Iowa Youth Institute offers abundance of opportunity in agricultural science; Students in eighth-12th grades can apply by end of March 2025
Expanding her horizons through Iowa Youth Institute ... Waukon High School 2024 graduate Olivia Marti, currently a first-year student at Iowa State University in Ames, has discovered and further expanded her interest in the agricultural science industry through her involvement with the Iowa Youth Institute and Global Youth Institute. She is pictured at far right in the above photo taken at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue held in Des Moines in late October with World Food Prize Foundation Chief Operating Officer Mashal Husain and World Food Prize Foundation President Terry Branstad, the former Governor of Iowa and U.S. Ambassador to China. Submitted photo.
Waukon High School 2024 graduate Olivia Marti shares her experience, both in Iowa and globally
by Alaina Gebel
Globally, one child dies from hunger-related causes every 10 seconds. One-third of all food on the planet is wasted, and one out of three schools worldwide do not have safe water and sanitation. According to the World Food Prize website, by 2050, there will be at least nine billion people on the planet. Of those nine billion people projected to inhabit the planet, who is willing to solve the world’s global dilemmas?
Youth, like Olivia Marti, a 2024 graduate of Waukon High School, have already begun the journey to create solutions to global problems. Marti has a strong passion for the seed science and agriscience industries. However, she states that before participating in the Iowa Youth Institute, she had no clue what role she would play in the agriculture industry. Her agriculture instructor at Waukon High School, Ms. Jessica O’Connor, encouraged her to take her first steps into the agriscience field through the Iowa Youth Institute, held at Iowa State University each April.
The Iowa Youth Institute offers over 3,000 students in eighth through 12th grade the opportunity to “engage with local leaders and experts on critical global food security challenges, participate in hands-on science activities, and explore exciting ways to make a difference in Iowa and around the world.” Youth participants complete a research paper about a global problem and propose their solutions. They begin by choosing a country, selecting a topic, analyzing its impact on food security, and proposing solutions to the problem.
After completing their research projects, students present their findings to industry leaders in roundtable discussions. Marti notes that she was able to meet experts with experience in her specific area of interest. Even more beneficial, she was able to form connections with other students from Iowa who had similar interests and passions.
“The connections I made at Iowa Youth Institute are something that I continue to benefit from today, having developed a network of similarly focused students all across the state,” stated Marti.
Marti participated in the Iowa Youth Institute as a high school freshman and was selected to advance to the Global Youth Institute, a program similar to the Iowa Youth Institute but on a global scale. Additionally, Marti was selected to be a Borlaug-Ruan Intern this past summer. During this internship,
Marti worked at the International Center for Wheat and Maize Improvement in Texcoco, Mexico, collaborating with PhD students and scientists in the agronomy field.
The Iowa Youth Institute is producing the world’s next generation of leaders. Students gain hands-on experience and form connections with industry professionals and peers. In addition, any student who completes a research paper and attends the Iowa Youth Institute automatically receives a $1,000 scholarship to Iowa State University. If selected to attend the Global Youth Institute, students receive a $2,000 scholarship as well.
However, Marti states that “the Iowa Youth Institute is so much more than that; it is an opportunity to find your passions and get involved much further beyond Iowa Youth Institute itself.”
If interested in participating in the Iowa Youth Institute, more information is available on the World Food Prize Foundation website under the drop-down Youth Programs. The deadline to register is Monday, March 31, 2025. The Iowa Youth Institute will take place in-person at the Memorial Union Building at Iowa State University in Ames Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
