West Lafayette, Indiana - The fifth Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security is June 5-18 at Purdue University for 40 graduate students from across the country taking on the challenge of finding solutions to world hunger.

The application deadline is Feb. 1 for students who have completed at least one semester of graduate study and are enrolled in a U.S. institution at the time of application. U.S. citizenship is not required.

Application materials include a form, a brief one page or less narrative describing the applicant's interest in global food security, and a letter of recommendation from the applicant's research adviser. To apply, go to http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/food/borlaugfellows/summer-institute/index.php.

Enrollment is limited to 40 students, said Pamela McClure, program coordinator for the Purdue Center for Global Food Security, the Discovery Park research center that administers the summer institute at Purdue. Lodging, meals and teaching materials will be provided at no cost. Students are responsible for travel to and from Purdue's West Lafayette campus.

The two-week learning program is an opportunity for graduate students who are interested in developing a holistic understanding of the conceptual challenges around global food security, McClure said. Participants also gain a working knowledge of these issues with a focus on cross-disciplinary problem solving of real-world development challenges.

The team of instructors from Purdue and other institutions who will lead the institute includes faculty, practitioners and policymakers with expertise in areas pertinent to solving problems in global food security, McClure said. That includes the natural, social and health sciences and engineering, as well as experience with integrated approaches to problem solving. The program will include lectures, case studies, small group discussions and field trips to nearby destinations.

Awards are made on a competitive basis to students who show strong scientific foundation, possess leadership potential and demonstrate a commitment to international development. A selection committee will review the submissions and the top-ranked applicants will be notified by March 7.

The institute is part of the U.S. Borlaug Fellows in Global Food Security program, funded by USAID under the Feed the Future initiative. The program strives to prepare the next generation of U.S. food security professionals with the scientific foundation needed to effectively study and manage the global landscape in support of sustainable food systems. 

The Purdue Center for Global Food Security was launched in the university's Discovery Park in 2010 to take up one of the world's most pressing challenges: getting enough food to people who need it the most today and producing enough to meet even greater future demands.