AgriNovus Career Success Manager, Karis Witte, had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Purdue Youth Institute as a roundtable expert, and engage in meaningful conversations with Indiana high school students regarding global food security challenges and how they are ultimately affecting agriculture.
The Purdue Youth Institute, hosted by the College of Agriculture and in partnership with the World Food Prize Foundation, offered the opportunity for Indiana high school students to engage with local food and agriculture leaders to address and explore critical global food security issues. Students that participated in the program were tasked with writing a paper to address some of the crucial food security challenges our world is facing today. Participants presented their research and recommendations at Purdue University in late April, engaging with local leaders and agriculture experts on these challenges, and participating in hands-on activities to explore meaningful ways to make a difference in Indiana and around the world.
Alongside Purdue College of Agriculture professors Lee and Burniske, I had the opportunity to listen to seven phenomenal presentations on global food security issues and recommendations for addressing these critical problems. Each presentation was followed by a group discussion that allowed roundtable experts and students to really think deeply about these challenges and the logistics behind solving them. Although students addressed many factors that are causing global food insecurity, one core topic was continuously brought up: access to water and its effects on the agricultural economy. Through research, each student proposed solutions tailored to the regions they studied.
Each student’s research and preparation for this opportunity was astonishing, but it always stands out to me when young leaders display a genuine desire to contribute to real-world change. Their curiosity aligns with what we see in our Field Atlas work, a career exploration platform designed to help students explore a wide range of opportunities that exist across the agbioscience economy. Many themes raised throughout the presentation, from water scarcity to globally supply chain challenges, are the kinds of issues shaping our future workforce. Field Atlas serves as that connection for students from global challenges to actual career pathways in food, animal health, plant science, agtech and agriculture. It turns complex global headwinds into tangible opportunities for impact, guiding students on how their interests can translate into meaningful work.
The Purdue Youth Institute underscores why student connection matters. They give youth a stage to share their thinking and a runway to pursue their passion. They show a generation of emerging talent that their passion for solving problems in food and agriculture can become a career that strengthens both Indiana’s agbioscience economy and global food security.
The pursuit to solve big problems does not end for these students today, either. Based on their presentations and roundtable discussions, selected Purdue Youth Institute participants will have the opportunity to attend the Global Youth Institute Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. During this conference, they will have another opportunity to present their research and recommendations with international experts.
It was a great day of being inspired by tomorrow’s problem solvers, and I look forward to seeing where curiosity and exploration leads them in their agbioscience future. If you’re a student, university or company leader that wants to engage Field Atlas and how best to connect curiosity to career exploration, I’d love to chat! Connect with me on LinkedIn.
