Sisler was the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Agricultural Economics, and he served as a Cornell trustee. He began his education intending to become a chemist, but at age 25, he suffered an injury while serving in the military that left him permanently blind. He shifted his focus to agricultural economics and devoted his life to global nutrition and food security. When Sisler died in 2016, he was remembered for his “intelligence, fortitude, optimism and sheer willpower” and as an “incomparable teacher and human being.”
“Despite the fact that he was blind, he went all over the world with students. He was somebody who really believed in engaged and experiential learning before we had words for that kind of activity,” Leonard said. “So, I think it’s very fitting that he would be honored with a fund that will support those immersive experiences for future global development students, especially those who otherwise could not afford to attend.”
In addition to the January trip to Costa Rica, global development students traveled to Ecuador over spring break, and next year there are trips planned to Cameroon, Malawi and Uruguay, Leonard said.
The Daniel G. Sisler Professorship of Development Economics supports a faculty member who seeks to alleviate world hunger through inclusive development. Jenny Aker, professor of development economics at Tufts University, has been named the inaugural Daniel G. Sisler Professor, effective July 1.
Aker is a development economist whose research centers on understanding how information barriers affect development. She works with policymakers and development practitioners to overcome such barriers. She is best known for her research on how mobile phones have impacted economic development in Africa.
Aker continues to work on the role mobile phones can play in supporting literacy, and she is leading a project designed to support farmers in adapting to climate change by improving soil fertility. With longer dry periods and more heat, soils cannot effectively absorb rains. Aker and her collaborators work with governments to implement farmer trainings on micro-catchments – holes dug into the earth in specific parameters to collect rain and allow agricultural soils to recuperate.
Though many micro catchment techniques are indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa, and many farmers know about them, technical knowledge of their construction is not widespread, she said. Aker designed the initial training in collaboration with a team of research partners, policymakers and farmers, and after a successful initial trial across 180 villages and 2,600 farmers in Niger, the trial has expanded to 400 villages and over 6,000 farmers in Niger this year.
“I feel very honored to have even been considered for this position named for Daniel Sisler,” Aker said. “It’s very inspirational to hear about what a profound impact Dr. Sisler had on students’ lives, well after they’d left the university. It makes me really want to live up to his memory and his name in my teaching, research and service.”
The Daniel G. Sisler Global Development Student Hub on the ground floor of Mann Library will serve as a meeting space for undergraduate and graduate students and Humphrey Fellows in Global Development. It will also house offices for student services staff and some faculty members, including the director of undergraduate studies and the coordinator for engaged and experiential learning. The space is designed to facilitate faculty-student interactions and be a hub for collaborative and cross-program work, learning and exchange.
