ETS Conference 2020

Lammert Kooistra - Associate Professor, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Dr. Kooistra is developing integrated sensing systems, combining satellite, unmanned aerial systems and in situ sensors for monitoring applications in agriculture and environmental resource management. His research focuses on hyperspectral sensing systems from camera design to data processing into quantitative image products.

Steve Isaac​, Director ‑ Sustainability, The R&A, UK

The R&A is the organiser of The Open, golf’s oldest and most international major championship. Steve is responsible for The R&A’s advocacy of sustainability and for the operation of its sustainability initiatives. These include Golf Course 2030, GreenLinks (The Open’s sustainability programme) and support for greenkeeper education. The R&A works in collaboration with many organisations, including national governing bodies in 143 countries, greenkeeper, club manager, course owner and architect associations, and our sustainability partner the GEO Foundation.

Leo Marcelis, prof of Horticulture and Product Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Prof Dr Leo Marcelis is head of the chair group Horticulture and Product Physiology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Leo has over 30 years of experience in research on plant growth and functioning. His main expertise is on physiology, growth and product formation of plants and plant organs. In particular fluxes of assimilates, water and nutrients in the plant, sink/source interactions and assimilate partitioning among plant organs in response to environmental growth conditions are subject of study. His research contributes to sustainability of horticultural production systems while improving crop production and quality. Optimal use of natural light for plant production as well as the use of artificial light (LED) are key questions of his research.

Stéphane Charrier, Plant Breeder & Research manager at Barenbrug, France

I work for Barenbrug as Turf Plant breeder responsible for the turf European breeding program and as the French Research manager. I have been working in turf plant breeding for the past 19 years. I spent 10 years in New Zealand for the New Zealand and Australian market and in Europe for the past 9 years. My work focus is on species commonly used for turf in Europe. The aim of the breeding program is to improve turf grass quality to fit needs of the users for today and tomorrow. The Research focuses are wear tolerance, disease and insects tolerance, turf quality, seed production, drought tolerance, low input performance and salt tolerance.