Penn State’s Youth Food Lab attends UN Science, Technology, Innovation forum

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.  — Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences was represented on the global stage as faculty and students participated in the United Nations’ 10th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, held at U.N. headquarters in New York City earlier this month.

A panel session, titled “Youth-led Innovation: Empowering the Next Generation of Agrifood Innovators for a Sustainable Future,” was organized by the World Food Forum’s Global Youth Action Initiative, managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It brought together youth innovators, U.N. leaders, government officials, investors, nongovernmental organizations and academic partners to discuss the vital role of young people in driving innovation in agrifood systems.

Penn State joined other institutions and partners in highlighting youth-led solutions — from early-stage ideas to advanced startups — that are helping to transform agrifood systems and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The event also highlighted how institutions can better support youth through targeted investments, effective mentorship and informed policy changes.

“This session emphasized the vital role of innovation and collaboration in addressing global food insecurity — a complex and entrenched issue,” said Noel Habashy, associate teaching professor and coordinator of Penn State’s international agriculture minor, who co-presented at the forum.

“Real progress depends on partnerships between industry, governments, NGOs and academia. The discussion offered a hopeful outlook, showing that meaningful cooperation is not only possible but already underway.”

Also attending the conference from Penn State were Maria Spencer, assistant clinical professor and John and Patty Warehime Entrepreneur in Residence, who has been leading the World Food Forum collaboration for Penn State; Ram Neupane, a dual-title doctoral degree candidate in plant pathology and in international agriculture and development, also a member of the forum’s Young Scientist Group; Xialing Zhao, a doctoral student studying energy, environmental, and food economics; and Auja Bywater, a dual-title doctoral degree student studying food science and international agriculture and development.

Following the conference, Bywater described the experience as transformational.

“One thing that has always troubled me in research is how often the results get published in an inaccessible journal and fail to lead to meaningful impacts,” she said. “I’ve always felt strongly that if we invest time and resources to answer a question, the outcome should be actionable. Until this conference, I had been unclear about how to bridge that gap. Being surrounded by driven individuals and seeing how their passion drove their ideas to action was inspiring.”

This conference invitation follows Penn State’s selection to host the North American Youth Food Lab, a key program of the World Food Forum’s Youth Initiative. A global network of five Youth Food Labs spanning Europe, Asia and South America, the program engages young people to address global food security and climate change. Penn State will contribute to the Youth Food Lab network, bridging the innovation gap and making Youth Food Lab programming and resources more visible and accessible to innovators in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.

Following the U.N. conference, the college welcomed a delegation from FAO to the University Park campus. The delegation’s itinerary included a series of engagements designed to showcase Penn State’s commitment to agricultural innovation and education.

Troy Ott, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, welcomed the delegates to campus, followed by a dinner with faculty from the Global Teach Ag Network, which is co-led by Melanie Miller Foster, associate professor of international agriculture, and Daniel Foster, associate professor of agricultural and extension education.

The group also met with student thought leaders, including Zilfa Irakoze, a doctoral student who is pursuing a dual-title degree in food science and in international agriculture and development; Ashley Olstrom, a dual-title doctoral degree student studying food science and microbiome sciences; Amelia Wyckoff, an undergraduate majoring both in community, environment, and development and in geography, with a minor in international agriculture; and Ben Lindgren, who is majoring in international politics and in community, environment, and development.

The delegation also visited several sites on campus, including the PlantVillage Lab, where researchers are using artificial intelligence to help smallholder farmers across Africa, Asia and the Americas adapt to climate change. They also toured the Learning Factory, the LaunchBox Innovation Hub and OriginLabs, highlighting some of Penn State’s capacity to support young innovators.

A working lunch centered on strategies for translating research into real-world impact, bringing together faculty and staff from Penn State’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to discuss innovation gap programming and resources.

Spencer noted that the University is sponsoring two new Academic Delegation cohorts in addition to programming for young entrepreneurs in collaboration with the World Food Forum Youth Assembly.

“This collaboration connects our students to a global conversation and provides engagement opportunities not only for innovators, but also for students interested in research, policy and the diffusion of innovation,” she said.

The visit culminated with the official signing of a collaboration agreement between the FAO and the College of Agricultural Sciences for the World Food Forum Youth Food Lab at Penn State.