Notice: As of August 31, 2024, this program is no longer funded.

We would like to thank all the students/professionals, faculty, and advisory board members who helped make it a success.

The DataFEWSion Graduate Traineeship,

is an interdisciplinary graduate traineeship focused on research at the nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (FEWS). The program emphasizes analytical skills such as data-driven decision modeling and social awareness within the complexities of the FEWS nexus, plus communication and professional development.

Below, you will find our annual reports from 2020-2024 and highlights of our accomplishments from our final evaluation.

link to the DataFEWSion 2024 annual report

Highlights of the Summative Project Evaluation[1]

[1] Chang, M., Davis, S. and Spooner, M. “Summative External Evaluation: Iowa State University NRT-INFEWS.” Mariko Chang Consulting, Inc. 2004.

About

In the 21st century, sustainable provision of food, energy and clean water requires an understanding of the interdependence among systems as well as the motivations and incentives of farmers, industry and rural policymakers. Iowa State University’s National Science Foundation Research Traineeship — DataFEWSion — prepares MS and Ph.D. students to be emerging leaders who are equipped to address the complexities around the nexus of Food Production, Renewable Energy and Water Quality Systems (FEWS) in the Midwest.

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Our Goal

The DataFEWSion’s overarching theme is systems modeling and data analytics for innovations at the nexus of food production, renewable energy and water quality in the Midwest. Stakeholders such as government bodies, consumers and investors often focus on short-term fixes, while researchers tend to focus too narrowly on tractable problems with limited scope. Providing implementable solutions requires understanding the motivations and incentives of farmers, rural policymakers and other stakeholders, then formulating research studies that address their concerns.

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