Science alone can’t change how people grow and eat food. Agriculture is ultimately a socio-ecological endeavor, which is brought about by people and their knowledge
Political ecology. Relationships between humans and the environment, especially in agriculture and doubly so in pest management, are built on differences in power. Examining these imbalances is essential for defining how humans behave as a part of nature. I am so grateful to be involved with the Davis Political Ecology Lab to help me better understand these topics. With the PE Lab, I co-organized a recent seminar series about abolition ecologies and another recent seminar about agroecology and food sovereignty. Recently, I have been using this political ecology backdrop to create a discourse analysis about the herbicide glyphosate, which is simultaneously one of the most used and most controversial pesticides in the world.
Teaching. I value engaging and experiential learning environments. Ungrading (see links in the resources section) is a philosophy that helps me prioritize student need and experience over assigning standardized and measured feedback. I love teaching in the field and with hands on or student-created activities.
I taught an upper division crop science course at UC Davis in the fall of 2021. See my syllabus for that course here. Previously, I was a teacher’s assistant for an upper division environmental horticulture (landscape plants) course, an introductory sustainable agriculture course, and a pest management course for professional students. Also, I have extensive experience with cooperative extension, where practical learning reigns supreme.