World Food Prize Foundation Select Students for Distinguished Wallace-Carver Fellowship

The World Food Prize Foundation welcomed 14 exceptional college students last week to Washington, D.C., celebrating the culmination of the World Food Prize Foundation Wallace-Carver Fellowship, in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This summer, the Foundation selected 14 students for the distinguished Wallace-Carver Fellowship, offering them the opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned scientists and policymakers through paid fellowships at leading USDA research centers and offices nationwide.

"The Wallace-Carver Fellowship provides the next generation of hunger fighters unique opportunities to grow as researchers, innovators and leaders in the field of agriculture," said Mashal Husain, Chief Operation Officer, World Food Prize Foundation."I am incredibly proud of these remarkable students and their efforts to carry on Norman Borlaug's legacy by fostering meaningful change in the agriculture industry, further helping to sustainably nourish all."

While in D.C., the Fellows participated in the Washington Leadership Symposium and attended high-level briefings, tours, participated in leadership development activities and discussions with a diverse array of key government officials and thought leaders.

In 2011, the USDA and the World Food Prize Foundation established a partnership and developed the Wallace-Carver Fellowship, named after George Washington Carver and Henry A. Wallace, notable agriculture and policy leaders. The Wallace-Carver Fellowship seeks to educate, inspire and train the next generation of agricultural leaders.

"The World Food Prize Foundation has provided me with numerous learning opportunities that have significantly enhanced my knowledge across various topics within the agri-food sector," said Saumya Balaji, junior at Iowa State University. "As a USDA Wallace-Carver Fellow at the Biosciences Research Laboratory in Fargo, North Dakota, I have had the opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture practices through my research on the cold tolerance and recovery of Megachile rotundata (the alfalfa leafcutter bee). This fellowship has been instrumental in offering me hands-on research experience while also allowing me to make meaningful contributions to agricultural research."

Since the creation of the Fellowship, 289 students from 125 universities and colleges have participated in the program. Over 97 percent of fellows have pursued degrees in related disciplines, and 88 percent remain employed in critical fields relevant to science, agriculture and nutrition.

For more information about the World Food Prize Foundation Wallace-Carver Fellowship visit:/wcfellows.

2024 Wallace-Carver Fellows

Saumya Balaji | Iowa State University | Johnston, IA | Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research Unit, Fargo, ND

Andrew Diaz | Princeton University | Jacksonville, FL | Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Emilia Fiebel | University of Florida | Hollywood, FL | Southeast Area, Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystem Research Unit, Stoneville, MS

Brigid, Heller | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Chicago, IL | Fruit and Tree Nut Research Station, Byron GA

Alex Hutchinson | Messiah University | Granby, MA | Dry Bean Quality Genetics, East Lansing, MI

Kiran Kothavale | Boston College | Clive, IA | Animal Parasitic Diseases Lab, BARC, Beltsville, MD

Andrew Li | University of Texas at Austin | College Station, TX I | Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission area, Fayetteville, AR

Angel Lindsey | Tuskegee University | Atlanta, GA | US National Poultry Research Center, Athens, GA

Diya Nair | Emory University | Avenel, NJ | Food Economics Division, Kansas City, MO

Alaina Reeves| Arkansas Tech University | Pine Bluff, AR | Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research Unit (PHSCERU), Stoneville, MS

Tara Ross | Arkansas Tech University | Lamar, AR | Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), Washington, D.C.

Ellen Schloemer | The Ohio State University | St. Mary's, Ohio | Food safety, Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit, Fayetteville, AR

Ethan Truong | University of California, Davis | San Jose, CA | Southeast Area, Food Science and Market Quality & Handling Research Unit, Raleigh, NC

Annabelle Wang | New York University | Belle Mead, NJ | Natural Resources Conservation Service, Syracuse, NY

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