Performing Department
AGRI SCIENCES
Non Technical Summary
Environmental degradation and pollution are major concerns because they adversely affect the stability and competitiveness of the United States (Kean, 1991). These concerns affect and impact directly on health of the public and our natural resources. It has been estimated that about 100,000 new professionals will be needed in the United States (Delaney, 1991) to deal just with hazardous waste problems that threaten our health, water quality and other natural resources. Also, clean up of hazardous waste sites will reach $500 billion over the next four decades (Kean, 1991). The State of Florida, which is the fourth most populous state, relies on ground water for nearly 90% of its source of drinking water. Failure to protect this resource from hazardous waste can cause great harm to the quality of life and the economy (Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, 1991). African-Americans and other minorities remain under-represented in the sciences. Recent data from the National Science Foundation shows minorities are under-represented in Science and Engineering, and this is even more notable at the graduate level (NSF/SRS, 1996). African-Americans held 2.8% of the Science and Engineering doctorates awarded between 1992 and 1996 (NSF, 1996). The need to enhance career opportunities related to environmental science is clearly warranted. Between 1989 and 2010 the United States will be short more than 500,000 scientists and engineers (NSF, 1992). Since African-Americans, women, Hispanics, Asians and other races will account for a significant number of new entrants into the labor force, those groups have to be adequately trained to understand, prevent, regulate and remediate the complex environmental problems that continue to rise. The School of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (SSEM) at BCU is in the process of a major upgrade of its academic programs. Included in this upgrade is the addition of new faculty to the department, a re-evaluation of the undergraduate curriculum, and the directive from the administration to develop new programs with a priority placed on creating new BS and MS programs in Environmental Science (ES). One of the points of concern stemming from the re-evaluation was the relative lack of experiential lab and field research opportunities built into the science programs to allow capable students to gain hands-on experience. This is particularly true when it comes to developing new ES majors, where the new program would face a lack of laboratory and field sampling equipment (such as pH meters, microscopes, etc.) specifically earmarked for use in the teaching and research components of the program; most of what exists within SSEM has been purchased for specific medically-related research programs using research funds. Field experience is a way to enhance the retention of information, engender interest in students, broaden the knowledge base of students and their ability to synthesize and analyze information, and increase student retention in scientific fields (Light, 1992; National Science Foundation, 1996).
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The Environmental Sciences Institute (ESI) is a degree granting academic unit at Florida A&M University. It was established in 1995 and initially offered the M.S. degree in Environmental Science. It has since been given authorization by the Florida Board of Regents to also offer the B.S. and Ph D degrees in an effort to train and increase the pool of environmental scientists that will manage and preserve our natural resources and the environment. Currently, this interdisciplinary graduate program attracts students with B.S. degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Agricultural Sciences and Mathematics. There is a national shortage of minorities in the sciences in general and environmental sciences in particular. Florida A&M University is the only university within the State University System of Florida offering graduate degree programs in Environmental Sciences, and thus the lack of representation of minorities is still largely unmet. he proposed enhancement of our graduate program will help to address this critical shortage and also provide excellent opportunities for strengthening collaborative efforts already in place between ESI and other science-based departments. The objectives of this proposal are (I) to recruit and train minorities at the graduate level from biology, chemistry, natural resource conservation and closely related disciplines and (II) to enhance retention and graduation of students at the graduate level. To achieve these objectives, the Environmental Sciences Institute will develop strategies to increase it's visibility and awareness in the colleges and schools within the University and participate in regional and national recruitment activities. In addition, summer experiential learning in which juniors and seniors from different Universities will be hosted at ESI during the summer months, will be encouraged by involving students in environmental science research projects. To ensure retention, there will be mentoring and tutoring of students and supplemental resources for supplies and attending professional meetings will be provided. Meanwhile, the School of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (SSEM) at Bethune-Cookman University (BCU) is seeking to develop an environmental science (ES) program at the Bachelors and Masters levels in order to help meet the environmental challenges of the present and future, focusing in the area of integrated ES and management while drawing on their tradition of service-based, liberal arts, interdisciplinary education. This confluence of activity provides a unique synergistic opportunity for the two universities and the state of Florida. Thus this proposal further seeks to assist in the establishment of a service-based ES program at the BS and MS levels at BCU in an effort to provide a pipeline of trained students for the upper-level ES programs at FAMU and create community and agencies ties for both universities.
Project Methods
The proposed project is designed to strengthen the Environmental Sciences graduate program. The goal is increased minorities in this inter-disciplinary degree program, thereby increasing the pool of minority environmental scientists. This overall goal will be achieved by focusing on the following objectives: i. Recruitment, retention, and training of minorities with baccalaureate degrees in natural sciences in the B.S and M.S. programs of BCU and the M.S. and Ph. D programs of ESI. ii. Provision of several scholarships and fellowships for graduate and undergraduate study. iii. Enhanced collaboration between BCU, and FAMU's Environmental Sciences Institute. iv. Enhanced experiential learning for undergraduate students.