Rooted in Research

Workshop resources from the 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit.

Amy Bowman

Extension Associate, STEM Education

asbowman@ncsu.edu

Cheri Granillo

Translational Nutrition Manager

cdgranil@ncsu.edu

Doug Vernon

Extension Assistant, Community Engagement

dpvernon@ncsu.edu

Blueberry Breeding Game components

Blueberry Breeding Game

Blueberry superhero

Blueberry Memory Game

Strawberry DNA extraction experiment

Strawberry DNA Extraction

Daily Dose handout

Daily Dose

bright bites handout

Bright Bites

sweet potato and black bean taco

Recipes

Resources

1) Eichelsbacher, S., Luksch, C. R., Bienert, G. P., Alcock, T. D., Steppe, K., Marcelis, L. F., … & Asseng, S. (2025). What Is the Limit of Vertical Farming Productivity?. Food and Energy Security, 14(2), e70061. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.70061

2) Zainali, S., Lu, S. M., Fernández-Solas, Á., Cruz-Escabias, A., Fernández, E. F., Zidane, T. E. K., … & Campana, P. E. (2025). Modelling, simulation, and optimisation of agrivoltaic systems: a comprehensive review. Applied Energy, 386, 125558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125558

3) Shafik, W. (2025). Bee Vectoring Technology (BVT) as a nature-based strategy for sustainable pest control management. Green Technologies and Sustainability, 100267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2025.100267

4) Sieving, K. E., Manz, S. T., Brown, R. N., & Kluever, B. M. (2025). Laser scarecrows reduce avian corn‐foraging propensity but not bout length in aviary trials. Pest Management Science, 81(6), 2722-2733. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8607

5) Dong Y, Werling B, Cao Z and Li G (2024) Implementation of an in-field IoT system for precision irrigation management. Front. Water 6:1353597. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2024.1353597

1) Smith, R. A. (2026). Meet the Superhero Farm Robots in Training. CALS News, https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/meet-the-superhero-farm-robots-in-training/

2) Kefale, G. Y., Kebede, Z. T., & Birlie, A. A. (2023). A systematic review on potential bio leather substitute for natural leather. Journal of Engineering (Cairo, Egypt), 2023, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/1629174

3) A. Qiu, C. Young, A. L. Gunderman, M. Azizkhani, Y. Chen and A. -P. Hu. (2023). Tendon-Driven Soft Robotic Gripper with Integrated Ripeness Sensing for Blackberry Harvesting, 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), London, United Kingdom, pp. 11831-11837, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48891.2023.10160893

1) Hossain S. and Kashem S.B. (2025). Transportation resilience and food security: developing a conceptual framework through literature review. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 9:1569474. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1569474

2) Ewert, R., Martins-Turner, K., Grahle, A., Syré, A., Göhlich, D., & Nagel, K. (2025). Showing the cost benefits for commercial electric vehicles—Case Study of Battery Electric Vehicles in Urban Food Distribution. Transportation Research Procedia, 86, 532-539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2025.04.067

3) Karakoc, D.B., Konar, M. (2025). Trade-offs between resilience, sustainability and cost in the US agri-food transportation infrastructure. Nat Food 6, 401–409. https://doi-org.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/10.1038/s43016-025-01128-9

4) Perkins-Veazie, P. (2012). Pack ‘N Cool: A Mobile Refrigeration Solution. https://plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu/producer-resources/pack-n-cool/

1) Stecuła, K., Wolniak, R., & Aydın, B. (2024). Technology development in online grocery shopping—from shopping services to virtual reality, metaverse, and smart devices: a review. Foods, 13(23), 3959. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233959

2) Zhou, S., Chen, Z., Huang, X., Yang, X., Lyu, L., An, C., & Peng, H. (2024). An integrated environmental and economic assessment for the disposal of food waste from grocery retail stores towards resource recovery. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(54), 63325-63342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35402-3

3) Lone, J. K., & Pandey, R. (2024). Microgreens on the rise: Expanding our horizons from farm to fork. Heliyon, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25870

4) Daryanto, E., Ampera, D., Matondang, Z., Simanjuntak, J. P., Tambunan, B. H., Idroas, M. Y., … & Riduwan, R. (2024). Potential of Grocery Bags Plastic Waste as a Fuel Substitute for Fossil-Based Fuels: A Characterization Study on the Non-Catalytic Low-Temperature Pyrolysis Process. Automotive Experiences, 7(3), 450-459. https://doi.org/10.31603/ae.12099

1) Nguyen, D. H., El-Ramady, H., & Prokisch, J. (2025). Food safety aspects of carbon dots: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 23(1), 337-360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-024-01779-3

2) Yang, X., Ho, C. T., Gao, X., Chen, N., Chen, F., Zhu, Y., & Zhang, X. (2025). Machine learning: An effective tool for monitoring and ensuring food safety, quality, and nutrition. Food Chemistry, 477, 143391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.143391

3) Kim, S. J., Kim, Y. J., & Jeon, H. M. (2026). Green Consumption Value, Attitude Toward Food, and Brand Evangelism for Farm-to-Table Foods in the Context of Green Food Tourism. Sustainability, 18(1), 459. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010459

4) Yin, J. (2025). Stimulating pro-environmental dining behaviours and intentions: an S–O–R model in farm-to-table restaurants. British Food Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-11-2024-1118

1) Nieman, D. C., Sakaguchi, C. A., Omar, A. M., Davis, K. L., Shaffner, C. E., Strauch, R. C., … & Zhang, Q. (2023). Blueberry intake elevates post-exercise anti-inflammatory oxylipins: a randomized trial. Scientific reports, 13(1), 11976. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39269-1

2) Otoo, R. A., & Allen, A. R. (2023). Sulforaphane’s multifaceted potential: from neuroprotection to anticancer action. Molecules, 28(19), 6902. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28196902

3) Milutinov, J., Pavlović, N., Ćirin, D., Atanacković Krstonošić, M., & Krstonošić, V. (2024). The potential of natural compounds in UV protection products. Molecules, 29(22), 5409. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29225409

4) Parekh, R., Hammond Jr, B. R., & Chandradhara, D. (2024). Lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation improves dynamic visual and cognitive performance in children: a randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study. Advances in Therapy, 41(4), 1496-1511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-024-02785-1

5) El-Saadony, M. T., Saad, A. M., Korma, S. A., Salem, H. M., Abd El-Mageed, T. A., Alkafaas, S. S., … & Ibrahim, S. A. (2024). Garlic bioactive substances and their therapeutic applications for improving human health: a comprehensive review. Frontiers in immunology, 15, 1277074. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1277074