CULTURED 1.0: LEADING HIGHER EDUCATION INITIATIVES IN EMERGING INNOVATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION

CULTURED is an educational program to train, build, and diversify a workforce to advance future food manufacturing industries that depend on transdisciplinary training in food and agricultural sciences. CULTURED will address a specific need - engaging our current students in creative and non-traditional ways to prepare them for the opportunities and challenges in a future food system. The long-term goal of this HEC grant is to design and develop an education model for introduction of a new subject requiring transdisciplinary research and training in food and agricultural sciences. Our long-term vision is to integrate CULTURED into the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences (CoAS) Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES).The specific objectives of CULTURED 1.0 are to: (1) highlight key strengths, opportunities, and challenges associated with educational and training programs in emerging innovations for sustainable food production, (2) provide a platform for discussion to address opportunities and challenges and build upon strengths, and (3) develop a collaborative network within and beyond Penn State that will facilitate dialogue on emerging innovations for sustainable food production. To achieve these objectives in two-years, we will conduct a series of monthly virtual seminars featuring diverse speakers from the three core areas of scalability, sustainability, and socioeconomics.