USDA Wallace-Carver Fellowship

The prestigious Wallace-Carver Fellowship offers exceptional college students the opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned scientists and policymakers through paid fellowships at leading USDA research centers and offices across the United States.

The fellows also participate in a high-level week-long Wallace-Carver Leadership Symposium at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington DC, hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Initiated by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack in 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture and the World Food Prize Foundation partnered to create the Wallace-Carver Fellowship to inspire the next generation of American scientific and humanitarian leaders.

 

Named for Henry A. Wallace and George Washington Carver, two of the great American leaders in agricultural science and policy who made significant strides toward ending hunger in the 20th Century, the Wallace-Carver Fellowship seeks to educate, inspire and train the next generation of agricultural leaders, who will lead us in the 21st century.

In the Summer of 2020, seven fellows worked virtually with USDA research centers and field offices across the country to analyze agricultural and economic policy; assist in the management of food, nutrition and rural development programs; and take part in groundbreaking field and laboratory-based research.

Since the creation of the Fellowship, 247 students from 102 universities and colleges in 37 states and the District of Columbia have been employed by the program. 

Over 97% of the Fellows have pursued degrees in related disciplines and 88% are employed in critical fields relevant to science, agriculture, nutrition, economics and policy. 

“The Wallace-Carver Fellowship exposes the best young minds in agriculture to the wide variety of opportunities available to them through civil service. Their experiences as Fellows will prepare these exceptional young leaders to carry out the vital research and innovation we will need to address the challenge of feeding a growing global population.”

                  - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack

For more information, contact the World Food Prize Foundation Senior Director of Global Programs & Partnerships, Keegan Kautzky at kkautzky@worldfoodprize.org or 515-343-7162.

2020 Wallace-Carver Fellows

Bella Culotta Cornell University Placement: Davis, CA Agricultural Research Service Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Unit "I analyzed the genetic content of tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the bacterium behind Crown-Gall disease, which is responsible for detrimental crop losses of grapes, herbs and walnuts all over the globe."	Jorge Del'Angel Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Placement: Temple, TX Agricultural Research Service Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory "I remotely monitored crop health by using Google Earth Engine to save farmers from physically watching their fields while being exposed to potential harsh environmental elements."	Alvin Edney, II Alcorn State University   Placement: Beltsville, MD National Agricultural Library Office of the Director of the National Agricultural Library "I reviewed selected publications in the field of agriculture for the NAL Collection and identified in-scope scholarly journals to be indexed in AGRICOLA (Agricultural On-Line Access)."
Ava  Forystek The Ohio State University Placement:  Geneva, NY Agricultural Research Service Plant Genetic Research Unit   I analyzed the Genetic Diversity of Wild and Hybrid Grapes	Ebony Jenkins University of Maryland Eastern Shore Placement: Stoneville, MS Agricultural Research Service Southern Insect Management Research Unit "I researched sunflowers managed for dove hunting as a pollinator habitat, as well as community gardens that benefit adjacent crops."	Lauren Moyer Alabama A&M University Placement: Athens, GA Agricultural Research Service Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research Unit “I researched the elimination of mycotoxin contamination in corn crops and agricultural products - such as, feed for livestock or corn flours for human consumption.“
	Jack Pieper Iowa State University Placement:  Canal Point, FL Agricultural Research Service Sugarcane Production Research Unit  "I helped analyze genotypic data for sugarcane to create higher performing, disease-resistant cultivars for farmers."