Urban Food Lab First Annual Research Expo and Fundraiser

by Sophie Gumbs

On Monday, 11/18 from 6-9pm in the Tandon MakerSpace, the Urban Food Lab held its very first Annual Research Expo and Fundraiser! The Urban Food Lab is a Vertically Integrated Project in the NYU VIP Program, in which students from 9 separate departments conduct their own research on vertical farming as well as conduct their own farming. The Urban Food Lab is an aquaponic vertical farming class in which students come up with solutions to challenges in modern farming. It is located in the basement of Tandon MakerSpace and is open to undergrads, who are provided with grad student mentors. The Lab is currently funded by the Office of Sustainability Green Grants Program and is fundraising until December 3rd, as its Green Grant will expire at the start of 2020. As part of the Lab, students learn to implement sustainable project designs, and intro and exit exams demonstrate that students learn, both actively and passively, about aquaponic and hydroponic farming throughout the course. Skills around sustainability are brought outside of the farm itself through students’ extra credit opportunities to apply sustainable practices in small ways in the broader community. The class provides a gateway to academic research and entrepreneurship for many students.

WE ARE THE NEW FARMERS is a company begun by NYU Tandon and Urban Food Lab students Jonas Günther, Will Nodvik, Omar Gowayad, Selim Senocak, Sridhar Parthasarathy, and Sarvesh Sivaprakasam. I tbegan as a fully enclosed tabletop farm of 20 plants kept alive by a “food computer” which monitored climate, energy use, and growth. It grew to a refrigerator-sized prototype holding 4x the amount of plants held by the tabletop, and eventually added an aquaponics system using fish waste as fertilizer and an algae reactor which uses light to grow a secondary crop. Now, the company grows and sells, out of Brooklyn, fresh, extremely nutritionally-valuable Spirulina. 

At the Expo, the following student project descriptions were displayed:

      • Optical Fiber Daylight System by Andrew Witmer, Jason Tsao, and Pranay Binahi intends to cut electricity costs for indoor agricultural operations by 50% or more with a fiber optic wiring to transmit full spectrum daylight to the indoor agricultural environment and replace LED lighting. 
  • Air Quality in Green Spaces by Gianna White seeks to monitor overall air quality of student occupied spaces, specifically the farm and the Tandon MakerSpace to compare the air quality of a high-population environment and an aquaponic farm. 
  • Bacteria Analysis in an Urban Aquaponic Vertical Farming System by Zhenxing Wu seeks to quantify nitrifying bacteria by measuring the pH and nitrate concentrations to create a more productive farm and to maintain a safe farm environment through the development of an early detection system for pathogenic bacteria.
  • FarmBytes: We are the New Farmers by Angelica Moratos seeks to determine optimal conditions for Spirulina growth, to determine the vertical farm Spirulina’s nutritional value, to observe effects of pH and various nutritional mixtures on Spirulina growth. 
  • A Fungus with an Appetite: Composting Polyurethane using Aspergillus Tubingensis by Kevin Banh uses bioremediation methods to reintroduce polyurethane waste into the biological system and investigates the safety of utilizing compost containing plastic waste.
  • Farms of NYC: Survey of Local Farming Initiatives and Practices by Patricia Dougherty seeks to observe the successes and challenges of various horticultural practices in NYC and to raise public awareness around urban agriculture and commerce in NYC.
  • Simulated Improved Light Efficiency Using Mirrors by Steve Ucho seeks to simulate the current lighting environment and measure light intensity per plant to explore possibilities of scattered light re-introduction using mirrors to provide plants greater light intensity and reduce energy consumption
  • Re-branding the Urban Food Lab by Janae Isaacs rebranded in order to create an environment in which students could conduct research and farm maintenance.
  • Ergonomic Farming: A Ferris Wheel Farm seeks to address the safety hazards of vertical farming, to make farming more efficient, and to further automate vertical farming. 
  • Remotely Controllable Valve by Dajr Alfred seeks to develop a commercial-grade automated valve powered by solar and battery power with apps which control it for the ultimate goals of better quality and higher crop yields, more efficient water circulation, and an extended irrigation cycle. 
  • Aquaponics Automation: Automated Nitrate Testing in a Vertical Farm by Tara Umesh seeks to create a robot which autonomously and accurately measures nitrates in water and logs information into a database to allow for more frequent sampling and ultimately more efficient plant growth through maintenance of optimal nitrate concentrations. 
  • New Skin Care Routine: Made in Brooklyn Edition by Fariha Mahjabin seeks to create a face cream with the anti-inflammatory properties of the Calendula flower and the optimal medium for Calendula infusion. 
  • Biodegrading Styrofoam: Attack of the Superworms! Seeks to implement the capacity of the larvae of the beetles belonging to the tenebrionidae family to biodegrade styrofoam by effectively digesting the plastics within it. 

The Expo was sustainably catered by Allen Dabagh, head chef and owner of gourmet Middle Eastern New American restaurant Boutros. 

The Green Grant funding powering The Urban Food Lab expires the first day of 2020, and the lab is raising funds through December 3rd for the following:

  • Student project funding
  • Funding for student travel to professional conferences 
  • Funding for students to take online and local courses
  • Funding for farm maintenance 

 The lab is student-run, student-taught and non-traditional and needs help to survive! It has a fundraising goal of $15,000 based on the yearly costs of the farm:

  • Student projects: $8,000
  • Conferences and travel: $2,500
  • Electronics: $1,500 Fish system: $1,000
  • Enclosure maintenance: $500
  • Farm system: $500
  • Student educational materials: $500
  • General maintenance: $500

Give here

Sources

Event Link

NYU Rising Violets: Urban Food Lab

Tandon: We Are The New Farmers

WE ARE THE NEW FARMERS 

Student Presentation Boards from Expo