Zamorano student interns “learn by doing” with Cornell’s NMSP

Erick Amaya

Amaya studied environment and development back in Honduras. He came to Ithaca hoping to explore new experiences and learn more about how agriculture and sustainability in the United States differs from that in Honduras. “New York seems to have more opportunities to explore these issues and find solutions,” he said.

During his time at Cornell, Amaya primarily worked with Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez, NMSP on-farm research coordinator, on data collection for on-farm research trials. He also worked with Postdoctoral Researcher Jasdeep Singh, Field Technician Helen Solecki, and Ramos Tanchez on incubation trials to determine greenhouse gas emissions from various manure sources as part of the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration project and the Value of Manure project.

With the help of his mentors, Amaya learned more about how to design experimental protocols and use the laboratory equipment. He also gained experience with communication and collaboration in a new setting, with a new topic at hand. “At home, I did studies having to do with carbon sources using a very different methodology,” he said. “It’s been a really special opportunity to be able to use the greenhouse gas emission equipment that the team here has and learn more about experimental design.”

Coming into this internship, Amaya knew what it was like to work for long days in the field, but he found the range of field activities included in this project more engaging. “I think it’s necessary to learn in this hands-on way because it helps us think more critically about how we could change the world through agriculture,” he said.

“I am really grateful for this experience. This really changed my life, my point of view about production and nutrient management, and the things that we can do to try to achieve sustainability in agriculture."

Amaya returned to Honduras to graduate from Zamarano University this semester. He hopes to return to Cornell in January to continue contributing to the incubation studies as part of both the Value of Manure and the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration project of the NMSP, where the focus is to measure greenhouse gas emissions as impacted by farm field management.

“I am really grateful for this experience. This really changed my life, my point of view about production and nutrient management, and the things that we can do to try to achieve sustainability in agriculture."

Carlos Irias

Carlos Irias is studying environmental engineering at Zamorano University in Honduras, a topic which combines his interests in natural resource management and nutrient management. Having completed his thesis on freshwater quality, working for the Nutrient Management Spear Program was a logical next step in his career, where he could apply some of his knowledge to soil while gaining familiarity with new methodologies and equipment.

Irias primarily worked closely with Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez on the Value of Manure project This project aims to evaluate how much less nitrogen fertilizer farmers can use if they use manure as the nutrient sources and seeks to quantify the yield boost that is often seen for manure fields compared to fields that do not get manure. In the laboratory, Irias helped Tanchez process over 400 samples and perform data analysis. 

“This internship opened my eyes and created possibilities for me that I would not otherwise have had. I am looking forward to returning to the team next year.”

“Working with Juan was an amazing experience,” Irias said. “He was so helpful, patient, and kind. I loved getting to chat with him in the workplace and building a friendship with him while we worked on such an extensive project.”

One of Irias’ favorite memories from this internship was presenting at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture In-Service conference. This is an annually recurring event during which Cornell Cooperative Extension educators come to the Cornell campus in Ithaca for training, to hear about ongoing work, and to discuss collaboration options. “I’ve never done a presentation like that before in front of strangers, and after I was done, the team was really supportive,” Irias said. “It was an amazing experience.”

Irias enjoyed his stay with the NMSP so much that he is now applying to earn his master’s degree at Cornell, continuing his work with the team. During his graduate studies, he would now like to specialize in nutrient management and learn more about nutrient management practices in the United States.

“This internship opened my eyes and created possibilities for me that I would not otherwise have had. I am looking forward to returning to the team next year.”