyle Davis (UD)
Co-Conveners: Piyush Mehta (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Marta Tuninetti (Politecnico di Torino), Bhoktear Khan (UD)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
14:15 – 17:45 CST
Poster Session: Diurnality of Carbon and Energy Fluxes from Global Eddy Covariance Networks Reveals Ecosystem-Specific Interactions with Climate
Authors: Taejin Park (NASA Ames Research Center), Hirofumi Hashimoto (NASA Ames Research Center), Weile Wang (NASA/AMES Research Center), Xiangming Xiao (University of Oklahoma), Rodrigo Vargas (University of Delaware), Ian G Brosnan (NASA Ames Research Center)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Rodrigo Vargas
16:15 – 17:45 CST
Oral Session: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture and Irrigation through AI and Remote Sensing III
Chair: Kyle Davis (UD)
Co-Conveners: Kyle Davis (UD), Piyush Mehta (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Marta Tuninetti (Politecnico di Torino), Bhoktear Khan (UD), Landon Marston (Virginia Tech), Carole Dalin (Ecole Normale Supérieure)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
Tuesday, December 16th
08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture and Irrigation through AI and Remote Sensing IV
Primary Convener: Kyle Davis (UD)
Co-Conveners: Piyush Mehta (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Marta Tuninetti (Politecnico di Torino), Bhoktear Khan (UD), John Uponi (UD), Landon Marston (Virginia Tech)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: Assessing Transitions Between Smallholder and Commercial Agriculture in Nigeria through Automated Field Boundary Segmentation
Authors: Kyle Davis (UD), Rahebe Abedi (Clark University), Hanan Abou Ali (UD), Oluwaseun Adeluyi (National Space Research & Development Agency), Tunrayo Alabi (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture), Tanmoy Chakraborty (Clark University), Lyndon D Estes (Clark University), Bhoktear Khan (UD), Olawale Olayide (University of Ibadan), John Uponi (UD), Aleksandra Wasik (Kent State University), He Yin (Kent State University)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: The Hidden Role of Groundwater in the Functioning and Migration of Saltmarshes
Authors: Holly Michael (UD), Julia Guimond (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), Dannielle Pratt (UD), Emilio Grande (California State University East Bay)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Holly Michael
09:10 – 09:20 CST
Poster Session: High-Resolution Global Mapping of Irrigated Areas Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning
Authors: Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Gabriel Laboy (UTK), Paula Olaya (UTK), Michela Taufer (UTK), Holly Michael (UD), Kevin Bhimani (UD), Kyle Davis (UD)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Michela Taufer
Holly Michael
Kyle Davis

Endalkachew Abebe Kebede, Gabriel Laboy, Paula Olaya, Michela Taufer, Holly Michael, Kevin Bhimani, Kyle Davis, High-Resolution Global Mapping of Irrigated Areas Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning, in Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, December 14-19, 2025.

@inproceedings{kebede2025agu1,
author = {Endalkachew Abebe Kebede and Gabriel Laboy and Paula Olaya and Michela Taufer and Holly Michael and Kevin Bhimani and Kyle Davis},
title = {{High-Resolution Global Mapping of Irrigated Areas Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning}},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting},
address = {New Orleans, LA},
month = {December 14-19},
year = {2025},
}

09:40 – 09:50 CST
Poster Session: Assessing Economic Water Scarcity and Sustainable Irrigation Potential in Nigeria
Authors: Bhoktear Khan (UD), John Uponi (UD), Hanan Abou Ali (UD), Oluwaseun Adeluyi (National Space Research & Development Agency), Tunrayo Alabi (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture), Olawale Olayide (University of Ibadan), Kyle Davis (UD)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
10:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: Harnessing High-Resolution Multispectral and LiDAR Data for Accurate Urban Tree Cover Mapping and Informed Sustainable Planning
Authors: Akash Awasthi (University of Houston), Kyle Kristian Kabasares (Bay Area Environmental Research Institute), Hien Van Nguyen (University of Houston), Rodrigo Vargas (University of Delaware), Ramakrishna R Nemani (NASA Ames Research Center), Ian G Brosnan (NASA Ames Research Center), Taejin Park (NASA Ames Research Center/Bay Area Environmental Research Institute)
Location: Room 351 (Convention Center)
Rodrigo Vargas
11:00 – 11:10 CST
Poster Session: The Role of Climate in Shaping U.S. Cropland Shifting and Crop Switching
Authors: Afia Sarwar (UD), Kyle Davis (UD), Bhoktear Khan (UD)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
11:10 – 11:20 CST
Poster Session: Global and Local Risks of Rising Water Scarcity to Food Production and Supply
Authors: Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Tariq Ali (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Davide Danilo Chiarelli (Politecnico di Milano), Sarah Hartman (University of California Berkeley, CSIRO), Matti Kummu (Aalto University), Piyush Mehta (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Brian D Richter (Sustainable Waters), Maria C. Rulli (Politecnico di Milano), Marta Tuninetti (Politecnico di Torino), Kate A Brauman (University of Alabama), Qinyu Deng (Beijing Normal University), Jonas Jägermeyr (Columbia University of New York), Landon Marston (Virginia Tech), Mesfin Mergia Mekonnen (University of Alabama), Deepak K Ray (University of Minnesota), Lorenzo Rosa (Carnegie Institution for Science Stanford), Stefan Siebert (University of Göttingen), Wei Xie (Peking University), Kyle Davis (UD)
Location: Room 206 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
11:15 – 11:20 CST
Poster Session: Overlooked Potential for Energy Transition Mineral Resources and Research in Above‑Ground Sources
Authors: John Uponi (UD), Julie Klinger (University of Wisconsin – Madison), Gwendolyn Murphy (University of Wisconsin – Madison), Kyle Davis (UD)
Location: Room E-2 (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
11:30 – 11:40 CST
Oral Session: MidFlux: Integrating Ground-to-Airborne Eddy Covariance Measurements and Airborne-to-Satellite Remote Sensing to Assess Regional Ch4 Dynamics across Diverse Mid-Atlantic Wetlands
Authors: Lisa Haber (Virginia Commonwealth University), Maricar M Aguilos (Hokkaido University), Brandon Alveshere (University of Connecticut), K. Dana Chadwick (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Bruce Cook (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Erin Delaria (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), John S King (North Carolina State University), Noel Gurwick (SERC), Reem Hannun (NASA Ames Research Center), Douglas C Morton (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Thomas L O'Halloran (Virginia Tech), Ryan Pavlick (NASA Headquarters), Benjamin Poulter (Spark Climate Solutions), Mindy Priddy (Virginia Commonwealth University), Camilo Rey-Sanchez (North Carolina State University), Todd M Scanlon (University of Virginia), Shawn Serbin (Brookhaven National Laboratory), Rodrigo Vargas (University of Delaware), Eric Ward (NASA GSFC/UMD ESSIC), Glenn Wolfe (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Qing Ying (NASA GSFC/UMD ESSIC), Christopher Michael Gough (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Rodrigo Vargas
13:00 – 14:30 CST
Poster Session: Spatial Representativeness of MexFlux as a Regional FLUXNET Network
Authors: Van Huong Le (University of Delaware), Rodrigo Vargas (Arizona State University), Samuel Villarreal (Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C.), M. Susana Alvarado-Barrientos (Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C.), Alejandro Cueva (El Colegio de la Frontera Sur), Josue Delgado-Balbuena (Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria Agricultura Familiar, INIFAP), Dulce Flores (SECIHTI-Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the IPN Saltillo Unit), Cesar Hinojo (University of Sonora), Mónica Cervantes-Jiménez (Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro), Eli R Perez-Ruiz (Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez), Zulia Sanchez-Mejia (Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora), Tonantzin Tarin (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico), Stephen H. Bullock (CICESE), Alejandro E Castellanos (University of Sonora), Bernardo Figueroa (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Sisal), Jaime Garatuza-Payán (Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora), Friso Holwerda (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Julio Cesar Rodriguez (Universidad de Sonora), Jorge Uuh-Sonda (Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora), Erik Velasco (Molina Center for Energy and the Environment), Enrico A. Yépez (Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Rodrigo Vargas
14:15 – 17:45 CST
Poster Session: Untangling Dynamic Drivers of Salt Marsh Migration
Authors: Dannielle Pratt (UD), Julia Guimond (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), Tyler Messerschmidt (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), Justus Grant Dalton Jobe (George Washington University), Matthew L. Kirwan (William & Mary), Keryn Gedan (George Washington University), Sergio Fagherazzi (Boston University), Holly Michael (UD)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Holly Michael
14:15 – 17:45 CST
Poster Session: Designing a Saltwater Intrusion Monitoring Network in Coastal Delaware: Identifying Vulnerable Areas and Addressing Critical Monitoring Gaps
Authors: Romana Ibrahim (UD), Rachel W. McQuiggan (UD), Katherine Buell‑Fleming (UD), Bob Scarborough (State of Delaware), Matthew Grabowski (State of Delaware), Lyndsay B. Ball (U.S. Geological Survey), Burke J. Minsley (U.S. Geological Survey), Kevin Brinson (UD), Holly Michael (UD)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Holly Michael
14:15 – 17:45 CST
Poster Session: Salinity Dominates Moisture Content in Soil Water Potential at Marsh‑Forest Boundaries
Authors: Tahmidur Rahman Junayed (UD), Dannielle Pratt (UD), Riley Leff (George Washington University), Keryn Gedan (George Washington University), Holly Michael (UD)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Holly Michael
15:00 – 16:30
Oral Session: The William S. and Carelyn Y. Reeburgh Lecture: Recognizing Significant Contributions to the Fields of Global Biogeochemistry Presented by Markus Kleber
Primary Convener: Emily S. Bernhardt (Duke University)
Secondary Convener: Rodrigo Vargas (University of Delaware)
Location: Room 351 (Convention Center)
Rodrigo Vargas
Wednesday, December 17th
08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: Linkages Between Climate Extremes, Cropland Expansion, and Deforestation in Sub‑Saharan Africa
Authors: Amaja Mack (UD), Kyle Davis (UD), Bhoktear Khan (UD)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: The Role of Resilient Crops in Influencing Climate‑Driven Deforestation in Nigeria
Authors: John Uponi (UD), Bhoktear Khan (UD), Hanan Abou Ali (UD), Tunrayo Alabi (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture), Oluwaseun Adeluyi (National Space Research & Development Agency), Olawale Olayide (University of Ibadan), Kyle Davis (UD)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
14:55 – 15:05 CST
Poster Session: Controlling Drivers of Wave‑Driven Ripple on Interfacial Fluid and Solute Exchange in Coastal Hyporheic Zone
Authors: Chieh‑Ying Chen (UD), Jiaye Zhang (UD), Holly Michael (UD), Tian‑Jian Hsu (UD)
Location: 231‑232 (New Orleans Convention Center)
Holly Michael
Thursday, December 18th
08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: Scalable and Optimized Terrain Parameter Computation with the GEOtiled-SG Framework
Authors: Jack Marquez (UTK), Kin NG (UTK), Gabriel Laboy (UTK), Paula Olaya (UTK), Rodrigo Vargas (ASU & UD), Michela Taufer (UTK)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall) (MCCNO)
Kyle Davis
Jack Marquez
Kin Wai NG
Rodrigo Vargas

Jack Marquez, Kin W. NG, Gabriel Laboy, Paula Olaya, Rodrigo Vargas, and Michela Taufer. Scalable and Optimized Terrain Parameter Computation with the GEOtiled-SG Framework, in Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, USA, 2025.

@inproceedings{marquez2025agu,
author = {Jack Marquez and Kin W. NG and Gabriel Laboy and Paula Olaya and Rodrigo Vargas and Michela Taufer},
title = {{Scalable and Optimized Terrain Parameter Computation with the GEOtiled-SG Framework}},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting},
address = {New Orleans, USA},
year = {2025},
}

11:17 – 11:31 CST
Poster Session: Influence of Microtopography and Soil Heterogeneity on Salinization in Changing Coastal Environments
Authors: Chieh‑Ying Chen (UD), Anner Paldor (UD), Dannielle Pratt (UD), Holly Michael (UD)
Location: 231‑232 (New Orleans Convention Center)
Holly Michael
14:35 – 14:45 CST
Poster Session: Rural Labor Out‑Migration’s Impact on Agriculture and the Environment in the Global South
Authors: Aarti Arora (UD), Pinki Mondal (UD), Ruth DeFries (Columbia University), Sonali Shukla McDermid (New York University), Kyle Davis (UD)
Location: Rooms 203–205 (New Orleans Convention Center)
Kyle Davis
Friday, Dec 19th
8:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: An Interface for Data Curation and Mapping of Irrigated Areas Using Active Learning
Authors: Kin NG (UTK), Jack Marquez (UTK), Gabriel Laboy (UTK), Endalkachew Abebe Kebede (UD), Holly Michael (UD), Kyle Davis (UD), Michela Taufer (UTK)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Michela Taufer
Kin NG
Jack Marquez
Holly Michael
Kyle Davis

Kin Wai Ng, Jack Marquez, Gabriel Laboy, Endalkachew Kebede, Holly Michael, Kyle Frankel Davis, and Michela Taufer, An interface for data curation and mapping of irrigated areas using active learning,” in Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, USA, Dec. 2025.

@inproceedings{ng2025agu,
author = {Kin Wai NG and Jack Marquez and Gabriel Laboy and Endalkachew Kebede and Holly Michael and Kyle Frankel Davis and Michela Taufer },
title = {{An Interface for Data Curation and Mapping of Irrigated Areas Using Active Learning}},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting},
address = {New Orleans, USA},
month = {December},
year = {2025},
}

08:30 – 12:00 CST
Poster Session: Hydrogeologic Controls on the Position of the Marsh‑Forest Boundary in the Mid‑Atlantic
Authors: Abigail McGraw (UD), Dannielle Pratt (UD), Holly Michael (UD)
Location: Hall EFG (Poster Hall, MCCNO)
Holly Michael
11:36 – 11:46 CST
Poster Session: The Biophysical Foundations of Tidal Marshes: A Focus on Soil-Root Interactions
Authors: Claudia Zoccarato (University of Padua), Holly Michael (UD), Anna Roat (UD), Christopher L. Meehan (UD), Pietro Teatini (University of Padova), Christian Schwarz (KU Leuven), Siamak Yoosefi Sigari (UD)
Location: 245 (New Orleans Convention Center)
Holly Michael