Dr. Hansen published two articles recently showcasing her work on sustainable tourism, agritourism, virtualization technologies, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The first is based on her work promoting sustainable agritourism expansion in the State of Florida and was published in the Proceedings of the 2021 FoodTreX Food Travel Research Summit by the World Food Travel Association. The second article, co-authored by PCGS students Ali Farr, Sophia Annis, Samantha Vorce, and Jesse Coates, is being published in May by the journal SustainE. Based on the ongoing work at Egmont Key, titled “Virtualization Technologies for Sustainable Tourism: Adapting the Matterport 360 Platform to Showcase the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Tampa Bay, Florida.” A $10,000 USF Creative Scholarship grant was awarded in April to Dr. Hansen, Dr. Faizan Ali, and Dr. Laura Harrison for their upcoming research on augmented reality for sustainable heritage tourism at Egmont Key. In addition to other grants currently being submitted, it will fund the development of an app prototype called “A Taste of Egmont Key” that will reconstruct historic buildings, including the bakery and mess hall from the Ft. Dade period.
Another USF grant was awarded to Dr. Hansen, Dr. Christian Brechot, and Dr. Hariom Yadav to promote the USF Metropolitan Food Project which is currently working on microbiome projects related to food, health, and agriculture in conjunction with local partners and global organizations such as the Foundation Prince Albert II de Monaco. The MFP connects Dr. Hansen’s work in regenerative agriculture with her interest in regenerative tourism and creating showcase farms to educate visitors and residents about the importance of biodiversity and SDG 15 Life on Land.