Research in the Sustainable Communities Research Community aims to investigate the complexities of social, economic, and environmental interactions
at the interface between human and natural landscapes, striving to develop technologies,
models and policies that foster community engagement, resource efficiency, and long-term
ecological balance.
Below are some examples of research in our community:
Mario Bretfeld
Safeguarding, Education, Propagation, and Applied Research Laboratory (SEPAL)
Established in 2023, the Safeguarding, Education, Propagation, and Applied Research Laboratory (SEPAL) acts as a dynamic living outdoor laboratory to further the Field Station鈥檚 commitment to environmental restoration and healing.
The protection and reintegration of native plants into developed landscapes offer
a wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary projects. These include ecological
studies (e.g., pollinator visitation), psychological research (e.g., perceptual and
affective science), and creative arts initiatives (e.g., signage, landscape design).
Christopher Cornelison & Kyle Gabriel
Controlled Environment Mushroom Cultivation
The initiative aims to make mushroom farming more accessible by developing advanced
environmental control systems to optimize the growth of edible mushrooms.
Used shipping containers are retrofitted into ready-to-use cultivation units, equipped
with specialized hardware managed by Mycodo, a custom software developed by Dr. Gabriel.
The research integrates sustainable agriculture, microbiology, and small-scale farming
economics, providing innovative solutions for specialty mushroom growers.
Ahyoung Lee
Water Quality Monitoring System for Intelligent Bacteria Forecast
The team is researching and developing a state-of-the-art water quality monitoring
system to provide real-time data and predictive analytics on bacterial levels in water
bodies. The approach integrates energy-efficient LoRaWAN technology with a cloud-connected
mobile application powered by advanced AI algorithms.
This research bridges multiple disciplines, including Computer Science (for AI algorithm
development, optimal LoRaWAN networks, and mobile app/database design), Electrical
and Computer Engineering (for designing sensor devices with energy-efficient transmission),
Biology (for advising and verifying AI algorithms related to bacterial analysis),
and Environmental Engineering (for ensuring a sustainable water monitoring framework).
Vanessa Slinger-Friedman
KSU Food Forest
The KSU Food Forest has been established as a model of sustainable agriculture. We
welcome faculty of all disciplines to consider it as a site to explore research on
precision agriculture, smart automation, data connectivity and transfer, and to demonstrate
best practices in a climate-smart agriculture production system that enhances sustainability
and farm Profitability.
The KSU Food Forest could be used to evaluate digital and smart technologies to provide
accessible, data-driven solutions that support regenerative agricultural and value-added
practices. The KSU Food Forest is also a site to practice and research applied and
active pedagogies.
In Summer 2023, The Georgia Aquarium, in partnership with KSU Elementary and Early Childhood Education Science Faculty, re-launched the Rivers to Reefs program, a professional development program for science teachers in grades 3-12. R2R aims to enhance teachers' sensemaking in science learning, expand their content knowledge through hands-on activities, and cultivate a conservation mindset in both teachers and students.
Teacher participants explore the Ocmulgee and Altamaha watershed from Metro Atlanta, following the South River to the confluence with the Ocmulgee and Oconee, to the outflow of the Altamaha into the Atlantic Ocean at Darien, Georgia.At the coast, participants meet with NOAA and USG scientists to explore Gray鈥檚 Reef, a National Marine Sanctuary, which is a live-bottom reef 20 miles off the southeastern coastline of Georgia. Along the watershed journey, teachers participate in Adopt-a-Stream training and collect water quality data, in addition to exploring the physiographic provinces of Georgia with special attention to the flora and fauna of each region.
