About Us

❊ About Us

Research. Innovation. Community.

The BU Alt Protein Project is a student-driven initiative dedicated to cultivating education, research, and innovation around food system sustainability. We aim to bring students together to cultivate community and contribute to a global movement reimagining the future of food.

Alt Protein Crash Course 

What are alternative proteins?

Alternative proteins are meat, eggs, and dairy alternatives made without industrial animal agriculture. Instead they are:

  • Plant-based: crafted from crops like soy, peas, and wheat

  • Fermentation-derived: using microbes like fungi or yeast to produce protein-rich foods and ingredients

  • Cultivated: grown directly from animal cells without the need for animal slaughter.

Why do they matter?

Conventional animal agriculture is a leading driver of climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and antibiotic resistance. Alternative proteins offer a solution:

  • up to 99% less water and 93% less land than beaf

  • reduced greenhouse gas emissions

  • safer, more resilient food supply that reduces antibiotic resistance risks

alternative proteins are essential to building a sustainable, secure, and just food future.

1

Building alternative protein courses & majors

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The Objectives of the APP Community

The Alt Protein Project was created around five key objectives to build a more sustainable, secure, and just food future. These objectives guide our progress and shape our goals across the global APP community. At Boston University—a major research institution with a vibrant, interdisciplinary student body—we have a unique capacity to advance this mission by harnessing diverse perspectives, fostering innovation, and turning ideas into impact.

Stimulating open-access research

3

Catalyzing entrepreneurship

Create and support AP courses, tracks, and programs to overcome the bottleneck of trained scientists and engineers in the field.

2

Empower students to catalyze research through collaborations, proposals, and centers, driving scientific discovery in food innovation.

Support student founders in identifying white space opportunities, developing prototypes, and building AP ventures.

4

Generating awareness & excitement

Organize events, conferences, and media initiatives that spark interest and bring new students, researchers, and professionals into the field.

5

Creating an inspiring, inclusive community

Build a diverse, interdisciplinary, and supportive community for students and researchers to collaborate, learn, and grow.