The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Nutritional Sciences Council are pleased to present the 21st Annual Norman Borlaug Lectureship Poster Competition for Graduate and Undergraduate Students.

Submitting a Poster

Students are encouraged to enter poster abstracts related to work or projects involving world issues, which could include food, agriculture, climate, nutrition, economies, technology and more. Submit your poster title and an abstract (250 word limit) by completing the Norman Borlaug Poster Competition submission form by 11:59 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 (deadline has been extended from the original date of Sept. 30), to be considered for this competition.

NOTE: You cannot save the poster abstract form and return to finish it at a later date. Therefore, please have responses ready to these two before filling it out: 1) Your abstract, which should not exceed 250 words. Include your hypothesis, project objectives, methods, results, discussion and conclusions as appropriate to your study. We acknowledge that undergraduate projects may not be research projects and lack hypotheses, methods, results, etc. 2) In 150 words or less, explain how the research project described in your abstract relates to world issues.

Prizes of $200, $150 and $100 for both undergraduate and graduate student competitions are made possible with funds provided by the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Sciences and Liberal Arts and Sciences. Student poster presenters are required to be present for the Borlaug Lecture and the awards ceremony. Reserved seating will be available during the lecture for all poster presenters.

To be considered for this competition, your abstract must contain:

  • Title
  • Your name
  • Name of faculty mentor(s) and their departments

The abstract should include the following and not exceed 250 words total:

  • hypothesis and objectives of project;
  • methods, results, discussion, conclusion

Poster judging at the event on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, will consider:

  • content and organization including overall content, logical presentation, clarity of expression, punctuation
  • quality of presented research or study and relevance to world food issues including techniques and experimental design if appropriate, if topic is current, innovative and provides better understanding
  • presentation and explanation of materials and methods
  • presentation and explanation of results that are scientifically sound to explain results
  • conclusions including soundness, supported by results, concise, precise, adequate and appropriate
  • oral presentation skills in discussing your work and the relationship of the project to world food issues with the judges

You may use a poster prepared for another event. Your poster should be able to fit on a board no more than 40″ wide and 36″ tall. If you need a poster printed, please contact your project mentors.

You will be notified by Oct. 14, 2024, whether or not your poster has been selected for the competition.

Schedule of Events

Monday, Oct. 28, 2024

Great Hall, Memorial Union

Poster set up: 3:00-3:30 p.m. in Sun Room/South Ballroom

Poster session and judging: 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Borlaug Lecture: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Poster winners announced: 6:30 p.m.

Hold the Date

Join a conversation with the 2024 World Food Prize Laureates, Geoffrey Hawtin and Cary Fowler, on Monday, Oct. 28, at 5:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

A reception and student poster display will precede the lecture from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Sun Room/South Ballroom, Memorial Union. Posters will address world issues and are submitted by undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin and Dr. Cary Fowler will receive the 2024 World Food Prize for their extraordinary leadership in preserving and protecting the world’s heritage of crop biodiversity and mobilizing this critical resource to defend against threats to global food security. Over the last 50 years, their combined efforts as researchers, policy advisors, thought leaders and advocates have succeeded in engaging governments, scientists, farmers and civil society towards the conservation of over 6,000 species of crops and culturally important plants.

Norman Borlaug Lecture

Dr. Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) was a Cresco, Iowa, native whose discoveries sparked the Green Revolution. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contribution to world peace through his wheat research and production that saved millions of lives worldwide. He founded the World Food Prize in 1986 to recognize the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

Contact Ajay Nair, nairajay@iastate.edu (515-294-7080) or Dorothy Masinde, 515-294-0029, masinde@iastate.edu with questions or if you need additional information.