Friedman School conference to examine global nutrition

     The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy will hold its third-annual graduate research conference, entitled "Future of Food and Nutrition," on March 28, highlighting research presentations by Friedman students and culminating in a panel discussion by experts in the field of global nutrition.
    The student-run event will focus on multidisciplinary approaches to food and nutrition issues. "The main goal is to inspire students to collaborate and to reach beyond their own specialties to see how food and nutrition come together holistically in other fields," said Julie MacCartee, one of the event coordinators and a Friedman School student studying agriculture, food and environment.
    Following the student presentations, a panel discussion on "New Approaches to Feeding the World" will feature Robert Paarlberg, Susan Roberts and Mark Winne, three prominent figures in the fields of agricultural policy and trade, nutrition and public health. "The panel will be looking at how science and policy can interact to decrease world hunger," MacCartee said.
    The conference will offer students a unique opportunity to present their findings in various nutrition- and food-related fields. It also will also allow them to meet others who are interested in similar fields, according to Sarah Trist, a student coordinator of the conference and a Friedman School student in the Food Policy and Applied Nutrition program.
    "It's a chance for students to present their research, learn about other research and network with each other," Trist said. "A lot of these students will be out in the field soon, and it wouldn't hurt to have some friendly faces out there."
    Trist made the decision to help coordinate the event after attending the conference last year as a prospective student.
    "The event is scheduled on the same weekend that prospective students are in town," Trist said. "This time last year, I was visiting the school and got the chance to meet with students and faculty members and see the research conference. I thought it was really interesting and important and wanted to help out."
    Student coordinators of the event selected this year's panelists. "Every year, we pull in an expert panel to end the day," Trist said. "We want to make sure that there is a diversity of voices heard in the debate about how the world is moving forward in feeding itself."
    Food economist Parke Wilde, an associate professor of the Food Policy and Applied Nutrition program at the Friedman School, will moderate the panel.
    According to Trist, the conference is primarily geared toward graduate students, although some undergraduates may find it interesting.
    Students can register online at http://studentconference.nutrition.tufts.edu.