March 13, 2025

LaFarm’s Mission in The Classroom

It is central to LaFarm’s mission that we engage with Lafayette curriculum, and 2024 saw more class visits to and partnerships with LaFarm than any prior year. Some of these, like BIOL 111 and EVST 100 in the fall, introduced incoming students to the farm for the first time. We also had a number of upper division courses that helped LaFarm advance different parts of its mission, and even to help define the mission itself. MATH 301 used the Analytic Hierarchy Process to determine how various LaFarm stakeholders prioritize different goals of the farm, while CHE 422 helped us investigate the feasibility of alternative heat sources for our greenhouse. With an eye to next year, EVST put together a proposal for bringing beehives back to the farm.

Up Next in 2025: Click here to learn about new projects and upcoming goals for 2025!

Professor Testimonials

LaFarm provided my students the opportunity to see food justice and sustainable, organic farming practices up close, and they were inspired to get involved with the farm after our visit!
Courtney Ryan
Assistant Professor in Theater
LaFarm is an incredible resource for my students to see many of the topics we discuss in our class in action. It's one of the first times they're able to translate the problem sets they've been solving to a new, real-world situation!
Christa Kelleher
Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering
My math class worked on a semester-long project using the Analytic Hierarchy Process to determine how various LaFarm stakeholders prioritize different goals of the farm, and to make suggestions for how resources could better be allocated to align with LaFarm's mission
Allison Lewis
Associate Professor in Mathematics
Farmer Josh gave my students a tour of the farm and discussed the major greenhouse gas sources in traditional farming practices. He then discussed with the students ways LaFarm and other agricultural facilities can limit GHG emissions and sustainable farming practices. This fit perfectly within the context of my course, Climate Change, as we discus
John Sarao
Visiting Assistant Professor in Geology
Working with LaFarm provided senior chemical engineering students a chance to use the tools learned in the classroom and apply them to a real world problem focused on improving sustainability at Lafayette.
Michael Senra
Associate Professor in Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering