URCAD Presentation By Sarah Jacobson

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 11:12:31 -0400

Congratulations to our very own GES Intern, Sarah Jacobson, who is presenting her research project at URCAD. During her work with Retriever Essentials, Sarah researched food insecurity on college campuses in Maryland. We are so proud of you Sarah!

"In collaboration with the UMBC food pantry, Retriever Essentials, I am conducting geospatial analyses and generating online webmaps that assess the pervasive issue of food insecurity among Maryland college students, to recommend how institutional food pantries can implement operational best practices to effectively meet student need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current research states that approximately one-third of all students at two- and four- year institutions face food and housing insecurity while earning a degree. Through geospatial analysis on food and poverty rates in Maryland, my research illustrates the connection between federally recognized poverty areas and food insecurity rates to which institutions, based on their location and institution type, are most likely to provide food resources to their students. We identified campus pantry points-of-contact, and conducted a semi-structured survey to understand campus pantry operations and services in more detail, along with assessing how analyses on how COVID-19 has impacted a pantry’s ability to provide the resources needed by their students. Retriever Essentials and I plan to utilize the data as part of a comprehensive effort to assess the availability of food and basic needs resources on Maryland college campuses, and what campuses can do to better connect students with these resources."

Check out her presentation HERE.