On April 13th, 2022, from 5:00-7:00 P.M., the Yale Sustainable Food Program hosted its ninth annual Melon Forum, during which seniors presented their theses on topics in food and agriculture at St. Anthony Hall. We are so grateful to have been able to gather and celebrate these seniors’ culminating studies at our first in-person Melon Forum in two years. If you weren’t able to attend, you can view the 2022 Melon Forum Brochure, which features seven seniors: Sol Thompson, Nat Irwin, Camden Smithtro, Alaina Perry, Elea Hewitt, Sophie Lieberman, and Catherine Rutherfurd. View all event photos here.
In a sunlit wooden room, where leather-backed books filled the shelves, over 40 students gathered to watch their peers present the projects they had spent a year or more working on. Outside, it was just beginning to look like spring, and thin, feeble branches beginning to bud with green leaves knocked against the scratched panes of the windows. The refreshments, including sprigs of green grapes, various types of cheeses, cupcakes, crackers, and wine, kept students full and ready to listen to the presenters. As the clatter died down, seniors took 15-minutes to explain their research and answer questions from curious audience members.
Presenters included Sol Thompson ’22, who discussed his travels across Australia and the mental health impacts on farmers dealing with failing crop outputs; Nat Irwin ’22, who compared what qualifies as ‘regenerative agriculture’ across New Hampshire and Vermont; Camden Smithtro ’22, who studied the Land Institute’s usage of the term ‘regenerative agriculture’; Alaina Perry ’22, who analyzed a series of art pieces and their usage of food and dining elements; Elea Hewitt ’22, who researched the agricultural systems of her hometown in Willamette Valley, Oregon; and Catherine Rutherford ’22, who studied women’s impact on the kitchen designs and diets in public housing in the 1900s. (Thompson, Irwin, Smithtro, Perry, and Rutherford are all a part of the YSFP!).
A huge thanks to YSFP Farm Manager Sarah Pillard ’22 for all her event planning and execution. Thank you also to St. A’s for hosting this beloved YSFP event.
Photos by Reese Neal ’25. Please follow this link to view all the photos from the event.
Graphic design by Kapp Singer ’23.
Post by Sarah Feng ’25.