Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** students enrolled in the growing…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** students enrolled in the growing number of university food system and food innovation programs are not often presented with intensive research opportunities that facilitate in-depth exploration of the complex challenges surrounding the global food system. This is problematic because undergraduate research experiences (ures) are known to foster retention, graduation, and persistence in stem fields among stem students, and because multidisciplinary research experience will be crucial for preparing the next generation of food system professionals. This project will establish a unique partnership between a land-grant university and a world leader in culinary education, to launch an innovative faculty research fellowship program that will support multidisciplinary teams in addressing pressing food system problems. Research teams will also develop food system curriculum modules for secondary audiences to stimulate new interest in this increasingly important field. The project objectives are to: 1) award at least eight faculty research fellowships; 2) provide experiential, problem-based learning research experiences to 40 undergraduate students through diverse student research teams comprising at least 30% underrepresented minorities; 3) train at least eight faculty on implementing and coordinating multidisciplinary, problem-based research teams; 4) produce 40 food system curriculum modules designed for secondary audiences; and 5) increase enrollment in food systems programs at JWU and URI by 25% over five years. This project will address multiple HEC goals in that IT will attract and support undergraduate students in relevant food system majors, facilitate a new cooperative initiative between two institutions, and strengthen institutional capacity and quality of instruction at both institutions.