The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska (DWFI) is hosting a public forum highlighting research to improve global water and food security from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the Great Plains Room at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Nebraska East Union (1705 Arbor Drive.).
The fourth annual Water for Food Research Forum is free and open to faculty, staff, students, local agencies and policymakers, as well as the general public. Support for this year’s event is provided by Monsanto Co.
Registration is requested by April 19: https://conta.cc/2H7Eh4l
More than two dozen Nebraska students and their faculty advisers will provide short presentations highlighting research projects funded in part by the institute’s Student Support Program, which awards one-year grants to DWFI’s interdisciplinary Faculty Fellows to help enrich student education and foster future leaders in the effort to sustainably feed the world’s growing population. The forum topics align with DWFI’s five research and policy focus areas:
- Closing water and agricultural productivity gaps
- Improving groundwater management for agricultural production
- Enhancing high productivity irrigated agriculture
- Supporting freshwater and agriculture ecosystems and public health
- Managing agricultural drought
Dion McBay, Global Sustainable Development Lead, Monsanto Co., will provide a keynote presentation, along with remarks from DWFI Executive Director Peter G. McCornick and Director of Research Christopher Neale. Several Nebraska faculty members will help moderate and frame the discussion, including:
- Craig Allen, DWFI Faculty Fellow; U.S. Geological Survey - Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, UNL
- Patricio Grassini, DWFI Faculty Fellow; Agronomy & Horticulture, UNL
- Yulie Meneses, DWFI Water for Food Processing Specialist; Food Innovation Center, UNL
- Karina Schoengold, DWFI Faculty Fellow; Agricultural Economics, UNL
- Mark Svoboda, DWFI Faculty Fellow; National Drought Mitigation Center, UNL
The event includes poster presentations and a luncheon featuring a presentation on the visually engaging Platte River Timelapse project.
Following the forum, participants are invited to attend a reception from 4:45-6:30 p.m. at Nebraska Innovation Campus (2021 Transformation Drive) in the 2nd floor Link. Light food and beverages will be available.
The full agenda is available on the website, http://waterforfood.nebraska.edu.
Roundtrip transportation between Nebraska Innovation Campus and the Nebraska East Union will be available on a limited basis for participants who wish to leave their vehicle in the NIC north parking lot. The NIC loading zone is located in front of the Innovations Commons building, facing the north parking lot. The East Campus loading zone is located near the main entrance to the Nebraska East Union. The first morning shuttle will begin boarding at 8 a.m. and will depart at 8:15 a.m. The second morning shuttle will begin boarding at 8:30 a.m. and will depart at 8:45 a.m. For return transportation to NIC, the afternoon shuttle will begin boarding at 4:30 p.m. and will depart at 4:45 p.m.
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The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (waterforfood.nebraska.edu) at the University of Nebraska was founded in 2010 to address the global challenge of achieving food security with less stress on water resources through improved water management in agricultural and food systems. We are committed to ensuring a water and food secure world while maintaining the use of water for other human and environmental needs. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Water for Food Blog.
DWFI is one of four interdisciplinary, university-wide institutes that leverage talent and research-based expertise from across the University of Nebraska system to focus on complex state, national and global challenges.
More details at: https://go.unl.edu/76df