Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Arizona State University Polytechnic and West Valley campuses focus on training students in urban sustainable agriculture and ecosystem science. The program will provide students in applied biology and biology degrees with experiential learning in agriculture, ecology, natural resources, and socio-ecological systems. Students will enroll in project-based, inquiry-driven courses and engage in muti-use spaces on campus. Over 1,000 students from first-years to graduates will benefit from labs and courses designed to enhance critical thinking skills. A select group of 18 students will be recruited into the Fellows program for CURE-style mentoring in research, interdisciplinary training, and peer mentoring.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
80%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
Objective 1: CURE-based Courses from First-year to Senior: By incorporating experiential learning across a student's academic experience from first-year to senior, students are trained in science. Starting with 100-level biology labs, students engage with nature on campus, connecting how urban plant complexity supports higher trophic levels, such as birds. As students progress in the program, they will move through courses with increasing concentration on project-based goals. In third- and fourth-year, undergraduate students carry out research projects to test a hypothesis of their own design. Students build upon knowledge gathered in previous courses on how to structure a testable hypothesis, learn techniques to collect data on biological systems (from micro- to macro-scales), understand how to summarize data and conduct statistical analyses, and communicate research results via a variety of platforms (from lightning talks and podcasts to publications). This scaffolding approach of introducing the scientific method in progressive complexity allows us to engage hundreds of students in critical thinking during their degree program at ASU. One international course will be offered as a study abroad experience to Brazil to explore social-ecological interactions around cities and natural resources. Students will focus on experiential learning to investigate how restoration of the Atlantic forest can protect both the environment and urban water supply and understand connections between deforestation and water scarcity.Objective 2: Expand Collaborations: We will expand collaborations between ASU Poly and WV campuses around multi-use spaces to support courses and student learning. At ASU-Poly, focus will be on the campus arboretum, vertical indoor farming and raised bed community gardens, and establishing a new pollinator garden at the existing burrowing owl habitat site to support habitat and wildlife restoration. At ASU-WV, continue establishing a raised bed community garden that will be used in lab experiences across the natural sciences, social sciences, and forensics.Objective 3: Fellows Program of 15 Undergraduates: We will recruit 15 junior-level undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.25 and prioritize attracting underserved students from ASU-Poly and WV, via outreach through CURE-based courses and by leveraging existing programs (section a, iv). We will train three cohorts of five students in the Fellows program. Cohorts will be mentored by PD/coPDs and other faculty in applied biology and environmental science in scientific investigation. Summer internships will place Fellows into programs directed by faculty, agencies, or industry partners. Each Fellow will receive a scholarship/stipend of $2,500 and $2,000 for research-related materials and supplies per year. Undergraduate Fellows will enroll in a 3-credit class (ABS 489) to focus on science communication, research ethics, career pathways, interview and CV workshops, and reflections on research and internship experiences.Objective 4: Fellows Program of 3 MS students: In years 2-3, we will recruit graduate students. We will target undergraduate Fellows and other students in the degree program who are in their junior year for the MS 4+1 program. The program provides an accelerated pathway to graduate school as students can leverage two semesters of undergraduate coursework to be counted toward both a BS and MS degree. Graduate student Fellows will receive $20,000 per year support and one student will receive $40,000 over two years. Because many first-generation students and students from underrepresented groups often work and attend school, the intent is to allow students to dedicate more time to their degree and gain experience for career pathways to USDA and other agency and industry sectors. Graduate students will work with faculty mentors, other student researchers (including undergraduate Fellows), and enroll in a 2-credit research class (ABS 590/592). This course will build upon the undergraduate course from Objective 3 and integrate social and behavioral sciences into biological science. Students will engage with social scientist (co-PD Alissa Ruth) and technologist (co-PD Andrew Mara) to learn rapid qualitative assessment and science communication methods to integrate human perspective in science research and dissemination. One benefit of training in qualitative research methods is to deliver research findings in applied research fields to inform decision-making processes.
Project Methods
MethodsObjective 1: Experiential Learning courses will range from 100-level biology labs to upper division and graduate-level coursesfocused on the scientific method, and from topic areas of food, agriculture, natural resources, and social-ecological systems.Objective 2: We will expand collaborations among ASU Poly and West Valley campuses via multi-use spaces to support courses and experiential student learning opportunities, as described in Objective 1. Cooperative engagements across the two campuses will include student interactions to share knowledge gained from working in their respective multi-use spaces as well as coursework and research that involves both campuses' multi-use spaces, students and faculty Engagement with secondary education will include the ASU Open Door events held once a year. High school teachers and students can engage with faculty and Fellows at ASU-Poly and WV to explore research and CURE-based courses.Objectives 3 and 4: Development of a Fellows Program for 18 students. We will build support systems of student cohorts with faculty mentors, peer cohorts, experiential learning, and professional partners. Studies have shown that faculty mentoring improves student retention and performance (Wilson et al. 2012). As such, we will engage students via direct mentoring (Larose et al. 2011). Faculty mentors will help with career advice, provide opportunities to engage with professionals, offer group or peer mentoring opportunities for student Fellows to engage with graduate students and provide research opportunities. Students engaged in research are more likely to remain in college (Gregerman et al. 1998; Kinkead 2003), particularly minority students (Espinosa 2011; Linn et al. 2015), and research experience led by faculty helps develop quantitative and critical thinking skills needed for STEM careers.EvaluationGiven the range of activities and the duration of the program, mixed quantitative and qualitative methods are best suited to study student experiences and outcomes. With IRB approval, Co-PD Ruth (who is experienced in researching educational initiatives using mixed methods) and a student research assistant will lead the data collection. There will be three methods of data collection: (1) tracking of student participation in program activities; (2) pre/post-surveys that utilize the validated CURE survey (Lopatto 2007) and include open-ended questions about what students found the most valuable about their experiential learning; (3) focus group interviews with the undergraduate and graduate Fellows at the end of the program to discuss their experiences in the program, career development, and future goals; (4) faculty surveys and focus groups.Results of products, outcomes, and impact data, including a detailed student count by Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes, will be submitted for annual progress reports and final report. Third-party evaluator, Dr. Marcia Nation will 1) meet with Dr. Ruth quarterly to review evaluation plans, findings, and reports and provide suggestions for enhancement or improvement; and 2) conduct annual formative feedback sessions with project team to identify what has worked and what has been challenging, explore why successes and challenges have emerged, and how to encourage growth and improvement. Findings will be integrated into an annual evaluation and a final summative program report.