The Sustainable Agriculture Program and the Sustainable Ag Application are a multi-department effort at Michigan State University. It brings together individuals from the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Animal Science Department, The College of Engineering Computer Science & Engineering Department, and MSU Extension Service.
Dr. Karen Chou
Associate Professor
Department of Animal Science and Environmental Science &
Policy Program
Dr. Karen Chou is an associate professor of environmental toxicology in the Department of Animal Science and Environmental Science & Policy Program. She received a BS in Human Nutrition from Fu Jen Catholic University, MS in Dairy Science from Michigan State University, and Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Michigan. She was a visiting scientist in the Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Chou coordinates the sustainable agricultural management program which synthesizes pesticide risk, pesticidal efficacy, and agricultural practices, to enable flexible management approaches for small and large operations, by providing risk information to users, while attempting to minimize the cost and burden of practicing sustainability. Dr. Chou teaches two graduate and three undergraduate courses in the areas of human health risk assessment, toxicology, food safety, and environmental management, including the topics on endocrine disruptors, metal toxicity, and nanotoxicity. She has studied the toxicity of pesticides, endocrine disruptors, and other environmental chemicals in human and animals. Dr. Chou has developed geospatial exposure models for the interactions between environmental contaminants, human reproductive health, and socioeconomic factors. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and given over 100 invited talks and conference presentations. Dr. Chou has served as a board member, reviewer, chairperson, or editor on environmental health related topics for local communities, and federal and state agencies, including US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Michigan Department of Agriculture, on health risks of arsenics, lead, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and few dozens of other substances for health risk values for humans and animals.
Dr. Dennis Phillips
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Dr. Phillips is a Educational Specialist in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. He received his BS, MS, and PhD in Computer Science from Michigan State University and a MA in Secondary Education from Tufts University. He was an Engineering Supervisor at Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard Massachusetts where in worked in the Network Computing group. After moving back to Michigan, Dennis was an Operations Director supporting the Department of Defense as a contractor providing IT support services, applications development support, and network security. After completing his PhD, Dr. Phillips joined MSU as an educational specialist. He currently teaches Mobile Application Development, Database Systems, and Web Development courses in the Computer Science Department and has conducted research in Wireless Sensor Systems.