Brian Schultz

Associate Professor of Entomology and Ecology

Natural Science

bsNS@hampshire.edu

Mail Code NS

Brian Schultz

Cole Science Center 105

413.559.5486

Brian Schultz, associate professor of ecology and entomology, received a B.S. in zoology, an M.S. in biology, and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Michigan.

An agricultural ecologist and entomologist who does research at the Hampshire College Farm Center, Schultz has spent a number of years in Central America and the Caribbean studying methods of insect pest control. He is also interested in statistical analysis and world peace.

Recent and Upcoming Courses

Special Projects
Field Study Semester
Agriculture, Ecology, and Society
This course (combining NS: 150, 250, and 350) examines agriculture as a set of ecological systems and issues, focusing on organic and/or sustainable methods, and agroecology. It refers to ecology in the sense of interactions between organisms (e.g., pests and predators) and the larger sense of environmental impacts (e.g., pollution; climate change), along with key related social issues and solutions. A broad range of topics will be covered, including pesticide problems and alternatives, soil fertility and erosion, animals in agriculture, genetically modified crops, biofuels, farm labor, global vs. local trade, and more. Course work will consist of readings, discussion, writings, farm work/observations, and projects. We'll introduce current issues and practices for a more sustainable agriculture, with added readings and projects also tailored to individual student experience, interests, and goals. We will meet and work outside a lot, but also Zoom some. Keywords: sustainable, agriculture, ecology, agroecology, organic
Local Ecology and Agriculture
This course is primarily for a relatively small group of more advanced students to pursue field studies in local agriculture and ecology. Our nearby area is actually quite diverse and interesting in its variety of ecological habitats and farming systems, and well worth knowing and studying. We will be outside a lot as weather permits and visit several nearby habitats and sites (e.g., mountaintops, flood plains, and bogs), farms, and research sites and institutes. We will also make use of our own Hampshire College farm, forests and fields, including the forest canopy walkway. The focus will be studies of vegetation, birds, insects and other invertebrates, and salamanders, among others. Some examples of previous and also ongoing possible projects include: how insects and birds occupy different heights in our forest, the distribution of insect predators as well as pollinators in and on the edge of our farm fields (as well as harvesting and analyzing some summer project crops), the distribution and behavior of red-backed salamanders in this area, the use of trail cameras to study local wildlife (mammals and birds), looking at microbes and vegetation in local bogs, experiments with parasitoid wasps (that are used for crop pest control), studies of garden beds, composting, and aquaculture, and more (new projects will emerge as we go). Instructor permission required.