Interested in learning more about the future of food production?
Morrisville State College will host a symposium covering different aspects of this topic during its fourth annual Science Technology and Society Symposium, Agricultural Acts: On the Futures of Farming and Food, April 22.
The event begins at 11 a.m. at the Morrisville State College campus and ends with a panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. at the Colgate University campus.
The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will include presentations, a panel discussion and a tour of Morrisville State College's aquaponics facility and other facilities.
It will also explore modes of producing food such as genetic modification vs. heirloom varieties (plants and animals) and organic vs. conventional farming. Combining technical explanations with tours of existing facilities and nearby farms, participants will also learn about different types of agricultural practices in Central New York.
During the event, Fernando Mastrangelo, an artist who works in food-based media, will be showing some of his art and also unveiling a new piece in the administrative quad at Morrisville State College. His work engages many themes, including the politics and place of food.
The symposium will move to Colgate University for a panel discussion with experts including two historians of food and agriculture, a sociologist who studies agricultural extension practices, a local agriculture extension officer, and an artist whose work engages the social meaning of food.
A shuttle bus will be available to transport participants.
The symposium, hosted through Morrisville State College's Science, Technology and Society program, is funded in part by the Sheila Johnson Institute, the New York Council for the Humanities and the Upstate Institute.
For more information on the symposium, presenters and panel discussion experts, visit www.morrisville.edu/sts.
Morrisville State College's science, technology and society bachelor degree program offers a science degree that reflects not only the importance of substantive technical and scientific knowledge, but also seeks to understand it in the larger perspective of society.
Two concentrations are offered: environmental conservation and information technology. Each track provides students with a base of technical knowledge within their concentration and connects it to historical, sociological, and philosophical perspectives on science and technology.
Considered to be one of the most technologically advanced colleges in the nation for its ThinkPad University program and wireless technology initiative, Morrisville State College offers more than 80 bachelor and associate degrees and options.
Symposium Schedule
Morrisville State College campus
11 a.m. – Welcome in John W. Stewart Student Activities Center (STUAC)
11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.—Sculpture fabrication and unveiling of art by Fernando Mastrangelo, administrative quad near STUAC.
11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.—Conversations – Tracing the Connections of Food and Agriculture
Aquaponics and the Futures of Food, Crawford Hall, Room 116
Community Supported Agriculture and Place, Crawford Hall, Room 108
Agricultural Extensions, Farming Knowledge, Science and the State, Crawford Hall, Room 114
Urban Gardens, Renewal, and Social Capital, Crawford Hall, Room 110
1-2 p.m. – (Same as above)
2-4 p.m. – Coffee and Community Connections
View student projects and programs engaging with food and agriculture
Tour Morrisville State College facilities
Explore art projects in Donald Butcher Library
3:30 and 4 p.m. – Shuttle bus service to Colgate University for panel discussion
Colgate University
4:30-6:30 p.m.—Panel discussion: The Limits of "Local': Engaging the Problems of Food and Agriculture.