May 5, 2017

A Transdisciplinary Approach to Alleviating Urban Food Deserts" presented by Elise Krespan

Elise Krespan, a master's student in biology and design research under the mentorship of Shivanthi Anandan PhD, and Diana Nicholas presented "A Transdisciplinary Approach to Alleviating Urban Food Deserts" at the Drexel Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference held at Drexel University on April 27th, 2017. Elise’s work advances the potential of collaboration between disciplines and participation in multiple disciplines, to provide different perspectives to better address complex multifaceted problems.

Food desert conditions and the lack of green space in areas of Philadelphia are known to negatively impact the health and well-being of these communities. Elise's work identified a solution that addresses the issue by using a transdisciplinary practice of design and biology. A fertilizer designed using an indoor 3-D printed hydroponic system utilizing cyanobacteria, was fabricated and tested as one solution to alleviate the problem of urban food deserts.

Urban farming using low cost materials to provide self-sustaining fruit and vegetable gardens, may be one of many solutions to fill the gap between consumers and food markets.

The Drexel Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference, showcases the brightest most innovative minds being cultivated here at Drexel University and is proud to have hosted Elise’s talk. Drexel University looks forward to hearing what new discoveries and innovations Elise Krespan pursues in her future endeavors.