EID101 Section F is a pilot cross-disciplinary course which explores the design and engineering of more secure and just ecological futures through the lens of urban agriculture and hydroponics. Our research begins with a simple question: How is food cultivation an opportunity to cultivate new forms of community engagement, between different people, and their larger understanding of ecology? To explore this topic, student teams will design, fabricate, and deploy “intelligent” hydroponics greenhouse systems in partnership with several community justice organizations in New York City; exploring their usage and impact through the personal to the public.        

Modern hydroponics systems typically operate at industrial scales, predicated on maximizing yield, and minimizing human involvement. This class strives to challenge those conventions as a means to redefine people's relationship with urban agriculture, and their larger social / ecological community, through a critical investigation of “smart” design systems. In a cross disciplinary format, students will be introduced to a wide range of technical skills integral to smart greenhouse design through iterative prototyping. Technological fluency is one of the key components to building almost anything, as such, students in this course will be introduced to embedded programming, sensing & actuation, networking & communications, and data science. Through these systems, students will learn the foundations of design methodologies in digital fabrication, emerging materials, and environmental simulation, to unpack the opportunities and pitfalls in “smart” design committed to a social engagement of “place”. Students are encouraged to think big, explore their own questions and imagine new solutions catering to their own curiosity. What will food cultivation look like in the future? Who will be doing it, and how will it transform our ever-changing understanding of ecology, technology, and culture?  

Suggested Texts: