Senior Faculty Lecturer and Academic Advisor
Director, McGill Panama Field Study Semester
T: 514-398-8380 | julie.major [at] mcgill.ca (Email) | Macdonald-Stewart Building, MS2-083 | ResearchGate
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Degrees
BSc(Agr) Plant Science, McGill University
MSc Weed Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
PhD Soil Fertility and Biogeochemistry, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Short Bio
Julie was raised on a farm outside Montréal. She completed a BSc(Agr) degree at McGill and became interested in tropical agriculture as an undergraduate, during a field semester in Panamá. After completing an internship with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in the Dominican Republic, she undertook an MSc degree at Cornell University where she studied weed dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon in collaboration with Brasil's Insituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA). Her PhD degree, also from Cornell, focused on soil fertility in the Colombian tropical savannas in collaboration with the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) . Julie worked as the Agricultural Extension Director for the International Biochar Initiative, as an independent consultant and has been a Faculty Lecturer and Academic Advisor at McGill since 2011. She teaches Professional Practice in Agrology, as well as field courses on sustainable agriculture in Latin America. She also supervises internships worldwide. She lives on the farm she was raised on, which produces vegetables, meat and flowers for several families.
Active Affiliations
Ordre des agronomes du Québec
Courses
AGRI 325
Sustainable Agr Field Course
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Exposure to a foreign rural and agricultural context, to observe a variety of types of farm operations, cropping systems and techniques. The sustainability of these is discussed within their local social, environmental and economic landscapes.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Prerequisite: AGEC 200 or equivalent; permission of the instructor.
- Lectures and visits will be jointly delivered by local experts and McGill Staff. Lectures (25%) and field visits (75%).
- This course has a fee of $1,969.06, a small portion of which is tax receiptable on the T2202A; it includes internal travel (by coach), accommodation, most of the meals for the duration of the course, as well as instructor costs.
- Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the third lecture day and withdrawal is the sixth lecture day.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Julie Major, Simon Brault
AGRI 410
Agrology Internship
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Professional internship (stage) under the supervision of a practicing agrologist.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AGRI 301D1/D2
- Terms
- Fall 2024
- Winter 2025
- Summer 2025
- Instructors
- Julie Major
- Julie Major
- Julie Major
AGRI 430
Professional Prac in Agrology
2 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: This course introduces students to the professional aspects of the practice of agrology. Topics include understanding the responsibilities of agrologists, the broad context and functioning of the Québec agricultural industry, how to deal with clients, colleagues, and understanding legal and regulatory aspects of the profession in Québec.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Restriction: U3 or permission of instructor.
- This course requires the ability to read in French and understand spoken French.
AGRI 499
Agri. Development Internship
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Supervised internship to provide practical experience working on agricultural issues related to international development. The internship can take many forms, including work in a developing country, for an agency that focuses on international development, or on a research project that aims at solving problems faced by developing populations.
Offered by: Agricultural & Env.Sc.-Dean
- Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
- Students should take this course after having completed four semesters in their undergraduate program. It is the student's responsibility to find an appropriate internship, which must be approved by the instructor before registration is authorized.
- Terms
- Fall 2024
- Winter 2025
- Summer 2025
- Instructors
- Julie Major
- Julie Major
- Julie Major
AGRI 550
Sustained Tropical Agriculture
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Contrast theory and practice in defining agricultural environmental "challenges" in the Neotropics. Indigenous and appropriate technological means of mitigation. Soil management and erosion, water scarcity, water over-abundance, and water quality. Explore agro-ecosystem protection via field trips and project designs. Institutional context of conservation strategies, NGO links, and public participation.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Prerequisites: HISP 218 or equivalent; MATH 203 or AEMA 310 or equivalent
- Restriction: Restricted Enrolment. Location in Panama. Student must be registered for a full semester of studies in Panama
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Publications
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