Progress 06/15/23 to 06/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The TExAS Scholar Program is designed to target and support exceptional underrepresented sophomore, junior and senior Animal Science majors at TAMUK, UPRM and WTAMU (all HSIs) and emphasize those who are financially disadvantaged and/or first-generation college. During the first year of our program, a total of 11 students were served (100% female; 9 Hispanic and 2 Non-Hispanic). Data presented in this report pertains to their activities between June 15, 2023 and June 14, 2024. However, our first cohort of students were hired in Fall 2023, therefore they will complete their one-year program in August 2024 and some of their activities will be reported in the Year 2 Annual Report. Changes/Problems:Summer Intern Fellowship. Summer intern fellowships were not provided during Year 1. The primary issue was locating housing accommodations for this period of time. During Year 2, summer intern fellows will be notified in early spring 2025 to allow sufficient time to get housing approved on the TAMUK campus. Job Shadowing. During Year 1, only 4 scholars participated in a Job Shadowing event. In Year 2, project directors will facilitate placement for this activity rather than allowing students to choose who they will shadow. This will ensure all students are placed appropriately. Extension Program. During Year 1, only two of 11 scholars participated in an extension program. More focus will be placed on this activity during Year 2 to coordinate student's participation in extension programs so they may gain these valuable experiences. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Research. All Expanding the TExAS Scholar Participants were involved in scientific research. Research enhances critical thinking skills, communication, problem-solving and intellectual independence; all of which are crucial for success in careers in the animal industry. In total, 10 faculty research mentors with diverse animal expertise from each collaborating HSI provided high-impact, meaningful mentorship to students. Faculty mentorship was facilitated through regular one-on-one meetings throughout the students' research. Professional Meetings. Research projects lead to participation in professional meetings and provide opportunities for personal growth and networking. Within the first year of the program, six TExAS Scholars attended an average of 1.5 professional meetings. Of these students, three were responsible for giving 1 poster presentation and 2 oral presentations. During Year 1 of the program, two additional students submitted three abstracts which have been accepted and will be presented during Year 2 of the program. Educational Tour. In Year 1 of Expanding the TExAS Scholar Program, 8 students participated in an Educational Tour. Three TAMUK students participated in a 5-day tour of the Texas panhandle visiting dairies, feedyards, nutrition centers, packing plants, and cow/calf operations. This tour included a tour of WTAMU research facilities where WTAMU TExAS Scholars joined the tour and were able to network with TAMUK students for one full tour day. Two WTAMU TExAS Scholar participants completed an educational tour of OK, KS and NE as they toured feedyards and research facilities. UPRM TExAS Scholars were able to network with TAMUK Scholars during their educational tour in Kingsville, TX. UPRM students toured TAMUK research facilities and the local King Ranch. These tours fostered inter-institutional collaboration in an immersive experience emphasizing career awareness. Extension Program. One WTAMU and one UPRM student were able to work with Extension Specialists during Year 1. The WTAMU student was directly involved in the coordinating and hosting of the Plains Nutrition Council Spring Meeting. The UPRM student worked with Extension for a 2-day period gaining experience, then collaborated remotely for a period of time. Unfortunately, no other TExAS Scholars were directly involved in an extension program during Year 1 of the program. It is anticipated that during Year 2, students will become more involved with extension. Job Shadowing Experience. During Year 1 of the program, four TExAS Scholars participated in diverse job shadowing experiences. Two scholars shadowed USDA ARS research scientists: one shadowed a rumen microbiologist at the Forage Animal Production Research Unit in Lexington, KY for 10 days while another shadowed a rumen microbiologist at Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center in College Station, TX for 5 days. These students were able to network with USDA professionals while conducting research and gaining new laboratory skills. A third scholar shadowed an AgriLife Extension Specialist for 3 days in San Antonio, TX. A fourth student shadowed a veterinary school faculty member in Canyon, TX. These experiences provide opportunities for students to experience daily life in specific careers and knowledge of common tasks and required skills in those careers. Professional Meetings. Research projects lead to professional meeting attendance, providing opportunities for networking and professional growth. During the first year of the program, 55% of TExAS Scholars attended an average of 1.2 professional meetings. Of these students, 50% were responsible for giving 1 oral and 2 poster presentations. Additional meetings and presentations are planned for the Year 1 cohort, early in Year 2. Professional meeting attendees commonly include students and faculty from other institutions, USDA employees, and industry professionals; thus, providing opportunities for students to develop a professional network that will advance their careers. Journal Club. Regular meetings were held within each of the institutions to provide an opportunity for students to keep up-to-date with current research in animal science, broaden knowledge base, and promote networking. All TExAS Scholars participated in Journal Club during Year 1. Summer Internships. Although summer internships are not a direct component of the TExAS Scholar Program, it is recognized that they are valuable experiential learning opportunities. Thus, participants were encouraged to participate in summer internships that would provide further research and/or industry experience. In Year 1, two students were placed into USDA internships (ARS) and one was placed into an industry internship position (Feedlot Health with TELUS). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Social Media. The TExAS Scholar Program maintains an active social media account (@texasscholars on Instagram) which went live in July 2023 to begin recruiting efforts. This method of dissemination engages and reaches the technology-savvy generation that the program is recruiting (215 followers currently). The TExAS Scholar Instagram account documents program progress (29 Instagram posts) while promoting and further enhancing recruiting efforts. The TExAS Scholar Program averages 611 "accounts reached" per month. Research Presentations. In Year 1 of the program, two scholars gave oral presentations at professional meetings to disseminate research results. One presented at the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences Annual Meeting in Anasco, PR and another presented at the Investing in Rural America Symposium in Washington, D.C. A third scholar submitted an abstract for presentation at the American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting. This abstract was accepted and will be presented via poster presentation during Year 2 of the program. Three additional abstracts are being prepared for submission and presentation during Year 2 of the TExAS Scholar Program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Expanding the TExAS Scholar Program is designed to repeat and build upon itself over the five-year period. The Year 1 cohort will finish their one-year program early in Year 2. The Year 2 cohort will begin the program in Fall 2024. These students will be directly involved in research, attend journal club meetings, professional meetings, an educational tour, job shadowing events, and will be involved in an extension program, as described above for Year 1. In Year 2, external evaluation will continue to gather quantifiable outcomes that allow tracking and progress toward objectives.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Develop a cooperative link amongst Animal Science programs at 3 Hispanic Serving Institutions [HSIs; TAMUK, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez (UPRM) and West Texas A&M University (WTAMU)] and with external collaborators (Agrilife Research & Extension, USDA-ARS, other universities and industry), to improve the success of underrepresented students through professional development opportunities. Development of cooperative links and sustainable partnerships between Animal Science programs at the three HSIs and with external collaborators was accomplished through multiple efforts. The TAMUK scholars Educational Tour included a tour of WTAMU research facilities where WTAMU scholars joined the tour and participated for a full day of activities. TAMUK and WTAMU scholars were able to network with each other while gaining insight into the animal industry through tours of various feedyards and research facilities. The UPRM scholars Educational Tour included a tour of TAMUK research facilities. During this tour, UPRM and TAMUK scholars toured TAMUK research facilities and the local animal industry. Students were able to network across institutions while being educated about the local animal industry. These events were designed to bring faculty and students from the three HSIs together to enhance collaboration and networking, while promoting animal science degrees and career options. To effectively develop and implement program activities, the Project Director team (Mast, Jimenez, Samuelson) met, via Zoom, quarterly throughout the year for an average 1 hour each. Objective 2: Educate undergraduate students in the field of animal science through hands-on experiential learning. Year 1 scholars gained valuable knowledge and experience through various hands-on experiential learning opportunities. Within the first year of the program, 11 undergraduate students were served. Participants were exposed to research (within their own institutions and at USDA ARS Job Shadowing events), graduate degree and career options (Educational Tour, Job Shadowing, Institutional visits, Extension Program), and professional development (professional meeting and professional development seminar attendance). Objective 3: Develop skills and gain experience necessary for joining the agricultural workforce or pursuing graduate studies by participating in research and extension projects. Students are being financially supported through the TExAS Scholar Program for their involvement in research. Students are mentored by faculty and trained in discipline specific techniques. When students take ownership of their research, a sense of responsibility and accountability is instilled. Student travel to professional meetings is supported to enhance knowledge, promote networking, and to allow students to present their research findings. The knowledge and skills gained through these experiences will equip students for future graduate school or agricultural workforce success. Objective 4: Foster and develop faculty-student mentor relationships to aid students in defining goals and evaluating educational and professional careers. In Year 1, upon participant selection, all 11students were placed into formal mentoring relationships with Faculty Research Mentors. Faculty Research Mentor relationships were developed and enhanced through regular participant-faculty meetings to discuss research progress, professional development opportunities and career goals. The Educational Tour provided additional contact with faculty from other universities as well as industry professionals. This short-term contact between the students and faculty or students and industry professionals enhanced the students' professional network and led to potential for building long term mentorship relationships in the future. Although not quantified, peer-peer relationships were established through intra and inter-institutional interactions between students through research and the Educational Tours.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Lakes, J., L. Ramos, M. Cardenas, N. Mast, and M. Flythe. Submitted. Effects of phyto-phenolic compounds on ammonia production by select amino acid fermenting bacteria. FEMS Microbiology Letters.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ramos, L., M. Cardenas, J. Lakes, M. Flythe, and N. L. Mast. 2024. The inhibitory activity of phyto-phenolic compounds on ammonia-producing ruminal bacteria. American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting, Calgary, AB, Canada. Poster Presentation.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Boggiano-Pereira, S., S. Valdes-Ramos, S. Pardo-Rivera, G. Muniz-Colon, E. Jimenez, K. Domenech-Perez, H. Sanchez-Rodriguez. 2024. Solar radiation threshold for shade requirements in Puerto Rican Holstein cattle. Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences Annual Meeting, Anasco, Puerto Rico. Oral Presentation.