Second Annual Symposium
The Global FEWture Alliance
Second Annual Symposium
April 23-24, 2025
University of Maryland | Adele H. Stamp Student Union
Funded by a University of Maryland Grand Challenges Institutional Grant
Our symposium will feature keynotes, 15-minute talks, lightning sessions, and research posters on Food - Energy - Water solutions.
The Global FEWture Alliance advances systems-based interdisciplinary research-to-action, community-driven capacity building, and experiential education to effect positive change in underserved communities at the nexus of Food, Energy, Water, climate, and health.
Through our holistic systems-based approach, we alleviate FEW insecurity, protect environmental and global public health, and bolster community resilience in a changing climate.
The Symposium will highlight our Alliance’s accomplishments in Maryland, Israel, Tanzania, and Nepal.
Professionals in government, nonprofits, and academia will integrate key perspectives on renewable energy in food and water futures, and FEW systems modeling from local to global scales.
Join us for breakfast, lunch, coffee/tea breaks, and happy hour!
Registration is now closed.
Agenda: Global FEWture Alliance Annual Symposium
April 23-24, 2025
Day 1: Wednesday, April 23
Stamp Student Union: Colony Ballroom
8:00 - 8:30 am Arrival and Breakfast
8:30 - 8:50 Welcome and Opening Remarks: Dr. Amy R. Sapkota; UMD Provost Rice (pre-recorded); Dean Boris Lushniak (UMD School of Public Health); Schmulik Bass (Ambassador of the State of Israel to Nepal) (pre-recorded)
8:50 - 9:15 Overview of the Global FEWture Alliance Accomplishments and Symposium Goals - Dr. Amy R. Sapkota (UMD School of Public Health)
9:15 - 9:45 Keynote: Dr. Stephanie Lansing (University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources) - Food Waste Diversion and Anaerobic Digestion as Pillars in a Resilient Bioeconomy
9:45 - 10:05 Group photo and Coffee break
10:05 - 11:40 Session 1: Integrating Renewable Energy into Food and Water Futures - Moderator: Shree Krishnal Dhital (Sanskriti Farms and Research Centre)
10:05 - 10:20 Techno-Social Solutions for Off Grid Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Challenges - Dr. Clive Lipchin (Arava Institute of Environmental Studies, Israel)
10:20 - 10:35 Biogas Production of Food Waste from Different Sources: Characterization within a Biocircular Economy Framework - Maureen Nabulime (UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources)
10:35 - 10:50 Agrivoltaics and the FEW Nexus: Opportunities and Challenges for Co-Location in Maryland - Dr. Jennifer Morash (UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources)
10:50 - 11:05 Harvesting Microalgae with Magnetotactic Bacteria - Amanda Ambrose, Isabella DiPietrantonio, and Josephine Sasse (Hood College Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies)
11:05 - 11:20 Dr. Eric Wachsman (UMD Clark School of Engineering)
11:20 - 11:45 Q&A
11:45 - 1:00 pm Lunch and Networking
1:00 - 1:30 Keynote: Dr. Yadu Pokhrel (Michigan State University, College of Engineering) - A Systems Approach to Model Food, Energy, and Water Systems in a Changing Environment
1:30 - 2:50 Session 2: From Global FEW Systems Modeling to Local Exposure Assessments - Moderator: Dr. Catherine Nakalembe (UMD College of Behavioral and Social Sciences)
1:30 - 1:45 Perennial Snow and Ice Cover Change from 2001 to 2021 in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan Region Derived From Landsat Analysis-ready Data - Dr. Ahmad Khan (UMD College of Behavioral and Social Sciences)
1:45 - 2:00 Lessons Learned from a Multi-Country Scenario Analysis of Energy-Water-Land-Climate Nexus Challenges - Dr. Silvia R. Santos da Silva (UMD Center for Environmental Science)
2:00 - 2:15 FARM-SAFE: Facilitating Antibiotic Resistance and Pathogen Monitoring for Safe and Sustainable Farming in Nepal - Dr. Heather Amato (UMD School of Public Health)
2:15 - 2:30 Rainwater Harvesting on a Peri-urban Farm: Investigating Pathogen Presence and Rainwater Treatment Options - Emily Woerner (UMD School of Public Health)
2:30 - 2:50 Q&A
2:50 - 3:10 Coffee Break
3:10 - 4:10 Trainee/early career scientist lighting rounds - Moderator: Dr. Leena Malayil
3:10 - 3:18 Long-term Analysis of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus Virulence Factors and Their Environmental Associations in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, U.S. - Dr. Michele Morgado (UMD School of Public Health)
3:18 - 3:26 Understanding the Impact of Sea Level Rise to Septic Systems and Exploring Alternative Wastewater Management Strategies in the Chesapeake Bay Region - Dr. Nathan Boyd, Jerin Tasnim (UMD School of Public Health)
3:26 - 3:34 The Sanitization of Harvested Rainwater - Kevin Tarwa (UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources)
3:34 - 3:42 Evaluating the Environmental Benefits of Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Systems for Manure Management - Rafian Aziz (UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources)
3:42 - 3:50 Integrating Satellite Imagery and Weather Variables for Enhanced Cover Crop Biomass Estimation - Dr. Sumanta Chatterjee (UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources)
3:50 - 3:58 UMD's Battery Prototyping Lab: Li-Ion Workforce Development - Dr. Gibson Scisco (UMD Clark School of Engineering)
3:58 - 4:06 Beyond Lithium: Exploring Materials for Low-Cost Battery Solutions - Dr. George Alexander (UMD Clark School of Engineering)
4:06 - 4:20 Q&A
4:20 - 4:30 Remarks: Dr. Greg Ball (UMD Vice President of Research)
4:30 - 5:30 Poster Session and Happy Hour
5:30 Announcement of Poster Winners (Sponsored by the UMD Maryland Energy Innovation Institute and the Global FEWture Alliance)
Day 2: Thursday, April 24
Stamp Student Union: The Atrium
8:00 - 8:30 am Arrival and Breakfast
8:30 - 8:45 Summary of Day 1 and Goals for Day 2 - Dr. Amy R. Sapkota (UMD School of Public Health)
8:45 - 10:00 Session 3: FEW Nexus Research to Action and Capacity Building - Moderator: Dr. Clive Lipchin
8:45 - 9:00 Lessons for Engaging Early Career Researchers in Transdisciplinary Water, Energy, Food Nexus: Experiences from the SustainFood USA-Africa-Europe Network of Networks Project - Dr. Michael Jacobson (Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences)
9:00 - 9:15 UMD's Community Learning Garden as a FEW Nexus Hub and Training Resource - Ellie Dugan (UMD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources)
9:15 - 9:30 Urban Farm Communities in Baltimore, Maryland - Farmer Chippy (Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm, Baltimore, MD)
9:30 - 9:45 From Lab to Field to Market: The Power of the Agricultural Helix - Dr. Tomer Malchi, David Zuckerman (CultivAid)
9:45 - 10:00 Q&A
10:00 - 10:15 Coffee
10:15 - 11:30 Session 4: FEW Nexus Experiential Education - Moderator: Dr. Rianna Murray
10:15 - 10:30 UMD Global STEWARDS Winter Amp Trip Participants (Tanzania) - John Samura, Fahmi Dwilaksono, Aishwarya Rao, Christopher Baker, Damani Eubanks, Gerry Andhikaputra
10:30 - 10:45 UMD Global STEWARDS Winter Amp Trip Participants (Nepal) - Ujjwol Subedi, Rafian Aziz, Tiberias Okanga, Opeyemi Ogedengbe, Samyam Aryal
10:45 - 11:00 The International Honors Program on Climate Change: The Politics of Land, Water and Energy Justice - Dr. Sonya Ahamed (School for International Training)
11:00 - 11:15 Evaluation of the Perceptions of Drinking Water Quality in Farming Villages in Varanasi India - Zoe Baber (UMD School of Public Health)
11:15 - 11:30 Q&A
11:30 - 12:00 pm Wrapping Up and Looking Forward - Dr. Amy R. Sapkota (UMD School of Public Health)
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch and Networking
1:00 - 1:15 Adjourn