Food for Thought: A series of public events featuring research and creative projects by recent CAS Associates and Fellows.

We are delighted to showcase the work of some of our most productive and creative faculty in this informal series of intellectually and spiritually invigorating presentations. You are invited to drop in when you can to learn about the exciting projects undertaken by our faculty.

11:00am-11:45am: Yi-Cheng Wang, CAS Beckman Fellow 2024-25, Food Science & Human Nutrition

Development of Self-powered Light-based Sanitizers to Enhance Food Safety

Food safety is a persistent global challenge, with millions of cases of foodborne illness reported each year. To help address it, this project develops a low-cost, easy-to-use light-based sanitizer and evaluates its efficacy at microbial inactivation. Being ‘self-powered’, i.e., able to convert ambient mechanical energy into electricity, it offers a promising pathway to improve food safety in resource-constrained settings and has strong potential to support the development of a safer and more resilient food system.

Noon-12:45pm: Russell Weinstein, CAS Associate 2024-25, School of Labor & Employment Relations

Does Training Teachers Locally Affect Teacher Shortages? Evidence from Regional Public Universities

Professor Weinstein and his research group study whether training teachers locally increases local teacher supply. They use the historical assignment of normal schools to train teachers, and insane asylums (normal schools became regional universities while asylums remain small) to identify the effect of proximity to universities. Their evidence suggests greater teacher supply in normal school counties: lower teacher wages, more teachers per student, and fewer with emergency credentials. Importantly, teachers in these counties reflect the local university: more likely education majors, including STEM education and special education, and less likely STEM and humanities majors. There are positive effects on high school test scores and graduation.