Academic focus: Controlled environment insect ecology
Research summary: My research explores how abiotic and biotic factors drive invertebrate communities in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). CEA is a dynamic and rapidly evolving field that is becoming increasingly relevant to U.S. food systems. We will determine how novel technologies in CEA, such as lighting, growing media and automation, can influence interactions between invertebrates and plants. Our goal is to provide data-driven recommendations on sustainable pest and pollinator management.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
My typical 5-9 p.m. includes light exercise, reading and playing with my cats so they don’t keep me up at night. On the weekends, I enjoy going to the movies and rummaging through thrift shops to find new pieces for my curio cabinet. I enjoy collecting natural history knick-knacks and was recently converted to collecting vinyl records.
What brought you to Cornell CALS?
I studied at Cornell AgriTech for my Ph.D. and loved my experience. The opportunity to return to Cornell as part of an exciting new cohort devoted to CEA was the reason I ultimately chose this position. I look forward to collaborating with talented faculty across disciplines to make a real impact on this exciting frontier in agriculture.
What do you think is important for people to understand about your field?
CEA is a highly diverse and dynamic field that is accessible to all. There is the impression that CEA only includes flashy, high-tech facilities that require massive investments. CEA includes a wide range of technologies that can support a small 1-acre farm in Ithaca to a commercial vertical garden in New York City.
Why did you feel inspired to pursue a career in this field?
I’m passionate about innovative food systems that can feed people while having a minimal impact on human and environmental health. CEA can support these goals by maximizing production in a small area, and by having the capability to grow crops anywhere at any time. I am also inspired by CEA growers, especially those on small farms, who tend to be innovators and trailblazers in their field.
What’s the most surprising/interesting thing you’ve discovered about Cornell and/or the region so far?
My lab is based in Geneva, and I recently discovered a few new things about this area. First, the Ontario Antique Mall claims to be one of the largest in New York state. After spending an entire afternoon there, I can confidently support their claim. Second is the garbage plate, a beloved cuisine invented in Rochester that can be found nearby if you know where to look!
If you had unlimited grant funding, what major problem in your field would you want to solve?
CEA can certainly improve food production, but more work is needed to ensure that CEA products can reach those who are most food insecure. If I had unlimited funding, I would focus on integrating CEA into city planning so food can be produced year-round and managed by community members. I would partner with city planners, architects, community leaders and other crop specialists to design new buildings that incorporate CEA. My role would be to ensure the CEA structures are built with pest management in mind.
If you could relate your work to one of the four transdisciplinary moonshots, which one would you most closely align with and why? They are: Redesigning 21st Century Agri-Food Systems; Accelerating Holistic Climate Solutions; Leading in Synthetic Biology; and Pioneering Life Science Breakthroughs.
My research and extension program in CEA directly relates to the moonshot Redesigning 21st Century Agri-Food Systems. My work on insect and mite management, in collaboration with the other CEA faculty at Cornell, will support the expansion of CEA to improve sustainable food systems in New York and beyond.
Learn more about Samantha in her CALS profile.
