The largest Career and Internship Fair in Eckerd history was held Wednesday (April 15) at Fox Hall. More than 50 employers from across the Tampa Bay area were on hand to discuss job and internship possibilities. More than 250 students turned out. 

"It was really impressive as far as the number of job opportunities,'' said Jonathan Bonner, program manager for Academy Prep in St. Petersburg and a 2010 Eckerd graduate. Bonner was one of many Eckerd alumni who attended the fair on behalf of local employers. The event drew twice the number of employers as last year's fair, said Grant Bailey, director of Career Services.

Many of the employers said they seek out Eckerd students because of their strong writing and analytical skills and their ability to collaborate, all hallmarks of a liberal arts education. Read more.

The deadline to apply for the high school summer humanities program at Eckerd College, "Becoming Human in a Connected World," is April 24. The June 7-12 program, sponsored by Eckerd and the Florida Humanities Council, is open to rising high school juniors and seniors. Attendees will be challenged to question what we mean when we discuss our own humanity and what makes us human. They will work closely with full-time Eckerd faculty in disciplines ranging from history and literature to philosophy and film. The program co-directors are professors Daniel Spoth and Amanda Hagood. Students can get a taste of college life, enjoy Eckerd's beautiful waterfront campus, practice T'Ai Chi, visit the Dali Museum and go on a sailing trip, among other things.The cost is $420. Read more.

  Left to right: Rachel Goldstein, Alison L. Van Eenennaam and Lee R. Dehaan

Register now for Food Security Conference

Scientists, policy makers and the general public will gather at Eckerd College this month for the two-day Eckerd College Food Security Conference to discuss GMOs, growing grains for food not biofuels, and how to feed a global population that will double in the next 35 years.

The aim of the April 24-25 conference is to help shape public policy about food that is grounded in science. 

The conference, to be held in the round at Wireman Chapel, will be divided into two distinct parts. The first day will be devoted to presentations by three internationally recognized experts, who will then be questioned by a panel of fellow scientists, academics, policy makers and students. The audience will participate through written questions. The second day will be devoted to small-group sessions involving panelists and audience members to draft ways policy makers can turn ideas into action.

Presenters will be Rachel Goldstein, global sustainability manager for Mars Inc.; Alison L. Van Eenennaam, cooperative extension specialist in animal genomics and biotechnology at the University of California, Davis; and Lee R. Dehaan, plant geneticist at the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas.  

Summaries of the ideas, debates and papers will be compiled by Eckerd students and presented to policy makers. The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required along with participation both days. Read more, view the schedule and register here.