Three experts from across campus will each discuss their work related to food insecurity and respond to questions from attendees during the #FunkPanel2022. Their work includes development of the Find Food IL community food map, research on how social inequalities shape the food labor and consumption of vulnerable individuals and families, and efforts to address food insecurity on university campuses and internationally. Dr. Roberta Johnson Killeen will serve as guest moderator. This panel presentation will be an opportunity for people to come together with the Funk ACES Library to learn about and discuss food insecurity initiatives and research led by members of our campus community.

To access the recording to Dr. Esther Ngumbi’s presentation, please follow this link https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_47p74rfa.

Dr. Esther Ngumbi is an Assistant Professor in Entomology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois.  She is a senior food security fellow with the New Voices Fellowship at the Aspen Institute.  As an entomologist, her research has focused on understanding the multifaceted uses of chemical signals by herbivores, natural enemies, plants and their associated microorganisms. In addition, Dr. Ngumbi’s research studying beneficial soil microbes seeks to find microbial-based solutions for improving crop production, alleviating flooding and drought stress in crop plants and sustainable pest management.  Believing that global sustainability issues like hunger and food insecurity affect all of us, Dr. Ngumbi works as a food security advocate and researcher and has continued to demonstrate visionary and inspirational leadership in the pursuit of a sustainable future where hunger and food insecurity are eradicated.