WSU Davis Campus Breaks Ground on Nutrition and Botany Greenhouse
OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University’s new nutrition cooking class is about to become more self-sufficient with the construction of a greenhouse just east of Building 3 at WSU Davis in Layton. Crews broke ground on the greenhouse in July, and it is scheduled for completion soon after fall semester begins.
The greenhouse will be used to grow plants for botany classes and produce for nutrition classes taught at WSU Davis. Any extra produce will be shared with the community. Along with a greenhouse manager, students in these classes will help tend the greenhouse.
“The most exciting thing is having the ability to grow fresh ingredients right outside the classroom door,” said Joan Thompson, nutrition professor. “Anytime a recipe calls for herbs, we always want to use fresh because they are so much better. We will see how much room we actually have in the greenhouse, and then we will decide what we want to plant.”
The structure will be 27 feet by 20 feet (540 square feet). A WSU Instructional Improvement Grant provided funding for benches, hoses and other greenhouse equipment.
“Since several high schools in Davis County have greenhouses, many students have been introduced to and are interested in botany. The new greenhouse will enable us to grow plants on site and teach our two core botany lab courses there,” botany professor Barbara Wachocki said. “In an age of climate change and growing water shortages, an understanding of the important role of plants in the ecosystem, in food security and as a source of potential medicines is crucial.”
The nutrition cooking class, Exploration in Culinary Arts and Food Science, began fall semester 2014 and has been taught each successive semester.
“The whole class is targeted to more sustainable ways to produce, acquire and consume food,” Thompson said. “The way our current food system is operating isn’t sustainable even to 2050. We are all about producing local foods that are organic. It makes a really nice experience, from farm to table.”
The nutrition course is taught in Building 2 Room 236, which has been transformed from a nursing lab into a deluxe kitchen. The room has six cooking stations, a large refrigerator and all the amenities. Thanks to a grant, the room is also fitted with two cameras at one of the stations, where students have the opportunity to record food demonstrations.
“It is almost like they get to do their own cooking show,” said Heidi Jenkins, adjunct nutrition professor.
Thompson and Jenkins are collecting recipes from these demonstrations and will turn them into a library of healthy recipes. The ultimate goal is to post the videos on the web.
“We were thinking of creating a continuing education class for lifelong learners,” Thompson said. “That way, they could see these things and be able to follow them at home.”
Botany and nutrition are working together to secure funding for expansion of their endeavors to include a garden adjacent to the greenhouse. “The garden would provide an opportunity to teach students, and potentially community members, about organic gardening, composting, sustainable food production and a garden as an ecosystem,” Wachocki said.
For more information on the WSU Davis Campus, visit weber.edu/davis.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Marcus Jensen, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-6348 • mediarelations@weber.edu- Contact:
- Joan Thompson, nutrition professor
801-626-7115 • jthompson8@weber.edu
Barbara Wachocki, botany department chair
801-626-7223 • bwachocki@weber.edu