The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) and Inter-institutional Network for Food and Agriculture Sustainability (INFAS) are pleased to announce 11 IAC/INFAS Graduate Student Fellowship recipients who have been selected to fill highly competitive positions within Indian Country’s inaugural food and agriculture systems graduate fellowship cohort. This program is designed to directly support their individual research, personal, and professional development.
“The IAC-INFAS Graduate Student Fellowship was formed through a partnership between IAC and INFAS to directly support the cutting edge of Indian Country scholarships in the realms of Tribal agriculture, natural resources, and food systems,” explained Keir Johnson-Reyes – IAC National Technical Assistance (TA) Specialist Lead. “The Native graduate students participating in this program span from Alaska to the east coast and are paired with mentor faculty experts in their respective fields of study. The students meet with their peers and mentors at regular intervals throughout the duration of the year-long program. They are also responsible for participating in an asynchronous virtual course and producing original work as a culmination of the program.”
“Our partner, INFAS, is made up of a cohort of land-grant institutional faculty, along with faculty from other institutions in the food systems arena. This extensive network enables students to share their research across a variety of disciplines to gain from diverse perspectives,” Johnson-Reyes continued. “The combination of IAC’s Indian Country expertise and INFAS’s academic reach makes for an experience unlike any other fellowship program.”
“I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to learn with, and from, the graduate fellows and their mentors, and to connect with the rich web of expertise and programs at IAC,” said Christine Porter, the chair of the INFAS executive committee and a professor at the University of Wyoming.
“Also, knowing that these fellows will continue and deepen the work they are doing in this program gives me hope for our institutions and for our grandchildren,” Porter went on, adding that she is also pleased to serve as a mentor to one of the fellows and she looks forward to collaborating with Melvin Arthur, who is coordinating the program for INFAS.
Kelsey Ducheneaux-Scott – IAC Natural Resource Director relayed this message to the selected students, “As an individual that has navigated graduate school myself, I know how critical it is to have a support group that understands the dynamic you’re experiencing, while also relating to the situations where you are hoping to create change. Together, this outstanding cohort is going to reshape the world of research conducted in Indian Country, with the true desires of Indian Country in mind. It has been an honor to see their impact already.”
Learn more about the program and meet each of the fellowship recipients here: MEET THE IAC-INFAS GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS