Call for NC-FEW Conference Proceedings

National Collaboration on Food, Energy and Water (NC-FEW) invites you to submit your abstract for the 2025 NC-FEW Conference: Education Research and Practice in the FEW-Nexus to be held on March 27-28, 2025 at Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. Abstracts can focus on either Research or Practice for FEW-Nexus education. The NC-FEW vision encompasses: (1) intentional integration of food, energy, and water systems through interdisciplinary educational contexts: (2) decision-making about management of natural resources, which support sustainable use and development, in which a complex system is centered; and (3), the nexus perspective, which emphasizes connections between food, energy, and water systems, is utilized in consideration of trade-offs in potential solutions.

We encourage people from different disciplinary perspectives who are interested in sharing education research findings and innovative ideas related to the NC-FEW vision. Professionals and researchers in educational spaces, including K-12, higher education, and informal/non-formal education with different FEW-nexus entry points are all encouraged to join. We invite people with different FEW-nexus entry points with specialties in food, energy, and/or water with intersectionality of FEW.

Abstract submissions and the conference proceedings review process will be managed through the Purdue e-Pubs System. Before submitting an abstract, you will need to create a Purdue e-Pubs account.When you follow the link to the abstract submission, the Purdue e-Pubs system will prompt you to create an account, if you do not already have one.

How to decide if your submission should be focused on and formatted for either the research or practice category:

• Research submissions should be focused on empirical, theoretical, and/or methodological educational research within the FEW-Nexus. The intent of research submissions is to inform future educational research and best practices in the FEW-Nexus.
• Practice submissions should be focused on formal and/or informal practices describing FEW-Nexus education processes (i.e., strategies) and products (i.e., learning modules, curriculum). The intent of practice submissions is to share educational strategies, materials, and/or experiences that engage learners in the FEW-Nexus. Reflections, what was learned, and outcomes can be based on participants' and/or the educator's experiences (evidence does not need to be based on a research study or scholarship of teaching and learning [SoTL] project). The purpose is to share practical examples that would promote networking and sharing of ideas.

Abstract Submission Format

• Prepare the abstract in Microsoft Word.
• Abstract should be 500 to 1,000 words in length, including all tables/figures but excluding references.
• The title of the abstract should be the first line of page 1.
• List all authors immediately following the title of the abstract. Authors' information (email, title, and institution) should be listed in order as a footnote on the first page of the abstract.
• Suggested abstract section headings
  • For a Research Abstract: Introduction; Theoretical/Conceptual Framework; Purpose and Hypotheses, Objectives, and/or Research Questions; Methods/Procedures; Findings/Results; Conclusions, Discussion/Implications, Recommendations for Research; and References (headings may vary for theoretical and/or methodological or qualitative / interpretive research)
  • For a Practice Abstract: Introduction & Need for Strategy; Connection to Literature; How It Works & Implementation of Strategy; Results/Reflections/Outcomes to Date/Implications/Impact; Future Plans/Advice to Others/Possible Resources to Share; and References
• Document must be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced, but double-space between paragraphs, headings and text, tables and text, etc. with 1" margins.
• Abstracts not conforming to the required submission guidelines or format may be rejected prior to the review process.
• Submission Deadline: Friday, January 10, 2025, 11:59 p.m. CST.

View Purdue Overview » Submit your abstract »

Next steps

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to register for the 2025 NC-FEW Conference: Education Research and Practice in the FEW-Nexus. Authors will receive feedback on their abstracts from the peer reviewers and are expected to make revisions and re-submit their abstracts for inclusion in the published conference proceedings prior to attending the event.

Contact Information of Contributed Program Co-Chairs

Research Co-Chair: Neil Knobloch, Purdue University, nknobloc at purdue dot edu
Research Co-Chair: Bhawani Venkataraman, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, The New School, venkatab at newschool dot edu

Practice Co-Chair: Shamili Ajgaonkar, College of DuPage, sandifor at cod dot edu
Practice Co-Chair: Susan Caplow, University of St. Thomas, scaplow at stthomas dot edu