Open source tech allowed students to create some really cool food computers and learn about technologies. But more importantly, it expanded their worldview.
Melanie Shimano, Director and Founder, Food Computer Program
A food computer is a foam box that contains everything a plant could need to grow and thrive: water, food, light, and a controlled climate, all managed by sensors and a Raspberry Pi. In Melanie Shimano’s Food Computer Program, students at a West Baltimore high school learned to build the open source tabletop gardens, grow their own food, and take a more active role in their communities.
As a data scientist for the City of Baltimore, Melanie saw an opportunity to teach students about open source technology and address inequities in the city’s food environment. Her Food Computer Program put open source tools in high school science classrooms―and helped make her one of Forbes magazine’s 2019 “30 Under 30” in education.
Location
Red Hat Summit
Date aired
8/18/2019
Duration
8:14
Open Source Stories, an original series from Red Hat, celebrates the innovators who bring the power of open source to everything people do.
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