Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The goal of the Integrated Insect-Plant Research and Extension Experiences REEU is to develop the next generation scientists through a program that (1) nurtures interest in STEM careers by engaging undergraduates in a comprehensive 10-week summer research and extension experience, (2) develops skills in effective science communication through expert mentorship and hands-on experiences, (3) provides practice creating extension education materials through innovative use of technology to reach broad audiences, and (4) significantly impacts the career decisions of scholars by providing academic research experiences and field trips to businesses and organizations engaged in research and extension with a focus on insects that affect food production, plant health, and agroecosystem sustainability. Students will engage in research and extension opportunities focused on insects in agroecosystems including pollinators (bees, butterflies), pests (natural enemies, stored grain, and emerging pests), and arthropods that transmit disease to animals (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks) and plants (mites). As emergent agricultural issues are complex and involve societal issues like a growing distrust in traditional sources of scientific information, we seek to integrate extension and science communication theory and practice into their experiences. To prepare them for success after the program, students will also receive comprehensive professional development on applying to graduate school, working with mentors, science ethics, self-confidence, forming science self-identity, and overcoming issues like bias that can impact inclusivity and belonging. The experience will culminate at summer's end when students share their research and extension products at a combined REU research fair.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
80%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this proposal is to create a REEU program that; (1) nurtures skills and interest in science by engaging up to 7 undergraduate students yearly (28 total) in a comprehensive 10-week summer research and extension experience, (2) develops students' ability to effectively communicate science through expert mentorship and hands-on experiences, (3) foster skills in developing extension education materials including innovative use of technology to reach broad audiences, and (4) significantly impacts the career decisions of scholars by providing academic research experiences and field trips to businesses and organizations engaged in research and extension with a focus on insects that affect food production and plant health.
Project Methods
We willselect students interested in pursuing scientific careers, who are doing well academically, and/or are the first in their family to go to college.A major factor in attracting so many applications is that the UNL Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) has an attractive website with an intuitive application form. It will inform the UNL REEU program coordinators (Golick and Brewer) on decisions to be made andprovidestimely feedback to applicants during each phase of the selection process. To drive students to their website, UNL Graduate Studies sends letters to over 7,000 STEM faculty at105 Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU), 239 Hispanic-serving institutions, and 35 Tribal Colleges.The selection committee (Golick and 2 Co-PIs) will pass the files applicationsthrough two selection procedures. The "first filter" separates the completed files based upon the following criteria: a GPA above 2.9, U.S. citizenship, and class standing at the sophomore, junior, or seniors who will graduate in a year. The "second filter" involves assessing each for (1) intent to go to graduate professional school so that our program can influence their decision, (2) personal statement about their future career interest, (3) prior research experiences, (4) Biological Sciences or Entomology course completed, (5) ethnicity and gender to ensure that we have diversity in our pool, and (6) access to research and extension experiences at their home institution. These factors will be used to rank applicant files. The 14 faculty mentors then receive two of the highest-ranked files from students who selected them as their top priority. Golick will then send an email with a preliminary offer to the faculty member's first choice and gives the applicant one week to respond, after which the second-ranked candidate will be sent an offer. Each year we will seek to recruit 7 scholars annually, with up to one per collaborating mentor. This will afford each faculty member the opportunity to mentor two scholars during the program. When appropriate, co-mentorship will be employed providing shared expertise and resources to mentees.Students will engage in research and extension opportunities focused on arthropods in agroecosystems like pollinators (bees, butterflies), pest control (natural enemies), disease vectors (ticks, pollinating mosquitoes), and arthropod vectors of plant diseases (wheat curl mites), and plant defenses caused by insects (aphids and fall armyworm in sorghum and cotton). Our faculty team has established research and extension programs on beneficial arthropods, pest arthropods, and disease vectors. Our program focus aligns with the NIFA priority area of Plant Health, Production, and Products as interactions between insects and plants such as pollination and insect herbivory impact crop quality and yield. REEU scholars will engage in innovative research and extension projects on plant defense signaling, arthropod vectors of plant diseases, pollinator plant community use, pollinating mosquitoes, and emerging crop pests (Table 2). This project will also engage students in research and science communication practice of which PIs Golick and Lynch-O'Brien are leading researchers in PREVIEW Date: Aug 17, 2023 Workspace ID: WS01167110 Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-AFRI-009842 5 Entomology. Students will build science communication skills through activities like discussing controversial topics with the public, communicating science to lay audiences using narrative story telling, and using innovative science communication tools (e.g., time-lapse, video, Twitter, Instagram). Annually, a least one student will investigate a human science research question involving agroecosystem conservation behaviors (e.g., farmers' management of soybean gall midge, disease-transmitting arthropods ex. pollinating mosquitoes) or indigenous cropping systems (three sisters) and arthropods affecting tribal food gardens (see Lynch-O'Brien Table 2). Finally, stress impacts mental health and can have detrimental effects on student degree attainmentand stressors affect work performance. Mindfulness techniques can help manage unhealthy thinking patterns that lead to stress, anxiety, or depression. In addition, these practices can help people to develop kind and non-judgmental attitudesand cultivate an equitable environment. Therefore, in this REEU, we will engage students in mindfulness practices to help them develop strategies to cope with the inevitable stresses encountered as STEM professionals. Co-PI Vélez is a certified yoga instructor and has incorporated mindfulness activities in her classes since 2020, with great student engagement and appreciation of the activities provided (see Table 3). The research portion of the REEU is designed to meet our first three objectives, particularly in helping REEU participants develop as independent researchers through systematic instruction in research skills while simultaneously engaging in research projects. Mentors will carefully design projects to be immediately hands-on, include real and practical research and extension activities, and be achievable within the 10-week summer program. REEU participants will undertake individual research projects that have been well-prepared by the faculty mentors to permit immediate student immersion and are designed to fit into the larger context of the mentor's research program (see Table 2). The research projects will give students experience in contributing to a research plan, conducting experiments, critically analyzing data, and communicating results both in writing and orally.Each participant will be placed in a research lab and assigned one or more graduate student mentors with whom (s)he will work and communicate daily. Students will conduct research under the supervision of a collaborating faculty mentor. In addition to holding weekly lab group meetings, the faculty member will interact with the participant in an advising role several times throughout each week. In addition to research and mentorship activities, the Primary REEU faculty mentors Golick, Velez, and Brewer will meet with students Friday afternoons to share a photo that they took each week and present a brief talk on his/her project at each weekly REEU meeting. The activity aims to develop speaking skills and disseminate results to students/faculty. This will also help students unpack their learning each week as a group and facilitate peer-to-peer sharing of experiences. In addition, students will create daily journal entries documenting their experiences in the REEU. Primary mentors Golick, Velez, and Brewer will meet with individual students to discuss their journal entries to facilitate reflection on their learning during the REEU experience.Theproposed REEU site also will provide professional development opportunities for participants, which have the added benefit of fostering interactions among REEU participants. UNL's OGS supports many of these activities, which feature a series of seminars given by project mentors, and workshops sponsored by OGS that cover a broad spectrum of topics.Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility (MERC) at UNL, will direct the evaluation of this REEU program. The MERC operates as an autonomous unit to provide unbiased assessments as they operate independently from project researchers.