Performing Department
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Non Technical Summary
This project involves three Bronx Institutions, Lehman College, Hostos Community College, and The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) at JFK International Airport to strengthen education in plant sciences for underserved Bronx college students. The program is designed to improve curriculum and equipment, so students will receive enhanced training in plant sciences by 1. Enhancing the curriculum at Lehman in Biological Sciences and Environmental, Geographic and Geological Sciences (EGGS) through new courses, expansion of lessons in plant sciences, using expertise at the NYBG and the USDA-APHIS; 2. Improving the geographic information system (GIS) computer facility at Lehman and the NYBG through the purchase of equipment and software; and 3. Creating internships at the NYBG, Lehman, and USDA-APHIS for Lehman and Hostos students. Increasing the number of underrepresented students in plant sciences will help to
add diversity to the field of plant science. The CUNY-APHIS partnership will provide students with opportunities to work with the USDA. By the project's end, up to 30 CUNY students will have completed experiential learning opportunities at the NYBG, Lehman, or USDA-APHIS. A new course and lab manual on medicinal plants will be completed, and approximately 50 students will have taken this course. These activities will produce capable graduates who will enhance the Nation's scientific and professional workforce in food and agriculture production and ensure the safety of the Nation's food supply.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
1. Enhancing the curriculum at Lehman in Biological Sciences and Environmental, Geographic and Geological Sciences (EGGS) through new courses, expansion of lessons in plant sciences, using expertise at the NYBG and the USDA-APHIS. GIS with a plant emphasis will be incorporated into existing and new courses in the Biological Sciences and EGGS. Students will be given labs, projects, and/or exams regarding GIS, and their performance will be graded by the instructors. Courses incorporating GIS will be evaluated by the enrolled students using a Lehman-based course evaluation tool. An outside evaluator will be used to determine if the objectives have been reached. 2. Improving the geographic information system (GIS) computer facility at Lehman and the NYBG through the purchase of equipment and software; designated equipment and software will be purchased. The complete installation of the equipment will be the condition by which the objective will be measured. 3. Creating
internships at the NYBG, Lehman, and USDA-APHIS for Lehman and Hostos students. Students will be given the opportunity to conduct projects related to plant sciences. Advisors will be asked to create a list of objectives for each student. Students will conduct a research project and meet on a regular basis with their advisor. After the project has been completed, the advisor will be asked to write how well the student met each objective. An outside evaluator will be used to determine if the objectives have been reached.
Project Methods
The three goals of the proposal will be carried out using the following plan of operation and methodology. Curriculum Development Courses in Biological Sciences and EGGS will undergo curriculum development. In Biological Sciences, a new course, Medicinal and Toxic Plants, will be developed as a four credit lecture and laboratory course. The course will follow the text of Drs. Walter H. Lewis and Memory P. F. Elvin-Lewis entitled Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Human Health (Wiley, 2003). The course will be taught in the Fall semester, and up to 24 students will be allowed to enroll. We anticipate that this course will have broad appeal for such students. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the course we wish to develop, involving phytochemistry, botany and medicine, there is no published laboratory manual for this course. Dr. Kennelly, with the help of the proposed part-time technician, will develop a laboratory manual that can be used in this project.
Curriculum in EGGS would be impacted through the purchase of global positioning system (GPS) units as part of this project. GPS and/or botanically oriented field projects will be incorporated into a number of existing courses in the Department. The GPS units would be used in a similar way in all of these courses. The units would go into the field, such as a park or neighborhood in NYC. We anticipate that Lehman undergraduate students will be trained in basic GIS skills at this facility, and then be encouraged to participate in the internship programs at the NYBG, Lehman, or the USDA, APHIS. Equipment and Software Improvements The collaborative NYBG/Lehman College GIS Laboratory, located at the NYBG, was established in 2003 with funds from the USDA. To maintain its utility to GIS users at both institutions, the NYBG/Lehman College GIS Lab will be upgraded. This upgrade will involve, to varying degrees, almost every component of the NYBG GIS laboratory including software, equipment, and
technical support. In terms of software, at least two workstations need to be upgraded to the ArcInfo license in order to run more advanced analyses. The expertise of the GIS Program Manager, funded in part by this grant, will be available to provide instruction, answer questions, and help students and curators with the GIS components of their research. Internships at the NYBG, Lehman, and USDA, APHIS The internships at the NYBG, Lehman, and USDA, APHIS will offer an opportunity to investigate modern techniques in plant sciences, ranging from GIS to phytochemistry. Interns at Lehman College will have the opportunity to work on plant-based projects with faculty in the Departments of Biological Sciences and EGGS. Student will also be given the opportunity to work with scienctists at USDA APHIS. Students for the internships will be recruited from Lehman College and Hostos Community College. We anticipate recruiting eight Lehman students and two Hostos students each year. Students will be
paid $12.00 per hour, and will be expected to work 150 hours per semester or in the summer. We will develop a website to disseminate information about the program, and a link to this website will be on the Lehman homepage.