Teaching

Courses

Dr. van Iersel co- teaches Advanced Plant Physiology (Hort 8104, taught in the Spring) with Dr. Anish Malladi. The course focuses on linking processes at the molecular level to physiological responses at the organ, plant and crop level. The goal is to explore how processes at these different levels depend on each other and how they control plant responses to environmental or other external stimuli. The course does not try to cover all physiological processes. Instead, the course focuses on three topics that are discussed in depth: photosynthesis, abscisic acid, and nitrogen metabolism.

Dr. van Iersel also teaches Measurement and Control in Plant and Soil Science. This course focuses on measurements of environmental conditions, as well as plant responses to those conditions. A wide range of different sensors (including light, temperature, humidity, and soil moisture) discussed, along with ways to measure those sensors and methods to integrate these sensors into control systems. Students get hands-on training in the use of Campbell Scientific dataloggers and Arduino microcontrollers to build and program systems that can both measure and control a range of environmental conditions.