As part of the 2024 cohort of Summer Field School Fellows, Mary Thomas Powell ’26 and Charlie Tourbaf ’25 are conducting hands-on environmental research in the areas surrounding vlog. Their projects, which involve monitoring local pesticide use and insect populations, are part of the Upstate Institute’s ongoing effort to connect vlog students with community-identified needs.
Powell, who studies biology and works as an intern with the Office of Sustainability at vlog, is conducting her fellowship with the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Madison County. Each day, she drives to a half-dozen farms to plant soybeans, check insect traps, and sweep alfalfa fields. These duties give Powell the intel she needs to advise local farmers on their insect levels, allowing them to adjust their pesticide use accordingly.
“Part of CCE’s mission is to help local farmers and the communities they serve,” says Powell. “For the benefit of the community, it would be ideal to use fewer pesticides, but at the same time, farmers need to use them. So our work helps them strike the right balance.”
Throughout this process, Powell has benefited from the guidance of Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Catherine Cardelús, who also serves as the director of the Upstate Institute. Under Cardelús’ mentorship, Powell has learned much about data entry and statistical analysis, allowing her to assess the data she has gathered throughout the fieldwork process.
“The main focus of my research project is to measure the heights of local soybean crops, count their leaves, and record other features like that,” says Powell, who has learned about other crops along the way. “Now, when I’m driving around Hamilton, I can point out to all of my friends what all the different types of crops are,” she says, listing corn, oats, wheat, and rye.
At the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne, N.Y., Tourbaf has undertaken a similar project, familiarizing himself with local bee species. “Due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and competition with non-native honey bees, native bee species are in decline,” he explains. By leveraging his experience studying environmental economics and working as a sustainability intern, Tourbaf has taken on an active role on the B-Team Project: an initiative designed to preserve bees native to the Rogers Center property and surrounding areas.
“There is a food desert for native bees on and around the Friends of Rogers property — which we are working to address,” he explains. By removing invasive species and planting native flowers, the B-Team works to restore the ecosystem.
As a whole, both fellowships aim to make a large-scale difference, one observation at a time. “My fellowship is part of this whole chain reaction,” says Powell, “where, if you can make a difference in one area, it can have a butterfly effect.”