About the Researcher

Nicole Motzer is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her bachelor's degree in geography and sustainability studies in 2011 from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Nicole became interested in developing local food systems while working on organic farms in Gainesville, Florida and Taylorstown, Virginia. Throughout the summer of 2012, she interned with USDA's Farmers Market and Local Food Marketing Research Division where she first studied regional food hubs and their community impacts. In August 2013, she attended Boston College's 2013 Summer Institute in New Economics in Racine, Wisconsin. There she further explored ideas of agricultural cooperatives and alternative markets and how they can contribute to the health of rural communities.

Exploring The Johnson Foundation's Wingspread property in Racine

Nicole is a fellow with the National Science Foundation. Her research is currently supported by the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship. She also works for Dr. Julie Silva's Nature Tourism project as a qualitative content analyst. In her free time, Nicole enjoys hiking, birding, gardening, reading, traveling and yoga.

This blog is intended as a free and public medium with which to keep in contact with individuals who participate in the study, as well as inform them about its progress and outcomes. The blog is also, of course, open to anyone else who wishes to read about Nicole's adventures in social science, or to learn about AFNs, like RFHs, as tools for community development.