Progress 07/15/08 to 09/14/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This project provided 23 paid summer internships to undergraduate students from California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), Chaffey College, and Victor Valley College. Students were placed with the U.S. Forest Service, the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, and a research lab at University of California Riverside that works on issues related to ecological restoration. In addition, it provided training for faculty (K. Williams) in restoration-related seed physiology at Kings Park and Botanic Garden. This training led to revisions of an existing course (Biology of Higher Plants) to include a lab in seed germination and ecophysiology. So far 135 students, one third of them Hispanic, have taken the revised course. The project supported the establishment of a restoration research site in a disturbed area of coastal sage scrub on the CSUSB campus. The introductory ecology course required for biology majors at CSUSB was revised to increase the applied content of the course and to use the restoration research site in class labs. So far 127 undergraduates, one third of them Hispanic, have taken this revised course. Research experiences utilizing the restoration research plots and/or utilizing techniques in studying smoke-stimulated seed germination that were acquired at Kings Park and Botanic Garden were provided for 20 graduate and undergraduate students at CSUSB. More than a third of these were Hispanic or from other underrepresented groups. Lastly, this grant funded an orientation workshop, development of a brochure, and development of a website. The orientation workshop, introducing beginning biology students at CSUSB to academic and career resources, best practices for academic achievement, and practice in study skills, was designed to broaden students' career horizons and increase their academic success. A website (http://biology.csusb.edu/usda) and brochure that were produced under this grant advertised this USDA-funded program and the biology department's capacity to train students in conservation and restoration-related fields. The website proved the most effective means of communicating opportunities funded by this grant, opportunities available for student training with our collaborating internship hosts, and background information on the restoration research site established under this grant. PARTICIPANTS: Kimberlyn Williams, the PI, received training in research techniques related to seed physiology, seed handling, and techniques for studying seed responses to smoke. She and John Skillman, the co-PI, coordinated internship applications among participating organizations, managed internship timesheets and outcomes reporting, established restoration research plots at CSUSB, coordinated and assisted with experimental treatments and data collection in restoration research plots, conducted a workshop for beginning biology majors at CSUSB, developed an informational brochure and a website, revised two classes and conducted class field studies in the restoration research plots. Joan Fryxell (Geology Department) advised two geology students conducting research in the restoration research plots and provided baseline data on soil compaction. This project's efforts involved six organizations. The San Bernardino National Forest, the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, and Dr. Edith Allen's lab at University of California Riverside provided internship experiences. California State University San Bernardino, Chaffey College, and Victor Valley College supplied undergraduate interns. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for these training and recruitment efforts were undergraduate students, especially Hispanic students, in San Bernardino County, California. Most of the target audience consisted of biology students at California State University San Bernardino, but student interns were also drawn from two nearby community colleges. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
This project has enhanced class content, faculty capabilities, and resources at CSUSB in a way that has permanently increased delivery of restoration-related education. The two classes with increased applied course content are offered every year, each serving approximately 48 students each time they are offered. The restoration research site established under this grant continues to be used by classes and student researchers. This project has raised the visibility of CSUSB in the area of ecological restoration. It has prompted inquiries into graduate study in restoration research at CSUSB from across the country, and led to collaborative research in ecological restoration between researchers at CSUSB, the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, and the University of California Cooperative Extension. Internships have been largely successful in promoting success of Hispanic students and their continuation into higher degree programs and USDA-related careers. The 23 internships served 19 students, some of whom took internships with different organizations in different years. Of those nineteen, 37% were Hispanic. Six interns were hired by host institutions after their internship, and at least six continued into to higher degree programs in fields related to biological conservation and ecological restoration. One of our first Hispanic undergraduate interns has now successfully completed her Master's degree in environmental science. Another is entering a Master's program in biology, focusing on ecological restoration. The orientation workshop, designed to give beginning biology students access to academic and career resources, roadmaps to degrees and career paths, and skills for academic success, was very well received by participants. However, students' participation in the workshop had no detectable impact on their subsequent performance. Therefore, this workshop was discontinued after its first offering, and efforts were redirected toward augmenting the higher-impact internship program. Overall, the combined activities funded by this grant have increased the number of students demonstrating an interest in internships and careers related to biological conservation and ecological restoration. Under this grant, the total number of students applying for internships each year rose 60% from the number applying under a previous internship program, and the fraction of applicants who were Hispanic rose 8%. Additionally, undergraduates not funded by this grant have begun requesting and taking internships at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Career interest surveys administered to students in core biology classes at CSUSB indicated that interest in careers related to natural resources and the environment rose substantially over the course of this project, especially among Hispanic students. Overall, the number of students expressing interest in these careers almost doubled, rising from 10% of all students surveyed prior to the implementation of this project to 18.6% in the last years of the project. Among Hispanic students, interest almost tripled, rising from 7.6% to 21.7%.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 07/15/10 to 07/14/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: All activities proposed for this grant have now been implemented, and assessment of their effectiveness is under way. At California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), progress continued with the application of new treatments to restoration research plots, the continued use of these plots in a required course for biology majors, and the continued offering of restoration-related internships. As in the previous year, off-campus internships were granted to students from all three participating educational institutions. Interns were trained at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, the Mountaintop District of the San Bernardino National Forest, and a lab at UC Riverside in techniques related to plant propagation, vegetation survey, plant identification, and soil analysis. Other students were hired and/or volunteered to prepare restoration research plots at CSUSB for treatment, take data in plots, and reduce the data. The introductory ecology class at CSUSB again conducted studies in those plots. Students acquired skills in plant identification, data collection, and data handling. Advertising of this program and of related career opportunities was increased this year. The Biology Department's website at CSUSB was revised to provide a highly visible link to this project's website (biology.csusb.edu/usda/). Internally, research talks given by students working in restoration research plots advertised the program to other biology students. A brochure advertising a degree track in biology at CSUSB for students interested in conservation-related research or management was developed, and a workshop for beginning biology majors was offered, covering study skills and career options. This workshop featured speakers from both the U.S. Forest Service and the food safety industry. PARTICIPANTS: Kimberlyn Williams, the PI, and John Skillman, the co-PI, conducted a workshop for beginning biology majors at CSUSB, coordinated internship applications among participating organizations, managed internship timesheets and outcomes reporting, coordinated and assisted with experimental treatments and data collection in restoration research plots, developed an informational brochure, and conducted class field studies in the restoration research plots. This year's efforts involved six organizations. The San Bernardino National Forest, the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, and Dr. Edith Allen's lab at UC Riverside provided internship experiences. California State University San Bernardino, Chaffey College, and Victor Valley College supplied undergraduate interns. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for these training and recruitment efforts were undergraduate students, especially Hispanic students, in San Bernardino County, California. These students were drawn from the three participating colleges and universities above. One hundred nineteen students have been served by this grant since its inception: 79 in the introductory ecology course at CSUSB (approximately 23% of whom were Hispanic) and 40 in internships, research assistantships and workshops (approximately 30% of whom were Hispanic). PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Internships appear to be having the desired effects. So far, at least one quarter of the interns funded under this grant have subsequently been hired by their internship hosts and at least one quarter have gone on for higher degrees in fields related to this grant. We expect these numbers to increase as more time passes and current students complete their degrees. Additionally, the reputation of the Biology Department appears to be changing. The number of inquiries about opportunities at CSUSB in restoration-related education and employment suggest that the reputation of the Biology Department may be expanding from that of a pre-med program to that of a program that is also capable of training students in fields related to biological conservation, restoration, and management. Eleven undergraduates spent more than 160 hours in off-campus internships this year. Another 60 undergraduates participated in research and educational activities supported by this grant: 7 were hired to participate in research at CSUSB, 8 participated in an orientation workshop, and 45 used the grant-funded restoration research plots in an upper-division ecology class. Thirty-six percent of the off campus interns were Hispanic, and over 36% of the students involved in other capacities were from underrepresented groups, 20% being Hispanic.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 07/15/09 to 07/14/10
Outputs
Activities from last year came to fruition with the publication of one of the studies we conducted at Kings Park and Botanic Garden on plant responses to compounds in smoke. At California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), progress continued with the application of smoke-water treatments to restoration research plots, the incorporation of these plots into the required curriculum for biology majors, and the continued offering of restoration-related internships. PRODUCTS: Six off-campus internships were filled again this year. As in the previous year, internships were granted to students from all three participating educational institutions. The introductory ecology class at CSUSB was revised to incorporate activities and lessons from the restoration research plots on campus. Soil compaction patterns in these plots were measured by a student in Geology, and the data were supplied to biology students for use in the ecology course. OUTCOMES: In addition to the training received by interns, eight students were hired and/or volunteered to prepare restoration research plots for treatment, take data in plots, and reduce the data. Students acquired skills in plant identification, data collection, and data handling. Interns were trained at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, the Mountaintop District of the San Bernardino National Forest, and a lab at UC Riverside. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The website for the project was enhanced this year to include information useful to students conducting research in the restoration research plots on campus. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The immediate future goals of the project include the improvement of dissemination of information to K-12 teachers and the implementation of a workshop for incoming biology freshman this fall.
Impacts
In addition to the anticipated impacts of this project, its activities spurred a trial offering of a course in the physiology of plant propagation this past winter. Further development of this course is anticipated. Additionally, as a consequence of last year's collaborative activities with researchers in Australia, an undergraduate student at CSUSB this year conducted studies in parallel with a student in Australia, maintaining and strengthening cooperative research between CSUSB and Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
Publications
- Long, R.L., K. Williams, E.M. Griffiths, G.R. Flematti, D.J. Merritt, J.C. Stevens, S.R. Turner, S.B. Powles, and K.W. Dixon. 2010. Prior hydration of Brassica tournefortii seeds reduces the stimulatory effect of karrikinolide on germination and increases seed sensitivity to abscisic acid. Annals of Botany 105(6): 1063-1070.
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