Nushrat Jahan Niva

Biography

Nushrat Jahan Niva is a doctoral student in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia (UGA). Her research focuses on remote sensing technology in precision agriculture. She started her PhD in Forestry and Natural Resources at UGA in 2023 and later switched to Crop and Soil Sciences with Dr. Lorena Lacerda in 2024. Niva earned her Master of Science in the Farm Power and Machinery department from Bangladesh Agricultural University in 2022. She received her Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering and Technology from the same university, majoring in Irrigation and Water Management. Outside of academic studies, she likes outdoor activities like camping, kayaking, hiking, gardening, and so on.

Research Interest

As a professional, Niva is interested in working with the diverse land cover of the Southeast USA to improve the sustainability and productivity of different vegetation covers. She is deeply intrigued by the interplay between meteorological factors and vegetation, recognizing weather conditions' crucial role in crop health and productivity. Her passion lies in utilizing the latest advancements in technology, particularly in remote sensing and data science, to improve crop health and deepen the understanding of the plants' surrounding environment. She is deeply dedicated to utilizing cutting-edge tools to achieve her academic goals.

Current Project

In her current project, Niva is applying high-resolution hyperspectral and LiDAR data in commercial peanut fields with two main goals,1) detect early indicators of aflatoxin contamination in peanuts, and 2) estimate peanut growth and yield using a combination of remote sensing, weather data and machine learning models. Her main study objective is to identify specific hyperspectral bands that can detect differences in crop spectral responses between aflatoxin-contaminated and healthy plants. This new information can potentially aid farmers mitigate the risk of contamination in the field and during harvest. Additionally, she is also exploring the use of hyperspectral and LiDAR data to assess spatial variability of peanut growth parameters final yield.

Recent Work

Evaluation of environmental factors influencing spatial distribution of understory vegetation in loblolly pine plantation in Nassau County, Florida.

Favourite Quote

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” Henry David Thoreau