The School of Earth & Sustainability is committed to harnessing the collective intellectual capacity of the university to address complex societal issues at the nexus of soil, water, and food systems. This area of excellence has over 50 SES faculty and staff members connecting their teaching, research, creative work, and engagement to one of these systems or the nexus. SES provides ideation opportunities and staff support to help foster community, explore collaborations, and create new opportunities for research, creative work, education, living lab experiences, and extension at the intersection of these fields. Through seed funding, we are organizing community-building events as a first step in our work together. We are actively seeking to connect to other faculty, staff, programs, and partners engaged in this work. Please reach out to @email to learn more.
2023 Lightning Talk Series
In fall 2023, SES hosted a two-part lightning talk series around the nexus of soil, water, and food (SWF) systems. The series featured 16 UMass experts from across education, research, extension, and operations over two days. The presenters and the recording are provided below for each day. We invite our community and the broader public to check out the talks and take part in future events.
Watch Part 1 (Oct. 25, 2023)
Opening Remarks by Daniel Cooley, Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Presenters:
Christine Hatch, UMass Extension Professor, Associate Director for Academics and UMass iCONs Program
Ashley Keiser, Assistant Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
David Julian McClements, Professor, Food Science
Jason Lanier, Extension Team Leader, Turf; Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture; and Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry, UMass Extension
Rachel Hestrin, Assistant Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
David Boutt, Professor, Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences (EGCS) and the Environmental Sciences Program
Susan Scheufele, Production Agriculture Leader, and Genevieve Higgins, Extension Educator, Vegetable Production, UMass Extension
Watch Part 2 (Nov. 8, 2023)
Presenters:
Isaac Larsen, Associate Professor, Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences
Hannah Naughton, Assistant Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Daniel Bensonoff, Sustainability Coordinator, UMass Permaculture, Auxiliary Enterprises
Om Parkash Dhankher, Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Matthew Winnick, Assistant Professor, Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences
Emily Kumpel, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Masoud Hashemi, Extension Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Michelle DaCosta, Associate Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture