UROC's Lauren Martin receives U of M President's Community-Engaged Scholar Award

Lauren Martin and Alika Galloway

Lauren Martin, UROC’s director of research, received the 2016 University of Minnesota President's Community-Engaged Scholar Award. The award recognizes faculty members and University employees for excellent community-engaged work and for their academic careers that reflect a longstanding commitment to the University’s definition of public engagement. It was presented by the University's Office for Public Engagement and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Lauren Martin and Alika Galloway

UROC grad students use research to solve real-life problems

Katie Fritz Fogel

Since the Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) opened its doors in 2010, faculty and staff have been on a mission to create public partnerships and collaborate with the community in ways that produce meaningful research to solve real-life problems. Graduate students play an integral role in much of that research, making invaluable contributions to projects while gaining experience that can’t be had in the classroom.

Katie Fritz Fogel

Farming in North Minneapolis? UROC studies the possibility

Dana Anderson

Some trends come and go, but consumers’ desire to buy fresh, locally produced food seems only to be growing. Farmer’s market sales are booming, traditional grocery stores are stocking more local and regional produce and more and more people are exploring ways to grow healthy food sustainably. One of those people is Dana Anderson, founder of Living Greens Farm (http://www.livinggreensfarm.com/) in Faribault, Minnesota.

Dana Anderson

Growing Gardeners: UROC helps kids develop green thumb

A little boy in a garden

Gardening builds skills that go far beyond growing food. For more than 30 years, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has been teaming up with other organizations to offer garden-based outreach programs to children ages 5 to 18. Over time, programming has grown from the Children’s Garden in Residence, a seven-week, hands-on experience that combines science and gardening to a variety of garden-based summer work programs that help teens build leadership, communication and entrepreneurial skills.

A little boy in a garden