Christopher Henke, Associate Professor of Sociology, begins a three year term as Director of the Upstate Institute on July 1, 2015. In this position, Henke will oversee the programs and initiatives of the Institute, and will continue to strengthen connections between Colgate faculty and the greater Upstate New York community. He will work with Project Director Julie Dudrick, who oversees the Upstate Institute Summer Field School and community-based research throughout the academic year.
Chris Henke, Associate Professor of Sociology, becomes the Director of the Upstate Institute on July 1, 2015.
Henke is the author of Cultivating Science, Harvesting Power: Science and Industrial Agriculture in California (MIT Press, 2008), which focuses on the relationship between agricultural scientists and the farm industry in California’s Salinas Valley. He conducts research on issues related to science, agriculture and the environment, and currently studies controversies surrounding the environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops. He has been a member of the Upstate Institute Executive Board since 2011, and has conducted research with Colgate students on local food access for low-income residents of Madison County.
In addition to his work in Sociology and Anthropology, Henke is a member of Colgate’s Environmental Studies Program. He has been a member of the Colgate faculty since 2001, and teaches courses on science and technology, work, the environment, and research methods.