Biography
I have been a faculty member in the Biology Department since 2004. Prior to that time, I worked in the area of crop genetics and agronomy in the agriculture industry, holding such roles as Global Head of Seed Production Research, Product Development, and Field Agronomist. In these roles, I was involved in the introduction of the first biotechnology products in agriculture, optimization of seed corn production, and field testing of new corn, soybean, sunflower, and alfalfa varieties. I maintain a graduate school appointment as Lecturer in Agronomy at Iowa State University, in which I teach summer courses on these topics.
In my spare time, you should expect to find me outdoors pursuing one of many hobbies. Spring through fall are focused on gardening, fishing, and road cycling. Winter activities include pond hockey, cutting firewood, ice fishing, and bow hunting. Of course, running and road races occur year around. I have been happily married for 30+years and have three children, two of which are actively working in biology!
Education
- Ph.D. in Crop Production and Physiology, Iowa State University
- M.S. in Crop Production and Physiology, The Ohio State University
- B.S. in Biology, Calvin College
Professional Experience
- Calvin University, Faculty (2004–present)
- Au Sable Institute Great Lakes, Faculty, teaching "Field Biology in Spring" (Biology 361)
- Iowa State University, Lecturer for Seed Technology and Business (STB) distance learning M.S. program, teaching Variety Testing (STB 534) and Seed Production (STB 547)
- Syngenta Seeds, Inc., Agricultural industry research management for 15 years in the roles of Global Head of Seed Production Research, North American Director of Product Development, and Field Agronomist
- Advisory Boards: Pierce Cedar Creek Institute (Hastings, MI), Land Conservancy of West Michigan (LCWM), Genesis Community of Transformation (Phnom Penh, Cambodia), Integrated Solutions Asia Cooperative (Phnom Penh, Cambodia), Integrated Science Research Institute (ISRI)
- Scientific Association Section Chairs: Botany and Ecology, Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters (MASAL), and Seed Production and Technology (C-4) of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA)
- USDA/ARS, Post-doctoral research scientist of the Bioactive Constituents Research Unit at the Northern Regional Research Center, Peoria, IL
Academic Interests
I teach and conducts research in a variety of biological topics roughly consistent with my training in plant biology, particularly plant physiology and biochemistry. Courses I teach regularly include Living Systems; Human Population and Global Food Systems; Plant Physiology; Global Health, Environment and Sustainability; and Medical Ethics. In the past, I regularly took interim classes to Cambodia, engaging with a variety of food security and development best practices and thinking about how to relate food systems in these unique cultures.
Other interests include:
- Application of sustainable food production techniques of developed countries with comparable efforts in Cambodia; optimization of appropriate food production systems for small shareholder farmers through the NGO Genesis Community of Learning and Eden School of Agriculture.
- Measurement of the quantity of carbon dioxide assimilated annually by the greenspace of Calvin University and Pierce Cedar Creek Institute to enable optimization of carbon sequestration efforts through the effective management of land resources.
- Characterizing the physiological advantages of invasive shrub species of southwestern Michigan (common buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, and autumn olive) by assessing photosynthesis, transpiration rates, water use, and light use efficiencies compared with a number of native shrub species.
- Optimization of methods to control the buckthorn species and autumn olive in southwestern Michigan.
Research
Research interests revolve around evaluating the physiological basis by which non-native invasive shrubs like autumn olive and the buckthorn species compete with native plants. Because it is not possible to eradicate these pests, attention is turned to evaluating ways to control or mitigate them, or even to harness the competitive advantage of autumn olive’s ability to fix nitrogen to our benefit.
Past grants
- 2012: Pierce Cedar Creek Institute URGE Program. $7,000. Productivity of Switchgrass and Corn Grown in Close Proximity with Nitrogen Fixing Autumn Olive and Cow Pea in Productive and Nutrient-poor Soils.
- 2011: Nagel Institute Fellowship. $6000. Eden School of Agriculture. Transforming Cambodia: Holistic Application of Sustainable Food Production Methods in Rural Cambodia.
- 2010: Pierce Cedar Creek Institute URGE Program. $10,500. Relationship between Nitrogen Fixation Rate, Apparent Photosynthesis Rate, and Chlorophyll Content of Autumn Olive and Potential Impacts on the Competitiveness of Cohabiting Native Plant Species.
Research and Scholarship
