Professional
Positions
2000 -
present; Professor of Plant & Soil
Sciences; University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA
1997 - 2000; Director, UMASS Extension; University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
1992 - 1997;
Associate Dean, College of Food and Natural Resources; Associate
Director, UMASS Extension; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
1989 - 1992; Assistant Director, Illinois
Agricultural Experiment Station; and Professor of Horticulture, University of
Illinois College of Agriculture, Urbana, IL.
1987 - Visiting Scientist. Knoxfield Horticultural Research Institute,
Victoria, Australia.
1979 - 1989; Assistant/Associate Professor of
Horticulture and Extension Specialist, UI, Urbana, IL.
1978 - 1979; Research Scientist, University
of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, U.S. V.I.
1977 - 1978; Instructor of Biology,
Tompkins-Cortland
Community College, Dryden, N.Y.
1973 - 1978; Graduate Teaching Assistant,
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. Gerber is Professor
of Plant and Soil Sciences. In this
role he teaches a course in Sustainable Agriculture and a course in
Agricultural Issues, serves on the Community Agricultural Education team of the
UMass Extension Agroecology Program, and provides leadership as Executive
Director of the Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(CSARE).
ADMINISTRATIVE: Dr. Gerber held an
administrative appointment as Director of UMASS Extension, a major unit within
the UMass Office of University Outreach.
In this capacity he was the chief administrative leader for four major
outreach programs in the College of Food and Natural Resources and the School
of Public Health and Health Sciences.
He provided leadership for program planning, evaluation, personnel and
budget management. He directly or
indirectly supervised 150 fte=s of faculty,
professional and support staff, and managed a budget of over $10 million. Dr. Gerber also held an appointment as
Associate Dean in the College of Food and Natural Resources at the University
of Massachusetts Amherst. In this
capacity he assisted the Dean in management of the College including planning,
budget management, tenure decisions and personnel evaluation. Previously he served as Assistant Director
of the University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. He was responsible for the creation and
administration of the UI Agro-Ecology Program. In addition, he provided administrative support to the Director
of the UI Agricultural Experiment Station in the day to day management of the
system, with an emphasis on industry relations and strategic planning.
EXTENSION: Dr. Gerber served as Extension Specialist and
Program Leader from 1979 - 1989 at the University of Illinois. He provided statewide leadership for
extension programming in commercial vegetable crop production, including
managing a statewide convention (annual attendance = 2000), organizing local
meetings, in service training for staff, and development of publications
and mass-media educational programs.
TEACHING: Dr. Gerber held a teaching appointment from
1988 - 1991
at the University of Illinois. He taught
International Food Crops in 1989 and 1991, and advised undergraduate students
on special projects in vegetable cropping systems and vegetable
physiology. He participated in team
teaching efforts for Introduction to Horticulture in 1989, and Introduction to
Agricultural Systems Analysis in 1990 and 1991.
RESEARCH: Dr. Gerber held a research appointment in the
Department of Horticulture and was a member of the graduate faculty (1979
- 1992). Responsibilities included applied research
in the areas of vegetable cropping systems, seed technology, soil fertility,
and controlled environment production.
His fundamental research focused and flowering and fruit set of bell
peppers. Dr. Gerber served as Director
of Research for the following graduate students:
Brown, J., Ph.D., 1983. Effect of cropping systems
on production and economic returns of ten vegetable
crops.
Schmidt, J., M.S., 1983. Influence of sidedressed nitrogen
on flowering and fruit set of bell pepper, Capsicum annuum L.
Caplan, L.A., M.S., 1984. The effect of seed moisture and
osmoconditioning on emergence and vigor of high sugar sweet corn (Zea mays L.)
genotypes.
Edge, S., M.S. 1985. Plastic row tunnel effects on
tomatoes and sweet corn.
Fillinghim, K.E., M.S., 1986. Characterization and
amelioration of poor seed vigor in a sh2 sweet corn, Zea mays L.
Mohd-Khir, I., M.S., 1987. Effect of row tunnels and
temperature on growth, yield and quality of bell pepper, Capsicum annuum L.
Choi, G., Ph.D., 1989. Effects of temperature on
yield, fruit shape and flower primordium development of bell pepper,
Capsicum annum L.
Hassan, S.A., Ph.D., 1989. Effects of excess nitrogen on
growth, flowering and fruit set of bell pepper, Capsicum annuum L.
Schloupt, R., M.S. 1990. The row tunnel
microenvironment and its effect on yield and growth
responses of cucumber, Curumis sativus L.
Seron, J., M.S. 1992.
Adaptability of rice to elevated carbon dioxide and temperature from
global warming.