Santiago Valencia Cardenas selected as 2023 McGinnies Scholar

Jan. 25, 2025
Santiago Valencia Cardenas

Santiago Valencia Cardenas, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Environmental Science, has been named the 47th recipient of the William G. McGinnies Graduate Scholarship in Arid Lands Studies. This prestigious scholarship, awarded annually, honors Dr. W.G. McGinnies, founder of the Office of Arid Lands Studies. It aims to provide additional support to graduate students whose dissertation research investigates the physical and biological processes of the world's arid and semiarid regions. The award includes a stipend, the opportunity to deliver an invited public presentation, and a luncheon with the awards committee. Santiago will present his 2023 McGinnies Scholarship Award presentation on Wednesday, April 23rd, in ENR2 S210. 

Santiago’s research focuses on the mechanisms by which the soil-plant-atmosphere system responds to large precipitation events and extended dry periods. This work is particularly relevant as climate change drives more frequent large precipitation events and prolonged dry spells—independent of trends in mean annual precipitation (MAP).

Santiago’s dissertation, titled From Tropical Rainforests to Tropical Drylands: Understanding the Role of Precipitation Variability on the Distribution of Tropical Ecosystems, addresses three critical gaps in knowledge about the factors that influence tropical ecosystems:

  1. The effect of dry and wet spells on the current distribution of forests and savannas, compared to other environmental drivers such as MAP, fire occurrences, and soil properties,
  2. The effect of large precipitation events and long dry spells on the functionality — including water, carbon, and energy fluxes — of forests and savannas across aridity and edaphic gradients,
  3. The potential changes in the distribution of forests and savannas that may occur under future climate change projections.

Santiago’s research expands on Dr. McGinnies' legacy by addressing critical questions about ecosystem resilience that can enhance projections of critical transitions between dryland and non-dryland ecosystems in tropical regions.