MMM helps hungry students on campus; seeks packing aid INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — One in five college students surveyed in 2015 experienced low levels of food insecurity. Hunger affects every part of a student's life. Eighty-one percent of students who experienced food insecurity said it caused them to not perform as well academically. The Million Meal Movement (MMM) is helping by showing up on campuses across Indiana. In 2019 alone it has hosted meal packing events at Indiana State, Purdue, Butler, and Ball State. Last year's partners included IUPUI, Indiana University, and University of Indianapolis. Many of these institutions have food pantries on campus that directly benefit students. Thanks to a grant provided by the Samerian Foundation, the MMM pleased to be able to offer scholarships to youth who would like to participate in its monthly Community Packs. These scholarships will cover the registration fee for youth who are eager to make a difference in their community through volunteerism. If you know an individual or a youth organization that would be interested in applying, email Allison@millionmealmovement.org for an application. UT associate dean appointed to Presidential Advisory Council WASHINGTON, D.C. — David White, associate dean for University of Tennessee AgResearch and a professor of food science in the UT Institute of Agriculture, has been appointed as one of four new voting members to the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB). Originally established in September 2014 by executive order, PACCARB’s mission is to provide advice, information and recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services related to federal programs and policies intended to prevent and control illness and death related to antibiotic-resistant infections. The council also consults with the secretaries of Defense and Agriculture. “There is an urgent need for implementation of global strategies to stem the rise of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, and I am looking forward to participating in the PACCARB to ensure these approaches are collaborative and coordinated among industry, academia, the federal government and the many stakeholders who have a vested interest in preserving the effectiveness of these therapeutics,” White said. He holds a Ph.D. in veterinary science from Pennsylvania State University as well as M.S. and B.S. degrees in animal sciences from the universities of Kentucky and Vermont, respectively. He is currently serving as an associate dean for UT AgResearch and associate director of the ten UT AgResearch and Education centers. White has been appointed to serve a four-year term. Information about additional voting members of the council is available at hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/paccarb/index.html Students pursuing beef careers earn NCF, CME scholarships NEW ORLEANS, La. — Ten $1,500 scholarships for the next school year have been awarded by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation to outstanding students pursuing careers in the beef industry. The scholarships are sponsored by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME). Also receiving a trip to the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans as the overall winner of the scholarship was Olivia Willrett of Illinois, a student at Colorado State University. Willrett wrote an essay for her scholarship entry titled Tracing Beef from Farm to Fork. Other area students, each earning $1,500 CME scholarships from NCF, included Lauren Mosher of Iowa State University, Shelby Souva of Lansing Community College, and Nolan Newman of The Ohio State University. Hodges elected to global forestry leadership board (mug in 6508) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Donald Hodges, James R. Cox Professor of forest economics and management with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has been elected to a five-year term to the Board of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the world’s largest forestry research organization. His term will begin at the organizations’ World Congress, scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 5 in Curitiba, Brazil. IUFRO was established in 1892 in Germany and has grown into an international organization of some 15,000 scientists from more than 110 countries. Hodges will also serve as coordinator of IUFRO Division 4, which specializes in resource inventory and informatics, forest management planning, and economics, and monitoring technology. With representatives around the globe, Division 4 further supports collaborative research efforts and maintains communication between working groups and the IURFO board. Hodges, who earned his B.S. in forestry from UT and M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, has served as a faculty member in the UT Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries since 1999. He was named a Fulbright Teaching and Research Scholar to Slovenia in 2011 and continues to work with scientists from the University of Ljubljana and the Slovenian Forestry Institute. Purdue bringing innovators to Indiana for agBOT Challenge WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is partnering with Gerrish Farms to host the agBOT Challenge 2019 on May 16-18. The event includes the NextGen Expo, an interactive STEM event, and the agBot competition – an international showcase and competition of agtech unmanned machine innovations. The events combine educational and competitive opportunities aimed at farmers, entrepreneurs, students, and agtech innovators. The event will be at the Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE), 4540 U.S. Highway 52 West in West Lafayette. The agBot challenge, part of Purdue’s 150th celebration Ideas Festival, poses the question: “What IF High-Speed Broadband Reached Everyone?” The Challenge was founded in 2015 by Steve Gerrish, owner of Gerrish Farms in Rockville and his daughter Rachel Gerrish, as part of an effort to bring awareness to the need for high-speed broadband in rural areas. Over the event’s three-year history, teams from across the U.S. and Canada have participated in the challenge at Gerrish Farms. The event showcased a variety of technologies, including those capable of automated seeding, weed identification and eradication, fertilizer application, and watermelon harvesting. On May 16, ACRE will open its grounds to the public. Event attendance is free with pre-registration at https://ag.purdue.edu/agBOT |
