Building from an NSF and Agropolis foundation funded project, student research assistants Anand Purohit and Christopher Esparza teamed up under the guidance of 
Professor Chris Bacon to produce an original poster analyzing the discourses of food insecurity in Nicaragua. They then traveled to New Orleans to present this poster at the American Association of Geographers annual conference. During this presentation the editor of a prestigious peer reviewed journal encouraged them to write up this study and submit it for publication, and Chris Bacon will continue mentoring them through this process. Anand is an Environment Science and Poli Sci double major that has worked with Bacon for three years, and won several significant scholarships to law schools, including Duke, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. Chris E is a double major in history and physics as well as a LEAD (first generation) scholar that joined our team about a year ago. He has made a significant contribution drawing from his own experience growing up in Mexico to help transcribe and interpret interview transcripts.
“Our poster presentation garnered the attention of many interested scholars and academics. These inquisitive researchers approached us, asking all kinds of thought-provoking questions about our poster, precipitating a series of stimulating discussions. Overall, by discussing our findings with researchers from across the nation, we ended up learning a great deal, not only about their ongoing studies, but also about ways in which our own study could be expanded and improved. One such discussion peaked the interest of a journal editor, who excitedly suggested we submit our findings for publication.”
– Anand Purohit
“Working alongside Anand in New Orleans was a great experience as I was able to contribute to the research and poster that was presented in an internationally recognized academic conference. Most of the academics in the conference are passionate and invested in their work; whether it be tackling food insecurity, policy that prevents smallholders to their fair share, or analyzing national shifts in social or political structures.”
– Chris Esparza
