Ames, Iowa
April 20, 2006
Two Iowa State University
students have organized a national conference to encourage
involvement in an international organization for students in
agriculture and related sciences.
College students from Idaho, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and
Minnesota are expected to arrive in Ames on Friday, April
21, for the second annual IAAS-USA National Conference. IAAS
stands for
International Association for students in Agriculture and
the related Sciences. It'll be held during ISU's
Veishea celebration, April 21-23.
Luke Gran and Rachael Cox organized the conference.
"We hope to bring more attention about IAAS to universities
around the country," said Gran, a senior in forestry from
Newton. "The IAAS has been around since 1957, but the United
States only just got involved during the past two years."
"Our goal is
to grow interest and discuss the future of the organization
nationally," said Cox, a sophomore in agronomy from Ames.
"Conferences like this are one step in that direction."
IAAS is one of
the world's largest student-run organizations, involving
university students in more than 40 countries who are
studying agriculture, environmental sciences, forestry, food
sciences, landscape architecture and related subjects. The
association promotes the exchange of knowledge, information
and ideas among students and aims to improve mutual
understanding among countries and cultures.
Gran currently serves as the U.S. exchange coordinator for
IAAS, working to match students from other countries with
Iowa farmers.
Several ISU faculty members will speak to conference
participants on Saturday. Ricardo Salvador, an associate
professor of agronomy who currently serves as program
director for food systems and rural development with the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will speak on sustainable
agriculture systems. Mike Duffy, professor of economics,
will speak on international economic, trade and subsidy
issues. Lee Burras, associate professor of agronomy and
adviser with the environmental sciences major, will speak on
soils research and agricultural issues in Africa. Lisa
Schulte, assistant professor of natural resource ecology and
management, will speak on landscape ecology.
"The students who'll be here are very globally aware," Gran
said. "The presentations will give them some new information
to chew on and stimulate discussion. We want to give our
visitors a snapshot of what's happening globally from some
great professors and hear their thoughts on the future."
The visitors also will take in Veishea activities and go on
a prairie walk led by Tom Isenhart, associate professor in
natural resource ecology and management, at Doolittle
Prairie north of Ames.
Gran, who
attended the first IAAS-USA conference at the University of
Illinois last year, said the association stimulates students
to learn more about global perspectives outside the
classroom.
"It's all about fostering dialogue and exchanges. IAAS
offers students a chance to learn from other students around
the world," he said.
The most important benefit, Cox said, is involvement in
creating a global community of students with similar
interests in agriculture and related fields. "You can make
some amazing connections practically anywhere you want to
go. IAAS offers opportunities for exchanges where you could
work with local farmers or research institutions. I may go
to Togo in western Africa next year and work with a
subsistence farmer."
With support from the College of Agriculture, both Gran and
Cox will travel to Malaysia in July to represent Iowa State
at the IAAS World Congress, billed as the world's largest
gathering of students in agriculture and related fields.
Both
Gran and Cox are no strangers to learning about agriculture
in other countries.
Since his freshman year at ISU, Gran has studied in Belize,
Australia and India. This summer he will help lead an ISU
study-abroad program in India. Cox spent last summer as a
World Food Prize intern working at a research center in
Nairobi, Kenya. This summer she'll participate in a service
learning project in Uganda, developing a garden for a
primary school as part of ISU's Center for Sustainable Rural
Livelihoods.
Both students are student travel consultants in the College
of Agriculture's Study Abroad Office, providing advice and
sharing their experiences with other students. Cox is the
current president of the International Agriculture Club.
After
graduation, they hope to continue their involvement in
global affairs. Cox is planning to get her Ph.D. and conduct
research in sustainable agriculture in the United States or
sub-Saharan Africa. Gran wants to go to graduate school and
provide expertise for international development activities.
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