Progress 01/15/09 to 01/14/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Our primary target audience for this project is the students from underrepresented groups who are current Scholars on this grant. They are pursuing an education to become environmental professionals through traditional classroom instruction, labs and field experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities that may include: research, internships, jobs, service-learning courses, and study abroad. Our secondary target audience includes high school students we are recruiting to attend the University of Vermont. Many of the students we work with through the High School for Environmental Studies, the Nature Conservancy, and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) are multicultural students from underrepresented groups. Another target audience is high school students in the Burlington area. We are working with current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One Scholar on this grant utilized funds to participate in a travel course over spring break in March 2013 to the Bahamas, focused on Socially Engaged Ecological Design. June 19-21, 2013, Co-PD Emilie Riddle and Career Services Coordinator Anna Smiles-Becker participated in a conference hosted by Virginia Tech titled “The Future of Diversity in Our Disciplines and Careers: Natural Resources and the Environment.” Graduate student and co-chair of the RSENR Diversity Task Force, Kirsten Brewer, presented her research. The conference provided time for conversation and exploration of issues related to recruiting and retaining diverse students, and an opportunity for networking and relationship building with federal agency representatives and colleagues from other universities. Networking lunches for Scholars were hosted in fall 2013 with Mickey Fearn, former Deputy Director of the National Park Service, Jim Siegel, Biologist with US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Iris Montague, Scientist with the US Forest Service. Ms. Montague also presented in our first year Race and Culture course. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? In March 2013, fifteen juniors from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. In September 2013, fifteen high school students from Manchester, New Hampshire participated in a Student Conservation Association (SCA) visit to UVM. Students had a chance to explore our Jericho Research Forest, visit the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, and visit with some of our USDA Scholars on campus. The USDA Multicultural Scholars had two social events to foster community and networking. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: Deputy Director Mickey Fearn of the National Park Service, writer and activist Bill McKibben and former Scholar and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her second term as a Vermont State Legislator. Co-PD Marie Vea-Fagnant, Rubenstein School Career Services Coordinator Anna Smiles-Becker, and USDA Multicultural Scholars presented at the Nature Conservancy Green Jobs Fair in New York City, and had the opportunity to network with staff and students from environmental high schools in the NYC area. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2013. In February 2013, Diversity Task Force co-chair Kirsten Brewer and Career Services Coordinator Anna Smiles-Becker presented on RSENR diversity initiatives including the USDA Multicultural Scholars at the UVM ALANA Coalition Multicultural Symposium. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The immediate effect is that the Scholars funded on this grant had funding that assisted them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. Recently graduated Scholars on our other USDA Multicultural Scholars grants are working as a GIS Specialist, as an AmeriCorps/VISTA volunteer for the City of Burlington, and as an intern at the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. Another recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. We continue to demonstrate success in preparing our Scholars for entry into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: five have earned graduate degrees (2 at UVM), three recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school. Other USDA Scholars have positions as a Vermont State Representative, a Program Officer for U.S. Climate and Environment at the Institute for Sustainable Communities, and an epidemiologist studying vector-borne diseases at the Tennessee Department of Health. Co-PD Marie Vea-Fagnant and co-PD Emilie Riddle have been working closely with The Nature Conservancy on establishing a recruitment and retention program for underrepresented students. The Nature Conservancy is developing ways to connect high school students to partner institutions, and then on to jobs in the environmental field. We have also begun to work with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to strengthen our outreach and recruiting of students from underrepresented groups. We will continue to monitor the Scholars’ progress post-graduation and assist them with counseling and appropriate resources to help be successful in their job searches and career development.
Publications
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Progress 01/15/12 to 01/14/13
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Five Scholars were funded on this project. . In April 2012, fifteen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. The USDA Multicultural Scholars had social events to foster community and networking. Our SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) Chapter of the Ecological Society of America, was started in 2010, and several of our Scholars have been involved. One Scholar participated in a SEEDS weekend workshop in Adirondack Park, and another Scholar attended the ESA Annual Meeting. USDA Scholars on this grant have been active on campus in the Honors College and the Food Salvage Club, doing internships for organizations such as the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, attending the Metta Earth Leadership Training Program, and studying abroad through the School for Field Studies Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: Van Jones, Professor Carolyn Finney of UC Berkeley, and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her third term as a Vermont State Legislator. USDA Scholars and other Rubenstein School students also visited the touring "RACE: Are We So Different" exhibit at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant attended the 2nd Annual Green Jobs & Career Fair in November 2012, hosted by The Nature Conservancy. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all multicultural students who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2012. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant have been working closely with The Nature Conservancy to investigate establishing a recruitment and retention program for underrepresented students that would connect students to partner institutions, and then on to jobs in the environmental field. PARTICIPANTS: We have four Scholars who are in their senior year, and started in fall 2009. One is from Bronx, New York, and attended our partnership school the High School for Environmental Studies; the second is from Boston, Massachusetts; the third is from Los Angeles, California; and the fourth is from Humacao, Puerto Rico. All four Scholars are in good academic standing and progressing towards their degrees. Three of the Scholars will graduate in May 2013, and the fourth will graduate in May 2014. A first-time, first year student from New York, New York was appointed in Fall 2011 as the fifth Scholar on this grant; she subsequently changed to a major in the College of Arts and Sciences, so the remaining Scholar line on this grant will not be completely utilized. We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to continue to send Scholars to the ESA Annual Meeting to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School will continue to build on the success of the SEEDS chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for our students to network with scientists and identify research internships. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our primary target audience for this project is the students from underrepresented groups who are current Scholars on this grant. They are pursuing an education to become environmental professionals through traditional classroom instruction, labs and field experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities that may include: research, internships, jobs, service-learning courses, and study abroad. Our secondary target audience includes high school students we are recruiting to attend the University of Vermont. Many of the students we work with through the High School for Environmental Studies and the Nature Conservancy are multicultural students from underrepresented groups. Another target audience is high school students in the Burlington area. We are working with current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and are building on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The immediate effect is that the five Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. Scholars also have support to access professional development and experiential learning opportunities and career counseling services. Long-term outcomes on our other grants show that we have increasing levels of success in preparing Scholars on our grants for entry into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources. One recently graduated Scholar is an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, working on an urban gardening and environmental education project for at-risk youth. Another recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. Four have earned graduate degrees (one at UVM), four recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (UVM, Tufts University, SUNY ESF, Bard College), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one is a Program Officer for U.S. Climate and Environment at the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners will serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/15/11 to 01/14/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Five Scholars were funded on this project. In April 2011, fifteen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Jericho Research Forest to learn about current UVM research projects there. The USDA Multicultural Scholars and National Needs Fellows had two social events to foster community and networking. Co-PD's Marie Vea-Fagnant and Emilie Riddle began laying the groundwork for outreach projects to underrepresented students in the Burlington schools, working primarily with a tutoring and mentoring program called Shades of Ebony at Burlington High School. Our SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) Chapter of the Ecological Society of America, was started in 2010, and several of our Scholars have been involved. One Scholar participated in a SEEDS weekend workshop in Adirondack Park, and another Scholar attended the ESA Annual Meeting. USDA Scholars on this grant have been active on campus in the Honors College and the Food Salvage Club, doing internships for organizations such as the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, attending the Metta Earth Leadership Training Program, and studying abroad through the School for Field Studies Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: performance artists Climbing PoeTree, Deputy Director Mickey Fearn of the National Park Service, and former Scholar and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her second term as a Vermont State Legislator. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant attended the 1st Annual Green Jobs & Career Fair in Dec 2010, co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and the Ecological Society of America. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2011. PDs Mary Watzin, Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant have been working closely with The Nature Conservancy to investigate establishing a recruitment and retention program for underrepresented students. The Nature Conservancy has received a planning grant and is creating a proposal that would connect high school students to partner institutions, and then on to jobs in the environmental field. PARTICIPANTS: We have four Scholars who are in their junior year, and started in fall 2009. One is from Bronx, New York, and attended our partnership school the High School for Environmental Studies; the second is from Boston, Massachusetts; the third is from Los Angeles, California; and the fourth is from Humacao, Puerto Rico. All four Scholars are in good academic standing and progressing towards their degrees. A first-time, first year student from New York, New York was appointed in Fall 2011 as the fifth Scholar on this grant. We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to continue to send Scholars to the ESA Annual Meeting to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School will continue to build on the success of the SEEDS chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for our students to network with scientists and identify research internships. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our primary target audience for this project is the students from underrepresented groups who are current Scholars on this grant. They are pursuing an education to become environmental professionals through traditional classroom instruction, labs and field experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities that may include: research, internships, jobs, service-learning courses, and study abroad. Our secondary target audience includes high school students we are recruiting to attend the University of Vermont. Many of the students we work with through the High School for Environmental Studies and the Nature Conservancy are multicultural students from underrepresented groups. Another target audience is high school students in the Burlington area. We are working with current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and are building on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The immediate effect is that the five Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. One recently graduated Scholar is a GIS Specialist at Utility Risk Management Corporation. Another recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. We continue to demonstrate increasing levels of success in preparing our Scholars for entry into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: four have earned graduate degrees (1 at UVM), two recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (1 at UVM), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one is a Program Officer for U.S. Climate and Environment at the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/15/10 to 01/14/11
Outputs
We have four Scholars who are in their sophomore year, and started in fall 2009. One is from Bronx, New York, and attended our partnership school the High School for Environmental Studies; the second is from Boston, Massachusetts; the third is from Los Angeles, California; and the fourth is from Humacao, Puerto Rico. All four Scholars are in good academic standing and progressing towards their degrees. We are currently looking to recruit a fifth Scholar for this grant. PRODUCTS: Four Scholars are currently being funded on this project. In April 2010, fifteen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. The USDA Multicultural Scholars and National Needs Fellows had two social events to foster community and networking. Co-PD's Marie Vea-Fagnant and Emilie Riddle began laying the groundwork for outreach projects to underrepresented students in the Burlington schools, working primarily with a tutoring and mentoring program called Shades of Ebony at Burlington High School. A SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) Chapter of the Ecological Society of America was started in the Rubenstein School, and several of our Scholars have been involved. One Scholar participated in a SEEDS weekend workshop in Adirondack Park, and another Scholar attended the ESA Annual Meeting. USDA Scholars have been active on campus in Residential Life, working as Eco-Reps in the dorms, and doing internships for organizations such as Clean Air-Cool Planet. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: Charlee Glenn, Diversity Programs Assistant for Ecological Society of America, Deputy Director Mickey Fearn of the National Park Service, and former Scholar and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her second term as a Vermont State Legislator. OUTCOMES: The immediate effect is that the four Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. One recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. Another recently graduated Scholar participated in a Research internship through the USDA Forest Service and another through the Vermont River Conservancy. He has been doing outdoor ecology education with children in the Washington, D.C. area, and continuing work with the Vermont Land Trust. We continue to demonstrate increasing levels of success in pipelining Scholars into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: three recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (2 at UVM), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one has been consulting for the Baltimore Parks and People Foundation and is considering graduate school. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: PDs Mary Watzin, Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant conducted a conference call with Nature Conservancy in March to discuss partnership building with TNC. PDs Mary Watzin, Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant followed up with a visit to our partnership school, High School for Environmental Studies in May 2010. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant attended the 1st Annual Green Jobs & Career Fair in Dec 2010, co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and the Ecological Society of America. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2011. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to continue to send Scholars to the ESA Annual Meeting to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School will continue to build on the success of the SEEDS chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for our students to network with scientists and identify research internships. We will be working with all current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and build on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program.
Impacts
Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/15/09 to 01/14/10
Outputs
We have five Scholars who started this semester in fall 2009. One is from Bronx, New York, and attended our partnership school the High School for Environmental Studies; the second is from Boston, Massachusetts; the third is from Los Angeles, California; the fourth is from Humacao, Puerto Rico; the fifth is from New York, New York. All five Scholars have done well this semester, and are in good academic standing. PRODUCTS: Five Scholars are currently being funded on this project. In April 2009, ten juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. We sent two of our multicultural students to the 2009 Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, including 1 USDA Scholar. One Scholar attended the Powershift 2009 youth environmental action summit in Washington, D.C. Another Scholar is an active member of the Vermont Oxfam Action Corps, an environmental and social justice activism group. Special Rubenstein School Diversity Task Force events were sponsored to promote diversity and foster a positive climate for our students of color. The USDA Multicultural Scholars and National Needs Fellows had two social events to foster community and networking. Co-PD's Marie Vea-Fagnant and Emilie Riddle began laying the groundwork for outreach projects to underrepresented students in the Burlington schools, working primarily with a tutoring and mentoring program called Shades of Ebony at Burlington High School. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: journalist Paul Roberts speaking on The Future of Food in a Peak Oil World; Marcelo Bonta, the founder of Environmental Professionals of Color and the Center for Diversity and the Environment; Paul Mohai, Professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan and leading Environmental Justice scholar; and former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin on How to Create Environmental Change. OUTCOMES: The immediate effect is that the five Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. One current Scholar has had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has strong job prospects with them after graduation. She continues to do research through EBioMe, the Environmental Biology Mentoring program. Another current Scholar has participated in a Research internship through the USDA Forest Service. A current Scholar on this grant is participating in wetlands research and graduate school preparation through the McNair Scholars Program. We continue to demonstrate increasing levels of success in pipelining Scholars into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: three recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (2 at UVM), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one has been consulting for the Baltimore Parks and People Foundation and is considering graduate school. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: In October 2009, PD Deane Wang and Co-PD Emilie Riddle attended the USDA MSP/NNF Project Directors and Beneficiaries meeting in Washington, D.C. One USDA Scholar and one National Needs Fellow also attended. Dr. Wang and the NNF Fellow both presented at the meeting. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. A new diversity page was released in December along with a new version of our School's website. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and Dr. Wang met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2010. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to again send a group of Scholars and other multicultural students to the annual MANRRS conference in March 2010 in Orlando, Florida to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School has taken the lead in establishing a Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for out students to network with scientists and identify research internships. We will be working with all current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and build on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program.
Impacts
Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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