Promoting Plant Life Underground

With its three Makerspaces and its many labs, the basement of Benedum Hall on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh bustles with students, professors, and staff. Capturing the spirit of these engineers while defying its underground confines are two hydroponic stations where greens and tomatoes and even sunflowers thrive.

Developed by the student-run Hydroponics at Pitt with help from the Swanson School of Engineering’s Makerspace, these stations highlight the potential of water-based growing systems—and even inspire visitors. To increase awareness of hydroponics and to foster connections, the club has recently collaborated with the Makerspace and AlphaGraphics in the Cultural District to design and develop informative signage for the stations. 

“We get a lot of positive feedback about how these plants make people feel,” said Samantha Eckenrod, president of Hydroponics at Pitt and a fifth-year senior in environmental engineering. “It’s nice to see a little greenery, especially in the winter.”

“There are always people walking past, especially when prospective students and their families tour Benedum,” added Phoebe Esser Katz, vice president of the club. “Many will stop and look and wonder how these systems work, or who made them, or what happens to the vegetables.” 

The informative signs answer these questions about the different systems and their benefits while highlighting the efforts and history of Hydroponics at Pitt.  

“We’ve been collaborating with Makerspace to design a new station,” said Samantha, “and these signs will help us tell our story more holistically and cohesively.”

The display highlights how the club gives back to the Pitt community. This year, Hydroponics at Pitt has donated 7.3 pounds of vegetables to the Pitt Pantry, which provides food and household items to Pitt students, staff, and faculty to help ensure food security.

With the new signage, the club hopes to increase interest in sustainable food production while helping to foster connections. “It’s important to connect with other clubs,” said Samantha, who joined Hydroponics at Pitt in 2020 when the Covid pandemic hit and activities were remote. 

Now about to graduate, Samantha values how the club has evolved and the many connections they have formed, be it with fellow members or the Makerspace, or even the Fly Fishing Club. Hydroponics at Pitt has taught clubs how to build hydroponic systems from scratch, held mixers at members’ houses, or even cooked pasta from basil grown in the basement. 

“The community outreach is so important,” said Samantha. “I love it. When I think of all the people who stop to check out the stations, I hope these signs, like the plants growing in a basement, will help bring more people together.”