Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is the participants in the internship program as well as students in the Butte College community. The research that the students participated is targeted to growers, producers, and researchers interested in sustainable food and agricultural production practices in California, the U.S. and the world. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During their internships, students participated in research with their UC Davis mentors. Specific research projects in summer 2025 included: investigating barley genetics for crop improvement; tracking invasive shrimp species in natural waters using molecular techniques; evaluating effects of vineyard tillage practices on grapevine health, yield, and grape composition; and comparing potting soil mixtures on germination rates of nursery plants. Students also participated in workshops on communicating science, creating resumes/cover letters, and networking. Students presented their research results in poster sessions at UC Davis and Butte College. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Student participants presented information about their internship experiences at Butte College in September 2025. Surveys distributed to attendees at the Butte College poster presentations showed evidence of benefit to the broader public (we estimate ~20% of attendees responded to the survey): (1) All attendees who responded to the survey answered "well" or "very well" when asked how the presentations helped with understanding "how food and agricultural research benefits people and communities." (2) The Butte College event increased attendees' knowledge, as all respondents answered "agree" or "strongly agree" in response to, "After today, I can explain at least one way food and agricultural research impacts people or communities." (3) Students who attended the Butte College event were interested in the ACS2 program, which contributes to the partnership between Butte College and UC Davis. When asked about interest in participating in the program next year, one survey respondent shared, "I genuinely would want to participate in this program. I really like Davis and I know they have a great college system and more in-depth ag careers." Another attendee shared verbal feedback at the event with one of the UC Davis investigators: "...I was impressed with how confident the student presenters were and how much they knew...it made an impression. I will definitely look at UC Davis." What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will recruit four new scholars from Butte College to participate in the summer internship program in summer 2026. They will participate in research projects at UC Davis in summer 2026. They will present their results at UC Davis and at Butte College at the end of summer 2026.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Students at community colleges often have limited opportunities for research-based experiences priorto transfer that are available to their peers at four-year institutions. This project provides experiential learning opportunities, mentoring, and training for scholars from Butte College (Oroville, California) to facilitate their transfer, retention, and graduation in food- and agriculture-related majors at UC Davis. Scholars will develop skills and interests needed to enter the workforce as agricultural leaders who can address the needs for sustainable food and agriculture production in California, the U.S., and the world. Project Activities/Outputs (1) Identified and hired program coordinator in November, 2024. (2) Initiated outreach and advertising about the program with Butte College collaborators in November and December 2024. An in-person information session at Butte College was held in December 2024, attended by ~20 students. (3) Opened applications for summer 2025 internships in December 2024. A virtual info session was held in February 2025 to provide guidance on the application process. ~ 5 students attended. (4) Closed applications, March 2025. Seven applications were received and four students selected for the summer 2025 program. (5) Identified research laboratories and faculty research mentors for each student; four Butte College students started their internships at UC Davis in June 2025. Students were in residence at UC Davis for 8 weeks. (6) During their internships, students conducted research with their UC Davis mentors. Specific research projects in summer 2025 included: investigating barley genetics for crop improvement; tracking invasive shrimp species in natural waters using molecular techniques; evaluating effects of vineyard tillage practices on grapevine health, yield, and grape composition; and comparing potting soil mixtures on germination rates of nursery plants. (7) During the summer, the interns also attended several professional development/leadership workshops and field trips, including: • Workshops on writing resumes and cover letters, networking and creating an elevator pitch, communicating with faculty for requesting letters of reference and prospective research opportunities, LinkedIn and Portfolio Building. • Science Communication workshops. • Field trips to California Wheat Commission, Bayer Crop Sciences, Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District (SMUD), UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital. (8) At the end of the internships in August 2025, a public poster session was held at UC Davis where students prepared a poster and explained their research to the UC Davis community, parents/guardians and invited guests. Approximately 25-30 people attended. (9) In September 2025, the students presented their posters at Butte College where the Butte College Community was invited. Estimated attendance was 40-50 participants. Research conducted by the students contributes to understanding of plant growth and breeding, plant physiology, and animal genetics associated with addressing sustainable food and agriculture production in California, the US, and the world. Short-Term Outcomes (during 8-week summer program) Through surveys and focus groups, initial results indicate that the following short-term outcomes were accomplished: During initial outreach to Butte College students about the program, we learned that while students who attended the information session were familiar with undergraduate programs in agriculture and environmental Sciences at UC Davis, many were unaware of the broad diversity of the programs in these areas. For example, one student commented, "I learned of majors I didn't know existed. I would want to learn more about what careers in Ag there are." There was strong interest in participating in the summer internship program with student comments such as "It's a great learning experience with lots of hands-on training that can transfer directly to our career fields." Students also shared feedback on factors that might prevent their participation in the program; these included being away from family/home, costs, and concerns about their ability to be successful in the program. At the start of the internship program, the student interns felt confident in their problem-solving skills, and their abilities to formulate questions, analyze data, and understand general scientific concepts. They were less confident in being able to identify their research limitations, statistical skills, and their technical skills such as instrument calibration, preparing scientific posters/communications. When asked to rate how much they "feel like a scientist", the responses were mixed, ranging from not at all to slightly or moderately well. They agreed that they have the capacity to succeed and grow in their scientific abilities, while also expressing some concerns that "others might be surprised if someone like me did well." In post program reflections, students commented positively on the welcoming and supportive environment that the program created, including the staff, mentors and research labs and the professional development opportunities and field trips. These experiences increased the participants' confidence as researchers as well as their interest in fields associated with their research experiences. This positively impacted future aspirations to pursue graduate studies and/or to transfer to UC Davis or another four-year institution. Students felt the experience expanded their networks and connections which influenced their educational goals, and they found the field trips were helpful to see real world application of research. They also grew in their ability to think and work like a scientist, with one student reflecting, "Before this [program] it seemed very distant and almost non-existent, but now it feels within my grasp. I also understand now that the people doing this research are just humans wanting to help and wanting change. It has opened my eyes to how passionate people are about agricultural research and other things as well." Laboratory research mentors were also interviewed and shared that they felt that the exposure to STEM research led to growth in the students' scientific thinking and supported their "academic socialization." Intermediate Outcomes (8 weeks to 1 year post summer program) One of the summer interns was accepted to UC Davis and started in fall 2025. They are continuing research experiences related to their summer project. Another of the interns shared plans to apply to transfer to UC Davis in the future and also continuing in an agricultural/environmental science related field. All interns expressed interest in future opportunities to connect with UC Davis programs and researchers in alignment with career and personal goals.

Publications