Chieri Kubota

Growing up in Tokyo, Chieri Kubota never visited a farm or learned about agriculture. Now a professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and the inaugural director of the Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, she's excited about the possibilities for making agriculture accessible for new communities.

“It's about making science and research visible, being located close to the residential area in the city of Columbus,” she said. “It's agriculture in an urban setting, with a greenhouse, animals, sustainability, and environmental science and that Is really unique.”

As part of her research, Dr. Kubota researches innovations in greenhouse produce production to develop new varieties of fruits and vegetables that are as nutritious as they are flavorful. She knows that Waterman's new greenhouse facilities will provide a state-of-the-art research laboratory unique among academic environments in the United States.

“The type of research we can do here will be very different than the research at other university settings,” she said.

Kubota hopes the new facility will be a showcase for the community, helping students and other young people learn about the future potential for agriculture.

“Sometimes people have the impression that agriculture is something anyone can do, but it is much more complex than manufacturing other goods,” she said. “Dealing with plants and animals needs a smart approach and it's something they may want to do in the future.”