It’s a program where political science, business, chemical engineering, food science and students from many disciplines come together to solve problems associated with poverty and food insecurity.
A part of the Brady and Anne Deaton Institute for University Leadership in International Development, the Deaton Scholars Program (DSP) is devoted to growing global sharing and application of knowledge to combat local and global hunger, inadequate nutrition and poverty. To accomplish this, the institute connects undergraduate, graduate, professional and PhD students through a collective peer mentorship program that gives students the opportunity to attend learning events centered around a wide range of topics relevant to DSP aims, engage with faculty working in these areas, participate in national and international research conferences and engage in problem-solving through student-led projects.
Inspired after visiting the International Association of Students in Agriculture and Related Sciences, Chancellor Emeritus Brady Deaton and Anne Deaton had an idea to start a program that would empower students to solve food insecurity issues. In the fall of 2016, they sat down with agricultural students to gain input.
“We asked the students, ‘What can we do to strengthen the education they’re getting here to address these international development issues?’” Brady Deaton said. “It was clear that students and faculty were immediately excited about developing meaningful programs that would draw on all the disciplines working together to address the issues of hunger and malnutrition around the world.”