Read on for an interview with Dr. Rolf Halden, Director for the Center for Environmental Health Engineering at the Biodesign Institute.

On Wednesday morning, we changed things up by hearing from a panel of non-governmental organization leaders. The panel was headed by Ann Mills, the Executive Director at Agua Fund, Michael Fernandez, the founding director at AAAS Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues (AAAS EPI Center), and Ferd Hoefner, who consults with multiple organizations on behalf of federal farm policy issues.

Students were eager and ready to dive in on the first morning of the ASU Food Policy Certificate Capstone Immersive in DC. Fortunately, the lineup of speakers that morning was an engaging and impressive bunch, all ready to share diverse perspectives to paint a picture of their current and past work in food and agriculture. 

As Swette Center certificate students, we have the pleasure of receiving The Hagstrom Report in our email inbox daily to stay up-to-date on the inside scoop of DC Agricultural politics and news.

Demand-driven science: the role of knowledge partnerships in improving the public value of conservation science The actionable science in conservation team with the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes at ASU has

Kyle Squires, dean of ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, has been appointed vice provost of engineering, computing and technology. The new position acknowledges Squires' role in reshaping engineering

The Generation Equality Forum held in Paris June 30 - July 2, 2021 was livestreamed to over 50,000 participants around the world. U.N. Women, political leaders, feminist movement leaders, corporate executives and activists gathered to address gender inequality, including the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on women and girls, and to commit to action that will accelerate global progress over the next five years, by 2026.

Jocelyn Brown Hall—Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Liaison Office for North America—joined the ASU Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership Cohort for a wide-ranging discussion about advancing sustainable, resilient agriculture and food systems around the world to achieve food security.

Organic food once was viewed as a niche category for health nuts and hippies, but today it’s a routine choice for millions of Americans. For years following passage of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, which established national organic standards, consumers had to seek out organic products at food co-ops and farmers markets.

The health of coral reefs has taken a massive hit due to overfishing, pollution and climate change, which has had a grave impact on reef ecosystems and the people who depend on these reefs for food and job security.

During a Wednesday panel of our D.C. immersive, we had the privilege of hearing from food industry executives, all of whom have significant experience in government. Interestingly, none of them spoke exclusively about the positive work their companies are doing at present. Instead, what seemed to motivate them was the need for change – both at their companies and in the food and agriculture sector more broadly. It was clear that they saw the opportunity to lead through that change from their role in the private sector.

Biodesign researcher Dr. Efrem Lim began studying the human virome long before the arrival of SARS-CoV-2 and the global pandemic. His innovative use of high-throughput viral sequencing and functional studies of viral