Many Americans are aware of the political movements going on in the Middle East right now. But what about the food movements?
“There’s not a lot of research out there about it,” said Framingham State University professor Susan Massad, who this summer received a $7,000 Fulbright Grant to travel to Palestine later this month to study the region’s food distribution system. “I’m really going to be doing some exploration.”
A faculty member in the school’s Food and Nutrition Department, Massad said the data could provide a valuable comparison to the U.S.'s agricultural practices, the industrialization of which she believes has led to the production of unhealthy food. In addition to conducting her own research, Massad will be visiting two agencies in the region with expertise on the topic: The Center for Agricultural Services in Palestine and the Union of Agricultural Work Center.
She will be spending much of her time at Al-Quds University in the West Bank as well, where she will serve as a guest lecturer and assist with curriculum development during her 33-day trip.
Massad, who joins a small group of other professors at Framingham State who have received Fulbright Grants, submitted her proposal to the Fulbright Program more than a year ago. Sponsored by the federal government, the grants are intended to promote understanding between the U.S. and other nations around the world.
Coming from a Lebanese family, Massad said she had been interested in visiting the Middle East through the program, although there were no opportunities available to travel to her family’s homeland. In addition to her official duties, she said she is looking forward to touring Israel and Palestine and learning about the region’s culture.
Massad also will be doing some research for Framingham State, which is hoping to create a minor in Middle East studies. Aside from collecting possible curriculum pointers for that program, Massad will try to foster a collaborative agreement going forward with Al-Quds on behalf of the university.
With so much on her itinerary, Massad admitted she’s feeling some pressure to follow through on all her obligations, the last of which will be to file a report back to the Fulbright Program. But she said she’s also excited to have the chance to add to her field’s knowledge base.
“Visiting another country gives you a valuable frame of reference,” she said.
