"The Omnivores' Trifecta": Bawden Seminar Announcement

“The Omnivores’ Trifecta”:

Agriculture, Food and Health

and the Systemic Relationships between them

 

Dr. Richard Bawden

Systemic Development Institute, Australia

 

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

 

Reception @ 5:00 pm

Seminar from 5:30 – 6:45 pm

 

338 Natural Resources Building

 

 

RSVP, Jennifer Patterson at patter34@anr.msu.edu by Tuesday noon.

 

More than a dozen years have slipped by since Ernest Boyer called for the academy to become ‘a more vigorous partner in the search for answers to our most pressing social, civic, economic and moral problems.’ A major reason for the enduring reluctance of universities to heed that call lies with the inherent messiness, complexity, uncertainty and inter-connectedness of the ‘pressing problems’ of the day. The academic tradition is to reduce issues down to their component parts in ways that reflect disciplinary focuses that ignore systemic investigations into crucial inter-connections between those parts. There are few better examples here than the messy complexity and multi-dimensionality of the inter-relationships between agriculture, food and human health: ‘The Omnivores’ Trifecta.’ There are many issues here that demand urgent and critical attention in all of their systemic messiness. So what to do?

 

Dr. Richard Bawden is a Founding Director and Fellow of the Systemic Development Institute in Australia. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Western Sydney and currently an adjunct professor at Michigan State University. Between 2000 and 2007 he was a Visiting Distinguished University Professor at Michigan State University. Prior to that appointment he spent 20 years at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, which was incorporated into the University of Western Sydney (UWS) in 1989. From 1978 to 1993 he was Dean of Agriculture and Rural Development and was appointed Professor of Systemic Development in 1989 at the establishment of UWS.

 

This “conversation about our food future” is co-sponsored by

 

Sustainable Michigan Endowed Project

W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Food, Agriculture and Community Ethics

Collage of Agriculture & Natural Resources

 

Food Systems and Public Health

In December 2009, the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition released a
special issue, "Food Systems and Public Health: Linkages to Achieve Healthier
Diets and Healthier Communities." The publication presents papers from the
April 2009 conference of the same name, and includes policy-relevant research
and actionable recommendations. The objectives of the conference were to
convene a multidisciplinary team of experts interested in food systems and
public health, identify research opportunities and foster interdisciplinary
research collaborations. More than 100 leading researchers and practitioners
nationwide from the health, nutrition, obesity and health policy arenas-along
with those from the sustainable agriculture, economics and agriculture policy
sectors-participated in the discussion.

The issue was co-edited by Mary Story, PhD, RD, director of Healthy Eating
Research; Michael Hamm, PhD, Michigan State University; and David Wallinga, MD,
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

The 289-page publication is available free online here.

Learning the Lingo: MSU Workshop Series for Academic Writing

Take part in The Michigan State University Writing Center's workshop series! The fall line-up includes:

MSU, the Writing Center, and You: An Introduction to Using the Writing Center (9/24) -Do you want to know more about the Writing Center before you decide to make an appointment? This session will tell you all you need to know about being a Writing Center client and how to be most successful in your sessions.

Grappling with the GRE: Preparing for the Writing Component of the GRE (10/8) - The GRE is stressful, but if you want to get into graduate school, you usually have to take it. This workshop will help you prepare for the written portion of the GRE by showing you what to expect and some strategies on how to excel (or at least survive).

Plan, Research, Write, Repeat: A Workshop on Writing Processes (11/5) - Knowledge of yourself as a writer is essential to successful academic writing. In this interactive workshop, contemplate and share your own writing processes and receive new ideas for ways to approach writing.
The Joys of Citation: An MLA/APA Workshop (11/12) - Learning how to use a citation style can be very confusing.The manuals can be difficult to read and websites can be hard to navigate. This session will help you learn how to decipher these citation styles.

All workshops are scheduled to take place on Thursdays from 4:00-6:00PM in The Writing Center, 300 Bessey Hall. To sign up for one or all of our workshops or if you have questions, please email Elena Adkins at adkinse1@msu.edu. To register for a workshop, please include the subject line "Workshop Series" and include your name as well as the name of the workshop in your message.

More information here: http://bit.ly/7rp1Q1

Seminar: Why Food Laws Matter (Jan. 19)

Professor Neal Fortin will be presenting a seminar, "Why Food Laws Matter," in room 206 Trout FSHN building, Michigan State University, Tuesday, January 19 at 12:40-1:30 PM.

IFT and FDA New Report on Food Product Tracing

A report summarizing the findings of a mock trace-back/trace forward exercise commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition was released by IFT. “The mock trace-back/trace forward exercise was able to show there is potential to expedite trace-backs by visualizing supply chains to find points of commonality based on data availability, capture, and readiness.  The exercise also showed the value of collaboration to reach a shared goal and the need for standardization of data elements and interoperability necessary for trace-back/trace forward investigations.” The report and additional materials are accessible at www.ift.org/traceability.

 

Human health and climate change (1/14/2010)

On January 14, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station is sponsoring a seminar by Dr. Howard Frumkin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, titled “Human health and climate change.” The talk is on Thursday, January 14, 2010, from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. at the Union Building, Michigan State University.  A networking reception will follow the talk.

Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, is Director of the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is an internist, environmental and occupational medicine specialist, and epidemiologist. Dr. Frumkin's interests include: building healthy communities, the health consequences of global climate change, and the mitigation of health disparities.

Please register for this talk at http://www.espp.msu.edu/reg/speakers.php or e-mail RSVPESPP@msu.edu.

Research-Based Effectiveness in Online Education (12/16)

Dr. Catherine Cavanaugh, College of Education, University of Florida, will present the seminar, “Research-Based Effectiveness in Online Education: Meta-Analyses and Implications for Practice,” on Wednesday, December 16^th, 10:00-11:30 am, in 133F Erickson Hall, Michigan State University.

Dr. Cavanaugh has been a national leader in research on online learning and has published influential meta-analyses on the determinants of quality in online education in K-12 and higher education. In this presentation she will discuss what her research has revealed about predictors of quality outcomes and discuss designs for research on quality in online learning. More information about her research and teaching is available at her website:

http://education.ufl.edu/faculty/cathycavanaugh/  and http://education.ufl.edu/faculty/cathycavanaugh/research.htm

Larry Busch presents: Standard & Society: Recipe for Reality (12/11)

Reminder…   Tomorrow, December 11, is Dr. Lawrence Busch’s, ‘Standards & Society: Recipe for Reality’ workshop at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in Conference Room 102. The morning will begin at 8:30 with coffee & tea then at 9:00, Dr. Busch will present an overview of his recent work on standards, along with an opportunity for discussion & a more in-depth engagement with a number of IFAS researchers.

Meeting the Demand for Biofuels: Implications for Land Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Seminar Dec. 3

The Michigan State University Department of Agricultural, Food, And Resource Economics is sponsoring a seminar by Madhu Khanna, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, "Meeting the Demand for Biofuels: Implications for Land Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions".

When:  Thursday, December 3, 2009, 3:30-5:00 pm.

Where:  Room 75 Agriculture Hall

Speaker:  Madhu Khanna, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

A presentation abstract can be found at:  http://aec.msu.edu/seminars/seminar_list09_10.htm

M. Khanna's CV can be found at:  http://www.ace.illinois.edu/viewfaculty.aspx?netid=khanna1

Talking to F. Xavier Medina
(Click here for interview in Spanish)

Academic and program director of the Food Systems, Culture and Society program, International Institute of Graduate Studies of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).
Click here for English translation

Lawrence Busch, "Standards and Society: Recipes for Reality"

The Institute for Food & Agricultural Standards (IFAS) at Michigan State University presents Dr. Lawrence Busch giving a seminar titled, “Standards & Society: Recipes for Reality.”  This event will be held Friday morning, December 11 from 9:00-12:00 in the Kellogg Center, Room 102.  Coffee at 8:30.  Dr. Lawrence Busch is the Professor of Standards and Society, Lancaster University, United Kingdom, and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University.

What do apples, laptops, climate change, banking, surgeons, universities, automobiles, information technologies, and health care have in common?  They all involve the design, implementation, and enforcement of standards.  At first glance these standards appear to be technical details that, while essential, are of concern only to specialists.  But standards are also a form of power – the power to set the rules we must follow, or options among which we must choose.  Until a century ago, most standards were used to standardize, to make things the same.  Today, partly in response to the shift to neoliberal, market-based governance, standards are used strategically by nations, companies, and private voluntary organizations.  They are used in conflicting ways to differentiate among products, processes, and people. 

This workshop will provide an overview of Dr. Lawrence Busch’s recent work on standards, along with opportunities for discussion and more in-depth engagement with a number of IFAS researchers. Larry’s forthcoming book “shows us how standards are recipes for reality that may lead us down another road to serfdom or enhance democracy and social justice.”  The workshop will begin with a presentation from Dr. Busch, summarizing some key elements of the book. After the break, short reaction presentations on the manuscript’s development of links to ethics and to social justice will kick off an additional hour of discussion and exploration of key themes. 

Dr. Busch has promised that he will not sing.

Funds for this workshop have been provided by the W. K. Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics at Michigan State University. There is no fee for attendance, but space is limited. Please RSVP to Mrs. Amy Rusnell, Institute for Food and Agricultural Standards, MSU: rusnell@msu.edu

Inside the FDA: Q&A With David Acheson

Conversations with Dr. David Acheson, former Associate Commissioner of Foods at the FDA by Helena Bottemiller (Nov 23-24, 2009).

PART I: On agency turf battles, the shift between the Bush and Obama administrations, and the politics of regulating the food supply.

PART II: On the pending food safety legislation, the impact on small farmers, and the agency's capacity to inspect the food supply.

 

Sustainability, Discounting and Cooperation: The Need for New Institutions

Simon A. Levin will present the Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 3:30 pm. The seminar is titled, "Sustainability, Discounting and Cooperation: The Need for New Institutions," and is located in the Michigan State University, Packaging School Building, PAC 100 (Auditorium). Reception follows.

Dr. Levin is an ecologist and environmental scientist. He is the George M. Moffett Professor of Biology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. Dr. Levin has received numerous highly prestigious honors and awards, such as membership of the National Academy of Sciences, Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, Dr A. H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences, first Okubo Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences. He is also receiving an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from Michigan State University on December 11th.

The Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Series is organized by the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (www.csis.msu.edu), Department of Fisheries and Wildlife with support from the National Science Foundation; Office of the President; Office of the Provost; Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies; Graduate School; Environ-mental Science and Policy Program; College of Agricultural and Natural Resources; Michigan Agricultural Experimental Station; Center for Water Sciences; Sustainable Michigan Endowed Project; Science, Technology, Environment, and Public Policy Specialization; and Elton R. Smith Endowment.

Trade and the Environment

John Hoehn will present the seminar at the Agricultural, Food, & Resource Economics (AFRE) Brown Bag at Michigan State University, Tuesday, December 1st, Noon - 1:00pm, 75 Agriculture Hall.  The seminar is titled, “Trade and the Environment.”

Google legal research is free!

Google launched a free online case law search system available through Google Scholar (select scholar as search option, then legal cases). Of course, it's not LEXIS or Westlaw, but it is surprisingly comprehensive and robust. Every citation is hyperlinked to the full text of the opinion cited. It looks like a great tool for preliminary research. One announcement is here.

Food Safety, Security and Sources

A Consumer Issues Conference was held September 24 & 25, 2009, titled, “Food Safety, Security and Sources: A Recipe for Tough Times” at the

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming. Audio recordings from Conference sessions are available here and on the University of Wyoming’s iTunes U section (reached by going here > public access > Cooperative Extension Service).

Are Cows Comfortable Being Milked by Robots?

Jackie Jacobs will present a seminar titled "Automatic Milking Systems Could be the Future of Milking for North American Dairy Farms:  But are Cows Comfortable Being Milked by Robots?" in 1310 Anthony Hall, Michigan State University, at 12:40 pm on Thursday, November 19. Come early (12:30) as snacks will be provided.  All are welcome.

Ensuring Global Food Safety

Ensuring Global Food Safety: Exploring Global Harmonization, edited by Christine E. Boisrobert et al., is now published. Professor Fortin, Director of the Institute for Food Laws & Regulations (IFLR), wrote a chapter in the book. You can find out more here.

Using Loopholes to Reveal the Marginal Cost of Regulation

Soren Anderson will present the seminar at the Agricultural, Food, & Resource Economics (AFRE) Brown Bag at Michigan State University, Tuesday, November 17th, Noon - 1:00pm, 75 Agriculture Hall.  The seminar is titled, “Using Loopholes to Reveal the Marginal Cost of Regulation: The Case of Fuel-Economy Standards”

Researchers in economics sought for "Fiscal Federalism" and "Cities and Innovation"

At IEB (Institut d’Economia de Barcelona), the research programs “Fiscal Federalism” (Heads: Albert Solé-Ollé & Núria Bosch-Roca) and “Cities and Innovation” (Heads: Prof. Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal & Prof. José García-Quevedo) at the IEB, we are seeking 3 junior researchers in economics.  The concrete tasks associated to the positions are: (i) Writing and publishing her own research papers; (ii) Support in the management of the IEB’s events and publications; (iii) A limited amount of teaching. Web Site:  http://www.ieb.ub.edu