Morgan State University Receives $15,000 Architecture Design Grant from KEEP Foundation to Conduct Industry Advancing Research in Geological Agriculture

Morgan’s SA+P to Spearhead New Area of Research Rooted in the Study of Plant Cultivation Void of Soil or Fertilizers

BALTIMORE – Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) received a $15,000 architecture design grant from the Atlanta-based nonprofit KEEP Foundation to be used for Geological Agriculture (GeoAg) research on developing protocols for sustainable rooftop green space for the built environment. GeoAg is a new area of research that focuses on the process of growing fruits, vegetables and flowers in rock and nonconventional environments. 

The grant is a direct result of the School’s showcase of GeoAg engineering and architecture at a USDA-funded conference in April of 2021 where Morgan faculty members introduced their GeoAg research publicly. Dr. Samia Rab Kirchner, interim chair of the Department of Undergraduate Design at the SA+P at Morgan, serves as the Principal Investigator on the grant.

“We are excited to design and test GeoAg methods in rooftop environments on our campus,” says Dr. Kirchner. “We are just beginning to understand through exploring GeoAg methods of cultivating plants in rocks without soil and without fertilizers. The question now is how we can refine GeoAg methodologies for rooftop gardens, urban agriculture and green homes that are safe, predictable and effective.”

Expected to take up to two years, the research—performed by Dr. Kirchner, consultants, other faculty, and students—will entail an in-depth observation and study of assorted vegetation and their behavior within a soilless climatic environment atop Morgan’s Center for the Built Environment and Infrastructure Studies (CBEIS).

“Based on preliminary findings, GeoAg rooftop systems may be a more effective approach to creating resilient green spaces with a range of design and impact.” said Dr. Kirchner.

GeoAg is a relatively new area of research under investigation by Dr. Kirchner and over 100 HBCU faculty around the country in collaboration with GeoAg founder Richard Campbell. The implications surrounding GeoAg and the research presently underway are boundless. The demands for sustainability and methodologies that promote renewable, tenable approaches to all aspects of 21st century life, including agriculture, are paramount in both the private and public sectors. As the effects of climate change, increased urbanization and strains on conventional farming erode longstanding agricultural practices, refining new techniques to promote plant cultivation in unattainable settings are even more critical.