Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Research Associates
Emeriti Faculty

Faculty
John Aleong, Design & Analysis of Experiments
Lorraine P. Berkett, Extension IPM Specialist - Apples
Sidney C. Bosworth, Agronomist - Field and Forage Crops 
Yolanda Chen, Agroecology and Insect Ecology
Scott Costa, Entomologist
Aleksandra Drizo, Constructed Wetlands
Josef Gorres, Ecological Soil Management
Vladimir Gouli, Entomologist - Insect Pathology
Ann Hazelrigg, Plant Diagnostic Clinic - Pesticides
Sarah Taylor Lovell, Landscape Design
V. Ernesto Mendez, Agroecologist
Deborah A. Neher, Soil Ecologist
Bruce L. Parker, Entomologist
Leonard Perry, Horticulturist - Perennials
Donald Ross, Soil and Crop Testing
Margaret Skinner, Entomologist
Mark C. Starrett, Horticulturist - Propagation

Adjunct Faculty
Heather Darby, Extension
Claude Genest, Permaculture
Rachel Gilker, Sustainable Agriculture - Forages & Soils
Robert J. Gordon, Agriculture Resources Management
Vernon Grubinger, Sustainable Agriculture - Vegetable & Berry
John P. Hayden, Ecological Agriculture
Allen Matthews, Sustainable Agriculture
Robert E. Murray, Microbial Ecologist
Nate Sands, Soil Fertility
Jon Turmel, Entomologist
Stacey Waterman, Ecological Agriculture
Laleh Yerushalmi, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Eric Young, Soil Fertility

Research Associates
Svetlana Gouli, Mycologist

Emeriti Faculty
Fred Magdoff  --  May 2007
William Jokela  --  June 2005
William Murphy  --  December 2003
Alan Gotlieb  --  June 2003
Bertie Boyce  --  May 1998
Norman Pellett  --  May 1996
Joseph Costante  --  March 1996
George MacCollom  --  June 1994
Ed Bouton  --  February 1989
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John Aleong, Professor
(802) 656-0552
John.Aleong@uvm.edu
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Research interests include the design and analysis of experiments and surveys. Current and past research involves quality control, design and analysis of spatial experiments, fitting dose-response curves, and multiple comparisons. Students should have a strong mathematics, statistics, and computer background.

Lorraine P. Berkett, Extension Professor
(802) 656-0972
Lorraine.Berkett@uvm.edu
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Area of interest is in developing ecologically-sound practices in apple production that will reduce the need for pesticide use. Research areas include developing new integrated pest management techniques to manage diseases, insects and mites.

Areas of Extension responsibilities include;
OrganicA - a resource for organic apple production http://www.uvm.edu/~organica/
UVM Apple Orchard http://orchard.uvm.edu/
Cold Climate Grape Production http://pss.uvm.edu/grape/

Sidney C. Bosworth, Extension Associate Professor
(802) 656-0478
Sid.Bosworth@uvm.edu
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My primary responsibility is to serve as a state extension specialist in agronomy. Primary areas of focus include field and forage crop management and utilization, forage quality, pasture and grazing management, and pest/weed management. I also conduct educational programs in environmental turf management. For more information about extension and research in agronomy at UVM, see the Vermont Crops and Soils Homepage http://pss.uvm.edu/vtcrops/. I teach the following courses at the University of Vermont: PSS 143 http://pss.uvm.edu/pss143/ (Forage Crops and Pasture Management), PSS 145 http://pss.uvm.edu/pss145/ (Turfgrass Management), and PSS 215 http://pss.uvm.edu/pss215/ (Weed Ecology).

Yolanda Chen, Assistant Professor
(802) 656-2627
Yolanda.Chen@uvm.edu
Website
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I am broadly interested in understanding agricultural sustainability and how to farm with nature. Much of my research focuses on how historical ecological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic changes have facilitated insect pest outbreaks in agricultural systems. By contrasting the ecology of insects in their native systems with our current agricultural systems, we can start understanding how changes to the landscape, agroecosystems, crop plants, and the insects themselves have led to pest outbreaks. Humans have strongly influenced insect pest evolution and ecology through host shifts, crop domestication, change in cultivation practices, and human-mediated translocations. My research studies these themes to determine how we can use ecological and evolutionary information to improve sustainable pest management.

Research interests include insect pests management using insect killing fungi and fungal effect on non-target species. Influence of biotic and abiotic stresses, especially low temperature, on insect fitness and susceptibility to disease. Development of statistically based sampling plans. Visit my website!

Heather Darby, Adjunct Extension Assistant Professor
(802) 524-6501 Ext 206
Heather.Darby@uvm.edu
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Aleksandra Drizo, Research Assistant Professor
(802) 656-2717
Aleksandra.Drizo@uvm.edu
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Research Interests: Constructed Wetland Systems for water pollution control. In particular, their potential for nutrient removal from rural and agricultural effluents; natural and industrial by-products as phosphorus removing filters; the impact of aquatic plants (Phragmites sp., Typha sp., Iris versicolor and Scirpus fluviatilis) on pollutants removal and systems hydraulic design; flow distribution patterns; optimal design parameters and systems longevity in northern climates. Visit my website!

Robert Gordon, Adjunct Faculty
(902) 893-6561
rgordon@nsac.ns.ca
Website
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His primary research focus involves the identification of adaptive resource management issues at the farm-level in Atlantic Canada. This includes optimizing the performance of low cost on-farm wastewater management technology such as treatment wetlands, soil infiltration systems, and composting methods. He is also involved in the management of the Nova Scotia Environmental Farm Plan Program through the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. Professor Gordon is also a leader of the international collaborative program on Improved Strategies for Small Scale Rural Wastewater Management representing a Network of Centres of Excellence funded through the Canadian Water Network/Réseau canadien de l'eau (CWN/RCE).

Josef Gorres,  Assistant Professor
(802) 656-9793
Josef.Gorres@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Course: 161 Fundamentals of Soil Science

Josef received training as a physicist at the Schuster Labs of the University of Manchester and obtained a PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. Prior to joining UVM he worked at the University of Rhode Island as a research professor for 16 years.  At URI he investigated the relationship between soil physical properties and soil fauna, and the effect of earthworms on nitrogen cycling.  At UVM he will continue those studies as well as doing research on managing soil quality using ecological principles.

Svetlana Y. Gouli, Research Associate
(802) 656-5438
Svetlana.Gouli@uvm.edu
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Principal Scientific Interests: Insect Microbiology and Microbial Pest Control 

Historically all my research was concerned different groups of microorganisms useful for biological pest control, namely entomopathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Current research is carried out cooperatively at the Entomology Laboratory, taking a team approach to the solution to the pest problem based on fungi. Research activities point in several principal directions including isolation of fungi from invertebrates and different natural substrata (soil and plants), identification of fungi, estimation of basic properties of local strains, mass-production and evaluation of each strains activity in laboratory and field conditions. Targets include both agricultural and forest pests. At present I am responsible for the Collection of Entomopathogenic and Antagonistic Fungi. The Collection includes more than one thousand original fungal strains from different parts of the world.

I have served as an instructor for mycology and microbial control for specialists from developing countries such as Ethiopia, Syria and Turkey. I also participate in the Helix Outreach Program, where I serve as a scientific mentor to high school students.

Vladimir V. Gouli, Research Assistant Professor
(802) 656-5438
Vladimir.V.Gouli@uvm.edu
Website
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Principal Scientific Interests: Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Pest Control 

Research interests include fundamental and applied aspects of invertebrate pathology and microbial pest control. Current work conducted at the Entomology Research Laboratory (Plant and Soil Science Department, University of Vermont) focuses on the search, isolation, identification, determination of the key biological properties, mass-production, and application of fungi that regulate noxious-insect populations and suppress plant diseases. All research is aimed at meeting the practical requirements of agriculture and forestry in Vermont, New England, the USA, and overseas. At the present time, fungi useful for pest control are intensively studied around the world as potential sources of microbial pesticides. This situation is connected with specific peculiarities of the fungi, and the possibility of using this group of microorganisms as natural pesticides for organic agriculture. Microbial pesticides based on fungi can help the agriculture of Vermont and the Northern USA regions to produce healthy organic products able to compete with farm products from the southern US where more favorable climatic conditions prevail. Together with my collogues I have published 10 monographs and around 250 articles on Russian, English, Japanese, Chinese, Ukrainian and Romanian languages.

Vernon Grubinger, Adjunct Extension Professor
(802) 257-7967
Vernon.Grubinger@uvm.edu
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Vern Grubinger is the vegetable and berry specialist for University of Vermont Extension (www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry), and the coordinator of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program of USDA, or NE-SARE (www.uvm.edu/~nesare).  He works out of the University of Vermont Extension office in Brattleboro. Vern is on the Board of Trustees for the Vermont Land Trust and the Windham County Farm Bureau, and he serves as a technical advisor to the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association.

Vern earned his BS in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Massachusetts, and his MS and PhD from Cornell University in Agronomy and Vegetable Crops, respectively. Vern's book 'Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start Up to Market' was published in 1999 (www.nraes.org).  He has been a Vermont Public Radio commentator on farming and food issues since 1997. These commentaries were published in a collection called 'With an Ear to the Ground' in 2004. Vern authors a monthly column in both 'Farming, the Journal of Northeast Agriculture' and 'Growing' magazine, and he has  produced several videos on sustainable farming practices (www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/Videos/videos.html).

John P. Hayden, Adjunct Faculty Lecturer
(802) 656-4046
John.Hayden@uvm.edu
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My teaching responsibilities are in the new Ecological Agriculture major. I have been a small scale diversified farmer for the past twelve years. I am particularly interested in farming systems, organic agriculture, and integrating crops and livestock.

Ann Hazelrigg, Lecturer
(802) 656-0493
Ann.Hazelrigg@uvm.edu
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Areas of Extension responsibilities include;
Plant Diagnostic Clinic http://pss.uvm.edu/pd/pdc/
Pesticide Education and Safety Program http://pss.uvm.edu/pesp/
Pest Resources Online Network New England http://www.pronewengland.org/
School IPM http://pss.uvm.edu/pd/schoolipm/
Master Gardener Program http://www.uvm.edu/mastergardener/
and faculty advisor for the Common Ground Student-Run Educational Farm http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ecgsref/

Sarah Taylor Lovell, Assistant Professor
(802) 656-0466
Sarah.Lovell@uvm.edu
Website
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Teaches PSS courses: 137 Landscape Design Fundamentals, 238 Ecological Landscape Design.
 
With degrees in both Landscape Architecture and Agronomy, my research focuses on the design and analysis of sustainable landscapes in intensively-managed urban and agricultural systems.  In our current environment, sustainable landscapes must be multifunctional to improve their ability to provide important ecosystem services.  I am particularly interested in exploring opportunities for sustainable and multifunctional landscape design through urban agriculture, conservation buffers, stormwater bioinfiltration sites, and campus landscape planning.

V. Ernesto Mendez, Assistant Professor
(802) 656-2924
Ernesto.Mendez@uvm.edu
Website
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My research and teaching focuses on developing and applying interdisciplinary approaches that analyze interactions between agriculture, livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation in tropical and temperate rural landscapes.  This work aims to integrate natural and social science concepts and methods, drawing strongly from the fields of agroecology, agroforestry, and landscape ecology, as well as development geography, political ecology, and rural sociology. 

Robert E. Murray, Adjunct Assistant Professor
(802) 656-2627
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My research interests as a microbial ecologist are centered on improving our understanding of how the activity, growth and survival of microbial populations influences ecosystem level processes of energy flow and nutrient cycling.  My recent work studying the microbial ecology of the nitrogen cycle focuses on quantifying rates of nitrogen transformations in soil, predicting the fate of nitrogen fertilizers in agricultural systems, developing strategies for the removal of nitrogen from wastewater, and assessing the contribution of  agricultural practices to the release of nitrogen oxide gases associated with global warming and ozone destruction.

Deborah A. Neher, Professor  and Department Chairperson
(802) 656-0474
Deborah.Neher@uvm.edu
Website
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I am a soil ecologist with research interests in the use of nematodes and microarthropods as indicators of soil quality for environmental monitoring of terrestrial and wetland soils.  My research has concentrated on temporal and spatial sampling designs for regional surveys, evaluating appropriate reference bases, interpretation of community indices in relationship to disturbance type and simple measures of nitrogen availability and litter decomposition.

Bruce L. Parker, Professor
(802) 656-5440
Bruce.Parker@uvm.edu
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The vision of the scientific team at the University of Vermont`s Entomology Research Laboratory is to enhance agricultural productivity throughout the United States by addressing issues of insect pest management of national significance. Through our work we attempt to develop management options that are environmentally sound and economically viable, and encourage their implementation through communication and education. Research on fungal pathogens for IPM of greenhouse and forest pests has been our major thrust for several years. Each member of our team possesses unique and complementary expertise. This team is rapidly assuming a leadership role in insect pest management using fungi. We are committed to meeting the needs of growers nationwide, and have shown that our IPM strategies offer new and innovative benefits to pest management over a wide geographical range.

We have amassed a broad array of insect-killing fungi from diverse habitats and locations....from New England to Europe and the Far East. We have begun the process of selecting strains based on pathogenicity to specific greenhouse and forest pests. These materials are being formulated and tested in forests and greenhouses in Vermont. Once efficacy has been demonstrated the compatibility of these materials with other aspects of IPM will be assessed. This research will include their toxicity to nontarget organisms and their tolerance to chemical pesticides. Graduate student involvement is encouraged and welcome.

Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
(802) 656-0479
Leonard.Perry@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Courses: 121 Indoor Plants, 123 Garden Flowers, 195 & 196 (various classes)

My position is primarily with the UVM Extension System, with lesser appointments in research and teaching the courses listed below.

In Extension , I serve as an advisor and consultant to the greenhouse and nursery industry, primarily in Vermont but throughout the region and beyond as well. For the industry, I advise the Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists, and am active in the regional New England Greenhouse Conference. I give presentations on my research to the industry, and to home groups. For consumers I am also active in all aspects of media.

In Research, my focus is "herbaceous perennial production systems." In this work I compare various methods of greenhouse production and forcing of perennials; all aspects of container with field production, including media, fertility and planting times; hardiness and over wintering practices for a range of species; disease resistance of several genera. See my perennial pages for more details.

See Dr. Perry's web pages on Herbaceous Perennials
See Dr. Perry's web pages on Hops
See Dr. Perry's course pages for PSS 121 Indoor Plants, PSS 123 Garden Flowers, and Herbaceous Garden Plants Online
See Dr. Perry's new book on Herbaceous Perennial Production: A Guide from Propagation to Marketing

Donald Ross, Research Associate Professor
(802) 656-3030
Donald.Ross@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Courses: 261 Soil Morphology Classification and Land Use, 264 Chemistry of Soil and Water, 266 Soil Water Movement, 269 Soil and Water Pollution and Bioremediation & ENSC 101 Pollutant Movement through Air, Land and Water

Visit my website! Research interests include the effects of nitrogen (from acid rain) on forest soils and bog ecosystems; the interaction between soil manganese oxides and heavy metals; and analytical procedures for testing soils and environmental samples.

Margaret Skinner, Research Associate Professor
(802) 656-5440
Margaret.Skinner@uvm.edu
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Research interests include insect pest management in forest and greenhouse environments, currently focusing on biological control using fungi. As part of the research team at the Entomology Research Laboratory, I work jointly with scientists from the U.S. and overseas on research topics of local, national and international significance. The research is applied in nature and demands close collaboration with growers, the ultimate user group. An ecosystem approach to insect pest problems is stressed, incorporating economic, environmental and human aspects into a total research program. Graduate students are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the research process, from writing grants, designing research and finally assisting with technology transfer. This prepares students for a broad range of professional situations commonly found in the "real world".

Mark C. Starrett, Associate Professor
(802) 656-0467
Mark.Starrett@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Courses: 010 Home & Garden Horticulture, 125 Woody Landscape Plants, 138 Commercial Plant Propagation

I want my students to become familiar with the importance of plants in society (past and present), to understand how plants function and why this is important to people everywhere. Students should expect to learn broad concepts integrating information on plant functions and their uses into everyday life. Students need to become aware of the vast technological resources available to them and to actively utilize this information. Students in my classes should expect a practical and applied approach to the course material whenever possible.

I am also the advisor to the UVM Horticulture Club and the Green Mountain Chapter of Alpha Zeta (National Agriculture Honor Society)

Research interests include asexual and sexual propagation methods of woody ornamental plants, soil less media used in propagation systems, as well as methods of improving nursery management practices of container-grown ornamentals.

Visit the newly planted Cary Award Winning Plant Collection at the UVM Horticultural Research Center or take one of the Woody Landscape Plant Walks on the UVM Campus.
 

Jon Turmel, Adjunct Faculty Lecturer
Jon.Turmel@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Course: 106 Entomology & Insect Pest Management

Stacey Waterman, Adjunct Faculty Lecturer
Stacey.Waterman@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Course: 021 Introduction to Ecological Agriculture

Laleh Yerushalmi, Adjunct Faculty
laleh@encs.concordia.ca
Website

Laleh Yerushalmi is a part-time Professor at the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. Her main expertise is in the environmental bioremediation, in particular in bioprocess Kinetics, ex-situ technologies for bioremediation of contaminated groundwater and design and operation of in situ permeable reactive barriers. Dr Yerushalmi is also an inventor of a patent pending technology, an Integrated Multi-Zone Wastewater Treatment System and Method for in-situ remediation of contaminated groundwater. 

Eric Young, Adjunct Faculty Lecturer
(802) 656-
Eric.Young@uvm.edu
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Teaches PSS Course: 162 Soil Fertility and Management

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