Student Research
The H-SATL (History for Sustainable Agriculture and Technology Lab) helps students use historical context as a foundation for sustainable technology design around food systems. We work on historical projects proper, as with studies of the origins of manufactured food, and projects to design sustainable futures for healthy food and agriculture. The goals are to bring sustainable technology and sustainable agriculture together while understanding how we got so unsustainable in the first place. This involves EXCEL undergraduate scholars, honors theses, and research assistantships.
EXCEL students
2022
Claire Reid ‘23, Charlotte Vierling ‘24, and Hannah Fish ‘25, as Capital Blue Cross Research Scholars working to support Easton’s new West Ward Farmer’s Market
2021
Sharon Engel ‘22 and Maria Bossert ‘23 (working with Kate Rogers ‘22 and Tino Dubischar ‘22), on community-based food distribution systems [a ViC project]
2020
Teni Bakare ‘23 and Shova Malla ‘22 (working with Greta Kullby ‘21 and Dana Woychowski ‘23), on operationalizing food distribution in a pandemic [a ViC project]
Rabia Demirelli, EGRS/Econ ‘21 (co-advised with Chris Ruebeck), on engineering and social entrepreneurship
2019
Addie King ‘21, Nicole Ducret ‘21, Isaiah Moore ‘22, on labor, community and justice for neighborhood food distribution [a ViC project]
2017-2018
Andie Mitchell, EVST/IA '18: "Food Justice and Community Participation with Vegetables in the Community (ViC)"
Jen Giovanniello, EVST '20: "Mapping Workflow Practices between LaFarm, the Easton Urban Farm, and ViC"
2016-2017
Jay Kasakove, History '17: "Mapping the Origins of Manufactured Food"
2015-2016
Alexa Gatti, Environmental Studies and Gov/Law ’16: “Vegetables in the Community (ViC): What Does it Take to Build a Sustainable Community-Based Produce Stand?”
Joseph Ingrao, Engineering Studies and Asian Studies ’16: “The School-to-Farm Model: Greenhouse Design to Sustain Small-farm Infrastructure”
Jay Kasakove, History '17: "Mapping Sugar, Mapping Purity"
2014-15
Alexa Gatti: “The Veggie Van, or, Vegetables in the Community (ViC): A Study of Food Justice, Sustainable Distribution, and Community Engagement”
Joseph Ingrao: “Small-farm Infrastructure as Sustainable Technology Design”
2013-14
Matt Plishka, History and Gov/Law ’15: “Mapping Adulteration and Cottonseed Oil through the Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter”
Honors theses
2022-2023
Louisa Rose (EGRS/Classics), “Technology Does Not Exist in a Vacuum: Why a Socio-technical Approach to Technology Matters”
Olivia Sterantino (Env Science), “Species status assessment and seed bank analysis of the federally endangered northeastern bulrush (Scirpus ancistrochaeuts)” [committee member]
Sakib Arnob (Economics), “Effects of a large-scale exogenous shock (COVID-19 Pandemic) on the wages of Rohingya Refugees and Locals: Similar or Varied?” [committee member]
2020-2021
Rabia Demirelli (EGRS/Econ), “Does social entrepreneurship education work?” [co-chair with Chris Ruebeck]
Sasha Neefe (ChemE), “Reevaluating Green Solvent Metrics using End-of-Life Considerations” [committee member]
2019-2020
Jen Giovanniello (EVST): “Operationalizing Food Justice: An Organizational Study in Easton, Pennsylvania” [chair]
Emma Stierhoff (Biology): “Do House Sparrow nestlings tolerate or resist nest parasites?” [committee member]
2017-18
Andie Mitchell (EVST): "Seed Saving, Food Policy, and Food Sovereignty" [chair]
Emma Fortier (English/EGRS): “‘A Collective Paralysis’: Methodologies of Crisis in Climate Writing” [committee member]
2014-15
Matt Plishka: “Labor and Landscapes: Jamaica and the Birth of a Global Commodity Network” [chair]
Research assistants
2021
Shova Malla, “Information Management and the ViC Project”
2018
Rochelle Greenidge ‘20: "Acquired Tastes: Stories about the Origins of Modern Food"
2012-2013
Matt Plishka ‘15: “The Early History of Manufactured Foods in the United States”
Claudia Umana, ’14: “The Early History of Manufactured Foods in the Caribbean”