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Rochester Roots Annual Dinner Invitation 2009

Join Rochester Roots for a dinner of delicious local food and an inspiring evening presentation. We will inform you of local progress in the development of our own urban agriculture project, the City of Rochester's From Blight to Bright proposal, and Dr. Raja's insight for moving forward.

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Guest Speaker

Samina Raja, Ph. D.

Associate Professor
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
School of Architecture and Planning

Adjunct Associate Professor
School of Public Health and Health Professions

University at Buffalo,
State University of New York

See downloadable PDF for more information and registration form

A Silent Auction	Will be held to benefit the Rochester Roots School-Community Garden Project featuring items from local artists, farms, and businesses.
Location	The Downtown Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St.
Parking	Parking is available in the City Hall parking lot across from The Downtown Presbyterian Church.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
5:30	Silent Auction & Hors D'oeuvres Catering by Rochester Roots
6:00	"Let's Dig In" Video Thanking the students and volunteers who grow your food
6:15	Harvest Dinner Featuring seasonal heirloom produce from the Rochester Roots school gardens and area farmers Homemade Pie Prepare your favorite seasonal pie and donate it to our dessert buffet
7:15	Silent Auction Closes
7:30	Growing Rochester Roots Jan McDonald, Director
7:45	Speaker / Presenter Samina Raja, Ph. D.

Samina Raja, Ph.D.

RESEARCH Dr. Raja's research focuses on planning and design for healthy communities and sustainable food systems. Her recent research projects include a study of racial disparities in food environments used Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based measures, and a study of the impact of food and built environments on obesity and physical activity. Given the interdisciplinary nature of her work, Dr. Raja collaborates with colleagues from UB's School of Medicine and the School of Public Health and Health Professions and has received over a million dollars in funding from the National Institute of Health. Her research is published in planning and health journals.

PUBLIC SERVICE Dr. Raja's service to the community and the planning profession is linked to her research interests. As a member of the Food Interest Group (FIG) of the national American Planning Association (APA), she works to bring the importance of community and regional food planning to the attention of practicing planners nationwide. As part of a recent effort funded by the Healthy Eating by Design program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she wrote A Planners' Guide to Community and Regional Food Planning: Transforming Food Environments, Building Healthy Communities published by the American Planning Association.

Dr. Raja applies her research to address local and regional concerns. For example, Dr. Raja collaborates with the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) to plan, implement, and evaluate strategies and programs to strengthen local sustainable food systems in the City of Buffalo. She is currently evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile market project, operated by MAP, to bring healthful, affordable produce to 'food desert' neighborhoods in Buffalo.