Second Science Communication Week features adventures with 'The Food Explorer'
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018
Kansas State University, the Sunset Zoo and other community partners are exploring global food systems and communicating science with the second Science Communication Week from Nov. 5 to 10. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University, the Sunset Zoo and other community partners are exploring food and communicating science with the second Science Communication Week from Nov. 5-10.
The week's keynote events connect the university and the community with global food systems through the book "The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats." The nonfiction account focuses on Kansas State University alumnus and Manhattan native David Fairchild, a late 19th-century food explorer who traveled the world. He was the son of Kansas State University President George Fairchild.
"The Food Explorer" author Daniel Stone will give the keynote lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the Flint Hills Discovery Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.
"Daniel Stone's book is an important piece of work that highlights groundbreaking food exploration and food safety," said Peter Dorhout, Kansas State University vice president for research. "We are proud to highlight our K-State and local connections to 'The Food Explorer' throughout Science Communication Week. I encourage all faculty, staff, students and community members to get involved with the variety of events throughout the week."
Science Communication Week also includes the following events related to "The Food Explorer." All events are open to the public.
• A university faculty panel discussion of "The Food Explorer" will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in the UMB Theatre at the Beach Museum of Art. The panel discussion will examine the work of Manhattan native sons David Fairchild, Charles Marlatt and Walter Swingle. Panelists include John Ruberson professor and head of the entomology department; Bonnie Lynn-Sherow, associate professor of history; Matthew Sanderson, the Randall C. Hill distinguished professor of sociology, anthropology and social work; Jane Marshall, faculty emeritus in food, nutrition, dietetics and health; and Bill Schapaugh, professor of agronomy.
• The Manhattan Public Library will host a public discussion of "The Food Explorer" at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, at the Manhattan Public Library. William L. Richter, professor emeritus of political science and the university's first associate provost for international programs, will lead the discussion, which will focus on the importance of Fairchild's work in the U.S.
• The Manhattan Public Library and the Riley County Historical Society and Museum have organized a free exhibit, "The Food Explorers and their Riley County Connections," from Oct. 23-Nov. 19 at the Riley County Historical Museum. The exhibit highlights the local connection to the food exploration and food safety recounted in "The Food Explorer."
• The Riley County Historical Society and Museum is offering a driving tour, "Where the Adventure Began: Touring the Home Town of the Food Explorers," beginning Nov. 7. The self-guided driving tour features locations connected to David Fairchild, Charles Marlatt, and other food explorers and innovators with connections to Manhattan and Riley County. Tour information is available at rileycountyks.gov/museum.
Science Communication Week is part of the Kansas Science Communication Initiative and will incorporate other events such as Research and the State, Science on Tap and family activities at the Nov. 10 Sunflower Showdown football game against the University of Kansas.
Other highlights of the week include workshops with Jory Weintraub, the science communication director with the Duke Initiative for Science and Society and a senior lecturing fellow at Duke University; a roundtable discussion on communicating science through story and film, led by Rebecca Safran, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado; improv workshops; and discussions surrounding CRISPR, anchored by Candace Seeve, science advancement manager at TechAccel.
For a full list of Science Communication Week events, visit k-state.edu/scicomm/events or check the Kansas Science Communication Initiative Facebook page at facebook.com/KansasScienceCommunicationInitiative.
Campus and community sponsors for Science Communication Week include the Global Food Systems Initiative, the Sunset Zoo, the Flint Hills Discovery Center, the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering, the Center for Engagement and Community Development, the Chapman Center for Rural Studies, the Department of Plant Pathology, the College of Arts and Sciences, TechAccel, the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and K-State Libraries.
