Progress 07/01/08 to 06/30/11
Outputs
The objectives of this grant project were to improve the internationalization of teaching and Extension programs by developing (1) combined study abroad and Extension training programs, (2) student internships, and (3) student exchange programs with the University of Belize. We report a successful combined study abroad/agent training program, and development of novel internships involving students. We report that our progress on student exchange programs will more successfully focus on bringing VT and University of Belize students together in country, which we have now done for three consecutive years. We conducted formative and summative assessments of both students and Extension agents in the combined study abroad program to identify positives and areas for improvement on the course. The study abroad courses moved between several ecosystems in Belize. At each location along the path, we were able to meet and spend time with groups and individuals that discussed the major agricultural and natural resource issues they faced. Consistent components of the itinerary across the 3 years included (1) the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, (2) the Community Baboon Sanctuary (an example of community-based sustainable development designed around conservation of howler monkeys), (3) the Mountain Pine Ridge district, where we discussed the role of the southern pine beetle and prescribed fire in long-term forest management with a major private landowner, (4) San Ignacio, which involved meeting with Belizean Extension agents at the Central Research Farm to discuss concepts of extension and extension activities in Belize, visited a commercial beekeeping operation to observe management of Africanized bee colonies, visited a small-scale packaging facility staffed by Taiwanese scientists, and local plant nursery and breeding operations; (5) Las Cuevas Research Station, which faces issues of sustainable logging and poaching of understory plants (xate and other non-timber forest products) - this is applicable to Virginia and elsewhere where management of non-timber forest products is of major concern (e.g., ginseng and goldenseal in the Appalachian region); and (6) Caye Caulker, where we had the opportunity to meet with and interview founding members of the Northern Fisherman's Cooperative, a local community-based group that has organized around sustainable and profitable harvest of conch and lobster in the waters of Belize. We visited a major Marine Reserve and discussed how concerns regarding resource extraction and long-term reef vitality could be balanced. PRODUCTS: Products during the grant period included six funded trips for Extension agents, six student internships, and 36 International Science and Education scholarships awarded to undergraduate and graduate students. Scholarships were used to defray course costs for the students, which was identified by nearly all of the students as a critical concern that influenced their decision to take the course. The two Extension agents traveled with students each year, except for any days they left the group to meet with Belizean agents (1-2 days per course). Our existing study abroad course continues to include a more explicit focus on the role of extension, with lectures, course meetings, and informal discussions taking place regarding the role of extension and the application of the concepts we were seeing to natural resource management in the US. Each student was required to make an oral presentation, keep a detailed journal during the trip, and submit an analysis of resource management issues in two different ecosystems as a final project. One of the assessment criteria for the final paper was the strength of connection to US natural resource issues. Support for travel and lodging expenditures were made for students who desired to conduct internships in Belize in 2010. Students completed internships at Las Cuevas Research Station, the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (2 interns), Wildtracks manatee rehabilitation center, working with a predator ecology project (Dr. Marcella Kelly), and with the Forestry and Marine Reserve Association of Caye Caulker. OUTCOMES: Several outcomes have been identified so far; these build on the successes to date. First, an overview of the goals, itinerary, and concepts of the course was published in Engagement Matters, a Natural Resources Extension and Outreach publication from Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources. A document is in preparation that is focused on the management of Africanized honeybees, a potentially major issue in Virginia. A draft of this document has been completed; a final copy is anticipated in December of 2011. This will be distributed to agents in Virginia and elsewhere. The combined student/agent training program, and the lessons learned from the specific issues we observed in Belize, continue to have successful distribution to agents around the state. This project was developed into a written publication for The Woodshed, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Northwest Area Natural Resource Newsletter. The 2011 trip included a collaborative research component focused on emerging pathogens in Africanized honey bees; samples were collected during this course, transported back to the US, and are currently being analyzed for the presence of two different species of Nosema (N. apis and N. ceranae) DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Dissemination activities have been conducted focusing on (1) Extension agents within Virginia, and (2) the general public outside of the University. Dissemination activities were executed both by the PIs as well as extension agents. First, an overview of the goals, itinerary, and concepts of the course was published in Engagement Matters, a Natural Resources Extension and Outreach publication from Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources (GN Stevens, AL Hammett, RD Fell. 2009. Rainforest to Reef: Study Abroad in Belize. Engagement Matters 1 (6) 2-3). A presentation on the project was made at the Outreach NOW meeting in September of 2009 (Agriculture and Natural Resource Management in Belize: Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Training and Outreach. Glen Stevens, Marcella Kelly, Bob Smith, Rick Fell, Tom Hammett, Susan French, Jeff Waldon, John Ignosh. Presented at Outreach NOW Conference, Outreach and International Affairs and the Office of International Research, Education, and Development, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, September 14, 2009). The agents that were included on the course have been instrumental at publicizing and communicating the information learned on the trip. Specific examples include a presentation for the Sierra Club of Southeastern Virginia on Oct. 5, 2009 for 23 members on the topic Conservation in Belize, a presentation at the regional Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course conference entitled Tropical Forestry in Belize, and another for Virginia Master Gardeners in spring 2010 on the general topic of natural resource management in Belize. Outreach information from the Belize Ag Station has been relayed to dairymen in the Shenandoah Valley exploring small scale on-farm anaerobic digestion. An overview of the goals, itinerary, and concepts of the course was published in The Woodshed, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Northwest Area Natural Resource Newsletter. Faculty have made presentations on the project at the VA State Beekeepers Association Meeting on Beekeeping in Belize, to the Botetourt and Alleghany Extension Leadership Councils on Ecology and Extension in Belize, as well to the Amherst Rotary Club entitled Belize, Mayans and Africanized Bees. The agents that were included on the course have been instrumental at publicizing and communicating the information learned on the trip, and have enabled us to successfully recruit agents in each succeeding year. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We are developing a model to integrate Extension personnel in study abroad courses in the long term (i.e., beyond the funding period of this project). We feel this is an attractive model, as several informal comments from the students and the agents indicated a significant gain in knowledge about the mission and focus of Cooperative Extension. Given the benefits we perceive in terms of student learning, and the low cost to add 1 - 2 agents to a course, we feel this should be fiscally possible and represent real benefits to the students, the agents, and the internationalization of both the University and the Extension program. We are developing these concepts for eventual publication in the Journal of Extension. We did measure the reported change in student knowledge regarding Extension (see Impacts, below). In addition, we have developed a framework for collaborative research between the Central Farm researchers and Virginia Tech faculty focused on the issue of Nosema ceranae, a new and major pest of beekeeping operations. No published assessments of this pest have been made in Belize to date. During the 2011 course, we collected samples from 40 hives distributed across 4 different apiaries in 2 different districts in Belize (Cayo District and Orange Walk district, the two major districts for apiculture); these samples are currently being processed at Virginia Tech and the results will be submitted for publication.
Impacts
One of the focus areas identified during the early stages of the project was increasing the students' knowledge of the mission of Extension. In addition, we were interested in informing them about key natural resource issues (reduced impact logging, invasive or threatening species such as Africanized bees or southern pine beetle, and the role of non-timber forest products in rural economies). Summative assessments of the students' self-reported gains in knowledge indicate that our attempts were successful, though students learned more about some natural resource topics than others. In regards to the mission and practice of Extension, as ranked on a 0 to 10 scale, students self-reported an average 145% increase in their familiarity with what Extension is and what agents do. Knowledge about specific issues changed significantly, but results were not as strong, with students showing an average of a 65% increase. In terms of exchange, the most fruitful area for exchange appears to be the effort to bring students and faculty from VT and U of Belize together in country, as this avoids issues related to coverage of lodging and meals for exchange students. Each year, we have been able to bring our students together with 15-20 natural resource undergraduates from the University of Belize. These interactions have ranged from formal, shared lectures and presentations, to more informal interactions. We have a close working relationship now with Dr. Elma Kay from the University of Belize, and are planning to increase the length of time these two groups spend together on the 2012 trip.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
The objectives of this grant project were to improve the internationalization of teaching and Extension programs by developing (1) combined study abroad and Extension training programs, (2) student internships, and (3) student exchange programs with the University of Belize. We report a successful combined study abroad/agent training program (June 2010), and development of two novel internships involving Virginia Tech students (summer 2010). We report that our progress on student exchange programs will more successfully focus on bringing VT and University of Belize students together in country, which we have now done for the second year. We conducted formative and summative assessments of both students and Extension agents in the combined study abroad program to identify positives and areas for improvement on the course. The study abroad course conducted during 2010 moved between several ecosystems in Belize. At each location along the path, we were able to meet and spend time with groups and individuals that discussed the major agricultural and natural resource issues they faced. The itinerary was as follows: 1. Our course began in the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center. 2. We passed from there to the Community Baboon Sanctuary, an example of community-based sustainable development designed around conservation of howler monkeys. 3. We then moved to the Mountain Pine Ridge district, where we discussed the role of the southern pine beetle and prescribed fire in long-term forest management with a major private landowner. 4. We then moved to San Ignacio and worked with Belizean Extension agents at the Central Research Farm to discuss concepts of extension and extension activities in Belize, visited a commercial beekeeping operation to observe management of Africanized bee colonies, visited a small-scale packaging facility staffed by Taiwanese scientists, and local plant nursery and breeding operations. 5. Following that, we spent time at Las Cuevas Research Station, which faces issues of sustainable logging and poaching of understory plants (xate and other non-timber forest products) - this is applicable to Virginia and elsewhere where management of non-timber forest products is of major concern (e.g., ginseng and goldenseal in the Appalachian region). While at Las Cuevas, a group of extension agents and faculty traveled back to San Ignacio to participate in a country-wide meeting of extension agents, where they discussed similarities and differences between extension in the US and in Belize. 6. From Las Cuevas we travelled to the Garifuna village of Hopkins, where we focused on issues related to wildlife conservation, Mayan culture, and agriculture in and around the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Refuge 7. Finally, we travelled to Caye Caulker, where we had the opportunity to meet with and interview founding members of the Northern Fisherman's Cooperative, a local community-based group that has organized around sustainable and profitable harvest of conch and lobster in the waters surrounding Belize. We visited a major Marine Reserve and discussed how concerns regarding resource extraction and long-term reef vitality could be balanced. PRODUCTS: Products during the project period included two funded trips for Extension agents (M Yancey and C Driskill), two student internships, and thirteen International Science and Education scholarships awarded to undergraduate students. Scholarships were used to defray course costs for the students, which was identified by nearly all of the students as a critical concern that influenced their decision to take the course. The two Extension agents traveled with our students in 2010, except for the day they left the group to travel to the Extension Agent meeting in Belize. Our existing study abroad course continues to include a more explicit focus on the role of extension, with lectures, course meetings, and informal discussions taking place regarding the role of extension and the application of the concepts we were seeing to natural resource management in the US. Each student was required to make an oral presentation, keep a detailed journal during the trip, and submit an analysis of resource management issues in two different ecosystems as a final project. One of the assessment criteria for the final paper was the strength of connection to US natural resource issues. Support for travel and lodging expenditures were made for two students who desired to conduct internships in Belize in 2010. One completed a month-long internship at the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, while the other worked for a month as an intern at Wildtracks, a manatee rehabilitation center in the north of the country. OUTCOMES: Several outcomes have been identified so far; these build on the successes to date. First, a document is in preparation that is focused on the management of Africanized honeybees, a potentially major issue in Virginia. A draft of this document has been completed; a final copy is anticipated in July of 2011. This will be distributed to agents in Virginia and elsewhere. The combined student/agent training program, and the lessons learned from the specific issues we observed in Belize, continue to have successful distribution to agents around the state. This project was developed into a written publication for The Woodshed, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Northwest Area Natural Resource Newsletter. In addition, the faculty and agents who traveled on the 2010 trip were able to interact with a number of agents in Belize at the country-wide extension meeting, make presentations, and discuss future collaborations. We have laid the foundation for collaborative research in the culture of Africanized honey bees, which will lead to a research project in May of 2011. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Dissemination activities have been conducted focusing on (1) Extension agents within Virginia, and (2) the general public outside of the University. An overview of the goals, itinerary, and concepts of the course was published in The Woodshed, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Northwest Area Natural Resource Newsletter. Four different presentations to regional groups were made in the last year. Presentations on the project were made at the VA State Beekeepers Association Meeting on Beekeeping in Belize, to the Botetourt and Alleghany Extension Leadership Councils on Ecology and Extension in Belize, as well to the Amherst Rotary Club entitled Belize, Mayans and Africanized Bees. The agents that were included on the course have been instrumental at publicizing and communicating the information learned on the trip, and have enabled us to successfully recruit two new agents for the course in 2011. One of these agents has experience in Forestry Extension, while the other specializes in small fruit crops and beekeeping. Given the focus of the course, we feel that these agents are particularly well qualified to make major gains in knowledge. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We are developing a model to integrate Extension personnel in study abroad courses in the long term (i.e., beyond the funding period of this project). We feel this is an attractive model, as several informal comments from the students and the agents indicated a significant gain in knowledge about the mission and focus of Cooperative Extension. Given the benefits we perceive in terms of student learning, and the low cost to add 1 - 2 agents to a course, we feel this should be fiscally possible and represent real benefits to the students, the agents, and the internationalization of both the University and the Extension program. We are developing these concepts for eventual publication in the Journal of Extension. We did measure the reported change in student knowledge regarding Extension (see Impacts, below). In addition, we have developed a framework for collaborative research between the Central Farm researchers and Virginia Tech faculty focused on the issue of Nosema ceranae, a new and major pest of beekeeping operations. No assessments of this pest have been made in Belize to date, and we plan to conduct such an assessment during the 2011 course.
Impacts
One of the focus areas identified during the early stages of the project was increasing the students' knowledge of the mission of Extension. In addition, we were interested in informing them about key natural resource issues (reduced impact logging, invasive or threatening species such as Africanized bees or southern pine beetle, and the role of non-timber forest products in rural economies). Summative assessments of the students' self-reported gains in knowledge indicate that our attempts were successful, similar to the results in 2009. Students ranked their knowledge before and after the course along a range from 0 to 10. Students learned more about some natural resource topics than others. In regards to the mission and practice of Extension, students reported a more than 140% increase in their familiarity with what Extension is and what agents do - from an average of 2.9/10 prior to the course, to 8.0 on average after the course. Knowledge about specific issues such as invasive species, non-timber forest products, and reduced impact logging changed significantly, but results were not as strong, with students showing an average of a 70% increase in reported familiarity or knowledge. In terms of exchange, the most fruitful area for exchange appears to be the effort to bring students and faculty from VT and U of Belize together in country, as this avoids issues related to coverage of lodging and meals for exchange students. We feel that development of a close, productive working relationship among faculty is the key to eventually achieving this goal in the long term.
Publications
- Yancey, Matt. 2010. 2010 International Exchange Finding Parallels Between Belize and Virginia. The Woodshed, The Virginia Cooperative Extension Northwest Area Natural Resources Newsletter. Volume 5, Issue 2.
|
Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
The objectives of this grant project were to improve the internationalization of teaching and Extension programs by developing (1) combined study abroad and Extension training programs, (2) student internships, and (3) student exchange programs with the University of Belize. We report a successful combined study abroad/agent training program (June 2009), and development of two novel internships involving Virginia Tech students (summer 2009). We report some progress on student exchange programs, identifying major sticking points we are presently working on. We conducted formative and summative assessments of both students and Extension agents in the combined study abroad program to identify positives and areas for improvement on the course. The study abroad course conducted during 2009 moved between several ecosystems in Belize. At each location along the path, we were able to meet and spend time with groups and individuals that discussed the major agricultural and natural resource issues they faced. Ample time was planned in daily meetings to discuss with the Extension agents on the course the applications of these concepts to ANR management in both Virginia and the United States. The itinerary was as follows: 1. Our course began in the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, which provided an overview of wildlife-based tourism and management. 2. We passed from there to the Community Baboon Sanctuary, an example of community-based sustainable development designed around conservation of charismatic fauna (howler monkeys). 3. We then moved to the Mountain Pine Ridge district, where we discussed the role of the southern pine beetle in long-term forest management with a major private landowner. 4. Following that, we spent time at Las Cuevas Research Station, which faces issues of sustainable logging and poaching of understory plants (xate and other non-timber forest products) - this is applicable to Virginia and elsewhere where management of non-timber forest products is of major concern (e.g., ginseng and goldenseal in the Appalachian region). 5. We then moved to San Ignacio and worked with Belizean Extension agents at the Central Research Farm to discuss concepts of extension and extension activities in Belize, visited two commercial honey operations to observe management of Africanized bee colonies, visited a small-scale methane production facility, and local plant nursery and breeding operations focused on tree seedlings, small fruits, and non-timber forest products such as xate. 6. From San Ignacio we travelled to the Programme for Belize camp at Hill Bank, which provided examples of carbon sequestration credits from sustainable logging, reduced-impact logging, and the impacts of agriculture in the region. 7. Finally, we travelled to Caye Caulker, where we had the opportunity to meet with and interview founding members of the Northern Fisherman's Cooperative, a local community-based group that has organized around sustainable and profitable harvest of conch and lobster in the waters surrounding Belize. We visited a major Marine Reserve and discussed how concerns regarding resource extraction and long-term reef vitality could be balanced. PRODUCTS: Products during the project period included two funded trips for Extension agents (J Ignosh and S French), two student internships, two International Science and Education scholarships awarded to graduate students, and eight International Science and Education scholarships awarded to undergraduate students. Scholarships were used to defray course costs for the students, which was identified by nearly all of the students as a critical concern that influenced their decision to take the course. The two Extension agents travelled with our students in 2009. Our existing study abroad course was updated to include a more explicit focus on the role of extension, with lectures, course meetings, and informal discussions taking place regarding the role of extension and the application of the concepts we were seeing to natural resource management in the US. Each student was required to make an oral presentation, keep a detailed journal during the trip, and submit an analysis of resource management issues in two different ecosystems as a final project. One of the assessment criteria for the final paper was the strength of connection to US natural resource issues. Support for travel and lodging expenditures were made for two students who desired to conduct internships in Belize in 2009. One completed an internship at the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, while the other worked as an intern at Las Cuevas Research Station. OUTCOMES: Several outcomes have been identified so far. First, a document is in preparation that is focused on the management of Africanized honeybees, a potentially major issue in Virginia. A draft of this document has been completed; a final copy is anticipated in March of 2010. This will be distributed to agents in Virginia and elsewhere. The combined student/agent training program, and the lessons learned from the specific issues we observed in Belize, have been developed to stimulate both faculty and Extension personnel's interest in this sort of opportunity as a chance to internationalize Extension programs. This project was developed into a poster presentation for a University-wide meeting focused on outreach and Extension (Outreach NOW), and a written publication for Engagement Matters. In addition, one of the agents who travelled on the 2009 course identified one of the major benefits as being having the opportunity to discuss what it means to internationalize Extension efforts. This internationalization of their activities is a criteria for which Virginia Cooperative Extension agents are evaluated, but prior to this course there were few examples of how to actually achieve internationalization. Both the specific connections we made in Belize, along with the general idea of combining student and agent programs, appear to have made a contribution to this discussion. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Dissemination activities have been conducted focusing on (1) Extension agents within Virginia, and (2) the general public outside of the University. An overview of the goals, itinerary, and concepts of the course was published in Engagement Matters, a Natural Resources Extension and Outreach publication from Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources. A presentation is planned for the statewide in-service Cooperative Extension training, and a Fact Sheet is being developed focused on Africanized honeybees that will be distributed statewide. A presentation on the project was made at the Outreach NOW meeting in September of 2009. The citation for this presentation follows: Agriculture and Natural Resource Management in Belize: Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Training and Outreach. Glen Stevens, Marcella Kelly, Bob Smith, Rick Fell, Tom Hammett, Susan French, Jeff Waldon, John Ignosh. Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Virginia Cooperative Extension Service. Presented at Outreach NOW Conference, Outreach and International Affairs and the Office of International Research, Education, and Development, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, September 14, 2009. The agents that were included on the course have been instrumental at publicizing and communicating the information learned on the trip. Specific examples include a presentation for the Sierra Club of Southeastern Virginia on Oct. 5 for 23 members on the topic Conservation in Belize, a presentation at the regional Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course conference entitled Tropical Forestry in Belize, and another for Virginia Master Gardeners in spring 2010 on the general topic of natural resource management in Belize. Outreach information from the Belize Ag Station has been relayed to dairymen in the Shenandoah Valley exploring small scale on-farm anaerobic digestion. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We are developing a model to integrate Extension personnel in study abroad courses in the long term (i.e., beyond the funding period of this project). We feel this is an attractive model, as several informal comments from the students and the agents indicated a significant gain in knowledge about the mission and focus of Cooperative Extension. Given the benefits we perceive in terms of student learning, and the low cost to add 1 - 2 agents to a course, we feel this should be fiscally possible and represent real benefits to the students, the agents, and the internationalization of both the University and the Extension program. We are developing these concepts for eventual publication. We did measure the reported change in student knowledge regarding Extension (see Impacts, below) and are interested in a comprehensive analysis that examines financial feasibility, benefits to pedagogy, benefits to the mission of Extension, and how this model may be adapted beyond R1 institutions to include primarily undergraduate institutions.
Impacts
One of the focus areas identified during the early stages of the project was increasing the students' knowledge of the mission of Extension. In addition, we were interested in informing them about key natural resource issues (reduced impact logging, invasive or threatening species such as Africanized bees or southern pine beetle, and the role of non-timber forest products in rural economies). Summative assessments of the students' self-reported gains in knowledge indicate that our attempts were successful. Students ranked their knowledge before and after the course along a range from 0 to 10. Students learned more about some than others. In regards to the mission and practice of Extension, students reported a nearly 150% increase in their familiarity with what Extension is and what agents do - from an average of 3.2/10 prior to the course, to 8.4 on average after the course. Knowledge about specific issues such as invasive species, non-timber forest products, and reduced impact logging changed significantly, but results were not as strong, with students showing an average of a 60% increase in reported familiarity or knowledge. We hope to increase student internships funded by the course through 2010, and be able to place the first exchange students in 2010 or 2011. This project has allowed us to bring together faculty from both VT and U of Belize, and we believe we have the framework and experience to address the institutional concerns regarding student exchange, which so far have been confined to the potential costs of room and board.
Publications
- Stevens, GN, Hammett, AL, Fell, RD. 2009. Rainforest to Reef: Study Abroad in Belize. Engagement Matters 1(6):2-3.
|
|