US (NJ): Princeton project compares vertically farmed with organic veg
The Dean for Research Innovation Funds are awarded annually to promising and forward-looking research across various subject areas and disciplines. This year’s funded projects range from open-ended studies in the natural and social sciences to targeted questions in cancer research, communications technology and sustainability. The projects are chosen by faculty-led committees based on the quality, originality and potential impact of the research.
“These funds represent Princeton University’s commitment to support research that pushes boundaries in new directions,” said Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti, the Class of 1950 Professor in Engineering and Applied Science and professor of chemical and biological engineering. “Through these funds, Princeton researchers can take that extra risk or explore that new path that they might otherwise not have taken.”
Comparing the yield and nutritional content of vegetables grown on the Princeton campus
The need for healthy, locally produced vegetables in urban areas has increased the popularity of vertical farming, where crops are grown indoors under artificial lights and fed liquid nutrients. A new project led by Stephen Pacala, the Frederick D. Petrie Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Paul Gauthier, associate research scholar in the Department of Geosciences, will assess the nutritional content of vertically farmed vegetables and compare them to organically grown vegetables.
The researchers will use various methods in the lab to detect amino acids, nutrients, proteins and vitamins. The research team, which will involve undergraduates, will build on existing efforts by eating clubs, student groups and the colleges to study vegetables produced on campus and to share the results of these studies with the campus community.
Source: Princeton University