ACES Global Food Security Interns Program

Through the Global Food Security Interns program, the Office of International Programs in the College of ACES funds internships for selected ACES undergraduate students to work with ACES faculty and staff on food and nutritional security-related projects.   

Read a previous student's experience here.

We are currently accepting nominations - see below. The deadline for applications is Friday, September 13, 2024. 

 

Call for Proposals: Undergraduate Global Food Security Interns - Fall 2024

 

The College of ACES Office of International Programs seeks to support talented and motivated ACES undergraduate students to pursue work related to food and nutritional security in low- and middle-income countries through the Global Food Security Interns program. *ACES Office of International Programs will attempt to provide matching services to interested undergraduate students and faculty members who need assistance in being paired for the project.*

Program Description:

ACES students who are selected as Global Food Security Interns will receive:

  • Salary support for an approved on-campus internship for 8 to 15 weeks during Fall Semester, 2024. The selected student’s internship supervisor will receive funding to pay the Scholar up to $14/hour for up to 10 hours per week for a period of 8 to 15 weeks.  The internship must provide the student with experience in a program addressing food and nutrition insecurity.
  • Up to $1500 to support the costs of participating in an international travel experience of at least two weeks that is associated with the fall semester internship. (International travel component is optional.)
  • Special events and cohort opportunities to engage in the topic of global food security more broadly and as an interdisciplinary cohort. Some of these opportunities will be paid as part of the internship experience.
  • Salary support for the internship during the summer of 2025 for up to 8 weeks at $14/hour for up to 20 hours/week. The international experience (if applicable) of 2 or more weeks is to be part of the internship.
  • Selected Scholars will be required to submit a final report or blog post (with image) at the close of the program and may be asked to submit a poster that will be displayed at an event.

Eligibility:

Global Food Security Interns must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors enrolled in an undergraduate program in the College of ACES and must plan to graduate no earlier than May 2025.

Application Instructions for Students: Submit the below-listed application documents to: ACES-OIP@illinois.edu.  Please enter the following in the subject line: Undergraduate GFSS_STUDENT NAME.  (eg. Undergraduate GFSS_John Doe).

  1. Academic transcript. Unofficial is accepted.
  2. 1 page statement of purpose explaining your interest in global food security, your professional or academic goals, and initial plans for program activities (if known).
  3. If you have found an internship supervisor independently, please include a letter/email from the internship supervisor that describes the planned internship and optional travel experiences.
  4. If you would like to be “matched” with a faculty member, please submit the transcript and statement of interest as soon as possible prior to the September 13th deadline and indicate that you would like to be matched. An interview process with potential internship supervisors will follow.

Deadline: Friday, September 13, 2024, at 5 p.m.  Applications will be considered on a rolling basis up to this deadline.

 

Previous Awardees

 

2024 - Spring

  • Quentin Herzig - a senior in crop sciences, supervised by Matthew Brooks, is working on manipulating photosynthesis transcription factors to better understand photosynthesis types and drought resistance.

 

2023 - Fall

  • Olivia O’Leary - a senior in agricultural and consumer economics, supervised by Michelle da Fonseca Santos in the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), working with the SIL Human Nutrition Team
  • Julie Hwang - a senior in food science and human nutrition, supervised by Matthew Stasiewicz, is working on mycotoxin detection methods for corn
  • Brighid Zelko - a senior in crop sciences, supervised by Stephen Long, studying the phenotypic factors of tropical sorghums for increased efficiency
  • Kierstin Benson - a junior in agricultural and consumer economics, supervised by Michelle da Fonseca Santos, is working with SIL’s Pan-African Trials commercialization team

 

2023 - Spring

  • Emma Prybylski - junior in animal sciences, will work with Dr. Phil Cardoso to evaluate dairy farming practices and assist with the International Food Security at Illinois Symposium. 

  • Brendon Carter - junior in agricultural and consumer economics, will work with Dr. Hope Michelson to research and build a database on maize policy changes in African countries (continued award)

2022

  • Brendon Carter, sophomore in agricultural and consumer economics, will work with Dr. Hope Michelson to research and build a database on maize policy changes in African countries
  • Riley Anderson-Bush, sophomore in animal sciences, will work with Dr. Matt Wheeler on the Tropical-Adapted Livestock Project, which involves cross-breeding bovines to create a new breed that would be able to survive in tropical conditions.   
  • Bradley Brinkley - continuation from Fall 2021
  • Devan Fischer - continuation from Fall 2021

2021 - Fall

  • Bradley Brinkley, a junior in agricultural and consumer economics, worked with the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss to research innovations and practices that reduce postharvest losses and develop a portfolio of educational content.
  • Devan Fischer, a senior in agricultural and consumer economics, worked with the Soybean Innovation Lab to support the Pan-African Soybean Variety Trials program.

2021 - Spring

  • Grace Chantos, agricultural and consumer economics, worked with Anna Snider/AgReach on the resilience of smallholder farmers in the face of COVID-19
  • Zainab Alzoubi, food sciences and human nutrition, worked with Melissa Prescott, investigating programs that address food insecurity in Pakistan. Read blog post.
  • Madison Gardner, interdisciplinary health, worked with the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss, advised by Maria Jones Read blog post. 
  • Three ACES undergraduates worked with the Soybean Innovation Lab, advised by Michelle da Fonseca Santos:
  • Makenzie Jarvis, agricultural and biological engineering Read blog post. 
  • Ian Joyce, agricultural and consumer economics Read blog post.
  • Zoe Serelis, natural resources and environmental sciences Read blog post

2020

  • Anneli Cers (sophomore in natural resources and environmental sciences) worked with Daniel Miller to study the role of women in ensuring food security in communities that depend on forests for food in India.
  • Fina Healy and Katie Koprowski (both sophomores in agricultural and biological engineering) worked with Paul Davidson on research on inhibiting bacterial growth in water.
  • Allison Place (sophomore in agricultural and biological engineering) and Rachel Pu (sophomore in crop sciences) worked with Pete Goldsmith/Soybean Innovation Lab on an aspect of soybean for development and food security. 

2019

Three ACES undergraduate students worked with the ACES-based and USAID-funded Strengthening Agriculture and Nutrition Extension activity to deliver a video-extension campaign to smallholder farmers in Malawi:

  • Christina Fernandez, senior in natural resources and environmental sciences
  • Kristen Iverson, senior in agricultural leadership and education 
  • Anoosha Memon, senior in agricultural and consumer economics  

Undergraduate Funding Opportunities