On Jan. 13, Indoor Ag-Con and Sollum Technologies announced Karli Barton as the recipient of the 2026 Sollum Student Scholarship to Indoor Ag-Con.
The scholarship supports emerging leaders in controlled environment agriculture by providing a fully funded opportunity to attend Indoor Ag-Con, taking place this year on Feb. 11-12 in Las Vegas, Nev. The program is designed to connect academic research with real-world industry application through mentorship, networking and exposure to the latest technologies shaping indoor farming.
Barton is a second-year Masters of Environmental Science student at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Her research focuses on the intersection of advanced LED lighting strategies and sustainable pest management in controlled-environment strawberry production. A key component of her work examines how dynamic lighting regimes, such as blue-light night interruption and continuous lighting, affect the performance of biological control agents used to manage aphid pests.
Before beginning graduate studies, Barton spent nearly a decade working in integrated pest management roles across both field and controlled-environment systems, including six years as a biocontrol consultant supporting commercial greenhouse operations. Her research aims to help growers adopt innovative lighting technologies without compromising the effectiveness of biological pest control, bridging scientific research with practical, on-farm decision-making.
“Supporting emerging researchers like Karli is critical to the future of controlled environment agriculture,” says Jenny Zammit, vice president of marketing and customer success at Sollum Technologies. “Her work reflects exactly what this scholarship was designed to encourage — rigorous, applied research that helps growers integrate new technologies in a sustainable and practical way.”
“Indoor Ag-Con is proud to partner with Sollum Technologies to provide meaningful opportunities for students who are shaping the future of indoor agriculture,” says Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “Karli’s background and research exemplify the kind of industry-connected innovation we aim to support through this scholarship.”
