Better
production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.
World Food Day Commemoration
Thursday Oct 13, 2022, 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
CEP auditorium, PVAMU
10:20 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
10:35 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:05 a.m. 11:10 a.m. 11:35 a.m. 11:45 a.m.
Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D.
Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs
Welcome and Introduction Speaker 1 Introduction
Horace D. Hodge
USDA Liaison, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement
Astor Boozer
Regional Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Talk: A better environment for a better life
Q&A
Ali Fares, Ph.D.
Endowed Professor of Water Security & Water-Energy-Food Nexus, PVAMU
Speaker 2 Introduction Debalina Sengupta, Ph.D.
Coastal Resilience Program Manager at TAMU-Texas Sea Grant College Program
Talk: Disaster Resilient Water Energy Food Systems
Q&A Closing Remarks
Ali Fares, Ph.D.
Endowed Professor of Water Security & Water-Energy-Food Nexus, PVAMU
PROGRAM SPEAKERS
Astor Boozer
Regional Conservationist, West Region
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Astor Boozer has served as the NRCS regional conservationist for the West Region since December 2011. He provides agency and natural resources leadership and support to state conservationists and partners and ensures states effectively manage an extensive portfolio of comprehensive conservation strategies—which includes implementing NRCS’s conservation technical assistance and financial assistance programs on private lands.
Through his leadership, NRCS has addressed water quantity and quality issues and strengthened partnership collaboration and customer service throughout the region. Boozer works to improve private and public lands conservation and help landowners efficiently gain access to USDA technical and financial assistance programs and services. He also helps leverage funding for boots-on-theground to deliver voluntary, science-based conservation.
He’s passionate about employee development and works closely with NRCS national and state leadership to provide training, offer temporary career-enhancing assignments, and explore mentoring opportunities to develop future agency leaders.
A native Texan and diehard Cowboys fan, Boozer grew up on a farm and ranch operation where he learned all about agriculture and caring for the land. During his 34-year tenure with NRCS, he has worked in eight states in a variety of state, regional, and national positions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. He appreciates the outdoors and loves to hunt, fish, and ride horses.
PROGRAM SPEAKERS
Debalina Sengupta, Ph.D.
Coastal Resilience Program Director, Texas Sea Grant at Texas A&M University
Dr. Sengupta is currently appointed as the Coastal Resilience Program Director of Texas Sea Grant at Texas A&M University is a member of the Graduate Faculty at Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.
Prior to this, she has worked at the TEES Gas and Fuels Research Center, and Texas A&M Energy Institute in research management roles.
Before TAMUs, she had worked at the US EPA as an ORISE PostDoctoral Research Associate at their National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Sustainable Technology Division in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Sengupta served as co-PI or senior personnel on several multi-million-dollar Department of Energy (DOE) research projects from the RAPID Manufacturing Institute (Process Intensification) and the CESMII- The Smart Manufacturing Institute (Smart Manufacturing).
Dr. Sengupta has developed several educational modules for sustainable manufacturing through an NSF sponsored Research Coordination Network in Sustainable Manufacturing. She is currently the lead principal investigator on an NSF funded project for Sustainable Regional Systems and working in the area of Disaster Resilient Food Energy Water Systems (DIRE-FEWS). She has authored two books, “Chemicals from biomass: integrating bioprocesses into chemical production complexes for sustainable development” by CRC Press (2012), and “Measuring Progress towards Sustainability” by Springer (2017) several peer-reviewed journal articles, and book chapters. She likes to blog, read, write, cook, and travel. Her favorite places are New Orleans, LA, and Kolkata, West Bengal, India, her hometown.
Thank You
TO OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS PVAMU’S 2022 World Food Day Chairperson Javad Barouei
Horace Hodge Mahta Moussavi
Tucker
Wilson LaBeaula Times Ebony Ohen Ashwani Srivastava
Conroy
Stewart
VISIT US ONLINE pvamu.edu/cahs or @pvamucahs The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences does not discriminate against anyone regardless of their race, color , national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity. Persons with a disability who require alternative means of communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact Javad Barouei at 936-261-5041 in advance.