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CEIS Panelists Discuss Sustainability Research at AAAS Conference

Event

The 99th Annual Pacific Division Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was held June 12-15 at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP). Dean Jeff Passe, College of Education and Integrative Studies (CEIS), Assistant Professors Teresa Lloro-Bidart and Analena Hope Hassberg and several CEIS students were among those who presented conference papers.

The AAAS, a leading scientific organization, seeks to advance science, engineering and innovation for the benefit of all. The annual meeting featured workshops and seminars aimed at enhancing communication between faculty, students and the public.

Panel participants from CEIS addressed issues of sustainability through studying food justice, developing teacher education courses on sustainability and creating and managing community gardens in their panel discussion, “Saving the Planet One Course at a Time.”

The first panelist, Assistant Professor Teresa Lloro-Bidart from the Department of Liberal Studies presented her paper, “A Feminist Analysis of Socioecological Intergenerational Learning in a Critical Food Studies Course.” In her presentation, she discussed how food studies courses influence students’ ability to share what they’ve learned with their families and adopt new habits that will result in better health.

The second panelist, Assistant Professor Analena Hope Hassberg from the Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies shared critical insights of food insecurity in Los Angeles from her paper, “Toward Health and Food Justice: CSU Students at the Forefront of Sustainable Food Systems.”  While food insecurity is a national problem, Los Angeles County residents suffer at a higher rate due to the area being characterized as a food desert. According to Hassberg, a food desert is a region that lacks access to nutritious and affordable food. In response to this crisis, Hassberg has organized student teams to create and manage community gardens in the area.

Following her discussion, four gender, ethnicity and multicutural studies (GEMS) students shared their personal experiences of working at Urban Mission, a non-profit organization that operates an emergency food pantry. One panelist, GEMS student Kani Webb has decided to manage a non-profit organization to address food insecurity in Los Angeles.

The final presentation, made by Dean Passe, discussed the strategy of using relevant, regional literature to promote a commitment to sustainability.

This year’s event was sponsored by the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Sigma Xi, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and CPP.

Visit AAAS’s website to view abstracts submitted by CEIS panelists. 

 

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