Environmental Science MS
ENSCI & ESTP Alumna Advocates for Climate Smart Management Practices in Agriculture
Stefanie Kortman, an alumna of our Environmental Science, Technology, & Policy and Environmental Science, MS programs, works as the Senior Lab Technician at the Haffa Laboratory of Agricultural Biogeochemistry.
Recently, she gave a seminar about climate-smart management practices and how the Haffa Lab has been involved in that research field.
We touched base with Stefanie to learn more about her work experience and how her experiences at CSUMB have helped them on her current career pathway. Check out her interview below!
What year did you graduate from CSU Monterey Bay?
2011
What was your major?
Environmental Science Technology & Policy (ESTP)
Did you obtain any additional degrees and/or certifications after receiving your degree at CSUMB? If so, please list them, along with the university/organization you received them from.
Yes. Environmental Science MS at CSUMB, 2020
What is your current position? Please provide background information on your job title, duties, and workplace.
I am a Senior Lab Technician in the Haffa Laboratory of Agricultural Biogeochemistry (The LAB) where I manage and conduct research on agricultural soil greenhouse gas emissions in the Monterey Bay region. The LAB focuses on quantifying and characterizing gas emissions, namely nitrous oxide, from climate smart focused agricultural management practices in specialty crop systems, which include lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, and more. We work with other researchers from universities, extension specialists, and technical advisors to understand the impacts of conservation management strategies on environmental and agronomic outcomes. An overarching goal of this research is to provide practice recommendations to improve regional and crop specific climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, as well as inform the ongoing regulatory Water Quality Control Board limits on nitrogen application.
In my role I oversee day-to-day operations through training, mentoring and managing our undergraduate and graduate student staff in field and lab work. I go with students to conduct field measurements of gas emissions, and to supervise the applications of organic amendments and fertilizers according to our experimental treatments. Our work is done in partnership with commercial growers, and I spend a lot of time maintaining communication with farm staff to coordinate field sampling around management activities, and to keep track of the many things that happen on a farm that affect our work and results. I make sure our analytical instruments are maintained and operating well, and I analyze and interpret results which I often present at professional meetings and conferences. I do a lot of data management and coding in R.
As our work is entirely grant funded, I help identify and write grant proposals. In this capacity, I contribute to experimental design and identifying and pursuing research partners. I also stay connected with the greater sustainable agriculture professional community by participating in various groups including researchers, farmers, and policy analysts and advisors.
How did your experience as a CSUMB science student contribute to your current career pathway? Please explain.
Everything about my current career pathway is a result of me being a student at CSUMB! When I came here as an undergraduate in the Environmental Science Technology and Policy program, I became a McNair Scholar and was partnered with a former faculty member who was doing research in agriculture. I was very interested in working in food systems and sustainability, and was willing to do anything that related to that. I helped write the first grant that supported the start of the soil gas emissions research program that I led, and the opportunities kept coming after that. Learning about watershed science (my major concentration) and how human activity has shaped and affected natural systems helped me have a more holistic view of the impact agriculture has, and how solutions to sustainability are complex and require interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration.
What was your favorite course /courses in the program and why?
My favorite courses in the undergraduate program were Geomorphology (GEOL 260), River Hydrology (GEOL 360), and Environmental Modeling (ENVS 440). I love geology and earth processes, and if it weren’t for the opportunity I got in my current field, I would probably have pursued more education and a career in river hydrology. I thoroughly enjoyed the field days, instruments, and hands-on learning from the first two courses, and I was always very happy to be walking or wading through land and water to collect measurements and observations. The Environmental Modeling course was my first experience with conducting experiments and working with models, and I was fascinated by the model-building process. I enjoyed manipulating Dr. Fred Watson’s creative contraptions, and learning how to parameterize a model was a very useful skill I have come to use in my own research. I especially appreciated learning the limitations of modeling and how to interpret results that come from model predictions, which has helped me understand the applicability of biogeochemical models used to predict carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential in agriculture systems.
In the graduate program, I especially enjoyed Professional Environmental Science (ENVS 660) for the diversity and rigor the course offered. We accomplished two distinct projects with two different professors and presented our results to a local City Council and to staff at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. This course better prepared me for achieving collaborative work and communicating science to multiple stakeholders.
Are there any specific professional/technical skills that you gained while at CSUMB that have helped contribute to your current success?
The skills I gained that were especially impactful on my professional success include presenting research, scientific writing, coding (I use R A LOT), statistics, and communicating science to broader audiences. I learned and improved these skills in so many courses across my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and they have been important components of my day-to-day work that have translated to many successful awarded and completed grant-funded projects.
Have you had any recent accomplishments that you would like to share with us? (publications, awards, etc.)
In 2023, our group published a manuscript in the scientific journal Agronomy detailing one aspect of a multi-year project we had been working on that quantified environmental impacts of a soil-borne pathogen treatment that is an alternative to chemical fumigation in strawberries and other crop systems.
Dr. Haffa and I are currently contributing a chapter in the scientific journal Advances in Agronomy on this same topic, which should be published early next year. We are also working on a manuscript synthesizing over a decade on on-farm emissions from various projects the LAB has participated in, which we will submit for publication next year.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your experience in our program? We value you as an alumna/us!
This program was instrumental in shaping my career as a scientist. I always felt very supported by the dedicated, passionate and student-success focused faculty and staff. Many students I met through my time here have populated the greater professional scientific community in this region, and it is always such a delight to come across alum working in various capacities to help better manage and maintain natural resources. It reminds me of how connected we all are, especially thanks to CSUMB.
Congratulations on all of your achievements, Stefanie! We are proud of you!!