HWS Fribolin Farm is a space of social and environmental innovation. In this context ‘innovation’ means that at the Farm we actively work to advance a model of collaborative learning and action that acknowledges the complexity of food and agricultural systems. Through curricular and co-curricular offerings and community partnerships, the Farm encourages experimentation and enterprise through food and agriculture, but also deep and critical reflection about the impacts of our work at a variety of scales. As we work, learn and create, we also consider the intricate geographies of food and agriculture, which are interwoven through our bodies and ecosystems, our local and regional communities, our national and global contexts, and our histories both recent and distant.

The HWS Fribolin Farm is a place of experiential learning where critical thinking and an understanding of social and environmental justice are fostered among HWS students, faculty and staff, as well as residents of Geneva and the broader Finger Lakes region. We encourage the nourishment of our bodies and communities through agroecological farming practices, stewardship of land and water, mindfulness and reflection, conservation and expansion of biodiversity, and an understanding of how all of these are politically and socially situated. At the HWS Fribolin Farm, students, faculty, staff and community members work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment to both appreciate and participate in the complex socio-cultural, political, economic and material processes through which food is produced and given meaning. As a hands-on learning environment, the Farm is a space for gardening/farming, cooking, entrepreneurial experience, ecological assessment, critical social analysis, community engagement, public speaking, art and design-based pursuits, public intellectual writing, the design and implementation of food-based research, and much more.

Since acquiring the farm in 2014, faculty and staff have incorporated the HWS Fribolin Farm into the curriculum and student experience in many ways.

At least 15 professors have directly used the farm in their course work, with many additional students gaining experience at the farm due to co-curricular experiences, independent studies, work studies and service opportunities. Professors consistently have commented on the convenience of having an outdoor space close to campus, as well as on the value of using the Farm to help students establish their sense of place in Geneva, as well as at HWS.

Classes include:

BiologyBIO 167 – Introductory Topics, Secret Life of BeesBrielle Fischman, Visiting Assistant Professor of BiologyStudents are offered the opportunity to inspect the farm’s honeybee hives, extract honey, and learn about the genetics, ecology, and evolution of honeybees and other pollinators.

FSEM 056 – Bird ObsessionsMark Deutschlander, Professor of BiologyStudents are provided opportunities to view and learn about birds and human interactions. In 2016 the project promoted Eastern Bluebird breeding at Fribolin Farm by providing additional nesting places.

BIO 225 – EcologySusan Cushman, Director of Introductory Biology LaboratoriesStudents use the farm to collect goldenrod galls to study plant-insect interactions.

BIO 320 – AgroecologyBeth Newell, Professor of BiologyAgroecology is the study of ecological interactions in agricultural ecosystems. Students use the farm to study the physiology of agricultural plants and the diversity of invertebrates in cultivated and non-cultivated areas.

HWS Fribolin Farm ... Curricular Connections

300 Pulteney Street, Geneva, NY 14456 | (315) 781-3000 | www.hws.edu | www.hws.edu/fli/hwsfarm.aspx

ChemistryFSEM 130 – I Know What You Ate Last SummerJustin Miller, Associate Professor of ChemistryStudents garner a background in food-related chemistry. They then apply this knowledge to the understanding of food production and policy. Students design and perform experiments using food, research and write about issues of food production and policy, and learn to communicate their findings.

CHEM 304 – Bonding with FoodJustin Miller, Associate Professor of ChemistryStudents discuss the chemistry of cooking and investigate why various foods act the way they do on a molecular level. The farm has been used for lecture and lab space.

EducationEDUC 330 – Transition and DisabilityMary Kelly, Associate Professor of Education In addition to agricultural and sustainability issues, students from HWS, Ontario Arc College Experience, and Hillside Family Agencies learn collaboration, responsibility, about the life cycle of plants and the process of gardening and work with the earth.

Environmental StudiesFSEM 078 – Sustainable Living and LearningThe Sustainable Living and Learning Community (SLLC) program utilizes the Farm for lab period. SLLC projects include constructing a 24’ x 48’ foot high tunnel, working in the garden, preparing and preserving food, and reflecting on sense of place.

ENV 110 – Sense of PlaceWhitney Mauer, Assistant Professor of Environmental StudiesStudents reflect in a “Three Sisters Garden,” to honor the deep history of the Haudenosaunee in the local area. Students learn about how the garden works, as well as the change of the garden over time.

ENV 200 – Environmental ScienceKristen Brubaker, Associate Professor of Environmental StudiesStudents walk to the farm and view the various ways that farming takes place and observe the environmental impacts of agriculture, specifically to water quality. The high tunnel demonstrates small scale greens growing and is compared to the oats growing organically.

ENV 301-400 – Group SIETom Drennen, Professor of Economics; Beth Kinne, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies; Robin Lewis, Assistant Professor of Environmental StudiesThe farm has been used for offerings of Group SIE, the senior capstone class for Environmental Studies. Students create proposals for space utilization, value added agricultural products, and experience service learning through a co-curricular greens growing project.

GeoscienceGEO 360 – Applied ClimatologyNeil Laird, Professor of GeoscienceIn 2014, students helped to deploy a mobile weather station on the Farm. There is potential to use the site for a permanent weather station.

Russian Area StudiesFSEM 186 – Eat Like A SlavDavid Galloway, Associate Professor of Russian Area StudiesIn this course, students investigate the role that food plays in Russian culture from its earliest documented forms to the present day. In a collaborative garden, vegetables are grown for the class discussions of the nature of food in Russian culture.

Women’s StudiesWMST 150 – Chicana Feminism and Visual CultureMichelle Martin-Baron, Assistant Professor of Women’s StudiesStudents travel to the farm to participate in farm labor for a class period. This embodied experience allows students to think differently about the material they encounter in class.

WMST 305 – Food, Feminism and HealthJessica Hayes-Conroy, Associate Professor of Women’s StudiesStudents use the kitchen/living room space for their weekly lab meetings, as well as incorporate a tour of the Farm into the class. This allows students to learn about food in an environment in which food is tangible, from the farm fields outside to the kitchen and prep areas inside.