Food Systems Major

March 30, 2026

Climate-Friendly Dining at the University of Washington

In collaboration with the UW Sustainability Office and UW Housing & Food Services, capstone students we tasked with evaluating ways for the UW to support their commitment to the World Resources Institute’s Coolfood Pledge, an initiative to reduce 25% of food-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. Groups conducted a comprehensive audit of physical and…

University of Washington Food Systems Working Group: Support for the Sustainability Action Plan

Students partnered with UW Sustainability Office to support their 2025-2030 Sustainability Action Plan. Capstone groups analyzed the University’s food system across all three campuses, addressing the need for greater coordination and transparency across food-related programs. They then performed a landscape analysis to identify opportunities for the emerging Food Systems Working Group to drive the campus…

Eco-Regional School Gardener’s Almanac for the PNW

Capstone students collaborated with the Pierce County Office of Resilience and Climate Action (ORCA) to develop portions of the Eco-Regional School Gardener’s Almanac for the Pacific Northwest Region, a resource for 6th grade teachers cultivating school gardens with their students. Groups researched climate and seasonality, biodiversity, and cycles of matter to create age-appropriate lessons and…

November 5, 2025

Carmela Stewart

Tell us about your background and why you chose UW? I am Afro-Peruvian, born in Peru and raised in Seattle. While my parents were getting their PhDs in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology at UW, they were simultaneously raising my older brother, my younger sibling, and me. I grew up in a diverse community consisting of musicians,…

August 21, 2025

Value-Added Production for Food Rescue, Security, Healthy Diets, and Learning

Capstone students partnered with the UW Farm and Dr. Eli Wheat to support the Farm’s work in urban agriculture and sustainability. Team 2 researched ways to implement value-added production practices into the UW Farm’s daily operations, which can increase sustainable methods of production and reduce food waste on the Farm. Team 1 developed a UW…

Nutritional Education in Support of Community-Scale Agricultural Production

Capstone students partnered with the Whidbey Island Organic Farm School (OFS) to support the organization’s mission of sustainable agriculture and public food literacy and educate consumers on the nutritional and environmental benefits of local, organic produce. The team created a suite of deliverables, including Instagram templates, website pages, a pamphlet, and a research report. An…

August 20, 2025

Exploring the Potential of On-Campus Community Fridge Implementation

In collaboration with Seattle Community Fridges (SCF) and representatives of the UW Student Technology Fee (STF) Committee, capstone students explored the feasibility of implementing community fridges on the University of Washington Seattle campus to address the growing prevalence of food insecurity among students. Quantitative data were collected via survey to preliminarily assess the prevalence of…

Documenting Undergraduate Student Food Security Through Photovoice at the University of Washington: Exhibit Education

Capstone teams collaborated with Drs. Michelle Averill, Derek Jennings, and Yona Sipos from the School of Public Health on their ongoing photovoice project studying undergraduate food insecurity at the University of Washington. With the support of graduate student Fernanda Nunes, the teams helped plan and execute a culminating photography exhibit that showcased the project’s research…

Documenting Undergraduate Student Food Security Through Photovoice at the University of Washington: Data Coding

Capstone teams collaborated with Drs. Michelle Averill, Derek Jennings, and Yona Sipos from the School of Public Health on their ongoing photovoice project studying undergraduate food insecurity at the University of Washington. With the support of graduate student Fernanda Nunes, the teams used Dedoose (software to help analyze and visualize qualitative and mixed methods data)…

August 19, 2025

Washington Gleaning Network

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops in the field after harvest. During harvest, some food may be left or missed because it does not meet store standards for uniformity or because harvesting a certain field was not economically profitable. The Washington Gleaning Network (WGN) works to support gleaning programs across the state, leading…