Maria Melissa Rojas-Downing 524 S. Shaw Lane, 216 Farrall Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824

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1 EDUCATION Maria Melissa Rojas-Downing 524 S. Shaw Lane, 216 Farrall Hall, East Lansing, MI, PhD in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering June 2017 Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, MI GPA: 3.94 Dissertation: Evaluating the Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Grazing Dairy Production PhD Specialization in Environmental Science and Policy Program June 2017 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI GPA: 3.94 Master of Science in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Graduated Dec Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI GPA: 4.0 Thesis: Resource Use and Conservation and Environmental Impacts in the Transition from Confinement to Pasture- Based Dairies. Professional Licensure in Agricultural Engineering Graduated Dec University of Costa Rica (UCR), San Jose, Costa Rica Thesis: Analysis of Soil Compaction Levels Associated to Tillage of Sugarcane in Taboga Sugarcane Mill Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering Graduated Dec University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica RESEARCH EXPERIENCE Graduate Research Assistant, MSU Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Jan May 2017 Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to develop research proposals. Develop a new footprint to measure the sustainability of grazing dairy farms. Develop a new concept of sensitivity analysis to help understanding the resiliency of the different pasture compositions in grazing dairy farms. Evaluate adaptation strategies to combat climate change impacts on grazing dairy productions. Evaluate Climate-Food-Energy-Water Nexus in the context of grazing dairy production. Develop a life cycle assessment and economic analysis of anaerobic co-digestion of manure and food waste. Perform research regarding climate-smart agriculture for enhanced food security. Perform research regarding applications of remote sensing data for modeling livestock production. Perform research regarding climate change impacts on livestock production. Perform research applying Decision Support System (DSS) technology to develop a Best Management Practice (BMPs) allocation plan for sediment control. Graduate Student Facilitator, MSU Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) May - July 2016 Help undergraduate students gain research experience to give them a competitive advantage as a graduate applicant. 1

2 Graduate Research Assistant, MSU Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Feb. - Dec Evaluation of the effect of an annual cover crop in alleviation compaction of agricultural soil. Graduate Research Assistant, MSU Pasture Dairy Center May Feb Perform research related to the environmental and economic impacts due to anaerobic digestion on the Kellogg Biological Station Pasture Dairy Center. Engineering Internship, MSU Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Set. - Dec Evaluation of erosion control techniques for assessment and implementation in agricultural land conditions in Costa Rica. Evaluation of retaining wall systems to prevent soil loss under simulated rainfall. Perform research regarding managing and alleviating compaction in agricultural soils. Evaluation of effects of root growth of a cereal rye cover crop in alleviating soil compaction. Engineering Consulting, DESA CAFÉ, Costa Rica Jan Jan Develop an operational manual for a Grain Processing Modular Equipment. Engineering Consulting, Fundevi, University of Costa Rica Jan. - March 2008 Design of a geodesic dome for seed plants in the open sea. Community Work, Simon Bolivar Zoo, Conservation Center, Costa Rica Jan. - Dec Promote responsible agricultural management strategies and practices. Develop manual for preparing orchards in the Historical Agricultural Museum of Santa Ana. PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS Publications Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Elahi, B., Cassida, K., Daneshvar, F., Hernandez-Suarez, J.S., Abouali, M., Herman, M., Dawood, S., Harrigan, T., Food Footprint as a Measure of Sustainability for Grazing Dairy Farms. Ecological Indicators, in review. Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Daneshvar, F., Abouali, M., Herman, M., Dawood, S., Zhang, Z., Pasture Diversification to Combat Climate Change Impacts on Grazing Dairy Production. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. doi: /s Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Climate Change and Livestock: Impacts, Adaptation, and mitigation. Climate Risk Management, 16: Rojas-Downing, M.M., Harrigan, T., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Resource Use and Economic Impacts in the Transition from Confinement to Pasture-Based Dairies. Agricultural Systems, 153: Liu C., Rojas-Downing, M.M., Dreelin E., Michigan State University Water Consumption Preferences: Tap vs. Bottled Water. ESPPulse, a publication of the Michigan State University Environmental Science and Policy Program. Chen, R., Rojas-Downing, M.M., Zhong, Y., Saffron, C., Liao, W., Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Analysis of Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Dairy Manure and Food Waste. Industrial Biotechnology, 11(2):

3 Oral Presentations Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Climate Change Impacts Analysis of Grazing Dairy Production, ASABE Annual International Meeting, July 2017, Spokane, WA, USA. Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Pasture Diversification to Combat Climate Change Impacts on Grazing Dairy Production, Environmental Science and Policy Program Colloquium, December 2016, East Lansing, MI, USA. Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Development of a Policy Framework for a Sustainable Pasturebased Dairy Farm in Michigan, Environmental Science and Policy Program Climate-Food-Energy-Water Colloquium, November 2016, East Lansing, MI, USA. Rojas-Downing, M.M., Morales, M., Soil Compaction in Sugar Cane. XVIII Conference of sugar ATACORI. Organized by Association of Sugar Technicians in Costa Rica, September 2011, San Jose, Costa Rica. Poster presentations Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Daneshvar, F., Abouali, M., Herman, M., Dawood, S., Zhang, Z., Grazing Dairy Production under the Impacts of Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges. The Fate of the Earth Symposium: Climate-Food-Energy-Water Nexus. Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, April 12, Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Daneshvar, F., Abouali, M., Herman, M., Dawood, S., Zhang, Z., Vulnerability of Grazing Dairy Systems to Climate Change in Michigan. The Fate of the Earth Symposium: Climate-Food-Energy-Water Nexus. Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, April 7, Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Daneshvar, F., Abouali, M., Herman, M., Dawood, S., Zhang, Z., Pasture Diversification to Combat Climate Change Impacts on Grazing Dairy Production Engineering Graduate Research Symposium. Michigan State University, March 31, Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Relationships between Livestock Production and Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, and Human Dimensions. ASABE First Climate Change Symposium: Adaptation and Mitigation. Chicago, Illinois, May 3-5, Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., The Use of Remote Sensing to Asses Drought Impacts on Livestock. Environmental Science and Policy Program Research Symposium: Environmental Risk and Decision Making. Michigan State University, October 10, Rojas-Downing, M.M., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Climate-Smart Agriculture for Enhanced Food Security: Evaluation of Sustainable Management Techniques Engineering Graduate Research Symposium. Michigan State University, March 27, PROPOSAL WRITING Collaborator in the development of an AgBioResearch proposal titled: Quantifying species of a pasture mixture using hyper- and multi-spectral remote sensing methods to estimate pasture yield for livestock production. Funded, Collaborator in the development of a USDA-NIFA proposal titled: Quantifying species of forage mixture using remote sensing to estimate yield and nutritive value. In review,

4 Collaborator in the development of NASA Group on Earth Observations Work Programme proposal titled: Grassland monitoring and management for food security under shifting environmental conditions: Using remote sensing to monitor biodiversity, nutritive quality, and biomass in pastures, hay fields, and bioenergy systems. In review, Collaborator in the development of a USDA-NIFA proposal titled: Global food security under the lens of water and nutrient use efficiency. In review, SERVICE Secretary, Biosyst. and Ag. Eng. Graduate Student Advisory Group (GSAG), MSU Aug Aug Student Ambassador, Biosyst. and Ag. Eng., GSAG, MSU Aug Aug Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society, MSU Nov Aug Department Advisory Committee, Biosyst. and Ag. Eng., MSU Sep Aug Social Liaison, Biosyst. and Ag. Eng., GSAG, MSU Sept Aug Engineering Research Committee, MSU Jan Aug Committee member of All-University Awards, Office of the Provost, MSU Sep Nov Chairperson, Biosyst. and Ag. Eng., GSAG, MSU Aug Aug Representative of the College of Engineering Hearing Board, MSU Aug Aug Vice President, Agricultural Engineering Latin American Student Association, UCR May May 2010 Chairperson, Agricultural Engineering Student Association, UCR Jan Dec RELEVANT SKILLS AND ADITIONAL TRAINING Geographic Information Systems Proficient in ArcGIS, Esri Proficient in BASINS, Better Assessment Science Integrating point & Non-point Sources from U.S. EPA Programming software Matlab Integrated Farm System Software FarmWorks IFSM (Integrated Farm System Model) Erosion Software RUSLE2 (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) Statistical Software SAS statistical software 4

5 Additional Training COMPASS Science Communication Workshop. Michigan State University. May 17 th and 18 th Capitalize on WorldView-3 SWIR Data with ENVI. Digital Globe. December 3 rd, NASA webinar. Water Resources Management using NASA Earth Science Data. 5 weeks training. October 13 th - November 10 th, Certificate provided Graduate Student Leadership Summit. Michigan State University. November 7 th, Webinar on Agriculture in the UNFCCC negotiations. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). October 21 st, Grazing School. Michigan State University Extension. Kellogg Biological Station, September 24 th and 25 th Monitoring Climate from Space. European Space Agency. 5 weeks training. June 8 th - July 14 th, Certificate provided. NASA webinar. Introduction to Remote Sensing for Conservation Management. 5 weeks training. May 5 th - June 2 nd Certificate provided. NASA webinar. Introduction to Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Data and Applications. 3 weeks training. March 17 th - March 31 st Certificate provided Graduate Student Leadership Academy. Michigan State University. February 19 th - April 2 nd, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science Communication Training. Faculty and Organizational Development, Michigan State University. February 26 th, Programming for everybody (Python). Coursera online course. October - December NASA webinar. NASA remote sensing for land management. 4 weeks training. November 3 rd - December 1 st Certificate provided. NASA webinar. Water quality monitoring using remote sensing measurements. 2 weeks training. November 18 th - December 2 nd, Certificate provided. NASA webinar. NASA Earth Science Data Products, Portals, and Tools. 5 weeks training. September 16 th - October 14 th, At Michigan State University: Completed all requirements for TSM 343 (3 cr., 2-2), Principles of Precision Agriculture, BE 820 (1 cr.), Research Methods in Biosystems Engineering. December Watershed Modeling Using SWAT 2007 Workshop. ASABE. 9 hours training. February Application of Integrated Environment and Economic Simulation Models Using CEEOT-SWAPP to Evaluate BMPs at the Field and Watershed Levels Workshop. ASABE. 9 hours training. February GLOBAL GAP Protocol for Best Agricultural Practices with Emphasis on Fruits and Vegetables Workshop. University of Costa Rica, Department of Agricultural Engineering. 24 hours training. December Quality Management Systems ISO 9001:2008, providing basic techniques for the effective implementation of management systems of Good Agricultural Practices. July RELEVANT COURSEWORK Graduate Engineering: Sustainable Bioenergy Systems, Biosystems Engineering Instrumentation, Analysis of Biological Systems, Water Resources System Analysis, Ecohydrology. Environmental Science and Policy Program: Introduction to Environmental Science and Policy, Human Systems and Environment, Dynamics of Environmental Systems, Water Policy and Management. Geography: Remote Sensing of Environment, Advanced Remote Sensing, Remote Sensing of Agriculture. Statistics: Statistics for Biologists, Spatial Data Analysis. Ecology: Field Ecology and Evolution, Stream Ecology. 5

6 Undergraduate Engineering: Engineering Design Fundamentals, Hydraulic Infrastructure, Heat and Mass Transfer, Environmental Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Agricultural Infrastructure, Agricultural Power Systems, Agricultural Project Assessment, and Postharvest Engineering. FELLOWSHIPS/SCHOLARSHIPS Dissertation Completion Fellowship ($7,000) 2017 Travel funding from the Council of Graduate Students ($300) 2017 Travel funding from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resource ($400) 2017 Graduate School Travel Fellowship ($350) 2017 Professional Development Fellowship ($500) 2017 Recognition of Graduate Student Excellence and Support of Graduate Programming ($500) 2017 Environmental Science Policy Program Travel Funding Grant ($500) 2017 ESPP Climate, Food, Energy and Water Summer Research Fellowship ($7,000) 2016 BAE Service Recognition fellowship ($1,500) 2016 Be Spartan Green Outstanding Achievement award 2016 Environmental Science Policy Program Travel Funding Grant ($500) 2015 Bill and Rita Stout Scholarship ($1,000) 2014 Merle and Catherine Esmay Scholarship ($1,000) 2013 Environmental Science Policy Program Doctoral Recruiting Fellowship ($35,000) 2013 LINGUISTIC Spanish Native English Proficient / Second Language 6