Stephanie Eisner has wasted no time in getting real-world experience relevant to her public health major. The junior Forty Acres Scholar spent two months in Germany this summer at the Georg-August University at Göttingen’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, where she studied the market for palm oil in Indonesia and the economic, ecological, and human-rights aspects that play a role in agriculture.

Following a lengthy application process, Eisner was selected to be a part of the RISE (Research and Internships in Science Engineering) program, sponsored by the German Exchange Service. The research being conducted explores the food-versus-fuel debate in agriculture in less developed nations.

“My supervisor decided it would be interesting to look at food security issues that arise from growing interest in palm oil,” Eisner says. Her research consisted of studying how policies in developed nations—where there is a growing demand for economically and environmentally friendly oils—affect demands in developing nations.

Eisner picked about 25 countries from all over the world and compiled statistics regarding imports, exports, development status, and agriculture status before compiling them into a coding program and standardizing the data by calorie intake. “I answered a lot of individual questions, but it was less of one giant question and more of developing understanding for my team and myself,” she says.

“In Germany, the actual knowledge that I earned was mostly from interaction in research and the work I was doing at my desk. I learned about a whole different side of public health that I was very intrigued by: agriculture,” Eisner says.

The RISE Program provided living, travel, and food expenses for her trip. Eisner also received a scholarship through the College of Natural Sciences that covered her plane ticket. The Forty Acres Scholars Program covered the remainder of her expenses.

Forty Acres Scholars are required to complete a community component, a global experience, and a professional growth opportunity during their time at UT. Between her 2013 summer in Germany and her 2012 summer in Bangladesh, Eisner has completed all three requirements. These requirements served as a great motivator for Eisner to pursue global opportunities related to her major, she says.

“It was never a question of 'Can I do it?’ or ‘Should I do it?’ but, ‘I’m going to be doing it, what field should do it in?’” Eisner says. “I feel like the sky is the limit.”

Now that she's back on campus, Eisner is focusing on her junior year and her responsibilities as Student Government’s Women’s Resource Agency assistant director, and her work as an officer in the Texas Microfinance Group.

“I’m absolutely thankful for the kinds of doors [The Forty Acres Scholars Program] opens,” Eisner says. “It’s just immeasurable.”

Stephanie Eisner is a recipient of the Founding Donors Forty Acres Scholarship.

Photo courtesy Stephanie Eisner.