Leaders from across the University of Kentucky, the Lexington community and the Commonwealth will gather to discuss issues that impact all Kentuckians at the 2022 Food, Energy and Water Symposium (FEWS). 

Leaders will present and discuss their work on the interconnected research fields at the symposium on Dec. 8. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Jacobs Science Building. Registration ends Dec. 2. You can register at this website.

“The nexus of food, energy and water is one of the most important issues of our time, and I am pleased that we can offer a rich dialogue about these issues through this event,” said Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez, Ph.D., program manager at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research and adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry. “This is a great opportunity for the next generation of leaders in this field — our undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral scholars — to hear from and share ideas with leading experts in the field.”   

FEWS is hosted by UK’s National Science Foundation Graduate Research Traineeship (NRT) program, which provides UK master’s and Ph.D. students an interdisciplinary and international research experience in food, energy and water systems.  

Plenary and keynote speakers at the 2022 FEWS include:

• Rebecca Goodman, secretary of the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet;
• Chaquenta Neal, executive director of FoodChain;
• Michael McGlue, Ph.D., Pioneer Natural Resources Endowed Professor of Stratigraphy, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UK College of Arts and Sciences;
• Tiffany Messer, Ph.D., assistant professor, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, UK Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture, Food and Environment;
• Melissa Morgan, Ph.D., associate professor, Animal and Food Sciences, UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; and
• Kenneth Graham, Ph.D., associate professor, Chemistry, UK College of Arts and Sciences.

FEWS will also feature breakout sessions with oral presentations and a poster session.