Goggy Davidowitz: Professor and University Distinguished Scholar in the Department of Entomology with a joint appointment in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Monday, April 8 2024,
2:30pm – 3:30pm.
ASA Koffler Great Room and Zoom
When was the last time you enjoyed a delicious Oaxacan-style taco stuffed with chapulines (grasshoppers)? Never, you say? Healthy and sustainable, and by many accounts truly tasty, increasing the use of insects as a protein source for animal feed and human consumption could help meet the food demands resulting from a projected world population of more than 9 billion by 2050.
By the year 2050, the world will not be able to produce enough protein to sustain the human population. Novel alternative food production solutions are being sought, including insects grown for food and animal feed. Insects are highly nutritious, and orders of magnitude more sustainable than vertebrate livestock. The edible insect industry is experiencing huge growth worldwide including in the US. You will see some of the unique solutions being developed at the University of Arizona and have a taste of cricket chips.
Dr. Goggy Davidowitz is a Professor of Entomology and University Distinguished Scholar at the University of Arizona. He holds Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Biology and Zoology, respectively, from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, with a minor in Entomology from the University of Arizona. He has two research programs, basic and applied. His basic research focuses on how insects adjust their growth and development to changes in the environment emphasizing nutritional and thermal ecology. His applied research program is on developing technologies to utilize edible insects as food and animal feed. His research focuses on the use of food waste to feed the insects. His approach is to find the right insect for the available waste type, rather than finding the right waste for a specific insect
Compiled and Edited by Denice Smith, Academy Village Volunteer
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