Degree Program: Ph.D.
Concentration: Viticulture
Advisor: Justine Vanden Heuvel
Education:
- B.S. Chemistry & Biology, West Chester University of Pennsylvania (1990)
- M.S. Computer Science, Brown University (1992)
Research Overview:
Grapevine canopy microclimates are complicated and intensely dynamic systems. When considered in three dimensions, canopy vine organs collectively form an optically absorptive medium with substantial spatial variation. This intra-canopy variation influences vine performance, which in turn, affects fruit chemistry. When also considering temporal variation, a canopy's light regime, and its dynamic relationship to metabolite pools, becomes remarkably complex. Diurnal patterns and local weather events create both predictable and unpredictable changes in overall light intensity, sunfleck distribution patterns, and localized temperature.
To date, most viticultural research on vine performance has avoided this "nanoclimatic" canopy complexity. But, considering the extreme importance of secondary metabolite profiles to the aesthetic and commercial value of wine grapes, I believe that canopy variability, and its relationship to vine physiology, deserves a closer look.
The basic premise of my research is that high-resolution spatiotemporal models of canopy microclimate can reveal quantitative correlations among subtle elements of mesoclimate, canopy architecture, and vine performance – leading to a better understanding of vine ecophysiology. Moreover, I hope to integrate this knowledge into practical predictive measures of fruit quality and into the development of decision-support software tools that guide optimal dynamic cultural practices.
Related Biographical Notes:
A few years prior to studying at Cornell, I served as Chief Executive Officer of a software company (by then a subsidiary of Bank of America) that I co-founded in the 1990s. The mission of that business was to design, build, and implement software automation systems for complex industry and research operations. Among other nuggets of wisdom, that career taught me about the inseparable relationships between optimization, control, and functional understanding. In a nutshell, when seeking to optimize any system, one must first seek objective truth about the problem domain.
Yet, objective truth is difficult to obtain. Human ability to understand natural systems is clouded by an incomplete understanding of our physical universe, while systems of our own construction are cloaked in tradition, rote behavior, politics, and willful ignorance. In spite of these challenges, the pursuit of functional understanding is both necessary and rewarding. So, where do wine grapes fit in at this stage of my life? Simply stated, they are the ultimate challenge in objective truth. Few objects share such a pervasive adjacency to the human experience – having been persistently, and often controversially, implicated in the evolution of our civilization, while also intersecting with almost every field of academic study. It is this far-reaching relevance of wine grapes that make them a worthy challenge and fascinating topic of study. Is there such a thing as viticultural truth? I believe that is a question worthy of exploration.
Selected Publications, Abstracts, and Proceedings:
Meyers, J.M. and J.E. Vanden Heuvel. 2008. Enhancing the precision and spatial acuity of point quadrat analyses via calibrated exposure mapping. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 59(4 ): 425-431.
Meyers, J.M. and J.E. Vanden Heuvel. 2008. Creating canopy exposure maps using new metrics for point quadrat analysis. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 59(3): 340A. (Winner of "Best Student Paper in Viticulture" award at the 2008 meeting of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture).
Meyers, J.M., S.D. Lerch, and J.E. Vanden Heuvel. 2008. Effects of shoot thinning and hedging on yield and fruit composition of vignoles (Vitis sp). American Society of Enology and Viticulture, Eastern Section. St. Catharines, Ontario. In press.