Source: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
ADDRESSING IPM CHALLENGES: 3D PRINTING IN PRACTICE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031022
Grant No.
2023-70006-40608
Cumulative Award Amt.
$199,941.00
Proposal No.
2023-02994
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2025
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[ARDP]- Applied Research and Development Program
Recipient Organization
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
1680 MADISON AVENUE
WOOSTER,OH 44691
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Extension programming is critical for the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) practices, and stakeholders engage best with extension programs that are dynamic and interactive.3D printing creates three dimensional objects from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) or digital 3D models. 3D printed products can be quickly produced, cost effective and are highly customizable leading to a broad suite of applications. 3D printing offers great promise to improve stakeholder engagement. However, the use of 3D printing in extension programming is underutilized, likely due to a poor understanding of potential applications of the technology and a perceived steep learning curve to use 3D printing. In this Extension-led ARDP proposal, we will address common roadblocks of 3D printing by providing novel case studies in extension programming and 3D printing workshops tailored toward extension educators. This proposal supports the AFRI goal to develop, "Plant protection tools and tactics", by developing several applications of 3D printing that will encourage the use of IPM in three different systems. The specific objectives of this work are to 1) Provide case studies showcasing the application of 3D printing in extension programming to improve the knowledge and adoption of IPM practices, 2) Identify barriers and facilitators of adoption of 3D printing amongst various stakeholders, and 3) Develop an online workshop for extension educators to learn the basics of 3D printing. These objectives will achieve the overall aim of improving IPM awareness and adoption as well as arming extension educators with a valuable resrouce to enrich their programming.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2051139113033%
2051820113033%
2051499113034%
Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 1820 - Soybean; 1139 - Grapes, general/other;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
3D printing has the potential to improve extension programming through the development and application of customized products. While the 3D printed products featured in this proposal are unique, the IPM challenges we highlight are not. Many agricultural systems struggle with invasive species detection, scouting, and IPM adoption. We aim to showcase the broad application of 3D printing to help confront these challenges. In achieveing this goal we have three supporting objectives including, 1)Provide case studies showcasing the application of 3D printing in extension programming to improve the knowledge and adoption of IPM practices., 2)Identify barriers and facilitators of adoption of 3D printing amongst various stakeholders. and 3)Develop an online workshop for extension educators to learn the basics of 3D printing. Overall,in this Extension-led ARDP proposal, we will address common roadblocks of 3D printing by providing novel case studies in extension programming and 3D printing workshops tailored toward extension educators.
Project Methods
Objective 1: We will create and test 6 unque 3D prints that will serve as the case studies for this proposal. This includes 1)Case study #1 Seeing what's not there: Spotted Lanternfly Scavenger Hunt,Case study #2 Bean counting: Soybean defoliation thresholds, andCase study #3 Spot the beetle butt: cucurbit pest identification. The associated prints will be designed and printed using Tinkercad and PRUSIA printers. All products will be made with polylactic acid polymer (PLA), a thermoplastic made from natural materials (i.e., one of the most biodegradable). All excercises will be evaluated usingsurveys prior to and directly after training exercises. The pre-questionnaire will gauge the individual's preexisting knowledge of the material, and post-questionnaire will ask the same questions in addition to their experience with the activity.Surveys will be reviewed and revised if needed by OSU Extension Learning and Organizational Development (LOD) unit to ensure a high-quality assessment.Objective 2:The team will develop questions to be integrated into the workshops detailed in obj. 1 to learn more about any potential barriers to adoption from the various stakeholders. The questions will be integrated into the pre-post tests for each workshop. Data will be analyzed and reported to see changes in their perceptions towards using 3D printed tools. Furthermore, the team will conduct focus groups with 10-15 participants from each case study (obj.1). Qualitative data will give more insight into the use of 3D printed tools for IPM. Data will be analyzed and used to create a module for extension professionals to learn how to address potential barriers to adoption (obj. 3).Objective 3:A workshop will be developed to cover the basics of 3D printing. Each module will be 90-120 minutes in length. We will split modules into sections so educators can space the information out and make it more tenable than 1-2 continuous hours of online content. We will offer a total of three 3-week sessions (=2 modules/wk) in the second year of the grant in which educators can enroll in the material and then we will hold virtual "office hours" allowing the educators to meet with us to clarify concepts and diagnose problems. For those that cannot meet locally, we have web-enabled cameras (i.e. Ring cameras) linked to each printer so that the participant can watch their product being printed in real-time.We will also survey the educators on how the course could be improved, their knowledge and skill gain, as well as how they plan to implement the course material into their pre-existing extension programming. This survey data is described above, 'Data collection/Notes' (Table 1).

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this reporting period includes agricultural producers, consultants and other stakeholders that implement IPM in agricultural production systems. Specifically, we have engaged with grape producers and the general public (to improve spotted lanternfly identification), field crop farmers and consultants (to increase accuracy of soybean defoliation estimates) and vegetable growers (to correctly identify problematic beetle pests in cucurbits). We also aimed to engage with extension educators who interact with all of the aforementioned systems. This includes educators and specialist within the Ohio state university system as well as other universities that may benefit from 3D printed materials created through the duration of this grant. Changes/Problems:Co-PD Mary Rodriguez is going on a sabbatical which will delay outcomes associated with Objective 1 and 2. We are unsure if this will require an extension, however it has led to delays for hiring associated personnel. In response to this change, we will be closely monitoring our progress over the next 5 months and communicating if the need arises for an extension. We currently have a lead for hiring and will proceed with the hire for a technician. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The lead PD of this grant is an assistant professor who is gaining professional expereince on the implementation and deployment of the objectives. Two undergraduate researchers have gained experience developing and presenting outreach materials during two OSU extension event, "OSU's eat this earth day" event and Cleveland Metropark's research summit. The grant is also fostering the development of a new 3D printing course that will be used to train new extension educators as well as facilitate collaboration between reserachers who use 3D printing in their projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, preliminary results from this project have been shared with research and extension stakeholders. The following presentations were given: 1) Antlion competition- National Entomological Society of America. National Harbor, MD. November 5-8. 2) Leach, A., D. Kelsey, Lee, J. and A. Michel. 2024. Uniting Around a Common Enemy: SLF monitoring in Ohio. Entomological Society of America-Eastern Branch. March. 24-26, Fort Collins, CO What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to complete the following activities to achive the below (bolded) objectivies: 1)Provide case studies showcasing the application of 3D printing in extension programming to improve the knowledge and adoption of IPM practices. Complete data collections from remaining extension events from the season including 2 additional spotted lanternfly events, and 2 cucurbit field days for Autumn/Summer 2024. Increase survey efforts at these events to detail knowledge improvement related to these pest (currently we are below the sample size needed to statisitically analyze data). We will develop a user-friendly kit that would provide educators with all resources needed to run a scavenger hunt in their county. We will also ultilize our 3D prints in novel applications to create showcases for invasive species programming. 2)Identify barriers and facilitators of adoption of 3D printing amongst various stakeholders. Events for the winter 2025 have been identified to organize focus groups with the goal of understanding limitations of 3D prints for extension resources. 3)Develop an online workshop for extension educators to learn the basics of 3D printing. Short course will be administered in Autumn 2024 as a trial run before opened to extension educators in 2025.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have made several accomplishments in line with the proposed objectives: 1)Provide case studies showcasing the application of 3D printing in extension programming to improve the knowledge and adoption of IPM practices. 3D prints have been trialed out at 5 events across the country (4 for spotted lanternfly training and 1 for soybean defoliation tools). Further, we have 2 additional spotted lanternfly events, and 2 cucurbit field days for Autumn/Summer 2024. At these events, we gathered data to assess changes in stakeholder knowledge in the different prodcution systems (e.g., experience scouting for SLF, increased accuracy estimating soybean defoliation and correct identification of striped cucumber beetle in cucurbit production). Our preliminary data (n= 3 extension events) suggest we are seeing between 20-80% increases in knowledge within the topic area. We have developed new 3D printed materials to improve pre-exisiting extension programs. Spotted Lanternfly is a concern for many in Ohio. In addition to a 3D printed egg mass, an adult and nymph 3D print was created to improve the current SLF scavenger hunt. We are also developing a user-friendly kit that would provide educators with all resources needed to run a scavenger hunt in their county. 2)Identify barriers and facilitators of adoption of 3D printing amongst various stakeholders. Events for the winter 2025 have been identified to organize focus groups with the goal of understanding limitations of 3D prints for extension resources. Surveys will accompany events described above to better describe the type of extension resources preferred by agricultural stakeholders. 3)Develop an online workshop for extension educators to learn the basics of 3D printing. '3D printing for extension educators' short course is being developed and will be piloted in Autumn 2024 to undergraduate and graduate students. This preliminary course will allow us to recieved data on deficits of the course and improvements needed before it is offered to extension educators.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Leach, A., D. Kelsey, Lee, J. and A. Michel. 2024. Uniting Around a Common Enemy: SLF monitoring in Ohio. Entomological Society of America-Eastern Branch. March. 24-26, Fort Collins, CO