Featured Post from University of Delaware

UD's Kyle Davis receives Early Career Award for pioneering global research in sustainable agricultural food systems

Oct 7, 2023

2 min

Kyle Davis


One of the most extensive ways humans modify the planet is through agricultural practices. At the University of Delaware, assistant professor Kyle Davis has been conducting research on sustainable agricultural food systems on a global scale for many years, thinking about how these systems, because of their vast impact, can also act as a catalyst for addressing issues related to sustainability.


This research, as well as the mentoring of graduate students and the research they are conducting in his lab, earned Davis a 2023 Global Environmental Change Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).


Davis, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, as well as a resident faculty member with UD’s Data Science Institute, said he was honored and humbled to receive the award and that he feels deeply fortunate to get to do research he loves and to work on new science with students from across the university.


“One of the greatest joys of the job is being able to mentor graduate students,” Davis said. “I feel really lucky to get to work with a group of incredibly talented and enthusiastic graduate students who come from all over the world.”


Davis said that, in a lot of ways, the research he conducts has grown through working with graduate students, coming up with ideas and exploring those ideas together.


“So much of my research is the result of their passion, abilities, drive, and creativity,” Davis said.


The Davis Lab conducts research on a global scale and also has a key focus on four main countries: the United States, China, India and Nigeria. The research in those areas takes on different forms and looks at different questions.


In the U.S., for instance, the research is primarily focused on addressing questions related to water scarcity and food production in the West.


The research in Nigeria concentrates on addressing agricultural data and information needs across the country, while the work in India and China is focused on questions related to crop production, nutrition, farmer livelihoods and water sustainability.


“We look at the nutritional supply and climate resilience of different crops and their associated water, energy, fertilizer and pesticide needs and try to find opportunities to improve all of these outcomes simultaneously,” Davis said.

Connect with:
Kyle Davis

Kyle Davis

Assistant Professor, Geography and Spacial Sciences

Prof. Davis' work focuses on food systems, water sustainability, and global environmental change.

Human MigrationNutritionGlobal Environmental ChangeFood SystemsSustainability

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from University of Delaware

2 min

How Philadelphia Eagles' head coach achieves Super success with 'Ted Lasso' management style

Not long after Nick Sirianni was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, fans started noticing similarities between the head coach and TV’s Ted Lasso. The University of Delaware's Kyle Emich can discuss how Sirianni's team approach compares to the more top-down structure favored by Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Like Lasso – a high school football coach on the Apple TV show of the same name who takes over an English soccer club with no prior experience – Sirianni is responsible for the culture, first and foremost. He relies on his coordinators, who call the plays. In essence, he is a more collaborative leader. By contrast, Reid is a top-down coach who currently calls the plays and always has, dating back to his time as coach of the Eagles. Philadelphia fans became more than a little weary of him saying "that's on me" at post-game press conferences following disappointing losses. With back-to-back Super Bowl titles under his belt with the Chiefs, it's difficult to argue with the success of Reid's style now. This could be fodder for sports talk radio, but it's also something Emich, a professor of management, can discuss from an academic perspective. The professor says there's advantages and disadvantages to both: • "The main advantages for the top-down approach are speed of decision-making and extreme novelty (you can do whatever pops into your head). The advantages of the coordinator approach are a larger information base to draw from and specialized knowledge." • "The more team-based approach has a lot of potential, but is difficult to execute well because it requires coordination." Emich, who has discussed management and sports teams several times in the past (including Super Bowl LII, when the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots), is available for interviews.

1 min

The ethics of using AI in academic writing: Opportunities and challenges in education

A major topic buzzing around educational circles right now is the use of AI in academic writing. With AI tools becoming more sophisticated, students and educators find themselves navigating a new academic landscape. It’s both exciting and daunting. Joshua Wilson, an associate professor of education at the University of Delaware, can discuss this landscape. Drawing on his research in automated writing evaluation (AWE), Wilson explores how AI tools – particularly generative AI – can transform the teaching and learning of writing by supporting critical thinking and knowledge transformation. He emphasizes that AI can help writers overcome lower-level constraints, such as grammar and organization, enabling deeper reflection and metacognitive engagement. Additionally, AI tools hold promise for helping students structure their thoughts and ideas, serving as valuable aids in organizing ideas before they begin writing. Thus, making writing more accessible and less intimidating for learners at all levels. However, he cautions that the value of AI depends on its thoughtful integration into educational practices, alignment with learning theories, and addressing challenges such as equity, feedback accuracy, and ethical use. He provides actionable insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers on how AI can enhance writing instruction, critical thinking and accessibility while avoiding potential pitfalls.  Wilson has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun and The Philadelphia Inquirer. To speak with Wilson further about AI and writing, click on his profile. 

2 min

Education specialist tips: How to support displaced families

The California wildfires have devastated the Los Angeles region as families have lost their homes, places of work and schools. With expertise in housing insecurity and social work, University of Delaware faculty in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) explain how community members can support these families. Ann Aviles and Ohiro Oni-Eseleh, both CEHD faculty, share resources for displaced families and guidance for parents, educators and other community members who want to support them. Aviles, an associate professor, said an unexpected displacement can be unsettling for anyone, but they can have greater impacts on certain populations. "Populations that are especially vulnerable include those from low-income families, families of color (in particular, Black and Latiné communities), unaccompanied youth and undocumented families," she said. "These families often have less access to economic resources for temporary housing such as hotels or short-term rentals." She notes that the main way educators and community members can assist these populations is to first and foremost treat them with respect and dignity. "Priority should be given to short-term solutions that are informed directly by the people most impacted. Educators, community leaders and others wanting to provide families support should ask them what is most important and needed, and then respond accordingly," she said. Oni-Eseleh, an assistant professor and director of the master of social work program at UD, notes that there are multiple hotlines and community groups dedicated to assisting families that are displaced. "Many communities have emergency hotlines that provide immediate support and connect individuals to social workers or mental health professionals. These hotlines often operate 24/7 and can be a valuable resource during a crisis," he said. For more tips from both of these experts, please reach out to mediarelations@udel.edu.

View all posts
Powered by