Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
To solve complex food system challenges and adapt to climate change, there is a need for agricultural graduates who have technical competence but also understand impacts on the environment and society. In order to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals and increase minority participation in the agricultural workforce, we propose to improve upon and expand our successful Agroecology Scholars Program in Research and Extension (ASPIRE) for Diversity REEU program. We will recruit 50 students, 10 per year for 5 years with at least 50% women and at least 50% from traditionally underrepresented groups to participate in a 10-week paid summer program. The program consists of 5 main activities comprising: 1) Diverse food and farm tours across North Carolina; 2) faculty-mentored research training; 3) tiered mentorship and networking opportunities; 4) integrated extension activities; and 5) professional skills development and agriculture career exploration. Engaging diverse undergraduates in hands-on, cutting-edge agroecology and sustainable agriculture research while providing professional development training will increase student interests and capacity to pursue careers in agriculture. Our previous success and strong project team of multidisciplinary researchers and educators in agroecology, robust stakeholder partnerships within the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), Cooperative Extension, and resources at North Carolina State University will ensure a quick start and successful program. The internship will be led by CEFS, a partnership between NC State, NC Agricultural & Technical State University, and NC Department of Agriculture.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
60%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
The overall project goal is to develop summer-based research, extension and professional development opportunities for 50 undergraduate students in agricultural fields to support interest in agroecology, climate change, and food security issues across the food system. To meet this goal, we have developed five program objectives:Recruit 50 undergraduate students (10 each year) with a target enrollment of 50% women and 50% underrepresented groups.Increase students' knowledge and technical skills in agroecology and sustainable agriculture research through focused faculty mentored research projects.Enhance students' awareness of innovative extension programs addressing agriculture and food systems challenges through students' active participation in extension activities and/or curriculum development.Increase students' critical thinking, systems thinking, communication, leadership skills and awareness of agricultural career paths through diverse professional development activities and network building.Promote ASPIRE for Diversity program as a model for other institutions through journal articles, conference presentations, webinars, social media, and by student and mentor participation in research, extension, and academic conferences.
Project Methods
Student Recruiting: The goal of our recruiting efforts is to enroll women (target of 50%) and underrepresented groups (target of 50%), including underrepresented ethnicities, first-generation college students, and more than 50% from outside of NC State, goals we exceeded in our previous three years of programming. Our recruitment strategy will be two-fold. First, we will focus on NC Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including N.C.A&T (CEFS partner). Second, outside of NC, our recruitment efforts will focus on national diversity organizations, including Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), and Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).Lastly, we have developed a website (https://cefs.ncsu.edu/academics-and-education/internships/aspire/) describing the program and will use targeted social media postings on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram.Selection of Students: Applications with research project descriptions will be available on the program website by Thanksgiving each year and due mid-February. We will have 10 research projects for students to select from each year for a 1:1 faculty: student ratio, with 15 faculty currently committed (see letters of support). The top 10 applicants matched with faculty mentors will be notified of their acceptance through email and an official letter by mid-March.Program participants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university, have completed their first year when the program starts, be citizens or permanent residents of the United States, and be able to participate in the entire 10-week summer program. The application package will include a resume, letter of interest, unofficial transcript, and one reference letter. Students will rank potential research projects. The PAT will select the top 20-30 applicants and pass on 2-3 applications to each faculty research mentor. Mentors will interview the candidates and make the final selection in consultation with the PD. Selection criteria include: 1) academic credentials, including a minimum 3.0 GPA; 2) student's interests in gaining more knowledge in agriculture as a career; 3) student diversity; 4) matching student interests with research projects; 4) student potential to benefit; and 5) letter of recommendation. Once acceptance letters are sent, students will have one week to accept.Retention of Students: Our retention plan is multi-tiered. The first goal is to develop trust and community between student participants, the program advisory team, faculty mentors and graduate students. Participants will arrive at NC State and attend a full-day orientation and meet with each other, the Advisory Team, Faculty Research Mentors, and graduate student mentors on the first day. This will be an important "meet and greet" that establishes communication and trust with each student. PD Cruz will also meet with students weekly to communicate program details, check on mentoring and research progress, and assess students' needs including emotional/psychosocial. This proactive approach ensures that potential issues are addressed before developing into problems. Second, the stipend will be distributed across four checks to encourage participants to stay the full program. Students who complete the full program will receive an additional $1200 to attend and present at a professional conference. However even with these strategies, there may be reasons a student needs to leave the program. Students who terminate the program early will not receive stipend payments after they leave and will not be eligible to receive the extra conference stipend. Students that leave will not be replaced with another student in the current year due to the challenging nature of a new student catching up on research and training activities. If funding is available, an additional student would be accepted the following year.Training Activities: The ASPIRE program will provide participants with diverse research, education, extension, and professional development opportunities focused on agroecological systems. Activities are organized into five main program elements that include: 1) Farm and food systems tour across NC. Dr. Cruz will lead two-day farm and food systems tours across various agroecosystems and communities in NC. One will highlight Eastern NC and the second will highlight Western NC. The tour will include visiting CEFS, where several agroecology field research projects are located, as well as different extension programs in the state. These tours are important for students to understand the diverse agricultural challenges facing producers and communities and the role of cooperative extension. The tour will also serve as an initial team building activity among students and program leaders.2) Faculty-mentored research training. Each student will be matched with an agroecology research project in one of five core themes aligned with AFRI priority areas. Faculty Research Mentors will meet with their student mentee weekly and help them understand their specific research design, hypothesis, literature, methodology, and analysis. Students are expected to learn relevant research skills, read literature, take data, and interpret its meaning.3) Tiered mentorship and networking opportunities. In addition to the Faculty Research Mentors (described above), each student will be paired with a graduate student mentor conducting similar research. Graduate students will meet with and work with their student mentee weekly discussing aspects of their experience in graduate school, research and professional development. The PD will meet with each student, faculty and graduate student mentor throughout the program to determine how each student is doing and assess their learning and professional growth during the program. Faculty-graduate student mentor teams will also work with students to help prepare them for the scientific research poster presentation at the end of the program.4) Integrated extension training. Many of the faculty research mentors have extension appointments in addition to research and extension activities that occur throughout the summer. Working with their mentors, students will have exposure to field days, workshops, and helping develop extension education materials. In addition, all students will participate in extension-related group activities. Extension workshops and activities include an overview of extension programs and history, learning from our innovative Local Foods Cooperative Extension Program, and visits with Cooperative Extension agents with unique programs for limited resource farmers and communities. Lastly, each student will help develop a lesson plan for K-12 youth based on their research project.5) Student-centered professional skills development and agriculture career exploration. All students will participate in a variety of weekly professional development activities that include discussions on the research process, scientific communication, leadership training, diversity, equity, and inclusion competencies, understanding agriculture career pathways, and graduate and professional networking opportunities. Students will visit with leaders from various businesses and non-profit organizations that support sustainable agriculture and food systems biweekly throughout the program. The NC State Office of Undergraduate Research will additionally provide seminars ranging from "Introduction to Research Ethics," "How to Design a Research Poster," "Diversity Awareness," and "Funding Graduate School".