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.
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.
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, the Journal of Environmental Engineering and Acta Horticulturae.
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. 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. The laser project later transitioned to Ransom Everglades School.
Science Barge
Theodore Caplow is best known for conceiving and developing the Science Barge urban farm in 2006. 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. 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. Over the years, the Science Barge has received a significant amount of national and international press including articles from National Geographic and the New York Times.