Join us at a special networking event celebrating the first two years of IFSTAL (Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning programme) and looking at future opportunities.

Summary

IFSTAL is a HEFCE-funded, interactive programme designed to improve postgraduate level knowledge and understanding of the food system. It is free, voluntary and open to all postgraduate students enrolled on any course across the partner institutions (undergraduate students are also welcome to participate on request).
The IFSTAL programme provides added value to postgraduate training across the University of Oxford and four partner institutions (Reading, Warwick, City and LSHTM/RVC/SOAS).
IFSTAL has engaged over 750 students across the five HEIs in its first two years. We have strong connections with the practitioners working in a range of sectors including food retail, production, logistics, research, NGOs etc.
Students who engage with IFSTAL enter the workforce better equipped to tackle food system challenges; we are developing a "Food Systems Community".

Background

Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) programme was developed to establish new ways of interdisciplinary learning, drawing on skills across and between institutions. It is an interactive training programme designed to improve postgraduate level knowledge and understanding of the food system. With core funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), it brings together expertise and experience of faculty and students from five leading higher education institutions. It is generating a cohort of Oxford Masters and PhD graduates equipped to address food systems challenges by framing their specialist understanding gained through their degrees within the broader social, economic and environmental context. This enhances their professional capability in critical and innovative food system thinking; it helps them to be more effective in the workplace by enabling them to make a distinctive contribution to improving global and national food policies, practice and security.

IFSTAL has now completed its second year of operation and we are pleased to invite you to attend a special showcase event where we will celebrate some of the programme’s successes and look to the future. In particular we will highlight some of the contributions that IFSTAL has made to the educational experience of graduate students from a variety of disciplines, and how our cross-institutional, multi-disciplinary approach has benefited Oxford students and the reputation of the University.

The format of this internal, invite-only event will consist of a few very short talks followed by a networking lunch. Invitees include: graduate course directors, directors of graduate studies, academic officers, senior divisional and departmental administrators (from across Oxford’s divisions), IFSTAL students and alumni, and external partners.

Draft programme

12:00–12:05 - Welcome and introduction - Dr John Ingram, IFSTAL Programme Leader.

12:05–12:20 - Why IFSTAL matters? Views from across the University

Dr Peter Scarborough, Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Population Health.
Dr Gail Preston, Co-Director, Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP & Associate Professor of Plant Sciences.
Speaker from Social Sciences Division (TBC).

12:20–12:30 - What IFSTAL did for us – student champions

12:30–12:40 - Closing statement and reflections - Dr Nick Brown, Principal of Linacre College

12:40–14:00 - Networking lunch

Please contact us at ifstal-oxford@eci.ox.ac.uk for more information.

IFSTAL showcase event: collaborative interdisciplinary teaching and learning