Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The next generation of agricultural research and extension professionals face immense, interrelated challenges demanding cropping systems innovation, climate smart agriculture, and science communication. These challenges represent the essential Cs because they are imperative workforce needs for food and agriculture. The overall objective is to provide undergraduates with internships combining applied research components with county extension programming. The Extension/Plant Sciences Initiative Internship Program, combining the strengths of NC State and N.C. A&T, will provide 10-week internships for 50 undergraduates over five years throughout North Carolina. Interns, co-mentored by county extension directors and research faculty mentors, will develop technical competence in cropping systems and climate smart agriculture while enhancing their science communication skills. Professional learning will create credentials and competencies that lead to career pathways. Interns will complete online modules in science communication and career pathways. Moreover, interns will engage with research and extension professionals in annual symposia and annual professional learning tours of agricultural research stations, county extension centers, industries, and farms. This excellent experiential learning will help interns advance to graduate school and careers, prepared for research and extension leadership. Undergraduate applicants will be recruited through personal visits and career development offices. Our recruitment efforts will encompass the state's highly diverse undergraduate population with special consideration for underrepresented undergraduates. At least 50% of the interns will be from outside the host institution, NC State University. The impact will be highly skilled graduates, with career agency and optimism, who advance the essential Cs through research and extension careers.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The next generation of agricultural research and extension professionals face immense, interrelated challenges. Cropping systems innovation is needed to provide greater food security for a growing world population (Tripathi et al., 2019). Climate smart agriculture is crucial for addressing climate variability and change which compromises the stability of food and agricultural systems (Kamruzzaman et al., 2020). The need for enhanced science communication is driven by lowered trust, particularly among rural Americans, in science and scientists (Krause, 2023). We refer to these challenges as the essential Cs because they are imperative workforce needs for food and agricultural sciences. A critical need exists for a program that provides undergraduates with experiential learning in the essential Cs to prepare for research and extension careers. Notably, a survey of more than 2,000 agricultural and allied sciences employers found that internships were one of the top college activities they seek in new hires (Crawford & Fink, 2020).The Extension/Plant Sciences Initiative (PSI) Internship Program will empower undergraduates with valuable, practical experiences to strengthen plant health, production, and products. The long-term goal of our multi-institutional, integrated research and extension team is to develop hands-on learning and career management curricula to help undergraduates succeed in research and extension careers. The over-arching goal is to provide undergraduates with internships that combine applied research components with county extension programming. This project is a collaboration of research and extension faculty from North Carolina State University (NC State) headquartered in Raleigh and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) headquartered in Greensboro with Texas A&M University faculty leading the external program evaluation. We will create and conduct 10-week internships for 50 undergraduates (10 per year for the next five years) throughout North Carolina. Both NC State and N.C. A&T have successfully managed research and extension internships, and our institutions are committed to mentoring undergraduates and amplifying internships that integrate research and extension toward plant health, production, and products.We have designed the Extension/PSI Internship Program to achieve the following objectives: (1) engaging underrepresented undergraduates (minorities, women, first-generation, veterans, and economically disadvantaged students) in agricultural research and extension career pathways; (2) mentoring these same undergraduates and developing their leadership skills in research, extension, and science communication needed for career success; and (3) providing a comprehensive assessment to inform other REEU and career development programs, including online modules available to all institutions. The major impact will be stronger food and agricultural sectors as this program will directly develop highly skilled research and extension professionals and supports wider applications of the program's experiential learning approaches.
Project Methods
The major Extension/PSI Internship Program methods for helping undergraduates develop exceptional skills to advance in research and extension career pathways are described below. Intern recruitment and selection. We will recruit undergraduate applicants via academic advisors, career development offices, and faculty, among other sources - encompassing the state's highly diverse undergraduate population in historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and underrepresented undergraduates. Integrated research and extension internships. We will establish summer internships for undergraduates that will be integrated research and extension practicums. All internships will support students in developing technical competence in cropping systems and climate smart agriculture while enhancing their science communication skills.Science communication and career pathways. We will create and deploy 10 online modules for professional learning in science communication and research and extension career pathways. This strong education component will help interns advance to graduate school and careers, prepared for research and extension leadership roles. This is a central component for the proposed National Center of Excellence (COE).Mentoring and compliance credentials. Interns will be mentored by county extension directors and research faculty, and all mentors will complete an annual mentoring orientation to provide intentional experiences for interns. Interns will satisfy required compliance training for their specified research projects, ensuring the highest safety standards are followed while earning credentials for future graduate and work experiences. Symposium and professional conferences. We will conduct an annual symposium on the NC State campus. Interns will present the results of their applied research and extension programs. Additionally, interns will present their research at professional conferences. Annual professional learning tour. An annual professional learning tour for interns, county extension professionals, and faculty lab representatives will provide deeper learning in the essential Cs by touring agricultural research stations, county extension centers, industries, and farms.Comprehensive assessment. To monitor and improve our performance and measure outcomes, we will pursue a comprehensive project evaluation plan using quantitative and qualitative methods. Our evaluation plan will prioritize students' research, extension, and science communications competencies and inform REEU programs how to intentionally equip students with these competencies.