Cultivating a New Vision for International Food Security in ACESClick here to register. PROGRAMWednesday, April 15, 2026 8:30 - 9 am:Coffee Reception and Undergraduate Global Food Security Interns Poster Session9-9:15 am:Welcome and Introduction to Symposium Germán Bollero, Dean - College of ACESMary Arends-Kuenning, Associate Dean of International Programs - College of ACES9:15-10:30 am:Funding for Global Food SecurityModerator: Alex Winter-Nelson, Professor Emeritus - Agricultural and Consumer EconomicsPete Goldsmith, Director - Soybean Innovation LabHope Michelson, Professor - Agricultural and Consumer EconomicsJuan Arbelaez, Assistant Professor - Crop Sciences10:35-11:45 am:Circular Bioeconomy: What impact in the Global South?Moderator: Jeremy Guest, Levenick Professor - Civil and Environmental EngineeringMaría Alejandra García Otero, Assistant Professor - Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesYuanhui Zhang, Founder Professor - Agricultural and Biological EngineeringGal Hochman, Professor - Agricultural and Consumer EconomicsFatou Jobe, PhD Student - Sociology11:45 am-1 pm:Lunch1-2:15 pm:Perennial Grains: Global AdvancesJuan Arbelaez, Assistant Professor - Crop SciencesAlexander Lipka, Associate Professor - Crop SciencesErik Sacks, Professor - Crop Sciences2:15-3:15 pm:Coffee Break3:15-3:45 pm:Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE)3:45-4:45 pm:Graduate Student Lightning Presentations4:45-5:30 pm:Reception Drinks and hors d'oeuvres Thursday, April 169-10:15 am:Sustaining Ethical and Equitable Collaborations with the Global South: An African PerspectiveModerator: Elsa Zawedde, Postdoctoral Associate - College of LawSalif Coulibaly, Fulbright Fellow, Associate Professor of Economics at ENSEACrispin Cholwe, PhD Student - Agricultural and Biological EngineeringJason Kandume, Visiting Research Specialist and PhD student - Agricultural and Biological Engineering10:15-10:30 am:Coffee Break10:30-11:45 am:Dietary Transition and Global Food SecurityMargarita Teran-Garcia, Assistant Dean for Integrated Health Disparities Programs - Nutritional SciencesDamir Torrico, Assistant Professor - Food Science and Human Nutrition Kelly Freeman-Bost, Professor - Human Development and Family Studies 1:45 am-1 pm:Lunch1-2:15 pm:School Feeding Programs for Global Food SecurityModerator: Mary Arends-Kuenning, Associate Dean of International Programs - College of ACESPaul McNamara, Professor; Director of AgReach and ADMI - Agricultural and Consumer EconomicMatt Stasiewicz, Associate Professor of Applied Food Safety - Food Science and Human NutritionGabriella Nicole Pinto, PhD Student - Food Science and Human Nutrition2:15-3 pm:Coffee Break/Ice Cream SocialWinners of Graduate Student Lightning Talks announced3-5 pm:From Insight to Action: A Shared Path Forward for International Food Security at IllinoisThis capstone workshop will guide participants through a collaborative process to articulate a shared mission, vision, core values, and explicit commitments for advancing global food security work at Illinois.
(For ACES-affiliated attendees.)