Time and Place
12:00 to 1:00 pm via Zoom
Please register for the virtual lecture here
The Innovative Cities Lecture Series
“AI and Computing for Local Food Systems” presentation by Dr. Alfonso Morales, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and Chair of the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lecture Summary:
This lecture reviews topics that broadly deal with the use of computing (and sensing) solutions to address the mounting challenges we face in securing our food systems. The lecture focuses on three dimensions, first, precision agriculture with attention to land management and real-time sensing for efficient crop watering, fertilization and pest control, etc. The second dimension covered will be intelligent food distribution systems: The foci here is farmers markets, local sourcing promotion, food access and security. Third, we focus on inter-silo connections, which includes connections to public health and ecological / ecosystems management and services of farm production practices.
BIO:
Alfonso Morales is a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and Chair of the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Originally from New Mexico, Alfonso’s family farmed and ranched for more than 100 years. His research includes social science theory and methods, food systems, public marketplaces, and street vendors. His applied research supports non-profit organizations, and he co-created the farm2facts.org toolkit for farmers market managers.
He has been part of more than $50m of research grant activity, and his work is supported by the ICICLE NSF AI institute, USDA, NIH, Ford, and other agencies. On campus, he has worked with the School of Medicine, the College of Ag and Life Sciences, the School of Human Ecology, the Nelson Institute and the College of Letters and Science.
Dr. Morales earned a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University, a Master of Science in Sociology from the University of Chicago, a Master of Science in Political Economy from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology from New Mexico State University.
AICP-CM credits will be awarded.
Questions, comments?
All lectures are free and open to planners, students, staff, faculty, and friends of the University. Please contact Blythe Waldbillig, Department of Urban Planning Project Assistant at waldbil5@uwm.edu
