Date
Tuesday, 18 Apr 2017 6:30 PM
Tyler Reed will be giving a talk on open-source software and hydroponics:
The presentation will focus on 2 main topics. The first is small-scale urban agriculture, what it is and the underlying causes of its imminent growth boom. This topic then leads to a discussion about the open source efforts and technology behind automating and optimizing localized food production in diverse environments. I’ll give real-world examples as well as wild speculation 🙂 I will likely also touch on the heavy impact that marijuana legalization will have on urban agriculture practices, resources and technologies.
Tyler Reed was raised on a small farm in rural northwest Ohio. The son of an OSU extension agent, he grew up tending the family garden, orchard and livestock. He spent 8 years participating in the local 4-H program. During college, he volunteered in the Defiance College greenhouse and worked on restoration ecology projects in the area. He has been a backyard organic gardener since 2000 and in 2009 built his
first hydroponic system in the basement of his home. Surprised at the level of effort, time, expertise and discipline required to consistently produce high-quality food in a small hydroponic system, he began thinking about opportunities for automation.
In 2012, Tyler officially launched HAPI, the Hydroponic Automation Platform Initiative. HAPI is an open source collaboration between individuals, companies and schools with active participants in Columbus, Nashville, San Ramon and Slovakia. The project has expanded
substantially in scope since its creation. In addition to core technology development, the team is actively developing educational programs. While HAPI is essentially a social enterprise, Tyler acts as the defacto leader, spokesperson, funder and webmaster, as well as a key contributor of software and firmware code. His company Maya Culpa, LLC owns and maintains HAPI-centric prototyping efforts and runs the HAPI website.
Through the HAPI project, Tyler has led educational efforts that include building a Learning Management System and creating educational content around hydroponics, as well as teaching numerous urban agriculture classes at the Columbus Idea Foundry.
Pizza and beer (for those 21 and over) will be available at 6:30 – the talk will start promptly at 7. Parking is available around the building on the street and in various paid lots and garages nearby.
