Cuba Working Group

Auburn University has a long history of partnering with Cuban universities beginning more than thirty years ago in the areas of plant science, nematology and plant pathology. With the recent leadership changes in Cuba, Auburn saw the opportunity to establish close cooperation in research, instruction and outreach with Cuban universities and agencies. In the last five years, several meetings were held between Auburn College of Agriculture faculty and Cuban scientists within and outside Cuba. This long-term relationship resulted in the signing of a formal broad trilateral treaty for cooperation.

 

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Beth Guertal

Beth Guertal specializes in turfgrass management and the environmental consequences of applied fertilizer. Other research areas include turfgrass cultivar evaluation, fertilizer response trials and sports turf management evaluations. Guertal is also helping to coordinate instructional programs with Cuba. For more information, visit Guertal’s websiteor email guertea@auburn.edu.

 

 

 

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Brenda Ortiz

Brenda Ortiz specializes in grain crops, precision agriculture and agroclimatology. She has particular expertise in crop growth modeling, spatial statistics and remote sensing. She’s also studying the impact of weather and climate on row and forage crops, the use of crop growth modeling to evaluate different management strategies for improving row crop production, the evaluation of different management practices to reduce aflatoxin contamination in corn and the use of remote sensing technologies for variable-rate application of nitrogen. Ortiz is helping to facilitate communications with Cuban partners and coordinate research activities with Cuba. For more information, visit Ortiz’s website or email bvo0001@auburn.edu.

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Rod Rodriguez-Kabana
(Emeritus Professor)

Rodriguez-Kabana brings expertise in pest management and sustainable agricultural practices. His research has focused on the study and development of cropping systems that allow for sustainable production with sound economic and ecological bases.For more information, visit Rodriguez-Kabana’s website or email rodrirr@auburn.edu.

 

 

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C. Robert Taylor
(Emeritus Professor)

Robert Taylor’s areas of expertise include market concentration, conservation, buyer power, bioenergy and sustainable agriculture. For more information, visitTaylor’s website or email taylocr@auburn.edu.

 

 

 

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Onikia Brown

Onikia Brown uses community-based participatory research to examine the nutritional determinants, consequences and prevention of diet-related health disparities in underserved populations. She also has interest in developing interventions and tools to assess and prevent unwanted and unhealthy weight gain in underserved populations. For more information, seeBrown’s résumé or email onb0001@auburn.edu.

 

 

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Paula Hunker

Paula Gray Hunker is the director of Strategy and Policy for the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University. With a background that includes leadership positions at the State Department and United Nations, she focuses on strategy, communication and outreach to advance strategic initiatives in nutrition, global food security and small farmer empowerment. She also serves as operating director for Presidents United to Solve Hunger, a HIS initiative that has united a consortium of more than 80 university presidents around the world in a commitment to work collectively for food and nutrition security. For more information, email pgh0003@auburn.edu.

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Martin O’Neil

Martin O’Neil’s research interests include services marketing and management, customer relationship management, service quality, disconfirmation modeling, total quality management and internal service, complaining behavior, trust and service recovery. For more information, see O’Neill’s résumé or email oneilm1@auburn.edu.

 

 

 

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Kate Thornton

Kate Thornton serves as director of Hunger and Sustainability Initiatives at the International Hunger Institute at Auburn University. She has a varied background ranging from business to biochemistry and is interested in utilizing her diverse knowledge base to bring sustainable solutions to help solve the global challenges of the world. For more information, see Thornton’s résumé or email brockmk@auburn.edu.

 

 

 

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Art Appel

A world renowned urban entomologist, Appel brings a wealth of experience in biology, physiology and control of urban insects, as well as insect physiological ecology. For more information, visit Appel’s website or email appelag@auburn.edu.

 

 

 

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Henry Fadamiro

Henry Fadamiro serves as assistant dean and director of Global Programs for the College of Agriculture. In that capacity, he leads the AAES-Cuba Programs and serves as chair of the Cuba Working Group. In addition, Fadamiro is a professor of entomology. His research interests include biological control, chemical ecology, integrated pest management and sustainable/organic agriculture. For more information, visit Fadamiro’s website or email fadamhy@auburn.edu.

 

 

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Auburn University/AAES is proud to partner with several Cuban institutions including Agrarian University of Havana (UNAH), Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (CENSA), Pasture and Forage Research Institute – Indio Hatuey, Soil Institute of Cuba and Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal (INISAV). Below is a listing of key collaborators at these institutions.

Agrarian University of Havana (UNAH)

Institutional Contact*
C. Pedro Pablo del Pozo Rodríguez, Vice Rector (delpozo@unah.edu.cu)
Mabelin Armenteros Amaya (rel_int@unah.edu.cu)

Vegetable Production and Protection
Nilda Perez Consuegra (gisela.barro@infomed.sld.cu)
Orestes Cruz (orestes@unah.edu.cu)
Carlos Gonzales (carlos@unah.edu.cu)
Ivan Castro Lizaso (ivanc@unah.edu.cu)
Yanoy Morejon
Tania Perez (tania@unah.edu.cu)
Marlen Robaina (robaina@unah.edu.cu)
Heriberto Vargas (vargas@unah.edu.cu)

Turfgrass Management
Arturo Martinez

Animal Science
C. Pedro Pablo del Pozo Rodríguez, Vice Rector (delpozo@unah.edu.cu)
Pavel Herrera (pavel_herrera@unah.edu.cu)
Miguel Pérez

Land Use/Modeling
Gustavo Alonso (gustavo@unah.edu.cu)
Orestes Cruz (orestes@unah.edu.cu)
Yanara Rodríguez López (yanita@unah.edu.cu)
Arturo Martinez
Darielis Martinez
Annia Garcia Pereira (annia@unah.edu.cu)
Tania Perez (tania@unah.edu.cu)
Ernesto Ramos (carbajales@unah.edu.cu)
Marlen Robaina (robaina@unah.edu.cu)
Heriberto Vargas (vargas@unah.edu.cu)

Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (CENSA)

Institutional Contacts*
Leopoldo Hidalgo Diaz (lhidalgo@censa.edu.cu)
Tania Rivas (tania@censa.edu.cu)

Vegetable Production & Protection
Maria de los Angeles Martines (maria@censa.edu.cu)
Benedicto Martinez (bmcoca@censa.edu.cu)
Yamila Martinez (yamila@censa.edu.cu)
Ileana Miranda (ileanam@censa.edu.cu)
Oriela Pino Perez (oriela@censa.edu.cu)
Belkis Peteira (bpeteira@censa.edu.cu)
Madelaine Quinonez (mqperez@censa.edu.cu)
Mayra Rodriguez (mrguez@censa.edu.cu)
Moraima Suris (msuris@censa.edu.cu)

Turfgrass Management
Leopolgo Hidalgo Diaz (lhidalgo@censa.edu.cu)
Madelaine Quiñonez (madeqp@censa.edu.cu)
Mayra G. Rodriguez (mrguez@censa.edu.cu)

Urban Pest Management
Oriela Pino Perez (oriela@censa.edu.cu)
Mayra G. Rodriguez (mrguez@censa.edu.cu)

Animal Science
Pastor Alonso (alfonso@censa.edu.cu)

Land Use/Modeling
Ileana Miranda (ileanam@censa.edu.cu)

Pasture and Forage Research Institute – Indio Hatuey

Institutional Contact*
Luis Hernandez (luis@ihatuey.cu)

Turfgrass Management
Luis Hernandez (luis@ihatuey.cu)

Land Use/Modeling
Maybe Campo 

Soil Institute of Cuba

Institutional Contacts*
Luis Gómez Jorrín, Director (director@isuelos.co.cu)
Olegario Muñiz Ugarte (olegariomuniz@isuelos.co.cu)

Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal (INISAV)

Institutional Contacts*
Dr. Berta Lina Muiño Garcia – Subdirector of Development (bertam@inisav.cu)
Evangelina Roa – International relations (eroa@inisav.cu)

* Contact for more information about institution and to identify researchers in specific fields.