This year, the Institute of Competition Sciences (ICS) had a special opportunity to contribute to World Food Prize Foundation’s Global Youth Institute (GYI).

The week-long academic conference brought together student delegates, educators, and global leaders to address critical issues like food security, crop production, and planting in harsh environments—a mission that resonates deeply with ICS’s focus on space agriculture through our Plant the Moon Challenge (PTMC).

As part of the GYI, we were able to connect students and educators to the PTMC, an initiative that encourages young scientists to explore agricultural solutions using simulated lunar soil (regolith). Just like the Global Youth Institute, the Plant the Moon Challenge encourages students collaborate with peers from around the world and showcase their innovative ideas.

Introducing Space Farming

Our CEO, Joshua Neubert, set the stage by introducing the PTMC, highlighting its role in fostering critical thinking about food production in harsh environments like the Moon or Mars.

Following his remarks, Dr. Sara Nelson, Director of the NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium and a STEM specialist at Iowa State University, emphasized the importance of space agriculture and its connection to global food security.

Adding an intergalactic perspective, retired astronaut Clayton Anderson engaged everyone in attendance with his presentation on space exploration and the challenges of food production in space.

His talk gave real-life insights into the challenges of feeding astronauts, and the parallels with cultivating food in extreme conditions on Earth. Both issues that Plant the Moon Challenge participants are motivated to explore during the competition.

Hands-On Learning and Experimentation

Under the guidance of ICS STEM Programs Coordinator, Christopher Fisher, chaperones and teacher delegates delved into the mechanics of the PTMC. Fisher led discussions on experimental design, variables, and how to structure scientific investigations while participants worked with ICS Outreach Coordinator, Jeanne Kumpunen, to complete interactive stations with activities like comparing lunar regolith with Iowa soil, identifying scientific variables, and developing their own experimental designs.

Crop Science Youth Education Specialist, Maya Hayslett, from Iowa State University 4-H, alongside her student assistant Fayeth Henningsen, also joined in to showcase her sweet corn and snap beans grown in regolith provided by the PTMC. Her demonstration of successful regolith-based agriculture gave students a tangible example of the possibilities of growing food in extreme environments.

Recognizing Student Excellence

At the end of the workshop, students submitted their experimental designs, showcasing their scientific understanding and creativity. ICS awarded PTMC kits to students with the most in-depth plans, allowing them to further their experiments in the Spring 2025 or Fall 2025 seasons. This year’s winners included:

• Sadie Hovis
• Ameya Menon
• Ishaan Sharmin
• Alex Hutchinson
• Madalyn Johnson (Arkansas FFA)
• Riya Kalluvila (Wisconsin 4-H)

Pictured: Madalyn Johnson, Arkansas FFA

Other Event Highlights

In addition to the PTMC activities, students engaged in randomized roundtable discussions and presentations, where they selected a country and proposed solutions to food supply challenges.

The event also included a live downlink from the International Space Station (ISS), answering questions proposed by student delegates and further inspiring participants to think beyond Earth.

Throughout the GYI, student and teacher delegates also has access to attend the esteemed Borlaug Dialogue, an international symposium focused on addressing global food security issues with political and thought leaders from all over the world.

An Out-Of-This-World Success

Through initiatives like the 2024 World Food Prize Global Youth Institute and the Plant the Moon Challenge, hands-on learning and global collaboration are positioned at the forefront of educating future generations.

We are so honored to have been a part of educating and inspiring these young people to go forth and develop solutions that support our most basic, universal human need—nourishment.

 

World Food Prize Youth Institutes happen around the world every year! Visit their website to learn more and/or sign up: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/youth_programs/youth_institutes/