By Emily Spatz
My name is Emily Spatz, and I am a senior in both Bumpers College and Fulbright College, as I am double-majoring in Poultry Science and Spanish, with a minor in AgriBusiness. My mentor is Dr. Lisa Wood, the Assistant Dean for Honors and International Programs. I have been working on this research since spring of my sophomore year, and I will defend my research this spring. After graduation, I will be shifting my focus to food science, as I will be working as a food technologist in research and development at Simmons Foods.
This project was designed to provide Saint Matthews school with a sustainable protein source for their cantina, but the project goes much deeper than that. School faculty have reported difficulty keeping students in school until graduation, as many families need their children to work to provide income for the family. Through this project, I hoped to not only provide nutrition for the students in school, but also to provide protein for them to take home to their families and for the students to learn animal husbandry skills, which could lead to a future career. This project sought to solve many big issues in the community, all starting with a simple small scale poultry farm.
I have been passionate about food security for years, although I truly did not understand the depth of the issue until I began researching for my literature review. Nine million people die of hunger or hunger-related diseases each year, yet 1/3 of calories are wasted. Access to adequate, affordable food is a basic human right, yet there are quite obvious disparities when it comes to this issue. When selecting a topic for my honors thesis, I knew I wanted to make a tangible difference and to promote food security.
Originally, I had chosen a completely separate topic, although it was still related to poultry production in developing countries. I had planned to work with OneEgg in Honduras, but the travel advisory rating upgraded to a 4 and we were no longer allowed to travel there.
During the thesis proposal class, Dr. Wood introduced me to the study abroad program that she leads annually to Belize, where various community outreach programs are conducted, such as community health and creating a school garden. The school had recently expressed the desire for a poultry farm to provide protein in the cantina, which led to the development of this project.
As far as selecting a mentor goes, I would recommend making connections with your professors and learning about their research interests. They may be interested in something that you are also interested in, or they may be able to point you to someone that would align closer with your interests.
Through this project, I learned about the vast differences between commercial and small-scale poultry production—many of which stem from the availability of electricity (and lack thereof), but it was interesting to see how flocks can still be adequately managed without the technology that we use commercially in the poultry industry.
By far, the biggest challenge was the evolving situation with the Covid-19 pandemic. I started my research during spring of my sophomore year, yet it is still a work-in-progress now during my senior year. I had planned to go to Belize to collect measurements, speak with school faculty, and determine availability of supplies during summer of 2020, but we all know how plans were cancelled and turned upside down due to the pandemic. I continued working on the manual and collecting relevant information, while planning to go to Belize the following summer. That study abroad program got cancelled, as did the following January 2022 intersession program. I never imaged that the pandemic would last over two years, but here we are. The greatest takeaway from this experience has been the importance of flexibility and adaptability—it is of the utmost importance during research and life in general. As a person who likes to be organized and make lists of what needs to be done, this was definitely a hard lesson to learn. Overcoming the constant challenges was really about being optimistic and persistent, no matter how many times I wanted to give up.
My mentor was essential in communication between us at the University of Arkansas and our contacts in Belize, as well as providing guidance throughout the entire process. My committee members were also very helpful, as they were able to provide insight from their years of experience in the poultry industry and in the academic world.
In addition, another Bumpers Honors student was very important in the groundwork for this project. As I mentioned, I was not able to travel to Belize to implement my plans, so having her help was crucial. After I finish writing the manual, she will be able to take my plans and construct the poultry house in Belize, which is the ultimate purpose of this work. It is so important to accept the help of those around you— because my project truly would not be as meaningful and would just remain a manual without her help.
Following graduation, I will begin working full time in research and development at Simmons Foods, where I have been interning for the past year. I really love the work environment, my team, and the emphasis that the company places on both personal and professional development. I will be pursuing a Certified Culinary Scientist (CCS) certification and a master’s degree in Food Science while working. I am so excited for this next chapter in life, and to be able to use the skills that I gained throughout my undergraduate career, especially through this honors thesis.
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