Progress 12/01/06 to 11/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We have recruited, mentored, trained multicultural scholars in agroecology at Florida International University. Two scholars graduated with BS in Environmental Studies with a certificate in agroecology. Five scholars are expected to graduate in summer 2012. These MSP Scholars participated in variety of activities including forming a garden club, community engagements, high school visits to recruit students to agroecology program, MANNRS club activities, participating in annual agroecology symposia etc. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Two scholars graduated with BS in Environmental Studies and a certificate in agroecology. Five Scholars are expected to graduate in summer 2012. One graduated student is applying for graduate schools to pursue MS degree and second student is employed at University's sustainability program. Third student is gaining significant experience by involving in community engagement activities and planning to have his own business in agroecology once her graduates. Rest of the four students will be applying for graduate schools or look for employment. Each scholar went through experiental and experimental learning activities, developed presentation and leadership skills, opportunities to involve in USDA internships and many other activities.
Publications
- MSP students have gone through experiential learning and experimental learning activities. Each student made several presentations in our annual agroecology symposia, local meetings, 2nd MSP/NNF meeting in Washington, DC IN 2009.
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Progress 12/01/08 to 11/30/09
Outputs
Multicultural Scholars Program in Agricultural Sciences at Florida International University is currently mentoring five outstanding undergraduate students from large Hispanic and Afro-American communities with a two-pronged objective of (a) preparing young undergraduates for pursuing career in scientifically challenging and globally competitive US agriculture industry, and (b) enhancing multicultural diversity in skilled agricultural workforce. These Scholars are making progress towards a four years bachelor degree in Environmental Studies field and an 18-credit Certificate Program in Agro-Ecology, and undergoing rigorous mentoring/training program to help themselves with landing a career or graduate program in agricultural sciences. The academic program focuses on agricultural problems including: (a) on-farm/range land practices and pollution loadings, (b) bio-geo-chemical processes and nutrient cycling; (c) on-farm and off-farm remediation measures, (d) surface and ground water management (e) loss of agriculture land and water to urban sprawl, (f) promotion of a community-supported agriculture. The courses and activities in Agroecology Certificate program training students in cutting-edge lab and field techniques: geospatial mapping and analysis, soil and ecosystem nutrient cycle analysis, bioremediation techniques, organic farming and economic cost-benefit analysis. Students are making use of the opportunities to work closely with USDA and other local and state agencies. These students will have competitive edge in pursuing agriculture careers that require multi-disciplinary skills and perspectives. We routinely visited Senior High Schools in Miami-Dade County and made presentations on Multicultural Scholars Program. We have sent announcements to all the high schools via colorful flier, e-mail announcements, and personal meeting with counselors. We have also added Multicultural Scholars Program in our http://agroecology.fiu.edu website. The Project Director along with two MSP Scholars attended MSP/NNF Project Directors Beneficiaries Conference on October 20-21, 2009, Washington, DC. PRODUCTS: MSP Scholars are doing well in their classes and making progress - Presentations in meetings OUTCOMES: MSP Scholars are doing well in their classes and making progress towards graduation. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: MSP Scholars actively involved in campus Garden Club a part of MANNRS. Thay also participate in Society for Environmental Action club and visit with us to several area senior high schools for new students recruitment. They have also joined MSP-Facebook housed at University of Florida. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Expand the agroecology program to offer variety of courses related to food and sgriculture sciences.
Impacts
There are more interest among senior high school students to join MSP. MSP scholars are also recaching out community by particiating local farmers marker events.
Publications
- Multicultural Undergraduate Scholars in Agroecology at Florida International University - Krish Jayachandran, MSP/NNF Project Directors Beneficiaries Conference, October 20-21, 2009, Washington, DC
- Community Gardening at Florida International University - Celia Izaguire, MSP/NNF Project Directors Beneficiaries Conference, October 20-21, 2009, Washington, DC
- Cultivating Life for Body, Mind, and Spirit on the Campus Organic Garden. David Trujillo, MSP/NNF Project Directors Beneficiaries Conference, October 20-21, 2009, Washington, DC
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Progress 12/01/07 to 11/30/08
Outputs
The following education, research and service activities are currently being conducted or already developed by five MSP Scholars in agroecology program. 1) Nursery and Shade house: Last year, FIU built a shade house and organic garden facility for $80,000. Students and faculty use the facility for research and plant propagation for the organic garden. The facility is primarily maintained by the MSP - Agroecology students. 2) Permaculture and Edible Landscaping: Two 40' x 5' plots dedicated to the research and demonstration of the use of perennials and edible/medicinal plants as Landscaping. 3) Native Edible Bed: It is a demonstration Project spearheaded by one of the MSP-Scholars, for growing edible plants native to south Florida. The goal is to educate students about biodiversity, localized food production, and water conservation. 4) Compost and Vermiculture: Two of the MSP-Scholars learning compost and vermiculture For composting food-waste collected from the campus cafeteria. Students along with his peers, have built two vermiculture units. They have recently inoculated one unit with earthworms. 5) Meditation Garden: This is a demonstration garden being developed for local south Florida landscaping intended to encourage Edible Landscaping and the Holistic Wellbeing of the community. The garden integrates the principles of environmental, horticultural, and spirituality principles into a single facility. 6) Pond and Herb Garden: Another MSP Scholar in the program is trying to integrate aquaculture and food production for possible edible landscapes of south Florida. Designed to provide aesthetics by using herbs and flowers to provide food for pollinators and humans, pond intends to address better water usage for aquaculture and wetland restoration. 7) Fruit Orchard: Another MSP Scholar has recently started developing a patch of tropical fruit trees in the organic garden. The purpose is to familiarize students with different fruit trees, their planting, irrigation, nurturing and general maintenance. Eventually our goal is to teach students how to do grafting and air-layering of fruit trees. We have already planted mango, litchi, tamarind, mamey, carambola, avocado, and jackfruit. In the future, we are planning to grow under-storied crops on this parcel. 8) Farmers' market: MSP Scholars and several students from the Agroecology program and members of the student-run Garden Club are taking active part in newly established farmers' market on campus. All in all, five MSP-Scholars are making excellent progress in their academic activities - courses, research training, student club activities. PRODUCTS: Five MSP Scholars are making progress in their course work, research activities, outreach activities, student club activities. OUTCOMES: We continue to expand the MSP-Agroecology program through seeking grant support under USDA and other sources. Second Multi-cultural Scholars Program grant of $150,000 awarded in 2008 to support five undergraduate students their first-final year college education in Environmental Studies and Agroecology (PI: Dr. Krish Jayachandran, and Co-PI Dr. Bhat) We also added several new books and videos to the Agroecology Library, which now has more than 250 books and videos on agricultural and related sciences. The Agroecology Training Lab continues to be a place for students and faculty to gather and conduct meetings, library reference, research and monthly brown bag meetings. The FIU Soil-Plant-Microbiology Lab also was renovated and is being equipped with two new soil testing instruments for MSP Scholars to learn instrumentation and analytical techniques. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: This year, the MSP- agroecology students have formed a Garden Club, which is a local chapter of the national Minority in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) student organization. The Garden club is very active on campus recruiting more students for volunteer and education work at the garden, help staging the weekly organic farmers' market on campus, conducting educational tours for its members, and mentoring high school students with their science projects. The club has now more than 50 members. Several teachers of the Miami Dade County Public Schools have approached us for assistance with developing training grant proposals, conducting field days and recruitment fairs, and offering advanced college courses for their students. The Miami Dade Public Schools' Agricultural Science Program Officer, Miss Diana Collingwood is coordinating with several area high schools for regular visits to recruit minority students into food and agricultural sciences. We also made program publicity presentations in different FIU classes. The program was also announced on the departmental websites and on the Agroecology PROGRAM website (http://agroecology.fiu.edu). Further, we visited Miami Dade College (MDC), one of the project collaborating institutions, several area senior high schools to announce the programs to their faculty and students. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The Agroecology course will be offered during the Fall 2009 semester, and Sustainable Agriculture course in Spring 2009 for MSP Scholars and Agroecology certificate students. In the summer of 2009, several high school students and FIU MSP Scholars are expected continue their service learning and paid internship projects either on campus, farmers' fields or USDA labs. Plans are underway to take students on field trip to ECHO Farm in Fort Meyers and MacArthur Agroecology Research Center at Lake Placid. We will also visit the area high schools to recruit students for summer internships and Environmental Studies BA and BS program and the Agroecology Certificate program. The student members of the MANRRS and Garden Club will be traveling to regional and national conferences later this year. In the organic garden, plans are underway to grow summer cover crops and install an irrigation system. This will be done primarily by MSP Scholars.
Impacts
The MSP-Agroecology Program, with the continued support of USDA CSREES, has had several impacts on the university and partner institutions ability to offer low-cost agricultural science education in the region. Since FIU is a non-land grant university, our main approach to developing an agricultural science program at FIU has been to collaborate with different departments within the University and between different area institutions. The FIU MSP-Agroecology Program continues to provide the academic structure for this institutional alliance of low-cost agricultural curriculum. Our students now have the opportunity to gain scientific and hands-on experimental skills through working at newly established Organic Garden, in our Soil-Plant-Microbiology Lab, GIS Lab, Hydrology Modeling Lab and Ecology and Plant Science Lab. Through the interdepartmental collaboration at FIU, our students are now able to receive expert advice and research mentorship from a team of more than 10 agriculture, ecology and environmental science experts. With more than 50 of our students being minority, we continue to recruit under-represented students into agricultural science programs, addressing the USDA Educational Need areas and increase the diversity by recruiting and pipelining well qualified under-represented minority students.
Publications
- Sustainable Agriculture 2009: Challenges and Opportunities. A Panel Discussion held at the Agroecology Symposium at FIU; panel members: Dr. Burton English, Mr. Carols Suarez, and Dr. Robert Kluson; Moderator: Dr. Stewart Reed, February 2009.
- Agroecology and Natural Resources Management 2009: Case Studies from the US and Around the World. Poster Session (with more than 15 posters from FIU and the area High School students) held at the Agroecology Symposium at FIU; moderators Krish Jayachandran,and Jefrey Onsted.
- Posters presented by selected MSP Scholars 2009
- Celia Izaguirre 2009 - FIU Community Garden: Meeting Food and Fiber Needs Sustainably. Presented at the Agroecology Symposium at Florida International University, Miami, February 2009. David Trujillo 2009 - FIU On-Campus Organic Garden. Presented at the Agroecology Symposium at Florida International University, Miami, February 2009.
- FIU Magazine 2009 - The MSP-Agroecology Program and the organic garden activities were featured in the latest green issue of the University FIU Magazine, and the two FIU student media, including The Beacon and Vimea (an online newsletter), which brought tremendous publicity to the program.
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Progress 12/01/06 to 11/30/07
Outputs
OBJECTIVE 1. PREPARING YOUNG UNDERGRADUATES FOR PURSUING CAREER IN SCIENTIFICALLY CHALLENGING AND GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE US AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY: We have recruited five students who are entering into freshmen year. These students represent Hispanic and African American minority category. All five students are planning to major in Environmental Studies; however their choice may change to Biological Sciences, International Relations, or Food and Dietetics during the transition from their freshmen year to junior year. Each of these multicultural scholar students will be completing the Agroecology Certificate, a new minor degree in agriculture and food sciences, created at Florida International University three years ago. During the reporting period, three of the multicultural scholar students met with their respective mentors periodically and received detailed advice on required courses, scholarship expectations, agroecology science learning opportunities on campus and
outside, career options, and professional meetings. The scholarship students took the required university core courses in basic sciences, social sciences and humanities and the language. Although these students are not ready to start enrolling in upper division Agroecology courses, they were actively involved in ongoing educational activities of the FIU Agroecology Program. Recruited students are participating in the biweekly brown-bag agroecology seminars and guest seminars. They are involved in the campus recycling project and composting food waste project, and organic garden program in campus. They also help graduate students and senior faculty in their labs and on the organic garden project. We have also taken them to the field trips to ECHO farms and USDA-ARS research station, which were conducted as part of the Agroecology course. OBJECTIVE 2. ENHANCING MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN SKILLED AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE: As first year of the grant program, we conducted an extensive
recruitment campaign. We visited six area high schools that have agricultural science programs. We also made presentations at various FIU freshmen classes, reaching out to more than 1000 students. We also met with undergraduate counselors and school counselors to promote and recruit MSP students. Thus, we have been able to recruit all five students with multi-cultural backgrounds, three Hispanics and two Afro-Americans. Three of them are already enrolled in their first year, and two of them will the University in Summer 2008. As these students go through our program, with scientific training in agroecology and sustainable agriculture, exposure to USDA and other government agencies, and professional organizations, they will develop skills necessary to join agricultural career, enhancing the multicultural diversity in workforce. The recruited students are currently considering joining Minority in Agriculture, Allied and Natural Resources Sciences, and planning starting a chapter at FIU.
PRODUCTS: Five recruited MSP scholars are serving as ambassadors to promote USDA-funded Agroecology Program and various activities related to food and agriculture sciences at FIU.
OUTCOMES: We have spent significant amount of time in recruiting outstanding scholars to this program. Increased publicity within and outside of the University elevated the student and faculty awareness about the MSP program and food and agricultural issues. More than fifty students came forward to take advantage of the agroecology courses, internship, workshops, and travel opportunities offered by the Agroecology Program. Area high school teachers, students, and administrators sought our help in building agricultural programs at their schools by way of developing collaborative grant proposals, internship opportunities, and other student activities. This networking has increased our ability to recruit outstanding scholars to MSP program. More students and faculty members at FIU are recognizing the MSP and benefit to the minority students that our program brings to the university community.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: MSP scholars are given opportunity to participate in biweekly brown-bag discussion events. This helps them to develop presentation and communication skills. The program website (agroecology.fiu.edu) has been kept up-to-date and informative for students. Frequent program announcements through University-wide mails and websites have been made. We also have given several class room presentations at FIU about the MSP opportunities. A major publicity article was published on the FIU Home Page in February 2007.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to meet with the scholars on regular basis. Get them involved in all activities related to food and agricultural sciences. Each student will be assigned to a faculty mentor. Students get to work in one of the faculty mentor's research projects. And also MSP scholars are given opportunity to develop their own projects. We will encourage them to participate in workshops, symposiums, conferences related to food and agricultural sciences. An Agroecology Symposium is planned for January 15, 2008 wherein MSP students will participate and interact with invited guest speakers, graduate and undergraduate student interns, farmers, and the general public.
Impacts
IMPACT: 2006/12 TO 2007/11 We have recruited five outstanding multicultural scholars who are going through a four year undergraduate degree at FIU. This program is helping our students to improve their knowledge and expertise in food and agricultural issues. We have organized biweekly brown-bag discussion events, workshops, and field trips etc that are motivating MSP scholars to get involved in agroecology program. More students are showing interest in our program furthering their knowledge in food and agricultural sciences. The Agroecology at FIU provides a large number of under-represented students who transfer from the area community colleges directly to this University with a unique agricultural education option. The University has partnered with several USDA and local area private research organizations to increase students learning experience. Regional organic farmers have come to appreciate the quality of FIU students and the experience they are getting on
agricultural practices. Teachers from area high schools where we made presentations on our programs have been calling us for more such activities. The overall participation of the FIU students and faculty in the Agroecology Program activities has been increasing. The MSP scholars are making progress and will have positive impact in their careers.
Publications
- Pamphlets on Agroecology Program at Florida International University, MSP Program, Agroecology Certificate Program, Agroecology Student Workshop and High School Teachers and Students Programs. 2007.
- Martin Haro. 2007. From the Ground Up. An article featuring the FIU Agroecology Program and students on the FIU Homepage Banner. http://news.fiu.edu/releases/2007/01-24_groundup.htm.
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