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Eight students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology abandoned a week in the sun, opting instead to spend their spring vacation atop the city’s Science Barge, prepping the urban farm and educational vessel for the upcoming season.
“No task was too gritty for these students. There was a lot of scrubbing and technical work,” Science Barge Director Bob Walters said, according to a news release.
The five-day volunteer event was organized by MIT freshman and Mt. Vernon native Emele Uka as part of an Alternative Spring Break Program. Designed to help various communities, the program gives MIT students an opportunity to participate in service trips during school breaks, according to Groundwork Hudson Valley.
“I was glad that I could bring a group of MIT students to the place that offered me countless memories,” Uka said.
For a week at the end of March, the students worked six hours a day, installing hydroponic systems that are used to grow things like lettuce, basil and bok choy. Their handy-work also included installing other barge essentials like the Beto Bucket, a contraption used to produce vine crops such as tomatoes and peas.
The MIT students also got a lesson in hunting for baby glass eels, animals whose hearts and inner workings are visible through their transparent skin.
But it wasn’t all work and no play for the college students.
The group spent time visiting New York City and exploring the restaurant scene in downtown Yonkers – stops that included Wholesome Goodness, Khangri Japanese, and Giovanni’s Pizza.
“This doesn’t feel like mindless volunteering because of the cause,” MIT sophomore Nathan Landman told Groundwork Hudson Valley. “It has been a great opportunity for me to learn more about urban agriculture, which is something I want to see more often in cities in the future.”
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