Researcher Spotlights
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Ali Montazar
"I was always thinking about how I can assist hard-working growers such as my father in being more productive in their farming practices, particularly to enhance resource use efficiency in their operations."
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Brent Holtz
"I enjoy seeing other researchers at Kearney, talking about our projects, and being part of the camaraderie that has made the Kearney REC such a wonderful place to work."
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Brooke Latack
"I was hoping to find a position that combined my interest in research, livestock, and working with farmers. The livestock position with ANR provided all of that plus the opportunity to help solve real-world problems that could be implemented directly on-farm."
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Chandra Krintz
"Everyone at Lindcove REC is amazing to work with...their experience has helped us improve our techniques and identify new opportunities for leveraging technology to lower costs, enhance production, and improve the sustainability of crop production."
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Dan Preston
"I've found that studying ecology allows me to spend time outdoors in amazing places while also working with bright and motivated students to answer interesting questions."
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Danelle Seymour
"To date, we have collected measurements from over 100,000 fruits. These measurements have allowed us to begin to understand the genetic basis of fruit traits, including fruit quality, for more than 600 varieties."
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Daniel Putnam
"There is an average of about 15% yield differences over time at Intermountain – the knowledge of choosing the right variety is worth millions of dollars to the intermountain regions."
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Eric Seabloom
"We are experimentally testing how these global-scale changes are altering native diversity, species invasions, disease, and important ecosystem processes like carbon sequestration in soils."
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Gaby Maier
"I have always been interested in where our food comes from and how to improve livestock agriculture while also protecting animal and human health."
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Gail Taylor
"I was first inspired by plants as a very young child – in my grandmother’s vegetable garden."
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Ian Grettenberger
"I was one of those stereotypical 'interested in bugs since a kid' entomologists, but I became interested in agriculture and extension as I started grad school."
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John Angelos
"Having access to a location such as the Sierra Foothill REC where we can test vaccines under conditions that closely mimic typical California foothills environments and where pinkeye occurs naturally in animals is, in my opinion, priceless."
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Laura Snell
"This career was a great fit to conduct research and work with the public – two things I’m very passionate about."
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Nestor Kippes
"Looking back, I think that the summertime I spent at my grandparents' farm as a kid was critical to get in contact with nature, farming, and learning about the intricate operations to deliver great products to consumers."
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Oleg Daugovish
"This year, we are looking at how recently developed cultivars of strawberry respond to a variable density of soil-borne pathogens – this can show what cultivars growers can use depending on their pathogen species and levels in soil, and what to expect."
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Oli Bachie
"As a terminal degree, I studied plant biology with the department of botany and plant sciences at UCR. Accordingly, I believe that I was well set to become an agronomy advisor."
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Pedro Carvalho
"We are always looking to generate information that can benefit the cattle producer."
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Philippe Rolshausen
"This work allows me to provide practical solutions to critical issues California growers face. My program is essentially focused on endemic and invasive diseases of tree crops."
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Sandipa Gautam
"When an integrated pest management (IPM) advisor position for citrus opened, I jumped at the opportunity."
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Scott Lewis Stephens
"When I was young, I grew up in Humboldt county, and my family worked in forests. Later I became interested in how fire shaped California ecosystems, and it has become the focus of my work."
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Sonia Rios
"Avocado growers are a delight to be around. The industry welcomed me with open arms even though I did not have a background in avocado. They were all very willing to teach me about this special fruit."
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Themis Michailides
"Because I am located in the center of agricultural industries, I can travel to the north or the south easily, observe, diagnose and solve the problems."
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Tom Dudley
"Controlling plants such as Arundo and tamarisk enhances water resources for agriculture as well as reduces wildfire threats in our fire-prone landscape."
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Valerie Eviner
"I decided to pursue ecology as a career because it provided both the intellectual exploration of complex systems, while also providing a pathway to directly benefit human well-being by using research to address management and policy challenges."
