August 19, 2021: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contact: Dr. Angel Cruz,  Academic and Extension Initiatives Manager – aecruz@ncsu.edu

Raleigh, NC:  The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) Graduate Fellowship was developed to provide financial support and recognition for future leaders, researchers and contributors in sustainable agriculture and local food systems while they engage in academic research to further the field of study.

The Fellowship offers a one-year, $5,000 stipend for Master’s students and a two-year, $5,000-per-year stipend for Doctoral students.

Angel Cruz, CEFS Academic and Extension Initiatives Manager, is especially excited this year about the breadth of research and experiences represented in the cohort. “With the complex food system challenges of today, such as global climate change, food security, environmental concerns, and all the supply chain challenges brought on by COVID-19,  innovation and interdisciplinary approaches to agricultural research and education are more necessary now than ever. This year’s cohort brings together students working in Plant Pathology, Crop Science, Entomology Sociology, and Applied Ecology and I am sure they will all learn a lot from each other. ”

The CEFS North Carolina State University (NC State) Graduate Fellowship Program was made possible by an endowment from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.

The 2021-2022 CEFS NC State Graduate Fellows and their departments/research areas are:

Sandy Ramsey Ethridge | Doctorate | Crop Science | NC State University

Sandy is a Ph.D. student at North Carolina State University in the Weed Ecology and Biology Lab. Her current research is focused on variable precision planting for site-specific maximization of weed suppression and yield in conventional or organic row crop systems. Field experiments were conducted to compare high density planting arrangements that maximize weed suppression, but might reduce yield, with low density planting arrangements to maximize crop yield under weed-free conditions. A bioeconomic model will then be created in order to optimize the balance between low density, weed free areas and high density, weedy areas that should be targeted for variable planting, considering seed costs and expected yield changes. This would provide a cost-benefit analysis when adopting this new integrated pest management strategy. Before she started her Ph.D., Sandy completed her Bachelor’s degree in Plant and Soil Science, with a concentration in Agroecology, at NC State. Sandy has also worked on many farms, including the Agroecology Education Farm at NC State, an organic vegetable farm in Long Island, New York, and in Dr. Jim Holland’s Maize Breeding and Genetics Lab.

Christopher Jorelle Gillespie | Doctorate | Plant Pathology | NC State University

Christopher Jorelle Gillespie was born in Champaign-Urbana. Gillespie grew up in Douglas Park, an area historically stagnated by racial segregation and economic curtailment. Raised by a single mother, Gillespie was introduced to the sciences by his grandmother, who was an educator and University of Illinois affiliate. In May 2017, Gillespie received his bachelors in Crop and Soil Science from Michigan State University. Gillespie then matriculated to Oklahoma State University, obtaining a M.S. in Plant and Soil Science specializing in soil chemistry in June 2019. Currently, Gillespie is working towards a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology (specializing in soil biogeochemistry) at North Carolina State University. As a member of the Hu Lab, Gillespie’s primary research endeavors are focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within differing agroecosystems. Moreover, Gillespie seeks to explore the influence of soil physical properties, chemical processes, and microbial structure and functionality on GHG emissions in Southeastern soils.

Rebecca Christine Shisler | Doctorate | Sociology and Anthropology | NC State University

Rebecca Shisler (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the sociology department at North Carolina State University. Her dissertation research will focus on people who forage wild foods and plant materials (also referred to as Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs)) and how one’s relationship to the land, local food systems, and policy shapes these practices. Her work engages with the socio-cultural aspects of agrifood systems and the natural environment.

At NC State, Rebecca has also conducted research for CEFS and the sociology department on farm to early care and education programs, farmers’ experiences with growing organic crops, student food and housing insecurity, food insecurity in North Carolina, and most recently, food insecurity and state policy during the Covid-19 pandemic as part of the FIRST research study. Rebecca earned her M.A. in Sociology at Colorado State University in 2016, where she studied the experiences of women farmers in Northern Colorado, and later worked for the local farmers’ market.

In the coming years, she is excited to connect with the other fellows and engage with people who are passionate about creating a better, more sustainable food system through research and extension.

Linnea Kathryn Andersen | Doctorate | Applied Ecology | NC State University

Linnea Andersen is a PhD candidate at North Carolina State University. Her dissertation research is focused on using machine learning to determine genetic markers for superior aquaculture production traits in two commercially important fish, the striped bass and the hybrid striped bass. Linnea plans to use similar, “omics” -based approaches throughout her career to address issues of production yield, environmental sustainability, and overall food security for local and global agriculture systems and their communities. Linnea’s professional goals stem from a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors that distinctly took shape during her time as an undergraduate student learning about the potential for scientific research to help address challenges in natural resource management and food insecurity at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Melissa Pulkoski | Masters| Entomology | NC State University

Melissa has spent most of her life in North Carolina. She previously worked in the agriculture solutions industry working on developing natural or biological pest management strategies. She is currently working on her MS in Entomology with her research focusing on plant-insect interactions and IPM development for industrial hemp. Once she completes her Masters she is planning to continue on to her PhD.

 

For more information about the CEFS NC State Graduate Fellows Program, please visit the CEFS website.

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of NC State University, NC Agricultural and Technical State University and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. CEFS develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities, improve health outcomes, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. For more information, visit www.cefs.ncsu.edu.