Cal Poly Experts Directory - Agriculture
Agricultural Economics • Agricultural Education • Agricultural Safety • Dairy Industry • Farm Animals • Forestry • International Agriculture • Irrigation • Landscape Plants & Nurseries • Pest Control • Soil
Agricultural Economics
Jim Ahern, Ph.D.
Professor of Agriculture
(805) 756-5030 / (805) 756-5000
e-mail: jahern@calpoly.edu
Areas of expertise:
- Agricultural economics, marketing, and resources
- Horse racing and breeding of Thoroughbreds
- Produce marketing, pricing and forecasting
Phillip Doub, MBA
Professor of Agribusiness
(805) 756-5026/5000
e-mail: pdoub@calpoly.edu
Areas of expertise:
- Wine marketing
- Agrimarketing
Agricultural Education
Robert A. Flores, Ph.D.
Professor of Agricultural Education and Communication
(805) 756-2169 / (805) 756-2803
e-mail: rflores@calpoly.edu
Campus coordinator for the California Agricultural Leadership Program.
Alumnus, Kellogg National Fellowship Program.
Awarded Honorary American Degree by the National FFA Organization.
Recipient, Monsanto Agricultural Teaching Award.
Member, American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE).
Former chief of party, Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda, Costa Rica.
Founding board member, Vision Unida.
Parliamentarian for the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) national organization.
Areas of expertise:
- Program development in agricultural education
- Technical assistance to developing countries
- Leadership development and programming
- Assessing personality in team-building
- Organizing collaborative associations
- Program standards and quality criteria in agricultural education
- Computer applications in agricultural education
William C. Kellogg, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor of Agricultural Education
(805) 756-2973 / (805) 756-2803
e-mail: bkellogg@calpoly.edu
Consultant to local educational agencies.
Educational workshop presentations.
Areas of expertise:
- Teaching methods
- Agricultural mechanics
- Teacher effectiveness
- Racial and ethnic diversity in education
- Credentials
- General agriculture
- Agricultural literacy
- Fairs and shows
Agricultural Safety
Richard Cavaletto, Ph.D.
Professor, Bioresource & Agricultural Engineering Dept.
Director, Ag Safety Institute
(805) 756-2383/2378
e-mail: rcavalet@calpoly.edu
Professional engineer in mechanical engineering. Member, American Society of Agricultural Engineers and National Institute for Farm Safety.
Areas of expertise:
- Ag safety
- Safety training
- Safety compliance
- Machine design
The Dairy Industry
Les Ferreira, Ph.D.
Professor of Dairy Science
(805) 756-2425/2560
e-mail: lferreir@calpoly.edu
Member, American Dairy Science Association.
Coordinator, International Dairy Seminar.
Recipient, Dole Teaching Award.
Author of teaching manuals for dairy safety, artificial insemination, large-herd management.
Consultant for World Wide Sires and Holstein Association.
Expert witness.
International consultant in Soviet Union, Uruguay, Brazil, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Thailand, Bahrain and Mexico.
Areas of expertise:
- Dairy management
- Dairy safety
- Dairy cattle reproduction
- Heat stress
- Biotechnology
- Cattle selection
Rafael Jimenez-Flores, Ph.D.
Professor of Dairy Science
(805) 756-6103 / (805) 756-2560
e-mail: rjimenez@calpoly.edu
Author of more than 30 research articles. Co-author of five book chapters. Co-inventor of three patented dairy-related products.
Areas of expertise:
- Dairy foods
- Chemistry and physics of milk proteins
- Changes in milk components with food processing
- Nutritional benefits of milk and milk proteins
- Technology of dairy food products
- ·Biotechnology of milk
Phillip S. Tong, Ph.D.
Professor of Dairy Science and Director, Dairy Products Technology Center
(805) 756-6102/6101
e-mail: ptong@calpoly.edu
Member, International Dairy Federation, American Dairy Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists, American Cheese Society.
Consultant to cheese manufacturer, dairy ingredient manufacturer, and food product developer.
International experience in dairy ingredients: China, Thailand, Phillipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Canada, France
Organizer of a series of continuing education courses and symposa for industry (cheese, forzen desserts, dairy ingredients, recombined dairy foods, milk processing technology).
Areas of expertise:
- Dairy food processing and product development
- Milk processing
- Ice cream technology
- New dairy foods
- Membrane processing of cheese
- Physical & chemical properties of dairy foods
- Cheese technology
- Development of dairy industry of China
Farm Animals
Jaime S. Colomé, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
(805) 756-2557/2788
e-mail: jcolome@calpoly.edu
Co-author of Microbiology (textbook), Essentials of Microbiology (textbook), Molecular and Cell Biology (textbook), and Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology.
Author of numerous papers on molecular biology: apoptosis, prions, oncogenes and protooncogenes, discovery of the Rh blood group, biosynthetic blood products.
Researcher on the pathogenesis of viroids and Hepatitis D virus.
Professor of microbiology, molecular genetics, virology, and developmental biology, Cal Poly.
Areas of expertise:
- "Mad cow" disease
- Biology of spongiform encephalopathies (infectious, degenerative brain diseases)
- AIDS
- cancer, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes
- Origin and danger of emerging viruses
- Cloning
- Evolution of microorganisms
- Genetics -- homeotic genes in development, programmed cell death, the immune response to microorganisms, flower development
Bill Plummer, Ph.D.
Professor of Animal Science, Emeritus
(805) 756-2113/2419
e-mail: wplummer@calpoly.edu
Research project: "Development of a transgenic herd of dairy cattle to provide milk for evaluation of the transgene product."
Charter diplomat, American College of Animal Physiology.
Member, American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, American Society of Animal Science, Society for the Study of Reproduction, Society of Theriogenology.
Board-certified member, American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.
Areas of expertise:
- Cloning of mammalian species
- Reproductive physiology
- Infertility
- Animal reproduction (mice to elephants)
- Use of animals in the biotechnology area for drug manufacturing
- Transgenic research in animals
- "How your cow may produce human insulin"
Forestry
John H. Harris, Ph.D.
Professor of Natural Resources Management
(805) 756-2426/2702
e-mail: jhharris@calpoly.edu
Member, National Recreation and Park Association, California Park and Recreation Society, Society of American Foresters. Federal and state expert witness for recreation resource liability cases.
Areas of expertise:
- Recreation behavior
- Recreation resource management
- Site liability
Employee management - Communication techniques
- Urban forestry
Timothy G. O'Keefe, Ph.D.
Professor of Forestry
(805) 756-2021 / (805) 756-2702
e-mail: tokeefe@calpoly.edu
Fellow, Society of American Foresters (SAF); SAF-certified forester.
Certified arborist, International Society of Arboriculture.
Researcher, U.S. Forest Service.
Special interest in distance-learning technology.
Author of several brochures about urban forestry, urban stream management, wood energy, and agroforestry.
Continued work in international forestry; presented research in Finland and Holland (1996).
Member, Eucalyptus Improvement Association, Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District, California Urban Forestry Council, International Union of Forest Research Organizations.
Director, Agroforestry/Community Forestry Project, Forest Products Research Society.
Areas of expertise:
- International tropical hardwood management
- City tree management
- Urban interface fire management
- Use of wood residue as energy supplements
- "Smart wood"
- Wood recycling; use of green tree waste
- Use of trees in agriculture and ranching to improve yields
- Holistic ecosystem management, including tree harvest ing and endangered species
- Trees and air quality
- Christmas tree/wood-lot management
- Biodiversity and ethics
- Technology transfer
- Extended education in forestry
Doug Piirto, Ph.D.
Professor of Forestry
(805) 756-2968/2702
e-mail: dpiirto@calpoly.edu
Author of 10 textbook study guides, two detailed Web-page-enhanced courses, and more than 87 articles and reports.
Registered professional forester in California; Forest Service-certified silviculturist.
Recipient, Dole Outstanding Teacher Award, College of Agriculture (1995).
Recipient of the 2000 Plant Science Award for Outstanding Service to Cal Poly's College of Agriculture.
Forestry project director, Cal Poly's Swanton Pacific Ranch (near Santa Cruz).
Member, planning committees, Coast Redwood Conference (1992) and Giant Sequoia Conference (1996).
Expert witness for congressional and state legislative committees.
Areas of expertise:
- Silviculture practices
- Forest protection and products
- Pest management
- Wood properties and quality
- Fire ecology
- Giant sequoia and coast redwood
- Uneven-aged forest management
- Environmental impact analysis
International Agriculture
Robert Rice, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Horticultural Science
(805) 756-2830/2279
e-mail: rrice@calpoly.edu
Author of four international textbooks and 30 research articles.
Member, American Society for Horticultural Science, International Society for Horticultural Science, Society for International Development.
Work experience in Lebanon, Jordan, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia and Uganda.
Areas of expertise:
- International agricultural development
- Pesticides
- Pest control, integrated pest management
- Farming systems
Irrigation
Charles M. Burt, Ph.D.
Professor of Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering
Chairman, Irrigation Training and Research Center
(805) 756-2379 / (805) 756-2378
e-mail: cburt@calpoly.edu
Registered civil and agricultural engineer. Irrigation Person of the Year (2000) of the California Irrigation Institute; 1997 Person of the Year, The Irrigation Association. Author of more than 100 papers and the books such as The Surface Irrigation Manual; Drip and Micro Irrigation for Trees, Vines, and Row Crops; Fertigation; and Modern Water Control in Irrigation. Chairman, Friends of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Work experience in 24 countries.
Areas of expertise:
- Drip irrigation
- Sprinkler irrigation
- Surface irrigation
- Canal modernization
- Drainage
- Salinity
- Irrigation in Vietnam and other developing countries
Landscape Plants & Nurseries
Dave Hannings, M.S.
Professor of Environmental Horticultural Science
(805) 756-2870/2279
e-mail: dhanning@calpoly.edu
Senior author of two textbooks.
Areas of expertise:
- Nurseries
- Landscape plants
- Plant identification
- Nursery plant production & plant tissue culture
- Orchids
Margaret (Peggy) Rice, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
(805) 756-1624/2693
e-mail: msrice@calpoly.edu
Post-doctoral fellow, NASA, studying gravity responses in plants.
Published articles on bacterial responses to environment and plant responses to gravity.
Areas of expertise
- Plant biotechnology - herbicides, pesticides, genetic engineering
- Nutrition
- Vitamins
- Cholesterol
- Genetics, the human genome and cloning, including related ethics
- Botany and plant physiology for gardeners
- Microbiology - parasites, food microbiology, drug-resistant bacteria
Pest Control
Mark D. Shelton, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, College of Agriculture
(805) 756-2161
e-mail: mshelton@calpoly.edu
Board-certified entomologist. Licensed pest control adviser.
Member, Entomological Society of America.
Areas of expertise:
- Insect pest management
- Chemical and other insect-control technology
- Use of controlled atmospheres for post-harvest disinfestation
- Africanized honeybees
Soil
Thomas J. Rice, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Soil Science
(805) 756-2420/2261
e-mail: trice@calpoly.edu
Certified professional soil scientist. Author of Land Use Planning (1994) and Soil Resource Inventory (1995) lab manuals. Author of Clean Lakes Assistance Program for Lake Nacimiento (1994) and Morro Bay Watershed Monitoring Program (1994) and professional journal articles on soil science and soil geomorphology. Consultant and expert witness in cases involving land development and subdivisions, soil erosion, personal injury due to landslide, water quality monitoring, and mercury and chromium levels in stream sediments.
Areas of expertise:
- Soil resource inventories
- Soil classification and mapping
- Environmental assessment of soil
- Environmental and water quality monitoring'
- Land-use management
- Wetlands characterization
- Mineralogical analysis
- Agricultural management
Ronald Taskey, Ph.D.
Professor of Soil Science
(805) 756-1160/2261
e-mail: rtaskey@calpoly.edu
Participant, Soil Survey of the High Sierra (summer 1995). Member, Soil Science Society of America, Society of American Foresters. President, Soil and Water Conservation Society, California Chapter (1995). Past president, California Forest Soils Council. Certified professional in erosion and sediment control, professional soil scientist, and professional soil classifier. Author of articles on undergraduate education and curriculum, wilderness, old-growth forests, and wildfire.
Areas of expertise:
- Soil maps and land use
- Wildfire and emergency rehabilitation
- Landslides
- Soil erosion
- Wilderness
- Watersheds
Sustainable Agriculture
John C. Phillips, Ph.D.
Professor of Crop Science
(805) 756-6146/1237 / e-mail: jphillip@calpoly.edu
Member, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America.
Creator of curriculum featuring interdisciplinary team-taught courses.
Areas of expertise:
- Chickpea (garbanzo) production
- Agricultural ecology
- Soil and water conservation
- Soil quality
- Holistic management
- Agricultural systems and cropping systems
William Preston, Ph.D.
Professor of Geography
(805) 756-2210/2752 e-mail: wpreston@calpoly.edu
Special interest in environmental change in California.
Current research on environmental history of California, Native Californians and colonial wildlife.
Author of a book on the San Joaquin Valley and several articles on Native Californians.
Areas of Expertise
- Human impact on the Earth: salinization, desertification, deforestation
- Climate change and greenhouse warming
- Historical geography of the San Joaquin Valley
- Native Californians: Yokuts, San Joaquin Valley