Auster-Tisch Scholar Tackles Food Insecurity in the Mississippi Delta

In the summer of 2025, the Auster Center for Applied Innovation and Research supported student fellows in conducting hands-on work to further their understanding of applied innovation. Through these fellowships, the Auster Center aimed to actively engage and empower student researchers to translate their ideas into practical applications.

Smit Patel, recent M.S. in Engineering Management graduate, was the Auster Center's inaugural Auster-Tisch Summer Fellow—a position created in partnership with the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts. As the inaugural Auster-Tisch Summer Fellow, Smit spent the summer working with In Her Shoes, Inc.—a nonprofit tackling food insecurity and reducing food deserts in the Mississippi Delta. In Her Shoes, Inc. provides affordable, fresh food through mobile food trucks and community engagement initiatives. With a small team and funding from grants, sponsorships, and corporate partnerships like Walmart, the organization focuses on reducing food deserts, empowering underserved communities, and leveraging innovation to create lasting impact.

When traveling down to Mississippi for his fellowship, Smit looked forward to finding ways in which he could apply the project management, financial modeling, and strategic planning skills he gained during his graduate studies to helping a nonprofit organization thrive. He worked with In Her Shoes, Inc. in four specific areas–a financial sustainability model for the mobile truck program, a corporate presentation for Walmart, customer survey development, and a full website redesign.

After several weeks at In Her Shoes, Smit reflected that the fellowship had played a pivotal role in his professional development. He was able to strengthen his leadership and communication skills when working with staff, partners, and community members. He worked on his technical skills by building a financial model and strategic plan, as well as working on the website, all while balancing technical details with the desired community impact. He also spoke to us about working with a nonprofit, and how it gave him firsthand insight into the operational challenges and opportunities of serving rural communities facing food insecurity.

"These lessons will carry forward into my future career, equipping me with the ability to design solutions that are not only innovative but also sustainable and community-focused," said Smit about his research fellowship experience.

In the end, Smit left the Mississippi nonprofit with a redesigned website that would now serve as a central hub for outreach, a presentation created for Walmart which has positioned the organization for future funding, and a financial plan that offers a roadmap toward sustainable options. Smit's work for In Her Shoes, Inc. demonstrated how design thinking, financial modeling, and data-driven planning can create scalable social impact. These takeaways further the Auster Center's mission of promoting innovation to solve complex societal challenges and show the positive effects our researchers can have when they utilize technology for the public good.

Interested in student opportunities at the Auster Center? Learn more about student fellowships and research positions.