Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience of this project was undergraduate students of Hispanic origin enrolled at the University of Texas - Pan American in Edinburg who expressed an interest in careers involving biology with emphasis onthe agricultural and food sciences.UTPA is one of the largest HSIs in the nation, and a high percentage of our students come from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds. One of our primary goals was to provide them with practical work experience in agricultural research and scientific communication in an effort to make them competitive for USDA positions following their graduation from UTPA and/or other institutions. Changes/Problems: The NIFA project conducted at UTPA has been very successful and a similar approach was used during both years of the project. One potentially-disruptive event - the closure of the ARS Kika de la Garza Agricultural Research Center in Weslaco during the first year of the project - did not impede progress of the program, and all of the original PIs and Co-PIs continued to interact even though one of them was transferred to California. The only change per se in procedures involved a slight change in the survey forms completed by interns at the end of their internships, and the EXIT exam (a quality control document which has been traditionally administered to Biology seniors to test their general knowledge of the biological sciences) was not administered to NIFA interns during the second year due to its termination by the UTPA Biology Department. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? During the course of their 9-month internships, each of the12 NIFAinternsreceived intensive training in scientific methodology and quarantine protocols, and gained practical experience in all aspects of the giant reed biological control effortincluding rearing procedures, field release, and evaluations of natural enemy impact.In addition, each intern was required to develop and conduct a supervised research project relating to the biological control effort, and to report their research results at scientific meetings and conferences.The research projects provided "hand-on" training in critical skills such as experimental design and data analsis, while the development and presentation of posters at scientific meetings and conferences allowedstudents refine their oral and written communication skills and to establish professional contacts.Collectively, these activities served to educate and trainlocal students incareer opportunities with USDA, andconcurrently provided valuable new informationthat is expected to facilitiate the eventual suppression of giant reed infestationsin the Rio Grande Basin. In addition to the direct benefits to the 12 interns who participated in the NIFA project,a Specific Cooperative Agreement between UTPA and ARS that was developed to help support this project has benefitted many other students and citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. This funding mechanism has been strongly supported by the UTPA administration and similar agreements have been recently established with USDA-APHIS to support students working on cooperative research projects in federal facilities. Between 2011 and 2013,up to51 UTPA students(including the 12 NIFA interns) were employed by the Arundo project and many are now employed by ARS. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? NIFA internspresented a total of 23 posters (see list in "Other Products" section) at the following scientific meetings and conferences - USDA-NIFA-HSI Annual Project Directors Meeting, University of Texas - Pan American, November, 2011, - 2012 Annual Meeting of the Subtropical Plant Science Society, Weslaco, TX, February, 2012, - 2013 Annual Meeting of the Subtropical Plant Science Society, Weslaco, TX, February, 2013, - 2013 Annual Meeting of the Southwest Branch of the Entomological Society of America, Las Cruces, NM, March, 2013, - 2013 Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Austin, TX, November, 2013. In addition to these presentations at scientific meetings,the NIFA-HSI project received considerable coverage by the UTPA student newspaper (Bronc News) and the localpress (McAllen Monitor and Harlingen Valley Morning Star) on several occasions.Several NIFA interns also reported their research results in UTPA seminar courses(BIOLOGY 4100) and/orwriting courses (BIOLOGY 3302). Collectively, these activitiesserved to inform nonparticipating students and citizens of the goals and scope of the USDA-NIFA-HSI program and its benefit to university students and the citizens of theLower Rio Grande Valley as a whole. 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 overall goal of this USDA-NIFA-HSI project (entitled “Experential Learning for Hispanic Students of South Texas: Biological Control of Giant Reed, an Invasive Water-Consuming Weed”) was toprovideeducational and research opportunities for undergraduate minority students in a program designed to address an environmental problem of great concern to both the United States and Mexico. The projectwas a collaborative effort between the University of Texas - Pan American at Edinburg (one of the largest Hispanic Serving Institutions in the United States) and scientists of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) involved inanongoing biological control effort directed against giant reed (Arundo donax) which has caused extensive damage in much of the Rio Grande Basin. In essence, the project was designed to train two cohorts of student interns at ARS facilities at Moore AB near Edinburg, and to supervise them in the development of individual research projects relevant to the ongoing biological control effort. The rationale of this “hands-on” experential approach was to generate interest among participating interns in USDA career opportunities, to train them in skills essential to success in scientific disciplines, and to acquire new knowledge that will hopefully enhance the current suppression effort against giant reed in the Rio Grande Basin. All of the goals listed in the Project Initiation Sectionof the originalproposal (see preceding sectionon Major Goals of Project) were accomplished during the 2-year project. SixUTPA undergraduate students(5 ofHispanic origin)were awarded9-month NIFA internships during the first year of the project (2011-2012) and six additional undergraduates (all Hispanic) were awarded internships during the second year (2012-2013).Of the interns surveyed during the first year of the project, 67% considered themselves to be experienced in classroom research experience, but 100% reported no previous experience in conducting independent research (summarized by Dr. Robert Wrinkle, UTPA). In a more comprehensive survey administered during the second year of the project, 50% of the interns reported no previous experience in conducting independent research, 67% reported no previous experience in oral presentations, and 100% reported no previous experience in written communications, including posters (evaluated by Dr. Robert Wrinkle, UTPA). Despite their reported inexperience in conducting and reporting research, NIFA interns in both cohorts proved to be highly productive in terms of both quantity and quality of presentations. Of the original 12NIFA interns, 11 successfully developed and completedtheir research projects and presented a total of 23 posters at 5 scientific meetings and conferences during the 2-year period (see section below on Dissemination of Results).Several of these posters were recognized for research excellence: 1) at the 2012 Annual Project Directors Meeting at UTPA, posters by Martin Hernandez and Ramon Vicencio won first and second place, respectively, in the Student Poster Competition, 2) at the 2013 ESA- Southwest Branch Meeting in Las Cruces, NM, Aida Velez won the Undergraduate Student Competition, and 3) Joshua Villarrealwas invited toattend the Entomological Society of AmericaNational Meeting in Austin, TX,wherehe won the ESA Undergraduate Student Competition. These experiences clearly bolstered the student’s confidence in themselves and appears to have influenced many of their career goals. In the first survey, 60% indicated that their experiences in the NIFA project had expanded their view of USDA career choices. In the second survey, 100% of the interns indicated that participation in the project had substantially increased their confidence and ability to conduct research and 83% reported that their experiences had increased their interest in conducting research and in pursuing careers with USDA in the food and agricultural sciences. All of the interns in both cohorts registered for the USDA job site. In additiion to the large number of presentations generated by this project, most of these will be published in peer-reviewed journals in the near future and will facilitate the continuing success of the giant reed biocontrol effort in the Rio Grande Basin.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Goolsby, J. A., et al. 2011. Establishment of the armored Scale, Rhizaspidiotus donacis, a biological control agent of Arundo donax. Southwestern Entomologist 36:373-374.
Summy, K. R., et al. 2011. Effects of leaf excision and sample storage methods on spectral reflectance by foliage of giant reed, Arundo donax. Subtropical Plant Science 63:54-64.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: Six undergraduate UTPA students (five of Hispanic origin) were awarded 9-month internships during the first year of the NIFA project (November, 2011 - August, 2012). All interns were assigned to work at USDA-ARS facilities at Weslaco and at Moore AB near Edinburg, Texas, where they received intensive training in laboratory and field techniques used in the ongoing ARS biological control effort directed against giant reed in the Rio Grande Basin in Texas and Mexico. Under the supervision of UTPA and ARS mentors, each of the six interns conducted supervised experiments on topics relating to rearing technology for giant reed and/or its associated natural enemies imported from Europe for release in the United States and Mexico. Events: The Project Director (PD) attended the 2011 Annual Project Director's meeting in Washington, D.C. during November, 2011. The PD, both Co-PDs and six interns attended the 66th Annual Institute of the Subtropical Plant Science Society, Weslaco, TX (February, 2012) and gave the following poster presentations: 1) Lyles, Abigail et al. " Abiotic factors affecting development of the arundo armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis in mass rearing systems", 2) Mares, Andromeda et al. "Behavioral observations of the arundo leafminer (Lasioptera donacis) to develop rearing and host-range testing procedures for biological control," 3) Sainz, Jesus et al. "The role of predators in limiting the establishment of the arundo armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis," 4) Skalitsky, Kari et al. "Rearing technique development: rearing of the armored arundo scale (Rhizaspidiotus donacis) using Arundo donax micro plants supplemented with micro-nutrients," 5) Vicencio, Ramon et al. "Behavior of Rhizaspidiotus donacis in the presence of diverse Arundo donax stimuli," and 6) Hernandez, Martin et al. "Potential impact of parasitoids on the biological control agent Tetramesa romana (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae)." The PD, both Co-PDs and five interns attended the Annual Project Director's meeting at UTPA (May, 2012) and gave the following poster presentations: 1) Hernandez, Martin, et al. "Potential impact of parasitoids on the biological control agent Tetramesa romana," 2) Lyles, Abigail et al., "Abiotic factors affecting development of the arundo armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacius in mass rearing systems," 3) Mares, Andromeda et al., "Behavioral observations of the arundo leafminer (Lasioptera donacis)," 4) Skalitsky, Kari et al., "Effect of micronutrients on growth of Arundo donax and its biological agent, Rhizaspidiotus donacis," and 5) Vicencio, Ramon et al., "Behavior of Rhizaspidiotus donacis" in the presence of diverse Arundo donax stimuli." Dissemination: In addition to the posters presented by NIFA interns, the PD and Co-PDs presented a poster entitled "Experential learning for Hispanic students in south Texas: Biological control of giant reed, an invasive water-consuming weed" at the 2012 Annual PD Meeting at UTPA. This presentation described the project goals and accomplishments during its first year and was used to recruit an additional six Hispanic undergraduate students for the second year of the project. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals Involved in Project: 1) Dr. Kenneth R. Summy, Associate Professor of Biology, UTPA, served as Project Director - provided overall management of project, 2) Dr. John A. Goolsby, Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS, Co-PD - supervised NIFA interns involved in individual research projects, 3) Dr. Patrick J. Moran, Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS, Co-PD - supervised NIFA interns involved in individual research projects, 4) Dr. Robert Wrinkle, Professor, UTPA, Project Evaluator - compiled the evaluation included in this annual report, 5) Ann Vacek, M.S., Res. Eng./Assoc. III, UTPA, Mentor for NIFA interns, 6) Crystal Salinas, M.S., Eng./Assoc. II, UTPA, Mentor for NIFA interns, 7) Martin Hernandez, UTPA, Student Intern - conducted independent research project and presented posters at two scientific meetings, 7) Ramon Vicencio, UTPA, Student Intern - conducted independent research project and presented posters at two scientific meetings, 8) Abigail Lyles, UTPA, Student Intern - conducted independent research project and presented posters at two scientific meetings, 9) Andromeda Mares, UTPA, Student Intern - conducted independent research project and presented posters at two scientific meetings, 10) Kari Skalitsky, UTPA, Student Intern - conducted independent research project and presented posters at two scientific meetings, 11) Jesus Sainz, UTPA, Student Intern - conducted independent research project and presented posters at two scientific meetings. Partner Organizations: USDA-ARS entered into a Specific Cooperative Agreement (SCA) with UTPA to support the biocontrol effort for giant reed, and to provide partial support for salaries of UTPA mentors involved in the NIFA project. This agreement was the first of its kind at UTPA and has provided the basis for at least three similar agreements which have been established during the past year to support students involved in collaborative research between UTPA and USDA agencies (ARS and APHIS). Training and professional development: All six of the NIFA interns received extensive training in scientific methodology and experimental design, data collection and analysis, and oral and written communication of research results. By participating in the two meetings mentioned herein, each intern was afforded the opportunity to establish professional contacts with scientists from USDA-ARS, USDA-APHIS, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Texas AgriLife, and other professionals from various areas of the United States and Mexico. The NIFA project was highly visible and provided considerable insight to nonparticipating students at UTPA of career opportunities within the USDA system. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience of this project includes UTPA undergraduate students of Hispanic origin who appear to have interests that would make them likely candidates for careers in the food and agricultural sciences. UTPA is one of the largest HSIs in the nation, and a high percentage of our students come from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds. One of our primary goals is to provide them with practical working experience in agricultural research and scientific communication in an effort to make them competitive for USDA positions when they become available. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The NIFA project at UTPA appears to have been very successful during its first year, and we have therefore made no major changes in approach. One potentially disruptive event was the closure of the USDA-ARS Kika de la Garza Agricultural Research Center in Weslaco during June, 2012, which resulted in the transfer of one our co-PDs to the ARS laboratory in Albany, CA. After a discussion among the PDs, and with the permission of NIFA, we have maintained the infrastructure we began the project with, and anticipate another successful year during 2012-2013.
Impacts
Change in Knowledge: Research conducted by student interns contributed substantial new knowledge relating to the propagation of giant reed and its imported natural enemies for release in the Rio Grande Basin environment. In the process, student interns gained training and practical experience in laboratory and field research techniques, data collection and analysis, preparation and presentation of posters at professional meetings, and oral and written communication. In addition, most of the interns established new professional contacts during their USDA internships which should be of considerable value to them as they develop their career goals. Change in Actions: Five of the six interns employed during the first year of the project successfully completed their internships (a sixth resigned several months before the end of his internship because of academic conflicts). In their career-interest essays written at the beginning and end of their internships, four of the five remaining interns (80%) indicated that their experiences in the NIFA project had broadened their interest and perspectives of the USDA mission and its potential career opportunities. Following the termination of their NIFA internships, three of the five interns graduated from UTPA with B.S. degrees in Biology and are currently employed as science teachers with local independent school districts. The remaining two are currently employed by USDA-ARS (Arundo project) on contracts or 180-day appointments, and are nearing completion of their undergraduate studies at UTPA. Change in Conditions: The NIFA project on giant reed has been strongly supported by the UTPA administration and its advertisement for recruitment purposes has provided many of our students in the Department of Biology with a broad perspective of the nature of agricultural research and career opportunities that currently exist in the USDA system. Moreover, the Specific Cooperative Agreement that was established to facilitate the collaboration between UTPA and ARS in the NIFA project has provided a model that is now being used by at least three other ongoing projects in the UTPA College of Science and Mathematics. Although the NIFA project has directly supported 12 UTPA undergraduate students, many more have benefitted indirectly - as of January, 2013, the total number of UTPA students employed in the ARS - UTPA Arundo project has increased to 51 students total.
Publications
- Goolsby, J. A., et al. 2011. Establishment of the armored Scale, Rhizaspidiotus donacis, a biological control agent of Arundo donax. Southwestern Entomologist 36:373-374.
- Summy, K. R., et al. 2011. Effects of leaf excision and sample storage methods on spectral reflectance by foliage of giant reed, Arundo donax. Subtropical Plant Science 63:54-64.
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