2016 Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security
The 2016 Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security was held June 5-17, 2016 at Purdue University's Discovery Park. Forty graduate students representing twenty-one universities across the United States participated in lectures, practicums, farm tours, field trips, and social gatherings. The two-week institute featured several guest presentations from individuals, including Julie Borlaug (Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture), Margot Ellis (USAID), Charles Owubah (World Vision International), Rajul Pandya-Lorch (IFPRI), and Alesha Black (The Chicago Council on Global Affairs), and concluded with a small group project competition.
2016 Schedule of Events (PDF)
2016 Speaker Bios (PDF)
Full List of Borlaug Summer Institute Participants
"The Summer Borlaug Institute allowed me to grow relationships with amazing colleagues who all share the same passion for food security, though come from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Collaborating with them in projects and participating in workshops led by pioneers in development greatly enhanced my perspective and my ability to communicate about the primary challenges and opportunities we should be focused on." - Kelly Wilson, MS International Agriculture Development, University of California-Davis
"On Day 1 of the Summer Institute, you come with a narrow perspective of Food Security. By Day 14, you will have developed a holistic set of tools to create effective solutions for developing countries, a great network with government institutions, and an amazing lifetime friendship with people that share the same goal as you. The Borlaug Summer Institute was an amazing 14 day journey that changed my life, and opened my mind to understand global problems." - Emely Lopez, MS Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
"Attending the Borlaug Summer Institute gave me the opportunity to consider how my relatively narrow graduate research fits in the context of global food security, and inspired me to pursue a career in global food policy and diplomacy. The opportunity to meet speakers from academia, NGOs, and government agencies working on global food security opened my eyes to the many avenues to pursue my interests. Plus, I feel lucky to be a part of the network of Borlaug student peers that continues to inspire me every day and will undoubtedly connect throughout our careers in global agriculture and food security." - Holly Mayton, PhD Chemical & Environmental Engineering, University of California-Riverside
"I was excited to join the Borlaug Summer Institute, but I couldn't have imagined how significant that experience would be for me. I was humbled by the brilliance of the participants and inspired by the organizers and professionals who shared their knowledge and experiences with us. We started as a group of grad students determined to succeed and we parted as a family supporting each other to change our world." - Nana Baah Pepra-Ameyaw, PhD Food Science, Michigan State University
"The Borlaug Summer Institute introduced me to aspects of food security that my field usually overlooks. I believe that my research will account for more of the complexity of attaining global food security as a result of what I learned there. Most importantly, Borlaug Summer Institute connected me to insightful and passionate people who are dedicated to pursuing food security through a wide variety of disciplines." - Marin Skidmore, MS Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
"The most valuable about summer institute is that it provides a systematic understanding of food security issues, and how multi-disciplinary approach is used to tackle challenges of food insecurity. The knowledge and skills acquired will be applied in my career and used in transforming of our communities." - Getrude Mphwanthe, PhD Human Nutrition, Michigan State University
"The institute altered my perspective of global food security. The expert presenters painted a complex picture of interrelated systems, while our group of future change agents rallied to accept the challenge and brainstorm solutions. Participation in the institute has resulted in me being asked to present guest lectures, initiating grant-funded projects to put ideas into action, and, most importantly, pursuing a career in global youth development." - Dustin Homan, MS Agricultural & Extension Education, The Ohio State University
"The Borlaug Summer Institute was a unique and wonderful experience to meet and work with scientists and scholars from around the world on framing and addressing global food security challenges. For me the greatest skills and perspective were gained from the group project, where I (a geographer) worked with a veterinarian, a systems engineer, an agronomist, a political scientist, and a nutrition scientist to design and present a project to ameliorate food insecurity in Ethiopia, the country assigned to our team. Working in interdisciplinary and international teams is key to tackling real world problems; this experience built my interdisciplinary and intercultural teamwork skills like no other. The people running the show are all incredibly professional and wonderful. Highly recommended!" - Fiona Gladstone, PhD Geography, University of Arizona
"By bringing scientists from all disciplines and from across the world, the Borlaug Summer Institute Program has further inspired me to believe that feeding hungry sustainably is possible." - Ramesh Balayar, PhD Sociology, Iowa State University
"Attending the Borlaug Summer Institute in 2016 was a spectacular experience for me, as it gave the opportunity to meet and interact with great minds in the field of global food security and the quest to end world hunger, which is a collective effort." - Marina Tandoh, PhD in Food and Nutrition, University of Georgia