Hampshire College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

1. NSF Clean Energy and Agriculture summer course Working in partnership with Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Holyoke Community College was awarded an $810,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to create an intercollegiate course for students to learn how to apply clean energy technologies to small-scale sustainable agriculture practices. The collaborative program combined clean energy studies, sustainable agriculture, social justice, all in the context of economically viable small- scale farming in the Connecticut River Valley. The NSF grant covered all tuition and fees for students. The 6 week summer program was taught 2015, 2016, 2017. Initial news story: https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2014/10/20/nsf-grant-for-cross-campus-clean-energysustainable-agriculture-programs Course Description: https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/clean-energy-and-sustainable-agriculture%20sus-220 News story describing 2nd year of program: "Students in Summer Farm Program Learn Solar Design for Agriculture" - https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2016/09/06/students-in-summer-farm-program-learn-solar-design-for-agriculture 3. Sustainable Agriculture in China https://www.hampshire.edu/geo/sustainable-agriculture-in-china This course takes students to study agricultural practices in China, focusing on issues of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Students examine the small-scale family farms that characterize Chinese agriculture, including the intensive use of chemical inputs along with new seed technology, serious problems of soil and water pollution, rising food safety concerns, and the emergence (or re-emergence) of organic agriculture and the creation of community-supported agriculture farms (CSAs) aimed at addressing these concerns among rapidly growing middle class urban consumers. The course also looks at trends toward the consolidation of family farms and displacement of older villagers forced by the economics of commercial forms of land management. Most students costs are covered by a grant from the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE). Initial news story describing start of program in 2014: https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2014/04/29/400000-luce-grant-funds-research-cultural-connections 3. Paid Summer Internships at the Hampshire College Farm. The Hampshire College dairy and vegetable CSA (community supported agriculture) hire student interns to work on the farm during the summer to help with environmentally and economically sustainable vegetable production for the popular Hampshire College community supported agriculture program. Websites: http://sites.hampshire.edu/ffs/ https://www.hampshire.edu/farm/internships-and-work-study-opportunities