By Marissa Fessenden
Joe Ogrodnick
Jordan Hall
Some key members of the CALS administrative staff recently got a chance to learn more about the institution they work for.
The chairs’ assistants, already invaluable for their knowledge of their own departments, now know a lot more about the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva, where they held their semi-annual meeting May 29.
Karin Jantz of Plant Biology pronounced the day “invigorating,” adding, “Seeing what Cornell does in terms of research and extension ‘up close and personal’ can recharge why you come to work every day. It can make you feel a part of the process.”
The day began with a welcome by Tom Burr, professor of plant pathology, CALS associate dean, and the Station’s director, and progressed to an enthusiastic presentation by plant pathologist Christine Smart of her research on a vegetable blight caused by the pathogen Phytophthora capsici. Smart hopes to identify resistant vegetable varieties that can grow successfully in New York and to understand interactions that occur between the disease-causing pathogen and the host.
Smart’s talk was followed by a tour of the Station. “The minute you step onto the campus you can tell that it is different,” remarked Mary Ellen Fraboni, an executive staff assistant in the Senior Associate Deans’ Office. “It is a beautiful campus, and much calmer and more relaxed than Ithaca.”
Joe Ogrodnick
Chris Smart, assistant professor of plant pathology, shows an acorn squash plant with Phytophthora blight.
After a luncheon meeting, the tour continued with a look at the Food Venture Center’s Food Research Lab, a unit of the Department of Food Science and Technology. The center collaborates with entrepreneurs and established companies across the state to bring new food products and processes to the marketplace. The visit came complete with samples of new products.
“I love the idea of products being made out of squash and grape waste!” said Cindy Ryan of the Dean’s Office.
Next up was a tour of the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park, adjacent to the NYSAES. More recently dubbed the Technology Farm, the park fosters economic development through the creation of innovative technologies that enhance the production of new products and processes related to food, beverages, and agriculture.
The day was special for the Station staff involved, as well. “Many, many thanks to the dean, senior associate deans, and associate deans for allowing this to happen and providing the means to do it,” said Linda Irland, Tom Burr’s staff assistant. “We all work for the same place, but this tour allowed us to show the differences in our campus versus the main campus and how our work can be similar, but also very different.”