FAMU delegation will go to South Africa for an international summit

Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson and a delegation of 13 FAMU students prepare for an overseas trip to the motherland.

The group of FAMU administrators, students, faculty and staff will head to Durban, South Africa, for the EnergyWaterFoodClimate Nexus International Summit 2024 – a four-day conference from July 1 to 4 that aims to expand research into new discoveries and solutions for Environmental problems. challenges.

Although the International Summit is organized by FAMU every two years, the trip to South Africa marks the first time FAMU participants will travel outside the country for the biennial event.

“The EnergyWaterFoodClimate Nexus Summit 2024 represents part of FAMU’s role in addressing some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time,” Robinson said in a prepared statement.

“It is also an opportunity for students and faculty alike to adopt a global focus even as they sharpen their research to confront complex issues at home in Florida and across the U.S.”

The first International Summit was held in 2015. Since its inception, more than 1,000 people – including business leaders, lawmakers, researchers and scientists – have come together to brainstorm solutions to preserve valuable resources.

The nine thematic tracks of the summit are: water quality, microbial systems and bioinformatics, harnessing big data, zero greenhouse gas emissions, achieving soil carbon targets, climate-resilient agriculture, food security, AI-powered circular economy, and “let a new scientific enterprise taking the lead way.”

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In April 2022, the summit was held on FAMU’s campus in Tallahassee, where the university hosted hundreds of attendees from across Europe, South Africa, and the entire US.

But this year’s summit – taking place at the Coastlands Musgrave Hotel in Durban – will be a collaboration with the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in Durban, South Africa, to focus on tackling the challenges facing Africa confronted.

After registration on July 1, the summit will feature a keynote address on July 2 by Jiwoh E. Abdulai, Minister of Environment and Climate Change in the West African country of Sierra Leone. University administrators, scientists, businesspeople and government officials from Africa, Europe and North America will also address the summit.

In addition to the administrators, faculty and staff going to South Africa, the 13 students, who will also be part of the university’s delegation, will serve as note-takers during the four-day summit sessions.

The notes will be used to draw up a peer-reviewed procedure after the summit, according to the university. FAMU School of the Environment Dean Victor Ibeanusi is the founder of the EnergyWaterFoodClimate Nexus Summit.

“The FAMU School of the Environment is leading this summit to promote cross-cutting discussions, scholarship and collaboration among researchers, students and entrepreneurs to advance science, policy and decision-making,” Ibeanusi said in a university press release.

“Most importantly, the summit creates a platform for global discussions where participants can present innovative ideas for sustainable solutions,” he added.

Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.