By Katrina Hageman
On Nov. 6, Iowa State University students from all backgrounds filled the Memorial Union, eager to kick off the 2024 Food Insecurity Challenge hosted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Ivy College of Business and the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, under the leadership of Judi Eyles. The event teaches students about food insecurity and challenges them to come up with innovative solutions.
The night began with a welcome from Dan Robison, endowed dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who inspired participants as they started their challenge experience.
Following this was the hunger banquet, a powerful activity that shed light on global inequality issues using portions and perspectives. Participants were split into three categories: low-income, middle-income and high-income. Each category received a meal that correlated with their assigned income level - from a bowl of rice to a full-course meal.
“Through this experience, students can better understand and feel the connection between poverty, inequality and one’s ability to access food that is both nutritious and of sufficient quality for their families," said Carmen Bain, CALS associate dean for academic innovation.
Alongside the hunger banquet, keynote speaker Sandy Andrews, assistant teaching professor of food science and human nutrition, presented on food quality, food waste and food loss.
“Food insecurity is much like an uneven road,” Andrews said. “In some parts of society, the path to food is smooth; access to nutritious food is abundant and taken for granted. In others, the path is filled with obstacles: limited options, food deserts, financial constraints, making it a daily struggle to obtain a healthy meal.”
Andrews answered numerous questions from students eager to gain extra knowledge for their innovative projects, and she left participants with a word of advice: “While taking on this challenge, consider not only how to provide more food but how to provide better food. Your ideas could bridge the gap between quantity and quality, ensuring access to truly nourishing meals.”
Following the banquet and speaker, students assembled into teams to exchange ideas and explore food insecurity innovations in preparation for the Nov. 19 finale event.
Preparing presentations
On Nov. 11-13, teams had the opportunity to attend a 30-minute mentoring session with industry professionals and experienced Iowa State staff to improve their presentations and solutions.
Alaina Gebel, sophomore in agricultural and life sciences education, took advantage of one of those mentoring sessions.
“Our mentor was one of my teaching instructors in the agricultural education and studies department, and her insight was greatly appreciated because our solution focused on education,” Gebel said. “Our mentor supported our project ideas and helped us compile thoughts into a successful presentation.”
On Nov. 19, 21 teams pitched their ideas to judges and were scored on their solution, presentation and question responses. In each four-minute presentation, students included a problem, solution, market demographic, timeline, and needed resources.
The grand prize of $5,000 went to Antonio Reyes Munoz, senior in agricultural studies and international agriculture, Miguel Bojoquez, senior in finance, and Andrew Holtz, senior in finance, for their idea of “Cy’s Lockers.”
“This event did an amazing job of bringing together the bright minds of Iowa State and seeing how students could address the same problem with many different solutions,” Reyes Munoz said.
Second place and $2,500 were awarded to Pila Thabang, senior in software engineering, Japneet Singh, freshman in business analytics, Liam Willcox, sophomore in business analytics, and Tadiwa Mbuwayesango, senior in finance, for their idea “Kindcart.”
The third-place team included Mallorie Mogler, senior in finance, Ellyse Shippee, junior in economics, Daniella Thuerauf, senior in global resource systems, and Grace Watkins-Schoenig, sophomore in global resource systems, for their idea “College Kitchens.” They were awarded $1,500.
“The Food Insecurity Challenge showed me how large of a problem food insecurity is right here on our campus, specifically with college students not able to afford healthy meals or having knowledge on cooking affordable and healthy meals,” Thuerauf said. “I recommend any student who is interested in solving problems with teammates to participate in this challenge.”
Alongside the three top teams, the second-place teams in each judging room were awarded $500. The Food Insecurity Challenge distributed a total of $10,500.
