Georgia Tech UrbanAg Project Presents to International Conference

- Written by Mandy Luong, BBISS Communications Student Assistant -

Georgia Tech’s Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS) recently traveled across the world to Singapore for the 8th Global Botanic Garden Congress. They presented their research on the evaluation of various plants in student living accommodations. The independent research project was initially funded through the Micro Research Grants for Regenerative Built Environments sponsored by The Kendeda Building Advisory Board and the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems. This feat is uncommon among Georgia Tech student organizations but can serve as a case study for future SOS trips as well as other clubs.

The team found out about the conference by researching various conferences related to urban agriculture initiatives around the world. They specifically sought out conferences that could give them an international experience in a city deemed cutting-edge for urban green spaces, and that would allow them to talk about their research project. After being accepted into the Global Botanic Garden Congress, they needed to find funding to support their travel.

SOS members applied for numerous grants that are available to students around campus, including the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering's International Travel Funding through the Global Engineering Leadership Minor, the President’s Undergraduate Research Travel Award, and the Student Government Association (SGA) Conference Fund. In total, they were able to obtain multiple research and travel grants for over $16,000 to cover the travel expenses of seven members. The students are confident that, had more people been available, they could have received more funding to cover the additional travel expenses.

“There are a lot of opportunities on campus to get funding for a project, travel, or attend conferences, but students just need to know where to look,” says Elaina Render, fourth-year civil and environmental engineering major and SOS project lead for the UrbanAg group.

The group’s itinerary consisted of attending all four days of the conference, the last of which coincided with Singapore’s National Day. At the conference, students presented their research findings to an international audience and made personal connections. They talked with people from across the globe, including botanic garden representatives from Naples, Chicago, and San Diego. Making these connections has introduced them to opportunities for more interactive trips, such as visiting the Naples Botanical Garden to learn about beach plant management. They also hope to attend the 9th Global Botanical Garden Congress in Chicago next year.

“The conference is a great resource for students as they approach graduation because you can network for next career steps, find possible research advisors for graduate school, and be exposed to a range of career possibilities,” says Nicole Allen, fourth-year biomedical engineering major and SOS’s vice president of Finance.

In addition to the conference, they were able to explore the city of Singapore. On their first day, they toured Gardens by the Bay, where they saw famous attractions like the Golden Bay and the Flower Dome. The following day, they visited Singapore University of Technology and Design and met Greenprint, a student group similar to SOS, and talked with students and faculty about their campus sustainability initiatives. On the third day, they traveled to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, a beautiful mangrove forest. Allen notes that on a hike along the coastal trail, they decided to take a bus across the bridge to Malaysia and have brunch. On the last day of the conference, they visited Singapore’s Botanic Garden, which also houses the National Orchid Garden.

The SOS students report many successes from this experience, both personal and related to their SOS activities. Younger members of SOS, Rachel Bohl and Nikita Takalkar, both second-years, were able to attend the conference. This has inspired younger members to get more involved with on-campus sustainability initiatives. In particular, Takalkar is starting a new SOS project to decrease medical waste at Stamps Health Services. They have also seen an increase in attendance at their meetings and many questions about their trip. They hope the conference will serve as a model for future trips where students can promote their research, network, learn about what new research is happening in the world, and bring this knowledge back to Georgia Tech to inspire their own projects on campus.

“We hope that our project and trip to Singapore can serve as an inspiration to other students and campus organizations. It's possible to start an independent research project and get funding to present at international conferences,” says Render.

Allen adds, “We are implementing some of the ideas our trip inspired as new, student-led sustainability initiatives here at Georgia Tech.”