Education and Community at the UM Campus Farm (2014)

Contact full name: 
Liz Dengate
Additional Faculty Advisor(s) and Department(s): 
Bob Grese
Project Status: 
Project in Progress
Year project was Completed: 
2014
Client Organization: 
UM Sustainable Food Program
Client Website: 
UM Sustainable Food Program
Client is confirmed: 
yes
Secondary Client Organization: 
UM Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
Secondary Client Website: 
UM Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
Secondary Client Confirmed: 
yes
SNRE Faculty Advisor: 
Ray De Young
Advisor Confirmed: 
yes
Additional Faculty Advisor(s) Confirmed: 
yes
Master Students Involved in Project: 
  • Mariel Borgman, MS Behavior, Education and Communication
  • Dana Burnette, MS Behavior, Education and Communication
  • Meaghan Guckian, MS Behavior, Education and Communication
  • Meghan Jacokes, MS Behavior, Education and Communication
  • Stephanie Smith, MS Sustainable Systems
City: 
Ann Arbor
Contact Phone: 
248-990-0824
State or Country: 
MI
Contact e-mail: 
dengaeli@umich.edu
Contact information: 
I am an SNRE student
I am a staff member of a potential client organization
Job title: 
UM Sustainable Food Program Manager
Project Location : 
Ann Arbor, MI
Summary of Project Idea: 

The UM Campus Farm, in its new site at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and under the new UM Sustainable Food Program, began as a pilot program in May 2012 and moves into larger production in a two-acre space in spring 2013. The mission of the new campus farm is threefold: provide community enrichment, healthy produce, and experiential education opportunities. This farm will help bring the University of Michigan up to par with other peer institutions in the field of sustainability.

The goal of this masters project is to create educational materials and curricula for the new farm space, both for use by university student/staff visitors, and with the idea of community outreach (particularly to the Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Detroit communities) in mind. This masters project will thus focus on the community and education aspects of the farm's mission. Specifically, the goals of the project are to create educational signage and physical materials for the space, and research opportunities for community collaboration and university faculty-collaboration.

Skills/Expertise Needed: 

Environmental education, communication, design, environmental psychology

SNRE Program Areas: 
Conservation Ecology (Aquatic Sciences, Terrestrial Ecosystems, and Conservation Biology)
Behavior, Education, and Communication
Environmental Justice
Landscape Architecture
Professional Career Development Benefits: 

Students will gain experience in curriculum development, educational writing, and design. They will need to be in close contact with university faculty and community members, as well as speaking with environmental educators as part of their research: all useful contacts. Stakeholder engagement will be key to the success of this project, and is a valuable skill moving into the job market. In addition, working closely with the farm staff and the UMSFP, students will gain knowledge on sustainable food and agriculture, and the inner workings of a small sustainable farm, and how a university program operates. Potentially, students could explore grant-writing opportunities as well.

Funding Sources: 

The farm itself has potential funding of over $12,000, possibly over $50,000, some of which could be used for educational materials and signage. Further grant opportunities are currently being researched, and will be pursued simultaneous to the start of this project.

Identify expected products/deliverables: 

A farm-based curriculum and set of lesson plans; educational signage and pamphlets; a set of community and university contacts with the potential for future collaboration; a written plan for moving forward in the near-term with community and university collaboration, based on research and communication.