State High School Students Attend World Food Prize Nebraska Youth Institute

Sept. 26, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska high school students attended the World Food Prize Nebraska Youth Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sept. 19.

Food security – people's ability to not live in hunger or fear of starvation – is the focus of the World Food Prize Nebraska Youth Institute. This also is the focus of the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in Des Moines with which the Nebraska institute is affiliated. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources collaborates with the World Food Prize Foundation and the Malaika Foundation in hosting the institute.

Fourteen Nebraska high school students participated in the institute led by the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication in CASNR

Seven of those students advance to the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in Des Moines Oct. 16-18. These students will be among the 100 high school students to attend the institute, held in conjunction with the World Food Prize Symposium. The World Food Prize often is internationally regarded at the Nobel Prize for food and agriculture.

Students that attended this year's World Food Prize Nebraska Youth Institute and will advance to the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in Des Moines Oct. 16-18 include: Breanna Allen, Crofton High School; Moriah Heerten, Keya Paha County Schools; Sydney Johnson, Pius X High School; James Moseman, Oakland-Craig High School; Kate Osbon, Rock County High School; Mikayla Petersen, Lyons-Decatur Northeast School; Holly Podliska, Humphrey St. Francis.

More than 250 high school students from across the U.S. and around the world are chosen to attend the global institute.

Other Nebraska high school students that attended this year's World Food Prize Nebraska Youth Institute were: Baileigh Borer, Humphrey Public; Kyla Dendinger, Crofton High School; Jasmine Hanson, Fremont High School; Victoria Maslonka, Lyons-Decatur Northeast School; Morgan Olsen, Lyons-Decatur Northeast School; Katie Petersen, Crofton High School; Chelsea Wortmann, Crofton High School.

Last spring, participating students prepared essays on one of 20 topics and on one of nearly 200 countries. This year is the Borlaug Centennial year in honor of what would have been Norman Borlaug's 100th birthday.

Working with their teachers, students picked one developing country and a key factor affecting that country's food security, and then prepared an essay that detailed research findings and their own recommendations for increasing food security in the country they chose to study. Student presentations on their findings were the morning highlights of the Sept. 19 event.

Students heard from keynote speaker Walt Schacht, professor, agronomy and horticulture, who spoke on "Agriculture Production from African Rangelands." Gary Sullivan, assistant professor, animal science, and Don Lee, professor, agronomy and horticulture, lead hands on science lessons in animal science and plant science, respectively.

Students earned a $500 scholarship to CASNR for participating in the Nebraska event.