Date: January 19, 2021 Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society, Dartmouth College Dr. Theresa Ong is a scholar activist who found personal and professional nourishment through involvement with Science For The People and volunteering at D-Town Farm. Learn more about her work and connect with her and/or learn more about […]
Alumni Spotlight: Theresa Ong ’17 Read More »
Carrots are picked near Arvin, Calif., Aug. 20, 2020. (Brian L. Frank/The New York Times) Date: December 23, 2020 The impacts of the COVID-19 virus have deepened disparities, worsened health outcomes, and sacrificed the safety of the farmworkers that grow our food in the US. Policies that have been put in place are not often
SFSI Solidarity with the COVID-19 Farmworker Study Read More »
Our annual Fast Food for Thought event brings together a diversity of SFSI affiliates to showcase a wide range of interdisciplinary food systems research, coursework, and activities on campus. As with most things in 2020, the 7th annual Fast Food for Thought took a different format. This year we created a Fast Food for Thought
2020 Fast Food for Thought Compilation Read More »
Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliates Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer along with EEB students Zachary Hajian-Forooshani and Alexa White Published July 2020 in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment ANN ARBOR— The most recent publication by the Perfectomeer lab of Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer details the affect of lizards and ants on the biological control of the coffee leaf miner in
Unexpected Limitations to the Biological Control of the Coffee Leaf Miner Read More »
Jessica Kenyatta Walker, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of American Culture and Department of Afro American and African Studies at the University of Michigan. Previously, she was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of American Culture in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Dr. Walker started her romance with academia in high
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Cindy Leung is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the School for Public Health. She is also a lecturer for the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Faculty Affiliate of the UM Sustainable Food Systems Initiative. Community nutrition advocate, native Californian, and mom, Cindy Leung, is interested in understanding the implications
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Author: Keesa V. Johnson Date: July 31, 2020 Currently, I’m at the midpoint of my first COVID 19 summer, working as an urban agriculture intern with D-Town Farm and Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in Detroit. Our online system is up and open for business! If you live in the area, visit Detroit often, and care
SFSI Intern Reflection: Navigating being a designer and farmer in a digital world Read More »
Date: July 30, 2020 As a part of the Food Literacy for all syllabus each year, students are prompted to get creative and hone in on their writing skills by producing a journalistic article. This year there were four women who stood out in their ability to produce eye-catching, relevant pieces. Teresa Dorado, Bella Mayorga,
Food Literacy for All Graduate Student Journalistic Articles Read More »
Author: Lauren Love, Public Affairs Originally published: July 16, 2020 Published here: July 23, 2020 As part of the university’s continued commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, four University of Michigan professors have been named recipients of the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship. Established in 2019, the UDSTP recognizes senior faculty who have
SFSI Affiliate Named for University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship Read More »
Everyone knows it: An entire box of Girl Scout cookies counts as one serving, right? That’s at least how it feels, and a University of Michigan study in fruit flies finds why this might be: a high-sugar diet muddies the neural circuit that allows you to feel the sensation of satiety and causes you to
High-sugar diet dampens release of dopamine, triggering overeating Read More »
Ivette Perfecto (arms raised) and John Vandermeer play an ecological game with the children during Ecodía. Image credit this page: Jonno Morris. Date: June 24, 2020 Interviewees: Jonno Morris & Sara Donají González Herrera Jonno is a doctoral student in the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and EEB communications. Sara Donají González Herrera
Author: Jim Erickson Date: June 16, 2020 A team of researchers including two University of Michigan ecologists has called on the international scientific community—and especially those in leadership positions—to support the retention and diversity of early career scientists during and after the COVID-19 crisis. In a letter to the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution published
U-M ecologists call for protection of scientific diversity during and after pandemic Read More »
Author: Keesa V Johnson Published: June 3, 2020 As the morning air hits my face, I open the blinds to look out my “ big picture window” of life, as flaring pieces of trauma fill my mind from the continuous acts of anti-blackness sentiments through the United States and the globe plays out continuously. In 2020
SFSI Intern Working with Detroit Urban Farms to develop Online Marketplace Read More »
The most recent updates on the University of Michigan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here. The Maize and Blue Cupboard remains open, providing food, cookware, and other personal items with increased safety precautions at this time. See here for details. COVID-19 and the Urgency of Transforming the Food System Author: John Vandermeer SFSI
COVID-19 and the Urgency of Transforming the Food System Read More »
UPDATE: Food Literacy will be moving to an online format starting on Tuesday, March 17, and will continue to be virtual through the remainder of the semester. We are attempting to quickly adapt our course and we appreciate your flexibility and understanding during this time. We know this is not a perfect solution, but we
COVID-19 Update: Food Literacy For All Now Virtual Read More »
Read the article on the Michigan Daily’s website here. Tuesday, October 1, 2019 – 9:22pm MOLLY NORRIS Daily Staff Reporter The University of Michigan Sustainable Food Systems Initiative held its 6th annual Fast Food For Thought event Tuesday night. Nine speakers presented on a range of topics surrounding sustainable food to over 200 students. The speakers each
Sustainable Food Systems Initiative holds 6th annual Fast Food for Thought event Read More »
October 17-18 East Quadrangle University of Michigan More details available here Listen to the RC Podcast episode about the fonference featuring four of the planning committee members: Alex Bryan, Lilly Fink Shapiro, Virginia Murphy and Lisa Young. #UMFoodSocietyJustice *As of 10/3, registration for the Conference is closed, but we welcome you to see the registration
The Community of Food, Society and Justice Conference, October 2019 Read More »
April 15, 2025 On April 15, 300 students and community members attended virtually and in person for the 10th annual Fast Food for Thought, an event with ten 5-minute flash talks on food and agriculture! This year’s Fast Food for Thought speakers included Dr. Alexis J. Handal (School of Public Health), Abigail Merolle (SEAS), Dr. Allan
Fast Food for Thought 2025 Read More »
April 8, 2025 Join the co-founders of Damian’s Craft Meats LLC, Damian Rivera and Rosemary Linares, as they recount their decade-long journey to establish a sustainable and equitable local meat processing business in Southeast Michigan. This presentation delves into the systemic barriers they encountered, the opportunities they leveraged, and the actionable strategies they developed to
Sarah B. Mills, Ph.D is the Director of Graham’s Center for EmPowering Communities, where she manages UM’s partnership with the Michigan Office of Climate and Energy and helps communities across the state consider energy in their land use planning, zoning, and other policymaking. She is Associate Professor of Practice in Urban and Regional Planning at
Faculty Spotlight: Sarah B. Mills Read More »
April 1, 2025 Learn from three Michigan-based changemakers: Angie Sanchez, Kiddada Green, and Jaye Clement. The panelists will share their work on equitable and health-promoting breastfeeding and first foods initiatives. Launched in 2017, Food Literacy for All is a community-academic partnership course at the University of Michigan supported by the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, School
March 25, 2025 In this talk, Jayson Maurice Porter will center black environmental communication on three levels: researching, writing, and teaching. First, we’ll discuss inequality and unevenness in environmental narratives and how to analyze new archives and proxies of black and Afro-Indigenous environmental histories. Second, we’ll dive into methods and waves in black environmental writing
Taylor LaFave (he/him/his) is the Chief of Food Policy and Planning and Food Policy Director for the City of Baltimore. He leads a collaborative team that works to build an equitable and resilient urban food system by addressing health, economic, and environmental disparities in neighborhoods that have high levels of food insecurity. During the COVID-19
UM Alumni Spotlight: Taylor LaFave ’17 Read More »
Katherine (Kate) Bauer is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is a member of the University’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and the Caswell Diabetes Institute, an affiliate of the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, and a Faculty Expert with Poverty Solutions. Trained as a
Faculty Spotlight: Katherine (Kate) Bauer Read More »
February 25, 2025 “Barons” is the story of seven titans of the food industry, their rise to power, and the consequences for workers, eaters, and democracy itself. It paints a stark portrait of corporate consolidation, but it also shows that a fair, healthy, and prosperous food industry is possible—if we take back power from the
March 11, 2025 Kiese Laymon is a Black southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi. Laymon is the author of the genre-bending novel, Long Division and the essay collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America. Laymon’s bestselling memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir, won the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, the 2018 Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose,
Kiese Laymon: Book Talk on “Heavy: An American Memoir” Read More »
Becca is a farmer, educator, and food access advocate with experience in farm management and youth education. As the Director of Children’s Farms in Action, Becca Harley manages the growing and educational programs at the Montbello Urban Farm, which provides fresh produce for the community. She also facilitates several school-based and community garden programs. She
UM Alumni Spotlight: Becca Harley ’21 Read More »
