Programs

  • Royce Fellowship
Laura
Genello

Concentration 

Environmental Science

Award Year 

2006
The Dirt on Organic: Soil Fertility Differences on Organic and Conventional Farms in New England

Faculty Sponsor: Steven Hamburg

Laura investigated the environmental impact of organic agriculture in comparison with conventional farming systems. Through a comparison of the soils sampled from forty Rhode Island and Massachusetts farms, she examined soil carbon and nitrogen content to assess the impact of the growth of the organic farming market.

Laura worked for FRESHFARM Markets, a Washington, DC based non-profit dedicated to promoting agriculture in the Chesapeake Bay region through the operation of farmers markets. Laura currently works at the Center for a Livable Future as farm manager for CLF’s Aquaponics Project, based at the city’s Cylburn Arboretum. This working farm serves as a research and educational outreach component of the Center’s sustainable aquaculture program.