Nina Bassuk
Nina Lauren Bassuk (born February 16, 1952) is a professor and program leader at the Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University. Education. Bassuk received her B.S. in Horticulture from Cornell University in 1974 and her Ph.D. in Horticulture from the University of London in 1980. Research + Career. Bassuk has worked in the Horticulture Department of Cornell University since 1980. In 1993, she became the program leader at the Urban Horticulture Institute. Her teaching, research and extension efforts aspire to enhance the function and health of plants growing in urban and disturbed areas. Through her work researching the  physiological problems of plants growing in urban environments, she has developed several technologies to improve establishment and health of plants, including development of ‘CU-Structural Soil,’ for which she holds a patent with her colleague Jason Grabosky. She has authored over 100 papers focusing on the physiological problems of plants growing in urban environments. Nina serves on the technical advisory committee of the Sustainable Sites Initiative and is on the board of New York State Urban Forestry Council.