Education

PhD 1988	Agricultural Engineering	Ohio State University
MS 1985	Agricultural Engineering	Cornell University
BS 1982	Agricultural Mechanization	China Agricultural University

Professional Experience

2002 - Present	Professor of Resources Engineering, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
1999 - Present	Connecticut State Climatologist and Director, the Connecticut State Climate Center
1998	UPS Visiting Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California
1997 - 2002	Associate Professor of Resources Engineering, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
1991 - 1997	Assistant Professor of Resources Engineering, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
1988 - 1991	Post Doctoral Researcher, Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio
1988	Visiting Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Courses Taught

Undergraduate Courses

• NRE 3145    Meteorology
• NRE 3146    Climatology
• NRE 3674    Introduction to Environmental and Natural Resources of China
• NRE 3675    Environmental and Natural Resources of China
• NRE 4175    Environmental Meteorology

Graduate Courses

• NRE 5145    Environmental Biophysics
• NRE 5605    Environmental Data Analysis
• NRE 6000    Research Methods in Natural Resources

Research Interests

• Natural resources engineering and modeling
• Multimedia transport processes
• Atmospheric-hydrologic-ecologic interactions
• Biomass feedstock, bioenergy
• Biometeorology, forest micrometeorology, microclimatology
• Urban agriculture, greenhouse engineering, environment control

Selected Recent Publications

• Singh, A. and X. Yang, 2021. GREENBOX horticulture, an alternative avenue of urban food production. Agricultural Sciences 12: 1473-1489
• Zhao, L., H. Xu, J. Liu, H. Li, J. Men and Yang, 2021. Changes in soil properties and crop yields of farmland over a 20-year reclamation period from grassland in the hilly areas of Hebei, China. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science 67: 594-606
• Zhang, J., T. Lei, Y. Zhe, Y. Hu and Yang, 2017. Effects of time step length and positioning location on ring-measured infiltration rate. Catena 157: 344-356
• Yang, X. Restoration of riverside riparian ecosystems for improving surface water quality in China. Science and technology Review 34: 14-15
• Qu, L., T. Lei, D. Ning, D. Civco and Yang. 2016. A spectral mixing algorithm for qualifying suspended sediment concentration in the Yellow River: a simulation based on a controlled laboratory experiment. International Journal of Remote Sensing 37: 2560-2584
• Ma, Y., L. Qu, W. Wang, Yang, and T. Lei, 2016. Measuring soil water content through volume/mass replacement using a constant volume container. Geoderma 271: 42-49
• Dong, Y., T. Lei, S. Li, C. Yuan, S. Zhou and Yang. 2015. Effects of rye grass coverage on soil loss from loess slopes. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 3: 170-182
• Qu, L., Yang, D. Ning and T. Lei, 2015. A Rational Method for Watershed Runoff Modeling and Its Validation by Laboratory Experiments. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 8: 20-28
• Ma, Y., T. Lei and Yang, 2015. Volume replacement method for partitioning contents of rocks, soil particles and water mixture. Transactions of the CSAE 31: 85-91
• Yan, Q., T. Lei, C. Yuan, Q. Lei, Yang, M. Zhang, G. Su and L. An, 2015. Effects of watershed management practices on the relationships among rainfall, runoff, and sediment delivery in the hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau in China. Geomorphology 228: 735-745
• Zhang, J., T. Lei, G. Zhang, C. Cai, Y. Huang and Yang, 2014. A new experimental method for observing initial soil infiltration using ring infiltrometer. Transactions of the CSAM 45: 140-146
• Parent J., M. Graziano, Yang, 2014. The potential of using forest residue to offset coal use in co-fired coal power plants in the eastern United States. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 7: 99-105
• Xue, Z., L. Qu and Yang, 2014. Potential production and spatial distribution of poplar as a biofuel crop in Connecticut, USA. Intl. Journal of Agric. and Biol. Engineering 7: 10-18

Synergistic Activities

• Co-Chair, Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, 2017-2018
• Founding President, Chinese American Professors Association in Connecticut, 2013-2019
• Conference Organizer and Chair, Sino-US Forum on Ecosystem and Water Resources. Beijing and Yangling, China. 2011
• Founder and Academic Commission Chair, Yangling International Academy of Modern Agriculture. Yangling, China. 2010
• Recipient of professional and institutional awards for research and services