As professor emeritus he continues to dedicate all of his time to the grand challenge of climate change and helps people understand and appreciate what is happening through food. Melting glaciers are bad enough but the loss of coffee is downright terrifying – this keeps him going. He tells the climate change story with passion, a little humor, and without doom and gloom. It’s a science-based message about what is happening and what we all can do about it. He has published climate change articles in the popular press – The Hill, Fortune, and USA Today and is lead author of – Our changing menu: Climate and the foods we love and need (Cornell Press 2021). His TEDx Talk – Climate change: It’s time to raise our voices has been well received.
Previous positions he has held at Cornell include executive director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions, director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, associate director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, and director of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program. He is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Entomology. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin, master’s from the University of Arizona, and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.