The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is seeking driven, sustainability-minded students interested in becoming an Intern on our team. You will enhance transferable skills such as administrative organization, workflow, teamwork and strategic communication. You will be exposed to a variety of fields such as administration, copywriting and editing, social media, public relations and project management to advance biodiversity conservation efforts in the academic and environmental fields. Students may also request specific projects within their area of interest.

This position will average 10-15 hours of work per week. The start and end dates are flexible, according to the student’s availability. Students may work remotely or in our office space in LSA 351 on ASU’s Tempe campus. This internship is unpaid, but it may be eligible for academic credit.

To apply, candidates should email their CV/resume and unofficial transcripts to biodiversity@asu.edu. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

In this series, we're sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Michelle Stewart, Senior Global Futures Scientist and Instructor in the School of Sustainability. 

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By Chelsea Radford, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

In May 2023, my ASU Sustainable Food Systems cohort and I made our way to Washington, D.C., for our Policy Immersive course. We had the extreme privilege of meeting with countless individuals who work at the USDA and other government agencies. Two of the folks we met with during our trip were Dr. Deirdra Chester and Dr. Richard Derksen, who work at USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS).

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Each year, the  Environmental Humanities Initiative  brings one of the world’s leading scholars to Arizona State University to lecture on the ways that the humanities illuminate debates around planetary health and justice. This year’s Distinguished Lecture will be delivered by Elizabeth DeLoughrey, and will take place on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Biodesign Auditorium, B105 on the ASU Tempe campus. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

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In this series, we're sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Roberto Gaxiola, School of Life Sciences Professor and Senior Global Futures Scientist.

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Unique PhD opportunity at Arizona State University in partnership with the International Union for Conservation, Conservation International and Northern Arizona University examining the interface of biodiversity conservation, community science technology, and equity in rural development.

See announcement for more information.

In this series, we're sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Rozita Smith, Assistant Director to the International Students and Scholars Center and owner of The Aquaponics Grower. 

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The School of Life Sciences and the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University in collaboration with ASU’s Global Drylands Center invite applications for a full-time, tenure‐ track, benefits-eligible faculty position in the area of Drylands Ecology at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. Rank and tenure status will be commensurate with experience. The anticipated start date is August 16, 2024.

SOLS and SOS are engaged in education and research at all levels, while GDC integrates across academic units and fosters cutting-edge dryland ecology through use-inspired research, synthesis of novel ecological theory and education. We seek to expand a strong, diverse group of ecologists in GDC who are focused on advancing our understanding of basic and applied ecology of drylands while concurrently signaling leadership in this globally important research space. Drylands encompass 45 % of the terrestrial surface, a broad range of ecosystem types and call for a diversity of scientific approaches to attain a comprehensive understanding of their role and fate.

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By Copeland Vidal, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

 Have you ever wondered how the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee carry out their mandate to guide and shape agricultural policies that maintain the welfare of farmers, ranchers, and consumers? This crucial task is facilitated by dedicated staff who are passionate about ensuring Committee members are thoroughly informed and briefed on the intricate technical insight that drives these policies. Being backed up by a team of expert staff allows the Senate Agriculture Committee to efficiently and successfully evaluate legislation related to farming, nutrition, conservation, rural development, and forestry.

The team of staff on the Senate Agriculture Committee is comprised of qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds who are responsible for researching issues, developing legislation, analyzing government programs and laws, and supervising agency activities. Aside from experienced staff, the Committee also works with a team of legislative assistants who represent the interests of the individual senators, particularly members of the Committee, on specific agriculture and rural development policy issues. 

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By: Jocelyn Moguin, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student

Note: Janie Hipp has now transitioned into a new position as President and CEO of Native Agriculture Financial Services (NAFS), and is no longer General Counsel at USDA. 

Background

During our DC Immersive, my Sustainable Food Systems MS cohort had the pleasure of sitting down and listening to General Counsel Janie Hipp. Janie Hipp is the General Counsel in USDA’s Office of the General Counsel and was appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate. General Counsel Hipp is an expert in agricultural law, an Oklahoma Native, and a member of the Chickasaw Nation. She is only the 4^th woman to have served as General Counsel of USDA and the first Native woman to have served in her role in the nation’s history. For more details on the incredible career path and insights of General Counsel Hipp, read fellow graduate student Eleanor Ross’s impressive blog detailing her history and career. 

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We are thrilled to introduce Arizona State University’s 2023 cohort in the Food Policy & Sustainability Leadership graduate certificate program and Sustainable Food Systems MS program. This marks our 5th cohort of students, and by far the largest and most diverse.

Committed to shaping food and farm policy in the public interest, this dynamic group of 35 leaders represents 19 states and a wide range of professions, including chefs, dietitians, retailers, landscape architects, grant writers, educators, and numerous community and school garden managers. This cohort showcases remarkable diversity in terms of ethnicity, nationality, and race.

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In a novel approach, Scott Collins et. al. have recently published a paper in Functional Ecology on how drought and post-drought periods affect plant communities. Factors such as seed size, precipitation periods, and dominant species of certain grasslands were considered.

Read the entire paper here.

By Kelly Sheridan, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student

During our immersive week in Washington, D.C., my graduate school cohort had the privilege to meet with Alexis Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA), and her chief of staff, Jamal Habibi. Under Secretary Taylor is only the second official to hold this position.  No stranger to USDA, Under Secretary Taylor served at the department from 2013 – 2017 in a variety of different roles, with the last being delegated the duties of the Under Secretary for the then Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services mission area. Taylor then went on to become the Director of Agriculture for the State of Oregon until 2022.

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By Amy Mattias, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student

The halls of the USDA Whitten Building in Washington, D.C. were filled with chatter as our group of Sustainable Food Systems graduate students headed to hear from the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP), Jennifer Lester Moffitt, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator, Bruce Summers, and AMS Associate Administrator, Melissa Bailey. USDA has eight mission areas overseen by Under Secretaries, one of which is Marketing and Regulatory Programs. As Under Secretary for this mission area, Moffitt works closely with Administrator Summers and Associate Administrator Bailey as she directs the work of AMS along with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). These two agencies are leaders in setting national and international standards, regulating genetic modification techniques, protecting the domestic health and welfare of plants and animals, and the marketing of all agricultural products produced domestically.

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In this series, we're sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Jan Stanley, Affiliate Global Futures Scholar, Executive  Coordinator in the Office of the Senior Vice President and Secretary of the University, and Contributing Editor for the ASU Alumni Association. 

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In this series, we’re sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Steven Zuiker, Senior Global Futures Scholar and Associate Professor at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. 

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By Leanne Kami, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

Graduate students from the ASU Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems got a taste of policy in action this spring as part of a weeklong immersive experience in Washington, D.C., focused on food policy.  Among the tools and tactics shared by experts, ranging from rulemaking to media and advocacy, a common theme shared throughout the week was the importance of networks and relationships.

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The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is seeking a highly motivated and sustainable-minded Program Manager to join the Center.

The PM will assist in achieving high-level outcomes for CBO by supporting the management and administration of a large body of targeted effort that combines resources and talent from across ASU and the world to work toward specific goals that are chosen for their potential to move the needle on achieving system change. The PM assists in setting and pursuing clear research and outreach goals that we expect can enact system change and identifying and pursuing the capacity and resources to achieve them. Responsibilities of this position will be defined but not limited to these essential categories: program management, supervisory, administrative, and finance.

To apply, candidates should apply on the ASU Job site. Posting will close on September 18, 2023.

By Kaysey England, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

During our Sustainable Food Systems graduate program food policy immersion experience in the spring of 2023, we had the opportunity to learn more about the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). We were joined by Ruth Saunders, Agriculture Branch Chief, and Nora Stein, Program Examiner, to learn of the critical role OMB plays in the United States government.

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By Connor Kaeb, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

Recently, the Sustainable Food Systems graduate cohort from Arizona State University spent a week in Washington, DC, meeting with policy leaders and influencers in our nation’s capital. As part of this immersive experience, we had the opportunity to meet with leaders from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area.

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