Liliana Bettolo is both a lover of local dairy and a motivated researcher interested in exploring how crop diversification can improve the environmental and social wellness of our agriculture system. Liliana leverages models at the watershed-level and farm- level to estimate the potential environmental impact of increased production plant-based protein foods (i.e. beans) in the Northeastern US, including indicators related to water quality, air quality, and soil health.

Blair is a PhD student studying how insects like the Colorado Potato Beetle survive and thrive in stressful environments, focusing on histone modification and metabolic resistance, with the goal of creating more sustainable and targeted pest control.  She is passionate about teaching entomology, biostatistics, and making science more accessible.

I am a graduate research assistant with the Crop Genetic Heritage Laboratory. I am interested in how legume crops, particularly faba beans, can be leveraged to prevent food insecurity and improve soil health. My research projects include the use of high tunnels for winter crops and the benefits of mixing species, genus, or varieties of legumes for summer crops.

I am interested in plant-pathogen interactions and the genetics and breeding of climate resilient crops. My work focuses on tepary bean and the transcriptomic response under fungal infection and identifying seedling stage oomycetes disease resistance. Additionally, I am exploring participatory plant breeding as an application for my molecular work.

Laura grew up in Hartland, Vermont. She has a BA from St Lawrence University and a MS in Horticulture from New Mexico State University. In her graduate work, she is excited to focus on the intersections of farm viability, soil health, insect mediated pollination services of crops, and wild pollinators. 

I am a PhD student researching the rapid adaptation and evolution of an agricultural pest, the Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). My work examines how stressors, such as insecticide exposure, impact genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. My goal is to uncover mechanisms of rapid adaptation and contribute to the development of sustainable pest management strategies.

I study plant-soil-microbe interactions in agriculture systems that co-cultivate two or more crop species. More specifically, I am interested in the impact of specific combinations of crop species and varieties on soil microbial communities. We can then utilize our understanding of these dynamics to breed crops suited to these systems.

Bethany Pelletier is a pomology graduate researcher with a focus on cold climate grape production. She is passionate about New England Agriculture and works alongside local viticulturalists to improve sustainable grape disease management. Her current work focuses on the efficacy of recently developed biofungicide materials in commercial vineyard environments.

Zac is a PhD student specializing in agroecology and community health, with a focus on the situation of farmland ownership succession in Vermont, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico. He works as an Agricultural Business Educator at UVM Extension, directly advising farmers on business development, ownership transitions, and ecological sustainability.