Digital Commons Network^™

Anaerobic Digestion: Awareness, Implementation, And Simulation, Kieran Tay, Nicholas Sbalbi, Michael Forozis, Flo Sabatini

Student Showcase

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the process in which organic matter is fermented in an oxygen-deprived environment to produce renewable biogas. Our project is multi-faceted, with the overall goal of raising public awareness of AD as a transitional energy source. To that end, our group has named itself Undergraduates Raising Awareness for Anaerobic Digestion (URAAD). We are approaching this goal on three fronts, including (i) a website, (ii) a physical lab-scale digester, and (iii) a computer simulation of anaerobic digestion.

The first component, the website, was developed with the aim of serving as a resource for the public. It includes educational …

Hope In School Gardens: The Amherst School Gardens Project, Xochiquetzal F. Salazar

Student Showcase

The Amherst School Gardens Project connects UMass Amherst Stockbridge undergraduate students to Amherst Public Elementary Schools in order to facilitate shared learning in the outdoor classroom. Our mission is to provide elementary school level children with hands on gardening experience, empowering knowledge of their foods’ origins, lessons that correspond with the U.S. Department of Education’s “Common Core State Standards,” and a community that encompasses the varying citizens of Amherst. The environmental, social, and economic implications of this program are boundless. In essence, the project transforms inert grass lawns on Amherst elementary school sites into productive gardens contributing to the biodiversity …