Sydnie Wilson (right) and Madison Price (left) conducting survey outreach

Author: Sydnie Wilson | Major: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Sydnie Wilson is an honors junior majoring in Strategic Entrepreneurship and Venture Innovation with a minor in sustainability in the Sam Walton School of Business. This semester, along with a team of five other students, she took part in researching and learning how food insecurity issues effect the state of Arkansas. This group was led by Dr. Jennie Popp and Dr. Louise Hancox as the University of Arkansas as the Fayetteville Honors team for the Governor. They will be continuing their analysis and summary for the legislature this spring.

I have always hated the process of research. Since freshman year, I was the student that would take an entire weekend rewriting a single page outline because finding sources was a mountain, I dreaded climbing. However, up until this past semester the “research” I had done was without purpose and definition. Little did I know what could come of intentional effort to find and collect information. When I received the email offer this summer to participate in a research class, I almost turned it down. It wasn’t obvious yet how the experience could fit into my academic progress or how it could enhance my learning experience for my degree. Looking back this was just an excuse because I almost felt too intimidated by the process to accept. However, the topic itself caught my attention and then later revealed to me the importance passion plays in the exploration of data.

This semester I along with five other students, Ben Walworth, Madison Price, Julianna Kantner, Sophie Hill, and Camden Rainwater, were mentored by faculty Dr. Jennie Popp and Dr. Louise Hancox in the Honor’s College. Our research topic was over food insecurity issues in the state and issues in the communities surrounding our university. This experience was unique in that it was offered as a course. We not only met as a team but also with 6+ university teams across the state who represented their perspective honors programs. During the statewide meetings we had the opportunity to speak to many community stakeholders and accredited speakers. We had the chance to learn from politicians, heads of nonprofits, and industry leaders.  One of the most influential meetings was with two representatives of Walmart and Tyson. Both women worked in the sustainability office of their companies and opened my eyes to the possibility of a corporate career in sustainability. When the eight of us met for our home meetings we worked consistently on two projects.

Produce Deserts in the NWA

In the past when I thought about food deserts, I would always think of the spatial impact of food accessibility. It’s true, food deserts can occur when a community of people don’t have the means to travel easily to a location. However, I know now that food insecurity doesn’t always mean lack of food, but instead can also mean lack of nutritious food. Produce Deserts can then occur even when other food options are available. We began our semester locating and recording where fresh produce was being sold in the NWA counties. Many of the locations where food can be bought did not offer fruits and vegetables other than canned options.

With our data collection we also recorded the hours of operations for each store. It was not enough to note where they could find produce but was important to us to note when. This project was in partnership with the Northwest Arkansas Foodbank. The data that we collected will be made available to the public on their website.

Survey of the University of Arkansas

We began our second project mid semester by creating a survey for the University of Arkansas campus. This survey was modeled after a previous survey conducted in 2016. Our current survey was filled out by undergraduates, graduates, and law students. We created this survey in hopes of assessing which demographics needed assistance in combating food insecurity. We analyzed our data at 2,141 student responses. Significant differences were found across some demographic characteristics. Some of the demographics we highlighted were non-binary, African Americans, Arkansan, disabled and first-generation individuals because of their frequency of statistical significance. We will be continuing our analysis of the data this upcoming semester.

During the spring semester we will finish our executive summary of the data. I will be travelling with Ben Walworth to Baton Rouge to present our analysis and research process at Louisiana State University. Our mentor, Dr. Louise Hancox, will be joining us. This opportunity was made possible due to the Honors Travel Grant. Another presentation that will be occurring in the spring will be held in Little Rock, Arkansas. There, we will present our findings to the legislature to shed light on the current conditions of college students impacted by food insecurity. This presentation will be held alongside the other statewide teams.

I have found a new passion for research this past semester. In this an even greater passion to work towards creating and innovating sustainable systems. I look back on how intimidated I was to even play a part in beginning this process. It seems so far away now compared to the drive I have to see the work through. I am thankful for Dr. Popp and Dr. Hancox for mentoring our team. Any doubt and intimidation that we had was carefully (…sometimes bluntly) resolved with guidance and affirmation. I am thankful for the Honor’s College and the funding and opportunities they have provided. I would not have been able to partake in this course if it were not for the team grant that we received to aid us in this semester. I look forward to finishing our work in the spring and providing more insight to our research.