Stockbridge Adjunct Faculty : Stockbridge School of Agriculture : UMass Amherst

Adjunct Faculty—Environmental & Analytical Chemistry, Trace Metals in Soil; Professor

Professor Amarasiriwardena regularly teaches analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry and general chemistry. His research interests include topics in chemistry, environmental pollution, water quality, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, studies of trace metal analysis, toxic wastes, radon monitoring, pesticide residues, soil and environmental chemistry. This includes chemical speciation of arsenic and antimony and characterization of trace metals bound to soil-derived humic acids by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) or ion chromatography (IC) coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). He is also interested in the application of laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS for investigation of past trace metal nutrition and the exposure to toxic metal pollutants using tissues such as human teeth and hair. He serves on the editorial boards of Environmental Pollution and Microchemical Journal.

Peter Jeranyama

Adjunct Faculty—Environment and Plant Physiology, Extension Associate Professor

Dr. Jeranyama conducts research in cranberry environmental physiology targeted at areas where grower practices can be modified to improve plant performance and conserve resources. He applies basic principles of plant physiology to study questions related to water use, plant stress (heat and cold), and photosynthesis both in the laboratory and in the field, translating from basic principles to applied research. The research information generated from his research projects is used to develop grower usable recommendations regarding irrigation and frost management practices that improve crop yield and quality and conserve water. This fits the model of the Cranberry Station where the integration of research and extension is emphasized and faculty are expected to conduct research that has both scientific merit and measurable outcomes.

Nazim Mamedov

Adjunct Faculty—Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology, Assistant Professor

Since 1994 I have worked in the United States at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a post-doctoral research associate, research associate, and currently as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Stockbridge School of Agriculture and the Commonwealth Honors College. I am teaching an Herbal Medicine class there. My teaching experience also includes teaching an Ethnobotany class at Mount Holyoke College from 2005–2010.

Giverson Mupambi

Adjunct Faculty—Plant Physiology, Assistant Professor

My position is focused on conducting original applied research on integrated approaches to cranberry production and transferring research-based information to the Massachusetts cranberry industry. I also engage with cranberry researchers throughout North America to increase knowledge on issues that limit identified industry production goals; and respond to real time critical industry needs related to maximizing production efficiency. My research program applies basic principles of plant physiology to study questions related to fruit quality, canopy management and shading effects on cranberry production.

James Poro

Adjunct Faculty—Turf Machinery, Irrigation and Drainage; Superintendent of Turf Research Center, and Extension Instructor

James Poro completed his M.S. from UMass under the direction of Dr. J. Scott Ebdon. His graduate research focused on water conservation practices in high maintenance turf, specifically in the development of applicable evapotranspiration rates. Prior to his work in turf research at UMass he was employed at several different golf courses throughout New England, most recently as an assistant superintendent at The Quechee Club in Vermont. His experience on multiple golf courses, coupled with scientific research, has aided James in developing an appreciation of all facets of turf management. James utilizes both hands-on and theoretical knowledge to help manage the Joseph Troll Turf Research Center for any research needs. He is an avid golfer and greatly enjoys sharing his experience and knowledge with students, particular in the classes he teaches as an instructor (currently Turf Machinery and Irrigation and Drainage).

Justin Richardson

Adjunct Faculty—Biogeochemistry, Trace Metal Cycling, Plant-Soil-Rock Interactions; Assistant Professor

Hilary Sandler

Adjunct Faculty—Integrated Pest Management, Weed Science; Cranberry Station Director, and Extension Professor

Research and Extension Projects: Factors that influence the dynamics of crop and weed ecology within the cranberry production system, Development and implementation of nonchemical pest management, especially weeds, Investigations on the vine establishment, weed colonization, and fertilizer management, Effect of hand-held flame cultivation on perennial weeds and dodder, Evaluation of new products for pest management, and Extension responsibilities include providing information to cranberry growers.

Catherine Sands

Adjunct Faculty—Food Policy/Food Justice, Community Food Systems, Curriculum-Integrated Teaching Gardens in Schools; Director of Fertile Ground, and Lecturer

Catherine Sands is a front-line community food systems organizer, educator, network facilitator, capacity builder, and evaluator/learning partner living in Western MA. Catherine brings to her work a commitment to social change and a belief in the potential of groups of people coming together to create powerful solutions to entrenched social issues. She is an adjunct professor of food systems and food justice at the UMASS Stockbridge School of Agriculture. As director of Fertile Ground, established in 2001, Catherine provides school districts with technical assistance in developing curriculum-integrated teaching gardens, mentoring and evidence tracking programs that unify school communities around growing fresh food and cultivating local knowledge. Since then she has provided technical assistance to the MA Food Planning process, conducting listening sessions with food and justice groups; and is designing evaluation processes for community food projects throughout New England to strengthen the impacts of their programs to improve health and access to good food. Catherine holds a Master’s degree from the University of MA/Amherst Center for Public Policy and Administration, with a focus on food access and social justice.

Mickey Spokas

Adjunct Faculty—Soil Science, Vernal Pools, and Wetlands; Assistant Professor

My research interests are twofold, the Hydropedology of Vernal Pools and the use of Constructed Wetlands for Treatment and Reuse of Water. The vernal pool study is part of a Multi-State project with 8 other universities across the U.S., but predominantly in the northeastern states. The treatment wetland interests currently include a small wetland treating the water used to wash the turf equipment used at the Joseph Trool Research Plots in Deerfield, MA. See recent Golfdom article - http://digital.golfdom.com/feb2017#&pageSet=17

Jason White

Adjunct Faculty—Nano-Enabled Sustainable Agriculture, Phytoremediation; Director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Dr. White has expertise on the use of nanotechnology in agriculture (nano-enabled agriculture), specifically, on the sustainable use of nanoscale micronutrients and other materials to suppress crop disease, increase tolerance to abiotic stress, and enhance food production. He also has expertise in the accumulation and toxicity of nanomaterials to crop species, as well as the fate and disposition of engineered nanomaterials in the environment. Dr. White has additional experience in the detection of pesticides, toxins, poisons and heavy metals for food safety and food defense. He also has expertise in the phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants such as PFAS in soil, as well as more generally on the fate of organic contaminants in soils, sediments, and waters. His current program is supported by $5.1 million in competitive funding in these areas.