The conference hosts 145 countries, 13 nongovernmental organizations and three international organizations in attendance. The students will leave for Italy on April 20 and will work there through the end of July.
The theme of the Expo is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” with the aim to make visators aware of the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the food chain, according to the website.
“This is a great opportunity for some brilliant undergraduates to see and participate in the global food system,” Anthropology Professor Dr. Richard Wilk said.
Wilk said he will visit the Expo in June to see how the students are doing as ambassadors for the nation, IU and the food studies program.
One of the ambassadors, Molly Liss, is a sophomore from Indianapolis. She is majoring in dietetics and obtaining a minor in entrepreneurship and small business management.
Liss said she heard about the ambassador program in her E421: Food and Culture class taught through the Eat Drink Think Themester.
“I’m positive that if I hadn’t been in the class, I wouldn’t have known about the program until it was too late,” she said.
The other ambassador is sophomore Francisca Figueroa.
“When I found out that the theme of this year’s Expo was ‘Feeding the World, Energy for Life’ and that it would be taking place in Italy, I applied almost immediately,” she said. “There was no second thought about it.”
Figueroa said as Student Ambassadors, they will be working within the USA Pavilion as liaisons and representatives of the American people. She said they will lead visitors through the Pavilion, facilitate discussion and answer questions in visitors’ native tongues, in addition to being highly knowledgeable about all the material being presented at the Expo.
“I know I’m going to learn a lot at the Expo just by the sheer number of minds that will be represented there, and everyone with something valuable to contribute,” Liss said.
Figueroa said she is looking forward to being a part of this international discussion and seeing the perspectives of over a hundred different countries. She said she is also extremely excited to have the opportunity to go to some of the talks that will be showcased at the Expo, such as Vandana Shiva, a prominent environmental activist.
“I have always been fascinated by the mechanisms that govern society and our relationship with our environment, and the global food system is one of the largest, and most important examples of those concepts,” she said.
Liss said foods and food systems and traditions from around the world will be concentrated in one area, and she is very lucky to be in that same area during the Expo.
“Representing IU at the Expo means representing an appreciation for diversity and all it has to offer,” she said. “IU is such a vibrant and lively community, and that’s something I hope to mirror at the Expo.”
