Indeera Hetti Arachchige

Title: Graduate Student
Email: hettiarachchige-i@webmail.uwinnipeg.ca

Degree: Master of Science
Thesis: Blended soil amendment effects on phosphorus loss to snowmelt from manured soils
Supervisor: Dr. Doug Goltz & Dr. Darshani Kumaragamage
Entry: Fall 2023

Research Interests:
Soil amendments have been proposed as effective management strategies for reducing P loss to waterways from flooded soils, but the mechanisms involved are yet to be explored. My research focus is on the effect of blended soil amendment on phosphorus loss from soils under snowmelt flooding. Also, I am interested in looking at the individual soil properties involved in soil P mobilization using model soils as a tool. As the next step, I am interested in developing environmentally friendly, sustainable, and efficient recommendations that can be used at the farmer field level to mitigate P loss from agricultural lands to waterways and help protect Manitoba’s water resources.

Biography:
I’m Indeera Hettiarachchige, a graduate student in my first year at the University of Winnipeg's M.Sc. in Environmental and Social Change program. I’m originally from Sri Lanka and I graduated with a B.Sc. in Agricultural Technology and Management from The University of Peradeniya. Currently, I’m reading my thesis under the supervision of Dr. Darshani Kumaragamage and Dr. Doug Goltz. The experience as an international student at The University of Winnipeg has been amazing so far, and I’m certain that it will enrich me as a scientist who can make interdisciplinary approaches to real-world issues.