November 2020 - i2d-list@ecn.purdue.edu

I2D-list Impact Engineered Conference Dec. 3-4th
by Harbison, Diana 30 Nov '20

30 Nov '20

Good morning, Engineering for Change, along with others, are hosting the subject virtual conference. Registration is free and can be accessed here but the deadline to register is Dec. 1st: https://www.impact-engineered.org/home The list of speakers and agenda are also on the website. For students looking for career direction, it looks like this could give you a sense of which companies are engaged in this kind of work, what they are doing and interested in supporting. Diana

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I2D-list Seed Grant Awards 2021 - please share with others
by Gupta, Pallavi 24 Nov '20

24 Nov '20

Dear All, Hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy . I am excited to share that we are starting our 2021 seed grant awards selection. This year we have received 20 amazing problem statements from organizations operating in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, South Sudan, Haiti, Nepal, Kenya and Senegal. We are also hoping to utilize our R&D for in-country impact via reciprocal innovation, by partnering with two organizations working with communities in Bronx, New York. Please read through the problem descriptions<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab/seed-grant-challenges/problem_st…> and an overview of the organizations submitting the problems. At this point you will need to highlight the problem statement that is of your interest in this Qualtrics survey <https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ekTgGEKApvtnC3H?_ga=2.84107545…> . It is a short survey that has only 3 questions – your info, college and dept. and checkbox for problem statements that are of your interest. Please fill this form by Dec 7th. Please note that we will promptly close the survey after the deadline, so I would request you to fill it as soon as you can. As next steps, we will announce the problem statements selected to move forward in the process (week of Dec 14th) and schedule webinars with the organization’s representatives for deeper understanding of the challenge (first two weeks of Jan 2021). Please drop me a line if you have any question or concern. Summary * Read problem statements here – https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab/seed-grant-challenges/problem_st… * Highlight the problem statements of your interest here - https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ekTgGEKApvtnC3H?_ga=2.14747397… * Deadline - Dec 7th , 2020 I will much appreciate if you can share this email widely. Regards Pallavi __________________________ Kind Regards, Pallavi Gupta Assistant Director of Programs Shah Family Global Innovation Lab<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab> Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships Office: 765-496-7311 | gupta604(a)purdue.edu<mailto:gupta604@purdue.edu> [/Users/gupta604/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Outlook/Data/Library/Caches/Signatures/signature_14322567]

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I2D-list FW: [PCGFS] Global Change and the Challenges of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet - AGEC 528 offered spring 2021
by Gupta, Pallavi 18 Nov '20

18 Nov '20

Dear All, This may be of interest to graduate students across campus. Please share. Regards Pallavi From: <pcgfs-bounces(a)lists.purdue.edu> on behalf of "Dillworth, Angela" <adillwor(a)purdue.edu> Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 10:20 AM To: "pcgfs(a)lists.purdue.edu" <pcgfs(a)lists.purdue.edu> Subject: [PCGFS] Global Change and the Challenges of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet - AGEC 528 offered spring 2021 Dear Colleagues, Attached is the syllabus for an inter-disciplinary course entitled: “Global Change and the Challenges of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet” which will be offered during the spring semester, 2021. The range of topics now includes material on planetary boundaries, demography, income growth, climate change and mitigation policies, water scarcity, agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, globalization, biofuels, livestock systems, food security and pollution trading systems. (The textbook can be accessed free of charge through Purdue libraries (http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-22662-0) The content has proven beneficial for graduate students across Purdue’s entire campus. Unlike most ‘special topics’ courses on food security and the environment, this course is underpinned by a unifying theoretical and empirical economic framework. The latter is based on the SIMPLE model, and this forms the basis for the weekly labs as well as students’ class projects. The students benefit from applying this framework to their own chosen topic and the course offers a great point of entry into applied economics for many of the students. This year I was recently asked to write a paper for our field’s teaching journal on this course. One thing the editor requested was a compilation of student feedback. I have appended this content at the bottom of this email, grouped separately by non-economists and economists, at the bottom of this email. I believe these student comments capture the value-added of this course. Due to the labor-intensive individual class projects, enrollment will be strictly limited, so early registration is encouraged. Sincerely, Tom Hertel Thomas W. Hertel Distinguished Professor and Executive Director Center for Global Trade Analysis Department of Agricultural Economics Purdue University http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~hertel/ Box 2. Impacts on Students (Major Field of Study in parentheses) Comments from Non-Economists “I thoroughly enjoyed AGEC 528 this semester. I learned a great deal about Agricultural Economics, and the strong link it has to my field of study (applied climatology). I enjoyed that the course was open to all majors, as it provided insightful discussion and different viewpoints on reading assignments for the course. I like the inclusion of lab assignments with SIMPLE, as it helped me breakdown economics in a manner I am familiar with (modeling of complex systems) leading to a deeper understanding of the intricate nature of the agricultural-economic system. I have struggled with economics in the past, but after taking the course, I have developed a much greater appreciation and deeper understanding of the science, especially since I was able to make economics applicable to my own field of study.” (Climate Science) “Because Ag Econ was outside of my discipline, I found this class very helpful. I learned a lot about economic modeling, it’s strengths and weaknesses, how the models are made, what kinds of assumptions go into them, and how to interpret the results. Of course, I was not an expert upon finishing the class, but the introduction was very valuable. In addition, seeing the interconnectedness of different variables in the unique study of Global Land Use was very helpful in following the news.” (Agricultural Engineering) “I really enjoyed this class. I felt like I was able to grow in a direction I would have not otherwise been able to explore. I had joined the Ecological Sciences and Engineering program to explore interdisciplinary work, but I still had a barrier set-up and it felt like economics was on the other side of that barrier. After taking the class, I would say that changed. I initially felt very comfortable with the lecture and discussion portion of the class, as I thrive learning in that format. However, I felt uncomfortable with the labs (once again the barrier). However, I became invested in my project, and that is what really changed my perception about my ability to incorporate economics into future research or at least to identify the need to do so. My career goal is still to eventually work on interdisciplinary teams focused on wicked environmental problems, so I think that this class really benefited me.” (Agricultural and Biological Engineering) “I am not an economics person. I believed more in production to solve the world’s food problem. Taking this class changed that view. It exposed me to the deprivations I would suffer from if I do not pay attention to economic activities that directly impact my immediate environment as well as the world view too. I got exposed to many challenges that exist in agricultural productivity and the multidisciplinary approach to solving them. I got more interested in world trade and learned to foresee the implications of my activities and decisions on the poor and rich at the national, continental and world level.” (Agronomy) “Prior to the course, I had a very limited view of agricultural and applied economics. Now that I understand that there's a lot of good work being done in the area, and now that I have a better appreciation for what's possible with state-of-the-art economic modeling tools. I expect to apply insights from economic modeling or even leverage models from the economics literature as I continue to pursue a research career in natural hazards mitigation. I'm currently working on expanding my final project into something publishable and policy-relevant with the assistance of my advisor as well as Professor Baldos. Additionally, the course provided an excellent networking opportunity; I connected with several interesting and capable fellow researchers who I now consider friends.” (Industrial Engineering) “In my case, AGEC 528 made me realize how the agricultural challenges that we face impact in the world economy and the people. The kind of analyses that we did in the class made me think how we can model and replicate different situations in order to develop better policies for the common welfare. My masters program is in Horticulture combined with Agricultural Economics, and this class made me eager to look for a PhD in Agricultural Economics.” (Horticulture) “AGEC528 class changed my perspective and helped me answer important aspects of post-harvest losses which I later adopted in my thesis. Coming from a non-economics background, I had very little idea about how can one apply economics to study the impact of environmental factors in agriculture. I believe that AGEC528 (irrespective of academic background) provides everyone with an opportunity to see the world of agriculture from an entirely different economic lenses and focus more towards our contribution towards sustainability and food security for our future needs.” (Engineering Technology) “I really enjoyed the AGEC 528 class and learned a lot about agricultural economics concepts and how they relate to solving the problems in agriculture production sustainably. I have an Industrial Engineering background. However, I found it quite easy to learn and understand the concepts. I think the simulation software (SIMPLE) that we used in the class helped to apply the concepts and analyze the problem in greater depths. The final team project that we did helped me to understand the relationship between economic factors (TFP, Labor productivity) in agricultural production with environmental factors (Heat stress, Malnutrition) in different regions of the world.” (Industrial Engineering) “The FAO estimates over 2 billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. There are very few issues that our generation face more important than this one. AGEC 528, in conjunction with my program in Ecological Sciences and Engineering, has broadened my horizons to the positive impact that interdisciplinary work has, especially in the world of food security. I really enjoyed learning and reading about a different topic each week. The issue of food security is so complex and it seems this is the only true way to teach the subject. I really appreciated how applicable the readings of this class were to current events. As a non-economist, the course opened my eyes to the world of ag-econ and its quintessential importance for global food security. I am not a naturally strong student in the area of coding and computing, but this course taught me in a way that I could understand and create a final project based on a computer modeling system. I never thought I would say that! (Ecological Sciences and Engineering) Comments from Students in Agricultural and Applied Economics “The best and simplest way I can describe my experience from this class is that it allowed me to think "bigger picture." As students of economics, we can often get consumed in microenvironments/micro-interactions that sometimes we forget that any small change in an economy can have ripple effects on many different sectors, within supply chains, and trade between nations. This class allowed me to think through many of these potential impacts, even before running any simulations. Better yet, once simulations had been run, I could reason through why the results may have come out the way they did because of these simple thinking exercises. The interdisciplinary nature of the course reinforced my views that the study of human action and interaction with the natural world is the sum of many different disciplines. Using the combined tools of the natural sciences and social sciences help us form a better understanding of the "bigger picture".” (Agricultural Economics) “AGEC 528 has been an eye-opener to me in many ways. I joined Purdue in 2019 aspiring to become an applied microeconomist and always dreaded complicated macro theories or anything to do with macroeconomics in general, until I took this course in Spring 2020. I have never been in a class before where a complex modelling technique was introduced with so much simplicity and made even more interesting by complementing the technical lab sessions with inter-disciplinary guest lectures and making us apply the model to pressing real-world issues. It was also a great networking experience, interacting with peers researching in other interdisciplinary areas.” (Agricultural Economics) “This class allowed me to find my passion within the field of applied economics and agricultural economics and it made a huge impact on my academic trajectory. In this class, I became fascinated with the trade-offs and synergies arising out of the competing demands on the planet’s finite resources, as well as potential pathways for sustainable development in the coming decades. The topics, the dynamics of the course, and the methodology applied really triggered my interests. But most importantly, it widened my perspective on how economics could contribute to other disciplines. I have been developing a big portion of my Ph.D. dissertation around extensions of the nutritional module in SIMPLE. Since Spring 2019, I have been serving as TA for this course and I have seen the same effect on many other students. Looking back, the impact of this course on my career has been tremendous. After finishing my Ph.D. I plan to stay in academia hoping that my research helps achieve a sustainable future as well as helping to educate students with an interest in these topics. And all of that was inspired by the AGECON 528 course.” (Agricultural Economics) AGEC 528 in essence changed my career from financial management to agricultural economics. I was impressed by the multidisciplinary design of the course. Frankly, it was my first experience with multidisciplinary course. Sitting in this class was a great chance to look at the big picture of a critical challenge which is feeding the world in 2050. Speakers from different disciplines were sharing their views and articles relating to this issue. It was really informative how tradeoffs appear between different disciplines like economics and environment. (Agricultural Economics) As a graduate student, it's very easy to get absorbed in the importance of our own (usually narrowly-focused) research projects and forget that it doesn't exist in isolation. While every research problem is still important, other problems also exist and are often related and embedded within more complex 'wicked problems' like food security. AGEC 528 was a good reminder of this and helped me put my own research topic (storage loss) in perspective. I think that it's important and humbling for any grad student to see how their research fits into the bigger picture, and that research can be much more impactful by thinking beyond just one narrow question or issue. Even as an economist, I appreciated the simplicity of the economics discussed in the course. It allowed me to focus more on the modeling, and how the interdisciplinary topics are applied and measured in the model. The modeling helped me understand these topics from a more macro perspective, rather than at the micro-level approach I use in my own research. (Agricultural Economics)

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I2D-list Shah Lab and Foundry - Social Impact Firestarter
by Gupta, Pallavi 13 Nov '20

13 Nov '20

Hi All, As many of you know, Shah Family Global Innovation Lab has joined forces with Purdue Foundry to launch a new program - ‘Shah Lab Social Impact Firestarter’. This program is built on the Foundry’s highly acknowledged Firestarter program, and is designed specifically for Shah Lab’s Seed Grant Awardees. The vision of the Program is to assist the Seed Grant Award recipients in achieving their social impact goals efficiently and sustainably. Please read more about the program on our website - Shah Lab Social Impact Firestarter<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab/Spotlights/shah-family-global-in…> While we are planning to execute the first round of the program for our seed grantees, we can also accommodate interests from other faculty teams who are interested in setting up for-impact startups. For us to understand your needs better, and to register your interest with us – please fill in a short survey<https://purduefoundry.com/shahlab?_ga=2.255242248.1274094521.1605103020-476…> Let me know if you have any question or feedback. Thanks Pallavi __________________________ Kind Regards, Pallavi Gupta Assistant Director of Programs Shah Family Global Innovation Lab<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab> Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships Office: 765-496-7311 | gupta604(a)purdue.edu<mailto:gupta604@purdue.edu> [/Users/gupta604/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Outlook/Data/Library/Caches/Signatures/signature_14322567]

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I2D-list IDEAS: Systemic approach to Healthcare in low resource settings
by Gupta, Pallavi 11 Nov '20

11 Nov '20

Hi All, We have added a new discussion video to our IDEAS series<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab/IDEAS> where I speak with Gopi Gopalakrishnan, Founder and President of World Health Partners<https://worldhealthpartners.org/> (WHP), and Jackie Linnes<https://engineering.purdue.edu/LinnesLab/people/ptProfile?resource_id=11975…>, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Purdue. In this wonderful reflective discussion, we outline the various process, design and human elements that need to be understood and accounted for, in the translation of R&D into relevant and scalable solutions for healthcare. You can watch the discussion and read the summary here - Systemic approach to Healthcare in low resource settings<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab/IDEAS/systemic-approach-to-healt…> . If you have any comment or feedback please drop me a line. Thank you for your support and engagement. Regards Pallavi __________________________ Kind Regards, Pallavi Gupta Assistant Director of Programs Shah Family Global Innovation Lab<https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab> Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships Office: 765-496-7311 | gupta604(a)purdue.edu<mailto:gupta604@purdue.edu> [/Users/gupta604/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Outlook/Data/Library/Caches/Signatures/signature_14322567]

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I2D-list RFA Ethiopia
by Harbison, Diana 03 Nov '20

03 Nov '20

Email not displaying correctly? View in a Web Browser<http://stemedhub.org/newsletter/track/click/?t=NTcgNzVCNTc1MzVBIDQxMDVCNTA0…> LASER PULSE RFA for Ethiopia [laserlogo.png] Dear Colleague, LASER PULSE is seeking Applications from researchers based in Higher Education Institutions in the U.S. and in Ethiopia. The objective of this solicitation is to catalyze evidence-based research that can be readily translated into useful policies, products, and practices that better address international development goals, through participatory problem identification and designing of solutions that engages researchers and practitioners. We hereby invite researchers to submit letters of interest (LOI) by 14 December 2020 and Applications by 15 January 2021, in accordance with the Request for Application (RFA). The RFA calls for innovative research and associated research translation that focus on development challenges within two development sectors in Ethiopia: Youth development, Civic Engagement and Leadership; and Measurement of Resilience in Ethiopia. LASER PULSE will receive letter of interests (LOIs) between 2 November and 14 December, 2020 and Applications between 15 December, 2020 and 15 January, 2021. If you are interested in submitting an LOI and later an Application, go to: https://stemedhub.org/groups/laserpulse/funding/rfa-ethiopia<http://stemedhub.org/newsletter/track/click/?t=NTcgNzVCNTc1MzVBIDQxMDVCNTA0…>. You may also download the full RFA and associated materials from the link on this page. If you are unable to access the website, please send your LOIs and later Applications, including associated documentation to this email, awardsmanager(a)laserpulse.org<mailto:awardsmanager@laserpulse.org> with Ethiopia RFA in the subject line. If you have any technical questions, please send an email to Dr. Betty Bugusu at td(a)laserpulse.org<mailto:td@laserpulse.org>. Cordially, Betty Bugusu PhD Technical Director | LASER PULSE KPTC E2441/AGAD 110 1241 Win Hentschel Blvd. West Lafayette, IN 47906 (765) 496-1351 More Information<http://stemedhub.org/newsletter/track/click/?t=NTcgNzVCNTc1MzVBIDQxMDVCNTA0…> Copyright © 2020 LASER PULSE. All Rights reserved.

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I2D-list COVID-19: Lessons and Opportunities from Texas and Mexico
by Harbison, Diana 03 Nov '20

03 Nov '20

COVID-19: Shared Lessons and Opportunities from Texas and Mexico Virtual Event Tuesday, November 17th, 2 pm -6 pm CST The COVID-19 pandemic has struck hard on both sides of the US-Mexico border and our health care workers and institutions are facing a myriad of challenges in the efforts to address it. UT Austin Dell Medical School's Division of Global Health, the LLILAS Benson Mexico Center, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública de México (INSP), and the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Faculty of Medicine<https://medicina.buap.mx/> (BUAP) are coming together for an unprecedented collaboration to discuss some of the most pressing issues posed by COVID-19 for both countries. [cid:image003.jpg@01D6B16A.4509D3D0][cid:image004.jpg@01D6B16A.4509D3D0] This event is part of Texas Global's International Education Week<https://global.utexas.edu/iew> at UT. The format will be virtual, free, and open to anyone interested in the impact of the pandemic on both sides of the border. We will offer simultaneous English/Spanish translations for our panels, each of which will include participants from the University of Texas at Austin, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública de México, and Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Faculty of Medicine. For More information on Panel Members and to Register, see links below. Register in Spanish:http://attend.com/cdb9a720fd8c2f Register in English:http://attend.com/5ff8444b3786b8 Livestreaming on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/events/389821475399994

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