Non Technical Summary
The proposed project, titled "Women and Minority in Smart Agriculture (WAM-SA)" aims to address educational disparities and foster inclusivity in STEM disciplines by providing multidisciplinary experiential learning and research opportunities for secondary students from women and minority groups from rural areas. This initiative leverages advanced technologies such as remote sensing using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (Drones), wireless ground-in sensors, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in precision agriculture. This project will support 48 secondary students (four cohorts of 12 students) for a one-month internship opportunity collaborating with undergraduate and graduate students on smart agriculture research. Additionally, the project will provide up to 24 scholarships for outstanding underrepresented secondary students pursuing higher education in STEM fields at Texas State University (TXST). Furthermore, 12 scholarships will be provided for underrepresented undergraduate students at TXST to engage in a peer and near-peer mentorship program, enabling them to gain mentorship and leadership experiences while working with secondary students. Outreach efforts will extend to around 960 secondary students through presentations and project demonstrations of students who successfully completed the internship, aimed at motivating the students to pursue higher education in STEM fields. Moreover, four modules on drone applications, sensor/data fusion, AI, and data analytics in precision agriculture will be developed for secondary students and offered during workshops held within their internship program and distributed among secondary schools. Overall, the WAM-SA project will empower women and minority students by equipping them with the skills, experiences, and support systems necessary to pursue higher education and achieve success in STEM fields.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
402	0110	2020	30%
903	7410	2020	70%

Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery; 402 - Engineering Systems and Equipment;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil; 7410 - General technology;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;

Goals / Objectives
Objective 1: Increase women and minority secondary students in STEM fields related to food and agricultural sciences over the 36-month project through various strategies: (1) offering experiential learning and hands-on experiences for 4 cohorts of 12 secondary students each (totaling 48 students) through four one-month internships to prepare them for new and emerging employment opportunities in the food and agricultural enterprise and STEM occupations (2) outreaching to secondary schools to target around 960 students through lecture and hands-on activities (3) offering financial supports for talented and motivated women and minorities from rural areas to pursue higher education in STEM programs related to food and agriculture science.Objective 2: Foster leadership and interpersonal skills of secondary student participants through various professional and social development activities including workshops, seminars, group meetings, and teamwork projects.Objective 3: Establish leadership/mentorship roles for 48 secondary and 12 post-secondary students through peer and near-peer mentorship programs and training.

Project Methods
Effort 1: Provide internship experiences and experiential learning opportunities in the smart agriculture field for women and minority secondary students.Evaluation 1: Evaluate the performance of interns through input gathered from participants. Formative assessments will be conducted during the program, and summative evaluations will be done at the end of the program.Effort 2: Develop mentoring, group workshops, and skill-building sessions designed to enhance the technical knowledge and soft skills of participants.Evaluation 2: Assess the professional and personal development of students through pre-and post-tests, complemented by qualitative survey questionnaires.Effort 3: Award scholarships to up to 24 top-performing students from the internship program to support their attendance in credentialing or degree-granting STEM programs.Evaluation 3: Track the academic progress and enrollment status of scholarship recipients to evaluate the effectiveness of the scholarships in facilitating further education.Effort 4: Provide scholarships to 12 postsecondary students to support their involvement as near-peer mentors for secondary students.Evaluation 4: Monitor the mentoring relationships and evaluate the impact on both mentors and mentees through pre- and post-assessment surveys and feedback from participants.Effort 5: Conduct presentations and interactive sessions led by internship program participants and near-peer mentors to engage and attract approximately 960 secondary students to STEM fields.Evaluation 5: Measure student engagement and interest in STEM fields through pre- and post-presentation surveys and collect qualitative feedback from participants.