From UC Davis News: A 32-hour app hackathon fueled by pizza and caffeine, an “idea hack” tackling global challenges, a precision-agriculture workshop for drought solutions and a full-day symposium with fast-pitch, ag-tech presentations are all slated for the UC Davis Food, Ag and Health Solution Summit, to be held Dec. 1-3 at UC Davis and in the Napa Valley.

The series of events, aimed at fostering uncommon collaborations around ideas and technology to better feed a growing and changing world, will include:

• Tuesday, Dec. 1: Precision Ag Workshop with industry leaders at the UC Davis Oakville Station and experimental vineyard in the Napa Valley
• Wednesday, Dec. 2: Idea Hack competition, AgTech Innovation Tour of the Sacramento region, and App Hackathon, all based at the UC Davis Conference Center
• Thursday, Dec. 3: Food, Ag and Health Innovation Showcase, at the UC Davis Conference Center

The Innovation Showcase symposium will include keynote speakers Brian Wilson from Colorado State University; William Rosenzweig, from the Culinary Institute of America Food Business School; and Angela Blackwell, from PolicyLink.

The three-day summit celebrates the launch of the Innovation Institute for Food and Health, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between UC Davis and Mars Inc.

The summit is organized by the Innovation Institute for Food and Health, and the World Food Center at UC Davis. UC Davis also is partnering with Apps for Ag, the Mixing Bowl Hub and the AgStart program to unite under one roof entrepreneurs, farmers, industry executives, researchers, students, investors and technology developers from across the state in an out-of-the-box format.

Prizes will be awarded for the hackathon and idea hack competitions on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 3, during a final reception ceremony. Sponsors include Intel, the University of California Global Food Initiative, the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and UC Innovation Alliances and Services.

Conference information, including the full agenda and registration information, can be found at http://worldfoodcenter.ucdavis.edu/solutionsummit/index.html.