Interdisciplinary Projects

Classes at the University of Maine at Farmington are encouraged to get involved with the garden in a variety of ways. Here are some examples of UMF professors and students incorporating the garden in their curriculums!

UMF Master's in Psychology Counseling Program

-PSY 530 Fundamentals of Counseling II

This 3-credit course develops students’ knowledge, understanding, and application of the major theoretical systems of counseling. Psychotherapies studied include Psychodynamic, Humanistic/Existential, Adlerian, Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioral, Family Systems, Solution-Focused, and Narrative. Theoretical principles and their application are discussed in the context of working with individuals from culturally diverse groups. The class combines theoretical knowledge of counseling with peer practice and self-reflective critique of counseling skills.

ENG 100: Seeds of Change

How can we work together to heal ourselves and the earth? Start small! In this class, you'll join with others to sow the seeds of change, starting in the soil of the UMF Campus & Community Garden. We'll get our hands in the dirt planning the next phase of UMF's new community garden, while, as in every ENG 100 course, we'll engage in writing-intensive projects to develop strong skills in personal and academic writing, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving. In this garden-focused course, we will also read and learn about food justice, organic farming, sustainable and restorative agriculture, and local foodways. We'll dig into "the garden" as a concept in cultural, and spiritual contexts, as a site for personal healing, and as a human-scale solution to our current environmental crisis. Last but not least, we'll participate in hands-on experiences such as designing new garden beds, starting seeds, planting and caring for the garden, harvesting and donating produce, cooking our own fresh garden meals,  and exploring opportunities for expanding the garden's positive impact on our community.

Fall 2024 + Spring 2025 ENG 100: Seeds of Change Photos!

ECH 384: Science Education for Young Children      

This is a course for early childhood pre-service teachers who will be teaching children from age 0-8 after they graduate. During the time that we were at the garden we were studying life science and how to provide inquiry science activities involving seeds and plants for young children. We did some activities exploring seeds and flowers by dissecting them and then planted mums and daffodil and crocus bulbs, in two of the raised beds, that will hopefully come up next year. 

EPP/GEO 207: Environmental Field Methods

+EPP/GEO 207: Environmental Field Methods 

Our class project has been looking into the microclimate within the community garden in hopes of answering some research questions. To answer these questions, we had to look into several different features within the microclimate, such as the difference between the raised beds and the elevated beds, and the distance the garden beds are from the wall. To test our research questions we used tiny thermometers called iButton *hygrochrons and thermochrons. These are programmable to take repeating data as often as desired- we set ours to take data every 15 minutes for four weeks. With this data we can look for trends for distance from the wall, shade cover from trees and the building itself, as well as differences and similarities between the raised and elevated beds themselves. We have not yet gone to the garden to remove our thermochrons and hygrochrons so we do not yet have any data or statistical analysis to share with you. We also measured air temperatures using handheld weather stations called Kestrels, and took soil temperatures using simple cooking thermometers.

*Hygrochrons take relative humidity measurements as well as temperature measurements, and thermochrons only take temperature measurements.

Research Questions:

• What are the effects of nearby building walls and vegetation (grass, trees) on the garden?

• What are the microclimate features in various parts of the garden (raised beds, elevated beds, closely spaced features, etc.)?

• Do these features cause temperature and humidity to differ within the garden?

• Can the microclimate data inform more effective use of the garden space?

• How do the nearby buildings, grass, and trees affect temperature, humidity, and air flow in and near the garden?

ANT 300: Food and Culture 

Food provides a window onto the human experience: How we find the means to survive and meet our basic needs; how we form communities; how we give our lives meaning and express our identities. Our relationships with food are individual and at the same time reflect our connections to local, national, and global communities and networks.  This course will consider what food—the ways we obtain and use it, and the meanings we give it—tells us about being human and being part of the community. 

Eng 100 Dig It! Gardening for Social Change 

This First Year Writing Seminar taught by professor Gretchen Legler helps students practice the craft of college writing and explores issues related to food, agriculture, and climate. During their first field day this spring they engaged in winter sowing.