Missouri Valley Sophomore, Lilly Dooley, was one of 200 students selected to participate in the three-day Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation. She participated in the three-day event where she met and listened to the World Food Prize Laureates and international experts discuss agriculture and food security.
Lilly participated in the Iowa Youth Institute in the spring where she wrote a research report on HIV/AIDS in Columbia and how it impacts food security. She presented her findings to a group of peers and experts where she was then selected to participate in the Global Youth Institute.
At the Global Youth Institute, Lilly connected with other students from around the world and took part in symposium discussions with global leaders in science, industry, and policy. GYI participants were able to tour research facilities and participate in a service project, where students packaged meals for Haiti. They attended the Hunger Banquet where meals were randomly given out based on current hunger status of the world.Delegates also attend the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony in the Iowa State Capitol, as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture” was awarded to individuals who have improved the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
High School teacher, Mrs. Whitney Reisz, supported Lilly along the way.
Read a Q & A with Lilly and Mrs. Reisz below!!
I
became interested in HIV/AIDS because I have always loved biology and human
anatomy so I thought writing my paper on a human disease would be very
interesting to learn and talk about.
Students in Iowa submit
their research papers and attend the Iowa Youth Institute. Students select
a specific factor that could affect food security around the world, and
then a country is researched that has the chosen factor. Lilly chose human
disease in Colombia and then narrowed her factor to HIV/AIDS in Colombia.
After researching, students write a 3-5 page paper on their topic and present
it at the Iowa Youth Institute.
What is Iowa Youth Institute?
The World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute (IYI) is a transformative experience for students held at Iowa State University each April. During this day long event students are able to immerse themselves in the world of food security while presenting their ideas and findings to professions.
After the Iowa Youth Institute, which had over 300 participants, about 50 were chosen to attend the Global Youth Institute with other students around the nation and world.
Q: Mrs. Reisz, what steps have you taken to support Lilly
along the way?After the Iowa Youth Institute, which had over 300 participants, about 50 were chosen to attend the Global Youth Institute with other students around the nation and world.
Lilly has had the motivation to
do all the research and work in writing the paper. I have only been there to
offer ideas, proof read, and help her in being prepared to present her factor
to her discussion panel. She took the initiative to get all parts of the paper
completed before the deadlines without much guidance from me.
My future plans with this
program is to most likely do it again and encourage others from Missouri Valley
high school to also go to the Iowa Youth Institute next year. In college, I
want to focus more on things relating to my paper like biology and go
into something like pathology.
