Source: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
PATHS: PARTNERSHIPS FOR AGROSECURITY TRAINING, HEALTH, AND SCIENCE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1025391
Grant No.
2021-38413-34018
Cumulative Award Amt.
$200,000.00
Proposal No.
2020-08583
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 15, 2021
Project End Date
Jan 14, 2026
Grant Year
2021
Program Code
[KF]- Multicultural Scholars
Project Director
Hoback, W.
Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
Entomology & Plant Patholoby
Non Technical Summary
Oklahoma State University (OSU), a land grant university (LGU), in partnership with Northeastern Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical College (NEO), a two-year Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), will collaborate to provide five American Indian students with scholarships. Scholars will earn an Associates degree at NEO and continue with a seamless transfer to OSU to complete their Bachelors with dual degrees in Entomology and Plant and Soil Science. The goals are to improve the community college to university pipeline for students transferring from two-year NASNTI institutions to four-year LGUs, and to train American Indian students to improve food security and benefit their tribal communities. This program will enhance the diversity of students seeking careers in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH). OSU will achieve these goals by meeting three objectives. Objective 1: Develop qualified students who will positively impact agricultural security through understanding of plant-insect interactions. Objective 2: Provide practical experiences with public and private entities to improve protection from arthropods transmitting diseases in agroecosystems. Objective 3: Develop a global perspective for how arthropods impact agrosecruity and health through interactions with international researchers and study abroad. Students' learning will begin at NEO with general studies and "hands-on" experiences. Once students transfer to OSU, they will be further trained in agricultural production, plant protection, and arthropod-disease risks before participating in a research-based trip to Brazil. This proposal will result in five scholars obtaining three degrees each and being able to to cultivate and educate their tribal communities in FANH.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
80%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
20414991130100%
Knowledge Area
204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest);

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
Oklahoma State University (OSU), a land grant university (LGU), in partnership with Northeastern Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical College (NEO), a two-year Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), will collaborate to provide five American Indian students with scholarships. Scholars will earn an Associates degree at NEO and continue with a seamless transfer to OSU to complete their Bachelors with dual degrees in Entomology and Plant and Soil Science. The objectives are to improve the community college to university pipeline for students transferring from two-year NASNTI institutions to four-year LGUs, and to train American Indian students to improve food security and benefit their tribal communities. This program will enhance the diversity of students seeking careers in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH). OSU will achieve these goals by meeting three objectives. Goal 1: Develop qualified students who will positively impact agricultural security through understanding of plant-insect interactions. Goal 2: Provide practical experiences with public and private entities to improve protection from arthropods transmitting diseases in agroecosystems. Goal 3: Develop a global perspective for how arthropods impact agrosecruity and health through interactions with international researchers and study abroad. Students' learning will begin at NEO with general studies and "hands-on" experiences. Once students transfer to OSU, they will be further trained in agricultural production, plant protection, and arthropod-disease risks before participating in a research-based trip to Brazil. This proposal will result in five scholars obtaining three degrees each and being able to to cultivate and educate their tribal communities in FANH.
Project Methods
PATHS is a four-year program in which scholars will have to maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA. Course work will include classes pertinent to agriculture, insects and soils. Each semester, scholars will have to maintain a full-time schedule of classes (12-18 credit hours per semester) in order to complete the program in four years. Hands-on learning experiences in labs and travel abroad will give scholars the opportunity to have first-hand experience in FANH sciences.RecruitmentOSU in partnership with NEO will promote the program, recruit students from regional high schools, and work with tribal governmental leaders to recruit citizens from the nations in NEO's service area. PATHS will distribute information about the program at fairs, information sessions, campus tours, and to high school guidance counselors. NEO's American Indian Center for Excellence (AICE) will help promote the program and current OSU Agriculture students including USDA MSP Entomology scholars will participate in recruiting activities.Successful scholars will be used as recruiters in their own tribal communities. Graduates will be able to educate, provide knowledge and experiences to prospective high school students within their communities.SelectionScholars will be selected through an application process. Applicants will be scored on a point system with points awarded for academics, community involvement, geographic location and other criteria. All students must be American Indian and enrolling in their first year at NEO and majoring in Agriculture. The PI and Co-PIs will review the applications and assign points to scholars. The first applications will be awarded in summer 2021 and each spring semester thereafter for the remaining three years.ii. Curricula and Hands-on ApproachesScholars will attend NEO for the first two years where they will complete 60 credit hours and receive an Associates degree in General Agriculture. A total of 23 program required credit hours will be fulfilled with 12 hours of core requirements and 11 hours directed by advisor. Core required courses are Intro to Agricultural Economics, Intro to Animal Science and Intro to Plant/Soil Science. The remaining elective courses include Agriculture Capstone, Ag Internship, Communications in Ag, Principles of Economics Applied in Ag, Live Animal Evaluation, Livestock Feeding, Meat Animal and Carcass Evaluation, Principles in Horticulture, Intro to Engineering in Ag, Elements of Forestry, Fundamentals of Soil Science, and Livestock Selection/Rodeo Activities (Figure 1).While attending NEO, scholars will have "hands-on" learning experiences through the Synar Farm, a 200-acre farm that houses the Animal Science Teaching Facility that includes an enclosed, climate-controlled wing and an outdoor wing. NEO is also constructing a greenhouse that will provide research opportunities for students.After earning their Associates degree in General Agriculture, scholars will have a seamless transfer to OSU where they will begin studies in Entomology and Plant and Soil Sciences.We will meet project goals thorugh site visits, mentoring and an SEL project where we visit an agricultural college in Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

Progress 01/15/23 to 01/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The project seeks to develop a pipeline from Northeastern Okahoma (NEO), a 2 year school generating an Associate Degree to Native American students to Oklahoma State University (OSU), a four-year institution where students will complete requirements to earn BS degrees in Entomology and Plant and Soil Sciences. The audience is undergraduates who are Native American tribal members . In the third year of hte project, 6 students transitioned from NEO to OSU). Changes/Problems:Because of lingering effects of COVID protocols, our project was delayed and we had to recruit two cohorts. We will be seeking a no-cost extension to allow all students to finish, Five student are on schedule to graduate in May of 2025. Two additonal students are scheduled to graduate in May of 2026. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The projects have provided student support for the transition, team-building opportunities and planned travel to regional and national meetings in 2024. Students are experiencing interactions with professionals in both Agronomy and Entomology. In addition, plans for an internation experience in studying in Brazil in 2024 are being finalized. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of student progress have been shared with teh OSU Center for Sovreign Nations and with the tribes with whom the students are associated. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will provide students with an SEL in Brazil focussed on Brazil agriculture. During the visit we will examine the use of biological control in projduction systems ranging from soybean to citrus and fresh flowers. Students will also experience Brazilian livestock productiona nd coffeee. All students will particiapte in branch Entomological Society meeting in Albuquerque NM. .

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In year 3 of hte project, 5 of the 6 students (83%) of students are making progress on two additional BS degrees. One student withdrew from teh program and changed toa Business degree option. 4 of 6 participants are participating in guided independen t research studies investigating interactions between insects and plants (sorghum, wheat, and barley response to aphid feeding).

Publications


    Progress 01/15/22 to 01/14/23

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The PATHS grant in partnership with PROVIDE (a USDA-funded New Beginnings for Tribal Students) seeks to create a pipeline of Native American student to earn degrees in Agronomy, Plant and Soil Sciences, and Entomology. Students begin at North-Eastern Oklahoma (NEO) College, a two-year college, where they earn an Associates Degree in Agronomy. After two years, they are admitted to Oklahoma State University (OSU) where they will complete Bachelors of Science degrees in Entomology and Plant and Soil Sciences in four additional semesters. Changes/Problems:Of the original 6 of 9 students recruited for positions with PATHs to PROVIDE, two withdrew from the program. We were able to find qualified replacemens for one to join the first cohort and we expanded to the opportunity for four additional students to be part of the second cohort. We had low initial recruitment success because of lingering effects of the pandemic. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Students enrolled in classes at NEO continued to make progress towards their degrees. In Year 2, we hosted the NEO students at OSU where they met faculty, attended an Entomology lecture, and shared lunch. All students have been mentored by PIs and all have maintained an overall GPA > 3.0. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 3, we will host an enrollment day at OSU and help students adjust to moving from a small college to the University. We are working with members of OSU's Center for Sovereign Nations and are seeking a graduate student in Plant and Soil Sciences who will serve as a mentor and point of contact. We will also make students aware of summer internship opportunities with USDA- ARS, USDA-APHIS, and other applicable opportunities.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? We recruited a cohort of 6 Native American students (out of 9 positions between the two grants) in 2021. We did not meet our goal of 9 students because of lingering effects of COVID social distancing and other effects that were especially prevalent with Native American communities. Year 2: Of the original six, two students left the program to pursue other opportunities. One left after a single semester and the second after a year. The first student to leave was replaced with a Native American student who was already enrolled. We now have a cohort of five students who will finish at NEO and enroll at OSU this summer. In addition, PIs were able to recruit an additional 4 students to form a second cohort at NEO during 2022. Recruitment was accomplished through advertisement and word-of-mouth from the existing cohort.

    Publications


      Progress 01/15/21 to 01/14/22

      Outputs
      Target Audience:Native American high school students interested in pursuing careers in Agriculture. Students will begin at Northeastern Oklahoma College and earn Associate degrees before enrolling at Oklahoma State University and earning Bachelor degrees in Entomology and Plant and Soil Science. Changes/Problems:In part because of the on-going effects of Covid-19, we were only able to recruit 6 students out the 9 targeted initially. One student in the program chose to change universities. In 2022, we have continued to recruit a second cohort to fill all 9 slots. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Students were introduced to agriculutre and participated in hands-on projects in the first summer, including exposure to growing plants in greenhouse and field settings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Students will be integrated with teh Oklahoma State system with a in-person visit and enrollment in a summer online class.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? A cohort of 6 students was recruited with 3 funded from companion grant "PATHS" and 3 funded from the PATHWAYS grant. Students completed the first year of college at Northeastern Oklahoma College and maintained grade point averages above 3.0. five of six students continued with the program and participated in summer internship programs.

      Publications