UC’s Global Food Initiative Student Fellowship Program funds student-generated research, related projects or internships that focus on food issues. All 10 UC campuses plus UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are participating in the program.

The program began in fall 2014, with the fellows participating in an April 2015 tour of an organic peach farm near Fresno and a July 2015 symposium in San Francisco. The second class of fellows was announced in 2015 and participated in an April 2016 tour of an organic farm in the Capay Valley and a June 2016 symposium in Fullerton. The third class of fellows was announced in 2016 and this cohort wrapped up their GFI fellowship with a trip to the San Joaquin Delta to learn about the work of UC ANR Cooperative Extension and participating in the Fullerton symposium. The fourth class of cohorts was announced in June 2017 whose experience culminated in a field trip to UC San Diego to experience the campus farms and local community gardens and participated at the symposium held at UC Santa Barbara. The 2018 class of fellows represented the fifth cohort and traveled to UC Santa Cruz to learn more about their CASFS program and campus farms as part of their year end activity. In July 2019, the sixth cohort was announced and this cohort of fellows participated in a virtual conversation with then-President Napolitano and the first virtual symposium. The application process takes place in late spring and the program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and administered at each location to ensure that student efforts align with local needs.

For questions about the GFI Student Fellowship Program, email studentservices@ucop.edu

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Gemma DiMatteo

Nutrition Policy

Reid Johnsen

Graduate Students in Extension

Mingxuan (Elaine) Liu

UC ANR Media Relations and Community Outreach

Alana Siegner

Graduate Students in Extension

Laura Ward

Graduate Students in Extension

Berkeley

Emily Altman

Food Access and Security Fellowship

Grace Lihn

Experiential Learning Fellowship

Melina Packer

Equity and Inclusion Fellowship

Hortencia Rodriguez

Equity and Inclusion Fellowship

Agnes Zhu

Student Ambassador

Davis

Ryan Dowdy

Food Waste Reuse

Dana Ng

Food Access

Tucker Sprinkle

Student Ambassador

Aria Wexler

Food Access

Irvine

Christina Hughes

Student Ambassador

Emma Peterson

UC Irvine Garden Project

Emanuel Preciado

UC Irvine Garden Project

Gracie Wong

Reducing Food Waste on Campus

Los Angeles

Evelin Escobedo

Using Gardens to Improve the Well-being of Patients with Dementia

Savannah Gardner

Food Recovery and Food Security

Jacob Garson

Sunset Canyon Recreation Center Edible Amphitheater Garden

Jessica Huang

Incorporating Agricultural Sustainability Into Courses Taught at UCLA

Megan Lonsinger

Support for Food Studies Minor

Hannah Malan

Student Ambassador

Meghan O’Connell

Seeds to Plate

Carly Randolph

Food Procurement and Healthy Eating as a Means to Minimize Obesity Rates

Daniel Shen

Sunset Canyon Recreation Center Edible Amphitheater Garden

Tyler Watson

Food Recovery and Student Food Security at UCLA

Merced

Isabella Beltran

Student Ambassador

Christian Cambrelen

Composting

John (Jack) Cronin

Managed Grazing in Vernal Pool Ecosystems

Ever Serna

Promoting Sustainable Food in Campus Dining

Riverside

Claudia Avila

Trace Metal Cycling in Urban Agricultural Soils

John Chater

Urban Pomegranate Grove Project

Holly Mayton

Student Ambassador

Ryan Natividad

Food Security

San Diego

Yingqi Chen

Improving Urban Agriculture

Didra Felix

Student Ambassador

Jess Gambel

Climate Change and Floriculture

Elizabeth Mounier

Urban Food Disparities

San Francisco

J. Daniel Kelly

Impact of Public Health Messages and Control Measures on Food Security and Nutrition

Rashon Lane

How Socio-structural Factors Impact Food Security Among HIV-positive African-American and Latina Women in Managing Chronic Diseases

Matthew Spinelli

Student Ambassador

Santa Barbara

Ryan Carr

Edible Campus Project

Kate Columbus

Community Supported Agriculture and the Gaucho Certified Farmers Market

Bryn Daniel

Student Ambassador

Audrey Horn

Sustainable Purchasing of Animal Products in Campus Dining

Santa Cruz

Keli Benko

Fumigant Regulation and the Future of the Strawberry Industry in the Pajaro Valley

Cassidy Carmichael

Promoting Access to Community Supported Agriculture and Reducing Food Waste

Hamutahl Cohen

Food Security and Blum Center Food Hub

Emily Reisman

Student Ambassador

Annie Wiesenfeld

Food Equity and Sustainable Food Procurement

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Kripa Akila Jagannathan

Recommendations for Selecting Climate Models for the Analysis of Chill Hours in California's Central Valley

Sarick Matzen

Investigating Arsenic Bioavailability in the Context of Urban Agriculture

Husna Yasini

Investigating the Potential of Using Treated Wastewater in Urban Agriculture