The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Nutritional Sciences Council are pleased to present the 22nd 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 Borlaug Poster Competition submission form by 11:59 p.m., on Sept. 30, 2025, 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 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Health and Human Sciences and the College of 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 Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, 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 48″ wide and 36″ tall. If you need a poster printed, please contact your project mentors.

You will be notified by Oct. 8, 2025, whether or not your poster has been selected for the competition.

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025

Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University

Poster set up: 5:00-5:30 p.m. in the ground floor hallways of Curtiss Hall

Poster session and judging: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Borlaug Lecture: 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Poster winners announced: 8:30 p.m.

Hold the Date

Join a conversation with the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, Mariangela Hungria, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Dolezal Auditorium, 0127 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University.

A reception and student poster display will precede the lecture from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the ground floor hallways and rotunda of Curtiss Hall. Posters will address world issues, which could include food, agriculture, climate, nutrition, economies, technology, and more, and are submitted by undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Mariangela Hungria will present “SOILutions for Food and Nutrition Security: A MicroGreen Revolution in Agriculture” for the 2025 Norman Borlaug Lecture. As the world demands food and nutrition security, a new vision is emerging—SOILutions—paving the way for regenerative agriculture. In this transformative context, biological solutions—especially microorganisms—are increasingly replacing chemical inputs, unlocking proven economic, environmental, and social gains. A MicroGreen Revolution is reshaping agriculture, powerfully aligned with the holistic vision of One Health.

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.