Seminar Kleinman Center Event

Spring Sustainable Agriculture Seminar: Session 2

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 | 10:00AM - 12:30PM

Event Details

Speakers

  • Akhila Mallavarapu Postdoctoral Researcher, Cherie R Kagan Research Group
  • Samantha McBride Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, SEAS
  • Elliot Bullen Project Manager, PennPraxis
  • Thomas Parsons Director, Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food
  • Tom Daniels Crossways Professor, City and Regional Planning

Moderators

  • Thabo Lenneiye Managing Director, Sustainable Agriculture Fund
A seminar featuring grant-funded research from the Sustainable Agriculture Fund on sustainable agriculture, ag-energy, and climate policy.

This event is invite-only. If you are interested in attending, please contact Thabo Lenneiye (lenneiye@upenn.edu)

Event Summary

The Spring Sustainable Agriculture Seminar features presentations from current grant recipients working across sustainable agriculture, agriculture-energy cross-sectoral issues, and climate policy. Across two sessions, researchers will share emerging findings, methods, and early outcomes from their funded projects.

Please note: Session times have been updated due to scheduling conflicts.

Each presentation will include a 20-minute research overview, followed by 10 minutes of discussion and Q&A

Light refreshments will be provided.

Featured Speakers

Akhila Mallavarapu

Postdoctoral Researcher, Cherie R Kagan Research Group

Akhila Mallavarapu is a postdoctoral researcher with the Cherie R Kagan Research Group in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

speaker

Samantha McBride

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, SEAS

Samantha McBride is the William K. Gemmill Term Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.

Elliot Bullen

Project Manager, PennPraxis

Elliot Bullen is a project manager at PennPraxis. He is also a masters student in Landscape Architecture in the Weitzman School of Design.

Thomas Parsons

Director, Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food

Thomas Parsons is the Marie A. Moore Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics at the School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center. He directs the Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food at PennVet.

Tom Daniels

Crossways Professor, City and Regional Planning

Tom Daniels is the Crossways Professor of city and regional planning at the Weitzman School. Daniels directs the concentration in Land Use and Environmental Planning.

Speaker Topics

  • Akhila Mallavarapu
    Cultivating Adoption: Evaluating the Impact of Optical Leaf Sensors on Precision Agriculture Outcomes
  • Samantha McBride
    From Science to Policy: Regulating Agricultural Fertilizer Applications to Reduce Nutrient Pollution
  • Elliot Bullen (with Thomas Parsons)
    The Techno-Agroforest: Status, Prospects, and Constraints for Geospatial Technology in Temperate Agroforestry Systems
  • Thomas L. Daniels
    Zoning for Agrivoltaics