Resources
Here you will find all of the lesson materials, as well as resources to best help you complete your research, paper, and poster!
Research Resources
- Research Question Format
- AI in Research Lesson
- Research Tips and Tricks
Paper Resources
- World Food Prize Rubric
- Paper Outline
- Section Breakdown
- Paper Lesson
Poster Resources
- Poster Template
- How to Use the Poster Template
- Poster Do’s and Don’ts
- Poster Lesson
Presentation Skills
- What is an Elevator Pitch?
- Roundtable Discussion
- Public Speaking Skills
- Presentation Skills Lesson
Past Student Paper Abstracts
Lucas Bozzolo – NCYI 2026
- Bozzolo, Lucas. “When the Natural Battery Fails: Climate Change, Water, and Food Security in Switzerland.” Presented at North Carolina Youth Institute, 17 April 2026, N.C. Plant Sciences Building.
- Abstract: As countries face the impacts of climate change, Switzerland is the canary in the coal mine. It is a wealthy and innovative country with the resources to address its disrupted water cycle early, before the resulting nutritional gap becomes even wider. In the Alps, a natural “battery” stores water as snow during the winter and releases it in the summer, exactly when plants need it most. When this cycle is disrupted, staple crops can lose nutrients and harvests can suffer as well. The problem is especially concerning because plants may absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which can increase calories, while at the same time they take up fewer nutrients from the soil. Since this change is not visible to shoppers, it can easily go unnoticed. To help address this, my research proposes a Nutrient Score label for staple crops. This label would rate foods based on their nutritional content and create a market incentive for farmers to innovate, adapt, and produce crops with stronger nutritional value.
Sumedha Koutam – NCYI 2026
- Koutam, Sumedha. “India: Implementation of Advanced Agricultural Extension Services to Improve Food Security in Rural Regions of India” Presented at North Carolina Youth Institute, 17 April 2026, N.C. Plant Sciences Building.
- Abstract: This study focuses on the issues of food insecurity in rural regions of India, the parts of India in which over half the population is reliant on agriculture for their livelihood, and consists of the farmers who are the country’s food-securing backbone. Notwithstanding the strong agricultural systems, Indian farmers in rural regions persistently continue to face consistent food insecurity, specifically across regions where low-income farmers reside and rely on the inconsistent crop production. This issue matters because the detriments of food insecurity in rural regions of India have a direct impact on India’s national food availability, agricultural economy, and long-term development that can be sustained in one of the most populous countries in the world. When understanding detrimental issues, there are various key factors to consider, such as limited access to agricultural education, outdated farming technology, climate instability, water scarcity, and fragmented land ownership. These limitations restrict productivity and increase income inequality across rural regions and farmers. Consequently, infrastructural gaps for education and agriculture increase, which further intensifies the matter of these issues. This research paper proposes the implementation of advanced agricultural extension services as a fundamental solution in order to improve the situation of food insecurity in rural regions of India. These services would combine hands-on training, digital and virtual learning platforms, and increased access to modern technologies such as GPS-based farming tools and improved irrigation systems. By substantiating agricultural knowledge transfer between research institutions and rural farming communities, these extension service programs are designed to improve crop productivity and agricultural resource management. Overall, these recommendations can potentially enhance crop yields, stabilize rural farmers’ incomes, and improve national food security by giving farmers the resources they need, such as modern tools and improved education essential for long-term agricultural sustainability across India.
Saige Hawkins – NCYI 2026
- Hawkins, Saige. “Beyond Clinics and Cure: Rethinking Public Health in Nigeria.” Presented at North Carolina Youth Institute, 17 April 2026, N.C. Plant Sciences Building.
- Abstract: Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, faces complex public health challenges that may affect millions of its citizens, specifically in rural and underserved communities. “Beyond Clinics and Cure: Rethinking Public Health in Nigeria” examines the ongoing impact of infectious diseases such as malaria and delves into the issues of limited healthcare access, poor sanitation, and widespread food insecurity. Food insecurity is a critical issue in Nigeria, since many families lack consistent access to nutritious food. This leads to malnutrition that weakens immune systems and makes individuals (especially children) more susceptible to disease. As a result, health outcomes continue to worsen, and recovery from preventable illness is more difficult due to poverty, limited infrastructure, and unequal access to healthcare. The key factors that are contributing to these issues include inadequate access to clean water, financial barriers for medical care, and shortages of healthcare workers. Additionally, food insecurity plays a major role in worsening disease conditions, as limited access to food weakens the immune system, increases vulnerability to disease, and contributes to higher child mortality rates. To address these intertwined challenges, this project proposes a Community-Based Mobile Health Initiative as its main approach. This initiative combines mobile technology with local health workers to expand healthcare access and health education. This approach emphasizes prevention, early intervention, and culturally relevant communication, while utilizing nutrition awareness strategies by connecting to local food resources. Overall, this solution has the potential to improve healthcare access, reduce preventable diseases, and promote long-term community well-being in Nigeria.
Eva Awasthi – NCYI 2026
- Awasthi, Eva. “The Effects of Monocropping on Environmental Resources in India.” Presented at North Carolina Youth Institute, 17 April 2026, N.C. Plant Sciences Building.
- Abstract: This paper examines the critical issue of climate-driven food and income insecurity in Kenya, with a specific focus on dairy production within Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties. In these regions, livestock systems are highly vulnerable to rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall. During the severe 2021 drought, household milk yields dropped by approximately 75 percent, destabilizing child nutrition and rural livelihoods, particularly for women who manage the majority of smallholder dairy farms. While Kenya’s national initiative to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 aims to address climate change, monoculture reforestation does not protect grazing systems and can even introduce harmful invasive species like Prosopis juliflora. To address this challenge, this paper proposes integrating fodder-based silvopasture systems, specifically utilizing drought resistant trees such as Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala, into the national tree-planting initiative. This solution would be implemented through prioritizing the distribution of drought-resistant fodder trees, extension services with hands-on training, monitoring systems that track food security outcomes, not just tree-planting numbers, and working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. This approach can make a difference through ensuring family nutrition through high milk yields provided by dairy cows with high protein fodder trees. This approach of a tree integrated system will provide an additional source of income, higher milk yields, and help alleviate climate-driven issues. A widespread shift to silvopasture can increase daily milk yields per cow per day by 8 to 11 percent, stabilizing household income and ensuring essential dietary nutrition for Kenyan families during environmental crises.
Garrett Zhou – NCYI 2026
- Zhou, Garrett. “Bangladesh: Navigating the Intersections of Climate Vulnerability and Food Security.” Presented at North Carolina Youth Institute, 17 April 2026, N.C. Plant Sciences Building.
- Abstract: Bangladesh is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries due to low elevation, river deltas, Himalayan glacier melt, and poor infrastructure. In Bangladesh, climate change is increasingly threatening the food security of millions of people. In this paper, I examine how climate change affects hunger in Bangladesh through flooding, sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, and crop losses. I focused on historical climate data regarding Bangladesh and illustrated how repeated climate shocks can erase years of hunger efforts. Using global and Bangladesh-specific data, I analyze the relationship between climate vulnerability and undernourishment, and then evaluate policy options using a constrained optimization model that accounts for political turmoil and economic restraints. The model compares direct nutrition programs, climate-resilient agriculture, and damage-prevention strategies by converting outcomes into a common metric: the number of people lifted out of undernourishment. Results show that while school feeding and nutrition support provide immediate relief, long-term food security depends on front-loaded capital investments such as saline and flood-tolerant rice, improved post-harvest storage, and flood-risk reduction infrastructure. This result is especially significant for Bangladesh, as ND-Gain ranked it as the least disaster-ready nation in the world, meaning that a single natural disaster could erase years of feeding programs if climate resilience is undermined. I recommend a phased strategy that pairs direct feeding support with early, large-scale investment in climate resiliency systems. This approach addresses immediate hunger while building durable protection against future climate shocks. The findings suggest that Bangladesh can make significant progress against undernourishment if resources are allocated to both urgent needs and long-term resilience.