Abstract
Access to healthy foods is a fundamental component of a decent standard of living and will continue to be an important topic to address both technically and socially. Approximately a decade ago, 17.8% of Virginians lived in a food desert, where underserved populations were at risk of malnutrition (Bohannon & Henry, 2016). In these areas, affected populations had higher rates of unemployment, government reliance, transportation issues, high school dropouts, and were often minorities (Dutko, 2012). Investigating food insecurity, and considering what I, as an engineering student, can do about it, lies at the heart of both my technical capstone project and my sociotechnical thesis.
My electrical engineering capstone team designed and constructed a compact, automated microgreens growing system named Leafy-Link. This system aimed to provide users with the ability to grow microgreens without prior expertise by using a straightforward user interface (UI) to program the water and light cycles for the selected plant. My personal STS research project combined the feasibility and social implications of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as it develops in Virginia. This research was motivated by both my personal experience working with CEA infrastructure and a commitment to apply engineering tools toward the public good, particularly in underserved communities. I was also influenced by a desire to help those in need, fostered by my time volunteering in rural communities near my Virginia hometown. The technical portion of my thesis involved designing and building our team’s implementation of a CEA system. Leafy-Link was constructed using a mini fridge as the main enclosure, along with multiple electrical sensors, power and control components, safety devices, and basic growing materials. Users could insert microgreen seeds on a growth tray, fill a water-and-nutrient reservoir, and select the plant from a touchscreen UI to initiate the growth cycle. A block diagram of our system design is shown below. Our microcontroller used predefined, optimal growth conditions for each plant and employed relays to toggle the LEDs and water pump on and off, while sensors monitored internal environmental conditions. Leafy-Link was able to successfully grow a microgreen mix before the end of our capstone timeline.
Figure 1 can be viewed in Deu_Grayson_SociotechnicalSynthesis.pdf
In my STS research, I examined CEA through the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) framework, which emphasizes how technologies evolve through the interactions of diverse social groups with competing needs, interests, and values. I analyzed how CEA is shaped not only by engineers and investors, but also by consumers, community advocates, and policymakers. I explored how rural and urban food deserts across Virginia present different challenges for CEA implementation, including legal zoning hurdles, infrastructure gaps, and cultural perceptions of “natural” food. My research involved reviewing public health studies, USDA census data, and conducting a direct interview with a Virginia-based CEA company. The results showed that success in food-insecure areas depends not only on technical feasibility, but also on a system’s perceived affordability, transparency, and alignment with community values. CEA ventures that engage local schools, festivals, and youth education programs are more likely to gain long-term trust and support, especially when focused on supporting underserved communities.
By analyzing CEA through a sociotechnical lens, I’ve come to better understand the ethical responsibilities engineers carry when designing technologies that directly impact people’s lives. STS perspectives like SCOT challenge us to move beyond efficiency and innovation alone and instead consider who benefits from a technology, and who might be left out. Through this research, I’ve recognized that equitable CEA development must align automation with accessibility and innovation with inclusion. Engineers, business owners, and policymakers must collaborate to ensure that CEA systems are designed and implemented in ways that benefit the public and leverage the technology’s potential for minimal environmental impact. This thesis reflects not only the technical challenges of building a reliable CEA system but also the ethical responsibility to ensure those systems serve the communities that need them most, while working to reshape the future of agriculture.
