UVM CALS

UVM CALS It's an exciting time to be a student in the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences!

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09/30/2026

Meet Avery, a first-year student in UVM CALS! 🌱💚

Originally from North Carolina, Avery is studying Animal Science, is excited to get involved with CALS and the CREAM program, and looks forward to ice skating this winter.

Welcome to UVM, Avery! 🐾

09/28/2026

Meet Winter, a first-year student in UVM CALS! 🌱💚

Originally from North Carolina, Winter is studying Animal Science and is most excited about the CREAM program and the Asian Student Union.

Welcome to UVM, Winter! 🐾

Please join us tomorrow, September 29th, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Innovation Hall, E105, for our FSRI event with journalis...
09/28/2026

Please join us tomorrow, September 29th, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Innovation Hall, E105, for our FSRI event with journalist Jane Black.

Black will present "Food Politics from Michelle Obama to RFK - What's next?”

RSVP by clicking the link in our bio.

Date: Tuesday, September 29th
Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: Innovation Hall, E105

On Friday, Sept. 25, CALS Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment PhD candidate and Gund Graduate Fellow Andrew Gerlicz ...
09/28/2026

On Friday, Sept. 25, CALS Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment PhD candidate and Gund Graduate Fellow Andrew Gerlicz shared with UVM community members some lessons learned from his ongoing research in Mexico and Guatemala.

In 2022, Gerlicz joined a project funded through the Gund Institute for Environment Catalyst Award program that connected 55 coffee producers with soil analysis and technical assistance, which are otherwise not accessible to small-scale growers in those regions.

"What we wanted to do [within this project] is move from the data to interpretation and to action-planning with the farmers," Gerlicz said. "We provided our initial interpretations of the results, and they're telling us what they think they can do to improve these parameters in their soil."

One solution, which is currently being trialed through on-farm experiments in Guatemala, is the use of cover crops during the periodic renovation phase within coffee plots.

These experiments, supported with funding from Catholic Relief Services, extend the valuable findings that emerged from the Catalyst Award project, which officially ended in 2024.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Gerlicz has turned his attention to regenerative agriculture principles in corn and milpa production system, where baseline soil testing and experimentation has proceeded with donations from friends and family.

"One of the advantages [for the PAR process] of going off and setting up you own corn plot with a few friends is that we can invite community members to visit us and once they feel comfortable, they can begin to propose their own perspectives on how we should be doing things or what questions are on their minds, and we can use those questions – their questions - as the next stage in our PAR process."

Learn more about Andrew Gerlicz's work at the link below.
https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/guatemalas-organic-coffee-farmers-better-soil-starts-better-answers

Photos by Elodie Reed.

The new Human Nutrition Assessment Lab was buzzing with activity on Wednesday, as undergraduate students gained hands-on...
09/26/2026

The new Human Nutrition Assessment Lab was buzzing with activity on Wednesday, as undergraduate students gained hands-on experience with clinical assessment techniques and equipment. While the lab is not yet fully complete, it is already functional and providing students with valuable experiential learning opportunities. Students expressed genuine excitement about being in the new space, using the equipment, and applying what they have learned in the classroom to hands-on clinical assessment.

The Human Nutrition Assessment Lab supports the nutrition and dietetics concentration. Knowledge, competencies, and key performance indicators are required for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) training.

Wednesday’s well-attended Marvin Seminar presentation, “From Ithaca to Italy: A Journey Towards Bioregionalism,” was giv...
09/25/2026

Wednesday’s well-attended Marvin Seminar presentation, “From Ithaca to Italy: A Journey Towards Bioregionalism,” was given by Walter Poleman, Director of CALS’s Field Naturalist (FN) Graduate Program.

Using humor and decades of experience, Walter shared his professional journey and impact across several decades at UVM. Highlights were how consistent his career through-line of understanding bioregions has been. As well as how the bioregionalism movement — which he and the 250 FN alumni are part of — is now shaping our future and helping to restore and regenerate bioregions around the globe.

Congratulations to Dr. Lizzy Pope for being honored with the 2026 George V. Kidder Award! 🏆 Dr. Pope is recognized for h...
09/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Lizzy Pope for being honored with the 2026 George V. Kidder Award! 🏆

Dr. Pope is recognized for her excellence in teaching, commitment to inclusive nutrition education, and work helping young people build healthier relationships with food and their bodies. Her dedication to students, educators, athletes, and coaches makes a lasting impact across the UVM community. 👏

To read more about Dr. Lizzy Pope and her accomplishments, click the link below.
https://www.uvmfoundation.org/stories/lizzy-pope-george-kidder-award-2026

09/23/2026

Meet Elise, a first-year student in UVM CALS! 🌱💚

Originally from Connecticut, Elise is studying Molecular Genetics and is most excited to join new clubs and meet new people.

Welcome to UVM, Elise! 🐾

Join us online on October 5th for a timely discussion on the role of research in advancing the transformative changes ne...
09/23/2026

Join us online on October 5th for a timely discussion on the role of research in advancing the transformative changes needed to create food systems that are more just, sustainable, and resilient.

At a time when food insecurity, extreme inequity, climate disruption, and biodiversity loss are intensifying, business-as-usual approaches are no longer enough. Addressing these interconnected challenges requires research that goes beyond production and the farm gate. Research also needs to engage with questions of power, governance, participation, equity and markets, and the ways knowledge is generated, valued, and shared.

These issues are at the heart of a new report being published by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), A Matter of Principles: Leveraging Research for Food Systems Transformation. Available in French and English.

Join IDRC and the UVM Institute for Agroecology (IFA) for a panel discussion exploring the report's key findings and implications for the future of food systems research. Bringing together leaders from IDRC, the report's authors, and prominent voices in food systems transformation, this webinar will examine what it will take to move beyond fragmented and underfunded approaches to research and toward a bold, equity-centered agenda capable of supporting transformative food systems change.

Speakers and Panelists:
Hosted by Geneviève Laroche, Senior Program Specialist, Climate-Resilient Food Systems, International Development Research Centre

Report Authors:
Anna Paskal, Team Leader, Independent Consultant
Colin Anderson, Co-Director, UVM Institute for Agroecology

Panelists:
Pierre Kadet, Director, Climate-Resilient Food Systems, International Development Research Centre
Angela Cordeiro, Co-director, Agroecology Fund
Mamadou Goïta, Executive Director, Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Development/IRPAD Africa
Oliver Oliveros, Executive Coordinator, Agroecology Coalition;
Rodrigo Yáñez Rojas, Regional Director, Latin American Center for Rural development/RIMISP

📅 Monday, October 5th, 2026

⏰ 9AM EST | 1PM UTC | 4PM EAT

The webinar will include Spanish, French and English interpretation.

Register here: https://go.uvm.edu/a-matter-of-principles

09/21/2026

Meet Layla, a first-year student in UVM CALS! 🌱💚

Originally from Illinois, Layla is studying Public Communication and is most excited to have a creative outlet that focuses on art and nature.

Welcome to UVM, Layla! 🐾

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