ImpactNights

May 3, 2022May 3, 2022

April 14, 2022 ImpactNights™ – Food Systems in Urgent Need of Transformation

Even before 2020, before anyone heard of something called “COVID-19,” the world was already facing serious food challenges. But today, with long-term economic uncertainty due to the pandemic, rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, and climate change, the global food system may be nearing a breaking point.

To discuss the crisis facing our globe, Hunt Institute convened three panels of experts on April 14 for its latest ImpactNights™ event, “Food Systems in Urgent Need of Transformation.” The event featured Hunt Institute representatives and Fellows, business executives, medical experts, non-profit leaders, and a City of Dallas coordinator.

The common theme that linked the three panels was the critical importance of building trust with and among all stakeholders – whether it be the farmers that grow crops, the financial institutions that serve the farmers, or those who distribute the products to the market. Panelists also discussed the vital role of health care providers who develop bonds with communities and patients, especially in underserved areas.

“With 3.3 to 3.6 billion people in the world highly vulnerable to climate change, most of them smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups, the urgency cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Eva Csaky, Executive Director of Hunt Institute. “This is a crisis of food production, food security, and livelihoods, and the sharing of global experiences and best practices must inform urgent evidence-based climate action in vulnerable communities around the world.”

Participating in the first panel were Clara Ford, a Hunt Institute Fellow who is working on a community-driven, climate-smart rural development model; Miguel J. Martins, a Hunt Institute Fellow who is working with climate-smart value chains with a focus on mycelium; and Mohan Seneviratne, a Hunt Institute Fellow who is helping build resilience and improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka.

“If we’re talking about global value chains, we need to talk with the farmers,” said Seneviratne. “If there are no farmers, there are no cover crops. Sri Lanka, like all emerging countries, is primarily agricultural. If you want to alleviate poverty, we need to address 80% of the people, and that’s agriculture.”

Clara Ford, the founder of Kijiji Innovative Solutions in Tanzania, teaches local farmers how to grow more crops to sell, and thus sustain themselves and provide a better quality of life. “In a small village of about 1000 to 5000 people, the economy is agricultural productivity, but somebody coming from America to Tanzania and telling them this is what you need to do – that is something I figured wouldn’t work.”

To address the issue, Ford created a local center for the village to bring people together, to invest in locals first, and to allow them to start the conversation as peers and stakeholders. She hopes her idea – a center to gather, learn, and take action – can be scaled to other villages as a community development approach.

The second session, led by Corrie Harris, Assistant Director of Hunt Institute, featured Felisa Conner and Dorothy Hopkins, VP of Operations and President & CEO, respectively, of Frazier Revitalization, Inc.; Rabekha Siebert, Urban Agriculture Coordinator of the City of Dallas; Matt Smith, Sr. Director of PepsiCo’s Food for Good; and Meghna Tare, a Hunt Institute Fellow, Chief Sustainability Officer of UT Arlington, and Founder of the North Texas Food Alliance.

“When you’re working in underserved communities, you should never do what they should do,” said Felisa Conner, speaking on the session’s topic of bringing affordable healthy food to South Dallas. “When you’re having events, the idea is that you draw people so you can develop relationships. That’s what your program is built from. That’s what helps people stick together, to see them work through a problem and to help with solutions.”

The final session on food system needs was led by Alex Radunsky, a Hunt Institute Fellow and Postdoc Research Fellow at UT Southwestern. Participants included Sandi Pruitt, Associate Professor in the Department of Population and Data Sciences at UT Southwestern, and Milette Siler, Community Dietitian and Culinary Lead Instructor at the Moncrief Cancer Institute at UT Southwestern.

Attendees Nadia Zrelli Ben Hamida and Haddijatou Njie also shared valuable information about the food security crisis in Tunisia and the challenges of scaling climate-smart solutions in The Gambia.

Panelists agreed that technology has a central role to play in fixing and improving the world’s food systems, but that governance, infrastructure, education, training, and access to financing and markets must be prioritized for the good of all stakeholders and the people most at risk of food insecurity.

Written By: Chris Kelley

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the Institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022

March 10, 2022 ImpactNights™ – Women of Impact: Leading Change in our Global Society

March 10, 2022 ImpactMaps™ Women of Impact: Leading Change in our Global Society

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Hunt Institute hosted its first in-person event of the academic year on March 10, titled “Women of Impact: Leading Change in Our Global Society.” The event was attended by about 40 guests and is the latest installment in HI’s ImpactNights series, designed to build awareness, collaboration, and empowerment to lead change in a global society.

Led by Dr. Eva Csaky, Executive Director of Hunt Institute, and Corrie Harris, Assistant Director at Hunt Institute, the event celebrated the impact of women in all areas of society through academic achievement, philanthropic contributions, environmental work, community outreach efforts, and more.

Women of Impact featured a range of leaders in STEM, climate-smart, and DEI spheres, including Kathy Hubbard, a Hunt Institute Fellow and Assistant Dean for DEI at SMU Lyle School of Engineering; Dr. Aurelie Thiele, a Hunt Institute Fellow and Associate Professor of Operations Research and Engineering Management at Lyle; and Dr. Candice Bledsoe, a Hunt Institute Fellow, the Executive Director of the Action Research Center, and the founder of the Collective.

The event was broken into three sessions covering important topics like climate-smart economic development, diversity and inclusion, and decision-making through robust optimization.

“We talked a lot about the different risks people face in their business or area of expertise, and about robust optimization and scenario planning that can help them mitigate the risks they face,” said Dr. Theile, who led a session on making decisions under highly uncertain circumstances. “It’s so impressive to see the projects people have come here to do in the DFW area. You get people from different backgrounds who love talking to different people. There were some very interesting conversations.”

Jared Helmsberger, a Master’s student in sustainability at SMU, participated in Dr. Thiele’s breakout session. “It kind of touches on game theory, which is super interesting to me. It really does come back to the smallest social aspects of all these different things and how the small interactions can empower people to completely change their approach to life. Even in small conversations like this, you can pick up so many small things about how everyone’s operating within the same framework. It can change your whole perspective.”

Leroy Ahwinahwi, a Master’s student at SMU in engineering, said his favorite thing about ImpactNights is being able to hear multiple people from different backgrounds and experiences speak about their passions. “They are able to connect and inspire, which could lead to potential future collaborations.”

During these uncertain times, the ImpactNights series is committed to discovering and embracing stories of women who inspire, empower, and demonstrate resilience even in the most challenging situations.

Written by Chris Kelley with contributions from Bri Flores

Photos by Bri Flores

August 13, 2021February 16, 2022

Summer 2021 Recap

Summer in the Hunt Institute is always an exciting season of transition and growth for our team. Though the summer team is typically smaller with many of our student workers participating in internships or taking summer classes, it was nonetheless encouraging to be able to engage in person with our coworkers after adjusting to a hybrid workspace for much of the last year. After we celebrated our graduating students in May, we changed gears to a summer of training new team members and strengthening our processes, delving deeper into existing projects, and continuing to engage with our community. This post serves to highlight some specific happenings in the Institute over this summer:

In June, Mohammed Njie shared a HunTalk about his journey to bring clean energy to The Gambia and the support of his colleagues in the Institute along the way.

Mohammed said that clean, reliable energy in The Gambia “is necessary now more than ever given the effects of climate change on agriculture, the country’s most important industry. This makes our venture a necessary and worthy cause.”

Also taking place in June was the final ImpactNights ™ of the academic year, which was dedicated to “Freedom Day” with an expert-led look at the obstructions in our justice system that hinder economic freedom for a significant number of black and brown Americans. Read more about the event here and view the engaging conversation here.

The Social Enterprise Program in the Institute was a focus this summer, as the 2021 Cohort of Social Intrapreneurs continued developing their innovative solutions. Working to support the intrapreneurs is Valecia Harris, the graduate Program Consultant and Manager for the Social Enterprise Program.

Valecia noted that she is “excited to be part of a team where I can lend my knowledge and experience in developing strategies and supporting innovative solutions that generate transformational impact.”

Undergraduate student workers are involved in this area as well, as Undergraduate Research Analyst Scott Zuo was featured in July for his research involving inclusive economy best practices and mapping of the international ecosystem for social enterprise.

As mentioned previously, many student workers in the Hunt Institute received tremendous opportunities to acquire new skills and experiences through internships outside of the Institute. Undergraduate Marketer John Morgan reminded us to worry less and dream more after recounting his experience working with children as a program specialist at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, and Undergraduate Research Analyst Sam Borton explained his summer research on non-revenue water at the Institute for Technology and Global Health. We are excited to reconnect with all of our student workers who worked elsewhere this summer to hear about their experiences.

Lastly, we highlight the exciting progress being made on STEM Up Phase II, in which using the solar power produced at Tintinto Primary and Secondary School in The Gambia, low-cost and low-power servers and refurbished laptops will outfit a computer lab. This project continues to progress as Wilkie Stevenson ’20 works tirelessly to finalize the prototype.

Be sure to stay up to date on these and the many other exciting projects and initiatives happening at the Hunt Institute this Fall. Pony Up!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

Cross-Sector Collaboration for a More ‘Just’ Justice System

Anna M. Clark is a fellow of the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity at Southern Methodist University and the co-founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium — Anna Clark, Hunt Institute Fellow and the co-founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium, wrote this post in response to the June ImpactNights™ event

The Hunt Institute, in partnership with the Inclusive Economy Consortium, dedicated its final ImpactNights™ program of the academic year June 17, 2021, to “Freedom Day” with an expert-led look at the obstructions in our justice system that hinder economic freedom for a significant number of black and brown Americans. With the highest incarceration rate in the world, the U.S. penal system creates barriers to economic inclusion for entire families. While making Juneteenth a national holiday represents progress, America cannot achieve an inclusive economy until it puts more justice into our criminal legal system.

The economic ramifications of mass incarceration are substantial. In the U.S., one in two adults has had a family member who is or has been incarcerated, and jail and prison populations have quadrupled since 1980. This represents the highest incarceration rate not only in any Western democracy but also in the world. The U.S. incarceration rate is also highly unequal, with men of color disproportionately represented, and most of them being poor. Families of incarcerated people also suffer significant economic hardships and risk not being able to meet basic needs, which can result in homelessness.

The cascade of harmful economic and societal consequences of incarceration on communities of color is undeniable and rising. According to 2009 data, almost 70 percent of black men who did not finish high school had been imprisoned at some point before age 30, in contrast with 14.7 percent in 1979. Even as incarceration rates climb, increasing evidence is coming to light that not all who are incarcerated deserve to be, and that even once released, returning citizens experience permanent punishment due to the many collateral consequences of incarceration. Such facts are indicative of systemic problems in our criminal legal system that can only be resolved through committed action across sectors.

Justice is a communal effort. To this end, we invited Yulise Waters, Deputy Director of Lone Star Justice Alliance and Hunt Institute Fellow, to facilitate a cross-sector conversation with committed voices for justice. Sharing insights and experiences from their varied perspectives, panelists included Richard Miles, the executive director of Miles of Freedom, which he founded after being exonerated from a wrongful conviction that led to spending 15 years in prison; Tiara Cooper, a LIVE FREE Texas organizer with FAITH IN TEXAS; and Brent Reaves, the president of Smokey John’s, Inc. and an advocate for private-sector leadership on this issue. Click here to watch the program.

For information about ways you can help bring about transformative justice in America, get in touch with one or more of these organizations:

• LONE STAR JUSTICE ALLIANCE, a nonprofit legal organization that improves the lives of youth and emerging adults in the justice system. Contact Yulise Waters: ywaters@lsja.org

• FAITH IN TEXAS, a nonpartisan, multi-racial, multi-faith grassroots movement of people united in values working together to achieve economic, racial, and social justice for all people. Contact Tiara Cooper: tcooper@faithintx.org

• MILES OF FREEDOM, a non-profit organization whose programs support re-entry and rehabilitation for incarcerated people and youth mentoring programs. Contact Richard Miles: richardmilesmof@gmail.com

• Smokey John’s BBQ, a family-owned restaurant committed to faith, mercy, community, and great food. Contact Brent Reaves: brent@smokeyjohns.com

Special thanks to Yulise Reaves Waters, Esq. for her contributions to this post.

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ImpactNights™ is the physical manifestation of the Inclusive Economy Consortium where we connect, share, and act. This event is about like-minded people coming together to share experiences and knowledge from the local, national, and international community within the Consortium to share their best practices and expertise. Monthly discussions are around pressing social issues facing our society. All of this is designed to get collective action for a more inclusive economy. Follow us on Eventbrite to be the first to know when event details are published so you can register to join the conversation.

This event is generously sponsored by Target Corporation and hosted by the Inclusive Economy Consortium, an initiative of Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity located in Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University.

Mark your calendars to join us in the Fall of 2021 to be a part of the conversation to CONNECT – SHARE – ACT!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

April 23, 2021February 17, 2022

Trees: A Prescription for Dallas

Over the past 100 years, more than a third of the planet’s old-growth forest disappeared. Each year we are losing 4.7 million hectares of forests. This is a problem not only from an environmental but also social and economic perspective.

Trees provide important ecosystem services with respect to air quality, climate amelioration, water conservation, soil preservation, and supporting wildlife. Trees control climate by moderating the effects of the sun, rain, and wind. Trees provide food and shelter to an endless number of species. They offer social and spiritual value, increasing our quality of life and offering numerous health benefits. They provide significant economic value both as individual trees, such as by providing shade and reducing energy cost, and collectively as green spaces and landscape proven to increase property and neighborhood appeal and values. It has been estimated that trees provide an average of $500 million value in benefits each year to large cities like Dallas. According to the World Economic Forum, a systemic transformation to a nature-friendly economy could create 395 million jobs and deliver USD 10.1 trillion of economic value globally by 2030.

These topics were central at April 15th’s ImpactNights®. Few people know that Dallas is second only to Phoenix, Arizona for having the strongest heat island effect. This problem, just like environmental challenges in general, disproportionately impact under-resourced communities. Environmental equity is an especially pressing issue as under-resourced, often predominantly minority, communities are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of climate change and environmental degradation. The Texas Trees Foundation, along with the City of Dallas, has been at the forefront of implementing innovative approaches to tackle this challenge. Janette Monear, President & CEO of the Texas Tree Foundation, and Susan Alvarez, Assistant Director, Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability for the City of Dallas, shared their experiences on the work they have been doing and insights about priorities going forward. This important conversation was moderated by Dr. Candice Bledsoe.

A key take-away of the event was the need for research and data to drive smart policy to ensure intentional actions and support are in place to protect, maintain and plant trees, especially in locations where they can provide maximum environmental, social and economic value, and citizen advocacy to lawmakers to emphasize the importance of these issues.

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Join us next time to be a part of the conversation to CONNECT – SHARE – ACT!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

March 10, 2021February 28, 2022

The Forgotten Fuel: Energy Efficiency in our Homes & Buildings

A Collective Action Program for ImpactNights®

The Texas winter storm brought more than subfreezing temps to the state. The power outage left dozens of Texans dead, millions in the dark, and nearly 15 million with water issues. Damages from this storm may exceed the $125 billion in damages from Hurricane Harvey, potentially making it the costliest disaster in state history. Residential and commercial buildings account for 40% of US energy demand and for 74% of all electricity use. Energy efficiency retrofits can reduce consumption by as much as a one third to one-half and build resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs. Supplementing energy efficiency with renewable energy can further enhance the impact.

So why isn’t more happening in this area and what can we do about it was the focus of this month’s sold-out ImpactNights® event with panelists Pharr Andrews (Senior Climate Coordinator as City of Dallas), Eva Csaky – Executive Director, Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity, Alan Hoffmann (Award-Winning Green Builder and President of Hoffmann Homes), Michael Martin (President of MM Solar Advisory), facilitated by Anna Clark, Co-Founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium.

Clark opened the event with an introduction highlighting the timeliness of this topic; “something that I know matters very personally to all of us. Texas was in international news recently for a historic winter storm that left several dozen people dead and millions in the dark,” said Clark. “We are all here in an interest of preparing for the next [storm] or just being a little more comfortable in our homes.” Csaky set the stage for the discussion highlighting what is possible through international examples of successful energy efficiency efforts from the past 20 years. Panelists shared various ways in which we can advocate, collaborate, and raise awareness to find solutions to the critical issue of energy efficiency.

Andrews emphasized that “energy poverty is not only an economic and environmental issue, it is also a public health concern.” Hoffmann and Martin discussed not only the challenges we face with respect to the adoption of energy efficient solutions but also shared their recommendations for “low-hanging fruit” improvements to increase energy efficiency in our homes.

Martin summarized it perfectly when he reflected on the high level of interest in the event and the lively attendee participation in the discussion, concluding that “we need to keep discussions moving ahead to create positive change, and I will do my best to be a contributor to that”, a sentiment that many others who convened for the March ImpactNights® shared.

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Join us next time to be a part of the conversation to CONNECT – SHARE – ACT!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

February 12, 2021February 28, 2022

How Civic Journalism Can Restore Trust and Create a More Inclusive Economy ImpactNights

A Collective Action Program for ImpactNights

The program for this month’s ImpactNights was facilitated by Anna Clark, Hunt Institute Fellow, and co-founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium on February the 11, 2021. Anna opened the event with an introduction that set the stage for a timely discussion on civic journalism and its role in rebuilding trust.

“The year 2020 was defined by a confluence of unprecedented challenges made worse by a fractured media landscape that sows divisiveness and undermines trust,” said Clark. “A new year is an opportune moment to consider how we can use the power of the media for good in our own community.”

The panelists included four of DFW’s most committed media advocates for inclusion, each of whom edits an important outlet in our local media ecosystem:

Tom Huang, assistant managing editor for Journalism Initiatives at The Dallas Morning News, where he leads The News’ community-funded journalism initiative;
Keri Mitchell, executive director at Dallas Free Press, a non-profit she launched in early 2020 with the belief that all neighborhoods deserve reporting and storytelling that values their community and holds leaders accountable;
Stephanie Drenka, editor of Visible Magazine, Public Voices Fellow at The OpEd Project and communications director for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation; and
Bernice Butler, publisher of Natural Awakenings Magazine, DFW’s premier green, healthy, and sustainable living publication, and executive producer of Healthy Living Healthy Planet Radio.

In their discussion, panelists shared various ways in which we can leverage the media to address systemic problems while also giving more power to the people through civic journalism. A Q&A led by Hunt Institute Senior Fellow Chris Kelly followed the panel.

Dr. Eva Csaky, executive director of the Hunt Institute and co-founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium asked Stephanie Drenka how she sources the voices she features in her online magazine. “A lot of it has been word of mouth,” said Stephanie. “People who have not been given a traditional platform don’t always realize the influence they already have. So, when they share the post, it circulates more widely than they might have thought — and those readers see there is a space for their story, too.”

Stephanie added that she partners with organizations working in similar areas, underscoring the theme of media collaboration.

“The need to collaborate is more around the city’s most complex civic issues — the ones we have been talking about for 20, 30 years and haven’t seen the needle move much,” said Keri. “The Solutions Journalism Network describes it as 10 or 20 flashlights instead of one. A group of journalists focused in one direction and working in tandem can do exponentially more than one publication.”

After the event, Dr. Candice Bledsoe said that her favorite moment was when Keri Mitchell called social media an “equalizer” because organizations can leverage it for “more equitable exposure and influence.” Attendee Richard Dushl said it was “a wonderful panel about civic journalism and the coverage of local ‘on the ground’ issues. Very motivating.”

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Join us next time to be a part of the conversation to CONNECT – SHARE – ACT!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.