Erick Amaya: Building a career in sustainable soils from the ground up

From humble beginnings, Erick Amaya’s passion for learning carried him through his undergraduate career to a position with Cornell’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP)— first as an intern, then as a research technician. While a part of the team, Amaya gained key skills in research and communication, and made lifelong memories and friends.

Read on to learn more about his time with the NMSP and his next steps.

Tell us about your background.

I grew up in the small town of Liure, El Paraiso, Honduras, in the middle of the Central American Dry Corridor, where my grandparents dedicated themselves to subsistence farming. I inherited their passion for agriculture from a very young age. This region has limited opportunities; fortunately, I had the chance to attend high school with the support of the "Fundación Taular" scholarship, which aims to provide a high-quality education to youths with low socioeconomic status.

In 2023, I earned my bachelor’s degree in environment and development from Zamorano University with honorific distinctions for the highest GPA in the environment and development department and the “learning by doing” program.

A man stands next to two people during his graduation ceremony holding a diploma. — Erick Amaya smiles alongside his Zamorano mentors holding his diploma.

How did you get involved with the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP)?

My friend Carlos Irias and I both applied to the NMSP internship program. Given our interest in improving agricultural systems, it seemed like a good fit. I was really happy when we both got offered the internship for fall of 2023.

What were the primary projects that you contributed to?

When I joined NMSP as an intern, I worked on the Value of Manure project with Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez (on-farm research coordinator) and Carlos Irias. I went home to Honduras to graduate in December of 2023 and then returned to the NMSP as a research technician for 2024. My primary responsibility in this position was to assist with the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration Project.

Four people relax on some boulders and smile at the camera, on a hill above a lake. — Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez (far left), Carlos Irias (left), Helen Solecki (right) and Erick Amaya (far right) relax on a hill above a lake after field work.

Share more with us about your work with the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration Project.

In the field, I usually worked with Jasdeep Singh (postdoctoral research associate), Helen Solecki (research technician) and Abe Hauser (research technician) to gather on-farm soil greenhouse gas measurements.

In the lab, we designed a methodology and adapted our greenhouse gas emission measurement tools to conduct controlled soil incubation studies.

A man fixes a lid on a tupperware in a research lab. — Erick Amaya fixes a tupperware lid on a soil sample in the research lab.

Three people smile at the camera, wearing lab coats and gloves in a research lab. — Jasdeep Singh (left), Erick Amaya and Helen Solecki smile as they process soil samples.

The first stages involved a lot of trial and error, but then we started to get replicable results.

We were looking to better our understanding of the nitrogen cycle. We wanted to see when nitrogen is most available for plant uptake and when there may be an increased risk for a loss of organic nitrogen in the form of nitrous oxide—a greenhouse gas with a high global warming potential.

A man and a woman stand next to a research poster, smiling. — Erick Amaya (left) and Helen Solecki smile in front of Amaya's research poster at the 2024 Manure Expo. Photo by Madeline Hanscom.

A man presents his research poster. — Erick Amaya presents his poster at the 2024 ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meeting.

I had the great opportunity to refine my extension and communication skills, doing poster presentations about our findings at the Manure EXPO 2024 and the 2024 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA International Annual Meeting. At the manure expo, I won first place in the poster presentation competition.

While working with NMSP, I had the chance to also help other team members with their projects from time to time, allowing me to learn about what they’re working on. I also collected biomass and soil samples, which help us understand how soil health practices could help crop production systems to create resiliency, mitigate the climatic changes and their effects.

What did you enjoy best about your time with NMSP?

I love to learn; that is one of my passions. As part of the NMSP team, I had the perfect learning space— in meetings, extension events, the “learning by doing” field work season, and during lunch conversations with team members. I could explore soil chemistry and microbiology and the applications of innovative technologies in agriculture. And I learned how to deal with unexpected situations.

NMSP helped me to learn more about agriculture, and it gave me additional life experience as I grew as a professional, a future scientist and as a person.

NMSP helped me to learn more about agriculture, and it gave me additional life experience as I grew as a professional, a future scientist and as a person.

Share a few of your favorite memories.

I have many great memories and funny stories, from my first day in the field collecting soil samples to the good times on the road with team members chatting and listening to music.

Erick Amaya, Paul Cerosaletti, and Carlos Irias standing next to one another with their arms around each other, in a corn field. — Erick Amaya (left), Carlos Irias (right), and Paul Cerosaletti of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County during corn harvest of a Value of Manure project trial. Photo by Juan Carlos.

I enjoyed working with Paul Cerosaletti (agricultural program team leader and CIG enhanced manure management project coordinator) and Dale Dewing (WAP nutrient management senior team leader) in Delaware County. I remember that after fieldwork for one of our trials, we exchanged caps— like a symbol of the brotherhood relationship that Cornell Cooperative Extension and NMSP have.

I did not speak English very well when I began my internship, but working and traveling together gave me the opportunity to connect with others and improve my language skills.

Where are you going from here?

I recently started a master’s degree program in plant and agroecosystem sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. There, I will continue working on nutrient management topics under Assistant Professor Steven Hall and Associate Professor Amaya Atucha’s mentorship. We are going to explore nutrient movement in cranberry production and identify opportunities for improving the production process.

Are you excited for what comes next?

If you asked me the same question before college, I would have told you that my goals felt out of reach. With these magnificent experiences at Zamorano and at Cornell, I learned that accomplishing them is possible.

I am so thankful for all of the NMSP team members for welcoming me into their team and allowing me to learn and grow. After this magnificent experience, I aspire to support education initiatives to create a more equitable world while continuing applied research on global agrosystems to enhance resilience and advance sustainability goals.

Madeline Hanscom is a writer for the Nutrient Management Spear Program.