Civil Innovation Challege is funded by National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security
TROY – Cara Wang, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, was awarded one of 52 federal grants of $50,000 to develop a regional food distribution hub model for upstate New York.
The grants, funded by the National Science Foundation as well as the Energy and Homeland Security departments, were issued through what’s known as the Civil Innovation Challenge, essentially a nationwide contest to develop sustainable pilot programs that address community needs related to climate change or resource or service equity.
Wang, an expert in distribution networks, has targeted food resource equity with a proposal to develop a model for an upstate food distribution hub that would connect small farms with various institutions. She’ll work with Capital Roots, a community food nonprofit in Troy and the Headwater Food Hub, a food distribution collective outside Rochester.
Wang said small upstate farmers have trouble getting their products to market, and Wang’s program would create efficient distribution networks that connect these small farms to institutions that will buy and sell their products.
“The program would be able to engage regional distributors to use their distribution and transportation capabilities and local resources to efficiently connect supply and demand,” Wang said.
The grants were actually awarded in October. Grant recipients will apply again this year for a second round of funding for $1 million grants to implement the pilot programs they design.
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