My research program focuses on integrating basic and applied research to develop improved management strategies for fruit diseases of concern to New York producers. In recent years, research endeavors in the form of plant biotechnology have made considerable contributions to the management of fruit diseases. However, efforts are still needed to improve the concepts and products of basic research so they may be more readily applied to solve disease problems. Hence, although much of my research is concerned with applied aspects of fruit diseases, a portion of my research program will be dedicated to conducting basic research in the hope of developing products with potentially broad or far-reaching applications.
Currently, my appointment is 20% extension, 30% Teaching, and 50% research. Because of this split, I endeavor to interweave my research program goals with those of my extension and teaching programs such that my research endeavors lead to stakeholder-relevant extension deliverables and illustrations of real-world teachable moments. In turn, I allow my student, grower stakeholder needs, extension concerns to guide my research efforts. Therefore, my research, teaching, and extension efforts focus on applied disease management for NY crops where accomplished have impacts and can be realized in short time frames.
To address both applied and basic research philosophies, and both research, teaching, and extension aspects of my appointment, I have established the following goals:
- Investigate the biology and management of fungal and bacterial diseases of apple, stone fruit, and small fruit using cultural, chemical, biorational, and organic approaches
- Understand the biology, epidemiology, and management of antimicrobial resistance in pathogen populations causing diseases of tree and small fruit crops.
- Enhance the adoption of precision agriculture forecasting & spectral imaging systems for plant disease.
Extension
New York State has a substantial fruit industry with apples being one of the premier fruit crops. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York ranks second in the nation in terms of total bearing acreage (~50,000 acres) and total utilized production value (~$250M USD). My extension goals are to develop educational programming and materials and to provide services for the diagnosis and management of fruit diseases in New York.
The specific goals of my program are to work with stakeholders, cooperative extension, private consultants, and regulatory agencies to
- Develop educational material and tools to improve the diagnosis and management of fruit diseases in NY and promote pesticide stewardship practices
- Provide services to help fruit stakeholders identify emerging disease concerns and overcome barriers to disease management specific to their operations.
There is considerable interrelation between the two goals as the products from my service-oriented goal will improve the relevance and quality of the educational materials and tools developed in the first. As the number of small, diversified farms and groups with interests in local farming increases, the educational tools and services provided by my program will be of critical importance for the sustainability of fruit crops in NY.
Teaching
Teaching is a relatively new component of my appointment and follows a job description revision stemming from a teaching need for my section of PPPMB. I have served as instructor of record at other institutions during my graduate postdoctoral position.
I serve as instructor for PLPPM 3010/5010 Biology and Management of Plant Diseases (3-credit hour course with a 1-credit hour lab. I also co-teach PLPPM 6820 Graduate Student Research updates (1-credit hour course) and PLSCS 4440/5440 Integrated pest management (3-credit hour course with a 1-credit hour lab). Given that I have limited agency to determine the structure and direction of PLPPM
For all my courses, I believe that deep information processing through active learning is the best means of retaining and being able to apply content. Through practice, I found that while my students learn considerably by actively engaging, the greatest amount of learning occurs when a student teaches or demonstrates a principle to another. My teaching goal is to capitalize on these concepts to develop engaged, thoughtful, and independent students who can apply the knowledge gained in class to solve real world issues. To achieve this goal, I endeavor to provide the following:
- Active learning: While students need to receive course content, working with and solving problems with course content is paramount to achieving learning. Laboratory exercises in diagnosis and management easily allow for active learning, but even lecture components that focus on flipped classroom problem solving can ensure that active learning occurs continually.
- Peer-teaching: I feel that students best learn when they are teaching another a concept or explaining principles to another. In my course, I use peer-teaching in group activities to allow students to teach or explain a principle or demonstrate a solution to a problem. While some group work in my courses is geared toward pure problem solving, peer-teaching components are always present.
- Inspiration/Motivation/Involvement: I work to promote excitement, curiosity, and independence from my students. I tend to use enthusiasm to motivate and inspire students to see the impacts or potential impacts of their learning. I make time at the beginning of class to acknowledge and celebrate the successes and accomplishments of my students and current events that impact student life. I step back and allow students to take the spotlight when possible. To maximize motivation, I endeavor to be present and engaged in all classes and labs even if TAs are leading exercises or teaching. Students appreciate accessibility of the instructor and I feel that being a positive presence facilitates their learning.
- Safety. While it’s important to have quantitative evaluations of performance in courses, deep learning can be impeded by concerns of academic failure and resulting punitive outcomes. I strive to reduce the impacts of formative assessments by conducting many low stakes formative assessments and combining these with other opportunities that award engagement and participation. My principal concern is lasting learning of plant pathology. Preparing and memorizing for single performance on a formative assessment is not an effective means of retaining knowledge. When students feel safe form academic punity, I feel that learning can be best achieved.
