Theodore Caplow

Theodore "Ted" Caplow (born 1969) is an American social entrepreneur, environmental engineer, and inventor. He is the founder of greenhouse science lab provider New York Sun Works and the co-founder of AgTech supply-chain disruptor BrightFarms. Caplow's pioneering work in urban agriculture and vertical farming began with the Science Barge in Yonkers, New York (NY). Caplow has also patented a Vertically Integrated Greenhouse. Caplow subsequently co-founded Caplow|Manzano in 2017 with Nathalie Manzano to pursue innovations in resilient housing design and sustainable building technology. As an academic, Caplow holds a Ph.D. in engineering from Columbia University and has published a series of peer-reviewed articles on water contaminant dynamics in the Hudson River Estuary, in addition to articles on Building-integrated agriculture.^[1]

Dr. Ted Caplow

Early life and education

Theodore Caplow (birth name: Theodore Caplow, Jr.) was born in New York City in 1969 to Anne Christine Allen and Theodore Caplow. His father was a well-known American sociologist and author of over 20 books in the social sciences.^[2][3]

Caplow grew up in central Virginia and attended Groton School in Massachusetts. He entered Harvard University intending to major in physics but graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1992. Following college, Caplow, together with his father and other family members, sailed a 47 foot boat from NYC to Cyprus, stimulating his interest in engineering.

He received an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1998 from Princeton University, where his interest in renewable energy was fostered by Robert H. Socolow and Daniel Kammen and where he received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Caplow’s thesis at Princeton was an extended design modeling and optimization project for a solar thermal “power tower” that explored the feasibility of employing gas turbines in these designs. Caplow completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in 2004 at Columbia University, where he was influenced by Peter Schlosser, Vijay Modi, Klaus Lackner, and Upmanu Lall, among others. Caplow’s dissertation concerned the hydrodynamics of contaminant transport in the Hudson River Estuary and his scholarly work in this field has appeared in Environmental Science & Technology,^[4][5][6] the Journal of Environmental Engineering^[7] and Acta Horticulturae.^[8]

Contributions to Sustainable Technology

Inventors at Frost Science

Caplow conceived and, together with Nathalie Manzano, developed Inventors-in-Residence, a science prize competition and residency program which debuted in 2017 at the Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami FL. The winning technologies focused on coral reef restoration and airborne carcinogen detection, respectively.^[9] The winning scientific teams worked in public-facing labs and interacted with museum guests, discussing why their work matters, what kind of progress they’ve made, and what hurdles lie ahead.^[10] The laser project later transitioned to Ransom Everglades School.^[11]

Science Barge

Theodore Caplow is best known for conceiving and developing the Science Barge urban farm in 2006.^[12] The Science Barge functions as both an experimental platform for closed-loop high-efficiency food production using renewable energy and an educational tool to improve opportunities for hands-on “experiential” STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) learning for inner city students. In 2009, the Science Barge was named "Best Class Trip" by New York Magazine.^[13] Caplow conceived of the project, raised and contributed funding, determined which systems to include on the barge, and drew the initial plans. Execution of the design and various details of the greenhouse, water recovery, and solar/wind power systems were completed by the entire team at NY Sun Works. After being stationed in Hudson River Park from 2006 to 2008, the Science Barge moved to Yonkers, NY where it continues to host educational tours for school children during the week and is open for public visitation on the weekends.^[14] Over the years, the Science Barge has received a significant amount of national and international press including articles from National Geographic^[15] and the New York Times.^[16][17]

In March 2015, a team led by Nathalie Manzano and including Caplow won the inaugural Knight Cities Challenge from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with a proposal to build a Miami Science Barge in downtown Miami, FL. It launched in April 2016. Similar to the Science Barge in NY, it was off grid and focused on sustainability. The Miami Science Barge though, also concentrated on marine ecology and conservation in Biscayne Bay, and emphasized clean aquaculture for the domestic production of seafood. The Miami Science Barge was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Vertical Farming Technology

Caplow invented the Vertically Integrated Greenhouse (VIG) with Zakery Ward Adams. The invention is listed as Patent US20090307973 and was published in December 2009.^[18] The VIG consists of vertically stacked plant trays that can be moved to maximize plant light capture and shade as necessary. In addition to the trays and suspension system, the VIG system includes a closed-loop water distribution system which consists of a reservoir, a pump, and a water supply tube for growing plants hydroponically. According to the patent abstract, “the design is particularly well-suited for installation in a double-skin façade of a building, or in an interior atrium, lobby, or similar structure.” Caplow and Adams built and installed prototypes of the VIG on the Science Barge (2008), at PS 333 in Manhattan (2010),^[19] and at PS 89 in Brooklyn (2011),^[20] and Caplow built an improved VIG at the Miami Museum of Science (2012)^[21] and on the Miami Science Barge (2016) but the design has yet to see commercial use.

NY Sun Works

Caplow founded New York Sun Works in 2004^[22] and chairs the not-for-profit's board of directors.^[23] Caplow was closely involved in the development of the Sun Works Center at PS 333, the first full-scale rooftop greenhouse completed in 2010 as part of a NY Sun Works campaign to build 100 school greenhouses in NYC between 2010 and 2020.^[24] The campaign succeeded after the greenhouse educational system was expanded to include conversion of existing classrooms into hydroponic laboratories. As of 2022, NY Sun Works has built and operated over 200 greenhouse labs, mostly in New York City public schools, trained 700 teachers, and created over 800 curriculum lessons for use in these greenhouse labs.^[25]

BrightFarms

From 2008 to 2011, through design consultancy BrightFarm Systems, Caplow contributed to the design of a 10,000 sq ft. greenhouse built on top of the Forest Houses apartment complex in South Bronx, NY,^[26] an in-store hydroponic greenhouse constructed at Whole Foods Market in Millburn, NJ,^[27] and a rooftop greenhouse at P.S. 89 in Brooklyn, NY. Many other design studies in Building-integrated Agriculture (a term Caplow coined in 2007) were executed for clients around the world. Prominent architectural and engineering firms who collaborated on design studies with BrightFarms while Caplow led the firm include Kiss + Cathcart, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Grimshaw, Foster & Co, and Arup, among others.

In the wake of the economic downturn of 2007-2009, Caplow partnered with Paul Lightfoot (in 2011) to reformulate BrightFarms Systems as a full service commercial farming company named BrightFarms. As of 2022, the company operates six large greenhouse farms across the country supplying salad greens to hundreds of grocery stores nationwide.^[28][29] Caplow was initially President of the Board but sold his remaining stake in Brightfarms in 2021 when the company was acquired by Cox Enterprises.^[30][31]

Work on Child Mortality

The Children’s Prize

Caplow created the Children's Prize in 2013.^[32] Structured as a private foundation, the Children’s Prize aims to save the lives of children under age 5 anywhere in the world.^[33][34] In the initial year, over 550 applications from 70 countries were received using a novel, openly accessible online application. Dr. Anita Zaidi was announced the winner of the 2013 Children’s Prize on December 10, 2013 for her program in Rehri Goth, Pakistan.^[35] The Children’s Prize launched its eighth iteration in 2022 and has funded children's health initiatives in 10 countries around the world.^[36]

Film and Video

As part of his company Fish Navy Films, Ted Caplow has written, produced, edited, narrated and appeared in a series of documentary films on sustainable seafood. Films produced by Fish Navy Films include Fish Meat (2012),^[37] Raising Shrimp (2013),^[38] and What We Fish For (2015).^[39] Caplow’s primary scientific collaborator in all three films has been fish ecologist Andy J. Danylchuk.

Awards and Recognitions

Award	Awarding Institution	Year
Guggenheim Fellowship	Princeton University	1996-1997
Graduate Energy Fellowship	Link Foundation	1997-1998
Graduate Research Fellowship	National Science Foundation	1998 (award), 2001-2003 (activated)
Presidential Fellowship	Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science	2001-2004
Cui Servire Award	Groton School	2008
Social Entrepreneur of the Year	Casimiro Global Foundation	2013

References

1. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=RnJHBCcAAAAJ&hl=en Theodore Caplow at Google Scholar
2. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C10&q=t+caplow&btnG= T Caplow at Google Scholar
3. "Works authored by Theodore Caplow". Amazon. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
4. Caplow, Theodore; Schlosser, Peter; Ho, David T.; Santella, Nicholas (2003). "Transport Dynamics in a Sheltered Estuary and Connecting Tidal Straits: SF6 Tracer Study in New York Harbor". Environmental Science & Technology. 37 (22). American Chemical Society (ACS): 5116–5126. Bibcode:2003EnST...37.5116C. doi:10.1021/es034198+. PMID 14655697.
5. Ho, David T.; Schlosser, Peter; Caplow, Theodore (2002). "Determination of Longitudinal Dispersion Coefficient and Net Advection in the Tidal Hudson River with a Large-Scale, High Resolution SF6 Tracer Release Experiment. David T. Ho,*,†, Peter Schlosser,†,‡,§, and Theodore Caplow‡ Environmental Science & Technology. 2002 36 (15), 3234-3241". Environmental Science & Technology. 36 (15). American Chemical Society (ACS): 3234–3241. doi:10.1021/es015814+. PMID 12188346.
6. Caplow, Theodore; Schlosser, Peter; Ho, David T.; Enriquez, Rica C. (2004). "Effect of Tides on Solute Flushing from a Strait: Imaging Flow and Transport in the East River with SF6". Environmental Science & Technology. 38 (17): 4562–4571. Bibcode:2004EnST...38.4562C. doi:10.1021/es035248d. PMID 15461164.
7. Ho, David T.; Schlosser, Peter; Houghton, Robert W.; Caplow, Ted (2006). "Comparison of SF6 and Fluorescein as Tracers for Measuring Transport Processes in a Large Tidal River". Journal of Environmental Engineering. 132 (12): 1664–1669. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.629.7814. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(2006)132:12(1664).
8. "Nelkin, J. and Caplow, T. 2008. SUSTAINABLE CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE FOR URBAN AREAS". Acta Hort. 801: 449–456. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
9. CappSci Inventors program awards inaugural prizes. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article45116703.html
10. $1 million innovation prize program coming to Frost Museum of Science. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/technology/article10657685.html
11. Young REsearchers present work at conference. https://www.ransomeverglades.org/news-detail?pk=1163742>
12. "A Visionary Farmer Sees Greenhouses Everywhere, From Rivers To Rooftops To Skyscrapers". Fast Company. 2012-05-02. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
13. "New York Magazine Best Class Trip 2009: The Science Barge". New York Magazine. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
14. "Science Barge".
15. . National Geographic. 2012-07-26. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
16. Charkes, Juli S. (2008-11-21). "Soil-Free Farming, as Practiced on Board". New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
17. "Science Barge Drops Anchor". New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
18. "Patent US8151518 - Vertically integrated greenhouse". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
19. . PS 333 MANHATTAN SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
20. "New York Sun Works: PS89 Cypress Hills Community School". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
21. "Hydroponics: Growing Plants without Soil". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
22. "History".
23. "NEW YORK SUN WORKS INC - GuideStar Profile".
24. "NY SunWorks' Greenhouse Project Aims to Build 100 Labs by 2020". 13 November 2014.
25. "Impact".
26. "BrightFarm Systems Designs World's First Sustainable Rooftop Greenhouse Integrated On An Affordable Housing Development, South Bronx, NY". PitchEngine. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
27. "BrightFarm Systems develops futuristic urban agriculture projects". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
28. "BrightFarms | FAQ: Learn More About Our Products and How We Grow".
29. "BrightFarms | Where to Buy: Find Locally Grown Baby Greens Near You". BrightFarms. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
30. "Ted Caplow Portfolio Investments, Ted Caplow Funds, Ted Caplow Exits".
31. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cox-enterprises-expands-its-cleantech-portfolio-with-acquisition-of-brightfarms-301356794.html Cox Enterprises Expands its Cleantech Portfolio with Acquisition of BrightFarms
32. "Alumna Anita Zaidi awarded $1 million to save children's lives in Pakistan village". 9 January 2014.
33. "How many children can $1 million save?". CNN. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
34. "Can better data save 7 million children from dying each year?". Humanosphere. 2014-07-11. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
35. McNeil, Donald G. Jr. (2013-12-30). "Prize for Pakistani Pediatrician". New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
36. "Past Winners – Children's Prize".
37. "'Fish Meat' Documentary Screens at Festival on Jan. 14". NewsWise. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
38. "'Raising Shrimp' a Finalist in Blue Ocean Film Festival". NewsWise. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
39. Film Review: 'What We Fish For' A look inside Andy Danylchuk and Ted Caplow's latest documentary http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/film-review-what-we-fish/7713419