Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences reached during the lifetime of the project included Angelo State University faculty and staff, high school teachers and counselors, high school students and their families, students transitioning from high school to university and from junior colleges to a 4-year institution, and students within Angelo State University's Department of Agriculture Food Science Program. Faculty and staff were trained to address challenges associated with underrepresented student populations through targeted workshops, as well as supplemental presentations at a variety of conferences. High school students, teachers and counselors from numerous high schools with high populations of underrepresented students were educated on the wide variety of career opportunities within the agriculture and food science fields through outreach activities and disseminated educational videos, pamphlets and presentations. Students belonging to one or more of the targeted underrepresented populations who were transitioning to the university were engaged in the LIFT program, a program aimed at exposing entering freshman to hands-on food science product development activities, a leadership development workshop and campus engagement presentations. Finally, a variety of ASU students, most of whom are part of the Food science program (either Majoring in Food Animal Science and Marketing (FASM) or minoring in Food Science (FSCI), were engaged in the LAMBS mentor program as well as trained in industry specific certification programs and laboratory methods. The number of individuals involved and the activity they were engaged in: 70 students were enrolled as either FASM or FSCI during the granting period. Of those, 44.29% were minority (primarily Hispanic) students, 35.71 % were 1st generation and of those that reported economic data, 51.85% were considered low income. 13 students majoring in Food Animal Science and Marketing and 23 minoring in Food Science graduated from ASU during the granting period. 16 new degree seeking students entered the FASM degree during the granting period. 27 of the 32 students who were pursuing or are pursing the FASM degree within the granting period are either graduated or are in good standing with a retention rate 84.44% Of the 40 students who have completed or reached the point in their degree program where they are eligible to either participate in undergraduate research or complete an industry internship, 42.5% have participated and successfully completed an industry internship, while 52.5% have participated in either a group or independent research project. One student dropped out of the program before completing an internship or research; while one more student minoring in Food Science did not complete an internship or research as he came into the program as a transfer student with sufficient courses to complete the minor with other course credit. 97% of those who attempted (34 of 35 students) were HACCP Certified as a result of course improvements associated with the grant. 91.8% of those who attempted (45 of 49 students) were ServSafe Certified as a result of continuing course offerings associated with the grant. Over 1,300 high school students from 69 different high schools outreach events were exposed a program and demonstration focusing on the wide range of opportunities within the food and agriculture fields. Of those 646 were given a survey to gather knowledge on the impact the outreach visit made. Community Meetings included a variety of events including 4-H and FFA meetings, Career Fairs, College Days hosted by High Schools and a STEM Camp hosted by Angelo State University - Attendees included parents/guardians, trip sponsors, teachers/counselors and elementary through high school age children. Over the course of the entire project these accumulated to over 700 attendees. Over 450 High School Teachers and Counselors were given outreach materials including information on Career Opportunities within Agriculture and information on associated college degrees and programs via email. As a follow up Jump Drives containing similar updated materials were made available to teachers from 404 Texas High School Agriculture programs at their annual conference. The materials included are aimed at assisting the Agriculture Education teachers in their courses as they expose their students to the wide variety of careers and opportunities within food and agriculture sciences. LAMBS mentor/mentee students - an average of 11 - 12 undergraduate mentees and an average of 3-4 graduate students and 2 faculty mentors each year it was active within the granting period High school students transitioning into college freshman participating in the LIFT program - a total of 35 participants over the 4 years LIFT occurred during the granting period. 51 ASU faculty and staff were trained in a series of workshops that targeted challenges associated with underrepresented students in the agriculture and associated STEM fields. Six faculty from three Universities (all three HSI institutions) participated in a Reciprocal workshop aimed at sharing the findings of this project to better equip the attending institutions in their efforts to improve recruitment and retention of the target students into their program offerings Changes/Problems:While all three major objectives were met, a few challenges forced the PIs to modify some of the tasks associated with some of the objectives. One of the most impactful challenges included a change in PI of the project. During the 2015-2016 reporting period the lead PI resigned which led to a re-appointment of lead PI. To aid in completion of stated objectives, two additional members were added to the project team to allow re-distribution of roles. The resulting reallocation of duties allowed for the original objectives to be reached, however on an extended timeline. This required extended timeline was also partially due to a later-than-expected start date to the project. Additionally, There was some confusion as per the original RFA , by the PIs and the evaluators regarding specifics on if and how the meta evaluation was to be incorporated into this project. However, working with the USDA and meta evaluation personnel the PIs had received clarification on the Meta Evaluation and what steps they need to complete to fulfill these requirements steps. One other change in minor personnel occurred early on in the grant impacting a task associated with Objective 2. The Outreach coordinator who was to help integrate RAMS ( a campus mentor group) involvement into the project resigned from the university to pursue career opportunities elsewhere. Because of this change, the RAMS mentor group was not fully engaged; however, project personnel refocused efforts on the LAMBS (project created department mentor group) which allowed us to meet the overall second objective. The Outreach Coordinator vacancy also delayed some initial progress on some of the community and school visits which were successfully complete later in the grant project. An additional change was associated with the task of completing three articulation agreements. The project PIs and university staff had difficulty finalizing two more official articulation agreements with 2-year colleges. While the colleges were receptive to their student's matriculation to a 4-year institution, official agreements were not completed by the end of the grant period. To address this shortfall, project staff along with the Department of Agriculture chair have manually compared degree requirements from two more junior colleges (ones that the Department of Agriculture historically receives several transfer students from). From these comparisons, two more articulation plans were produced to aid in the process when potential transfer students contact the department for information. Another noteworthy change to one of the tasks involves expansion of the target audience of the LIFT program. Initially it was to be open to students specifically focused on Food Science. After the first years cohort, the PIs decided to open the program up to include students interested in all five of the departments program offerings to expose a wider variety of students to the programs opportunities. While those interested in FASM received priority, this expansion allowed for a larger impact, as students from several different program are now aware of the wide variety of careers and research opportunities in the food industry. The last challenge of note, was that of the low survey response rate on the teacher/counselor survey. While the 8.2% response rate was lower than desired, the data collected from those surveys was revealing and identified areas to be addressed that could have a significant impact on counselors' and teachers' ability to confidently advise students interested in careers in food and agriculture sciences. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training Training activities for this project included a variety of workshops and one-on-one trainings between multiple entities all aimed at improving faculty, staff and graduate student's ability to address challenges associated with underrepresented students pursuing degrees and careers in food and agriculture sciences. Below is a summary list of training activities, which occurred over the course of this project. AgForLife Consultant - PI's convened multiple conference calls with the AgForLife consultant, Dr. Edward Romero, to discuss outreach, recruitment and retention goals, challenges and strategies. NIFA New PI Meeting - PI's and one student attended meetings at the Beltsville, Maryland USDA complex and received valuable information pertaining to NIFA, USDA, careers in agriculture and project reporting related information. NACTA, Bozeman, MT - PI's attended the annual NACTA conference and received valuable knowledge pertaining to innovative agricultural education techniques and NIFA briefing focusing on REEPort. AgForLife Consultation and Trainging for Project PIs - PI's and AgForLife® consultant met two separate sessoins to discuss the use of the AgForLife careers in agriculture model and determine the most effective method of conveying the information to the target population. AgForLife® Outreach and Recruitment Workshops were held in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 reporting peridods - PI's held the AgForLife® Workshops with Dr. Edward Romero, to discuss outreach, recruitment and retention goals, challenges and strategies. A total of 43 faculty and staff received training over the course of those two workshops. Graduate Student Mentor Trainings - Multiple One-on-one trainings were held throughout the course of the project where in the project PIs trained new graduate students who would serve as peer mentors to new undergraduates in the LAMBs program. On average three graduate students per year were trained in best practices for peer mentors. A total of 11 graduate students were trained and served in these peer roles over the course of the project. Professional Development Professional development activities were provided through attendance to a variety of conferences. Summary descriptions of those conferences/meetings and the attendees are below. Attendance to Latinos in Agriculture Conference - Over the course of the project three faculty and six different students attended Latinos in Agriculture conference three times. This conference's mission is to "influence the future transformation of the Hispanic Agricultural workforce and effect positive change through innovative partnerships, collaboration, teamwork, and alliances." The attendees were provided with valuable information to be used with future recruitment efforts. The conference also provided career development training for the students. Over the course of the project multiple faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students attended the Reciprocal Meat Conference each summer (five years). On average three to four faculty and ten to twelve students (of which 25-50% were from underrepresented populations attended the national meeting of the American Meat Science Association each year. Students were members of competitive quiz bowl teams and were able to present their product development products as members of a product development team. Students also attended scientific presentations and career preparation seminars to gain valuable information. Faculty attended scientific presentations, industry updates and sessions focused on improving teaching capacities within meat and food science curriculum. Various sessions addressed not only scientific proficiency topics but also sessions on challenges of underrepresented populations in higher education and the ag workforce Additionally the project PI attended an HSI Conference titled, 'Consejos Colectivos: Improving STEM Success at HSIs.' This Conference brought together faculty representatives from over eight different campuses (many of which are HSI institutions) to discuss ways to improve understanding of institutional opportunities or barriers with regard to Latinx student recruitment, retention and advancement in STEM. As a result of multiple ASU faculty from a variety of STEM programs attending this conference, multiple follow up meetings were held in which these faculty addressed ASUs specific efforts and vision on the topic. Three separate follow-up STEM meetings have been held with approximately 12 ASU faculty in attendance. At each of these meetings project PI, Dr. Branham was able to share results and information from this USDA funded project which can aid other science programs on campus in their recruitment and retention efforts. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The recruiting database has been shared with other interested faculty and staff, as well as ASU admissions personnel in order to enhance utilization of resources. It will continue to be updated each year in order to effectively aid in recruitment and retention efforts of underrepresented students and dissemination efforts of updated recourses to teachers and counselors. Dissemination of the information provided on the Opportunities in Agriculture display, developed informational handouts and the video focusing on Agriculture degrees and careers has occurred in targeted audiences consisting of career fairs, campus workshops and outreach and recruitment efforts within high schools and community outreach events. Additionally the informational handouts/documents and video have been disseminated to over 450 High School Teachers and Counselors via email. As a follow up Jump Drives containing similar updated materials were made available to teachers from 404 Texas High School Agriculture programs at their annual conference. The materials included are aimed at assisting the Agriculture Education teachers in their courses as they expose their students to the wide variety of careers and opportunities within food and agriculture sciences. Additionally, project information attained and products created can be found electronically via the project website (http://www.angelo.edu/dept/agriculture/developing-tomorrows-meat-and-food-scientists.php) In addition, results of outreach and research have been shared with other ASU faculty and staff; with mentors; through workshops and conferences; and with administration. Additionally, grant PIs were invited to present their grant efforts and preliminary outcomes at the Latinos in Agriculture conference held in Grapevine, TX in October 2015. Six faculty from three Universities (all three HSI institutions) participated in a Reciprocal workshop aimed at sharing the findings of this project to better equip the attending institutions in their efforts to improve recruitment and retention of the target students into their program offerings 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 purpose of this project was to address the USDA identified problem of underrepresentation of Hispanics in food and agriculture careers through outreach, recruitment, retention, graduation and graduate school/career placement of students in these areas. Using a variety of outreach and educational efforts at multiple points throughout the educational pipeline, ASU succeeded in increasing the number of Hispanic and other underrepresented students seeking degrees in meat and food science fields. Implementation of effective mentoring and advising programs resulted in the successful retention of over 84% of these students. Major long term impacts of the project include permanent curriculum and cultural changes at the departmental level that will continue to produce more knowledgeable graduates with a wider range of skills they can put to immediate use in both industry and government careers. 97% of students enrolled in the new food regulation course associated with this program became HACCP certified, an integral program ensuring our country's safe meat supply. Through the internship program associated with the grant project, 100%of the students completing industry internships are either employed full time or finishing their FASM degree requirements. Additionally, 88% of those students have started their careers in Food or Ag industry positions, many of which are with the companies for which they interned. These initial internships have served to strengthen the relationship between the university and the companies, ensuring continued opportunities for future students beyond the period of grant funding. The outreach activities developed and implemented during the project period resulted ina significant increase in the proportion of underrepresented students in both the Food Science Program and ASU's Department of Agriculture. Enrollment in the Food Science Program (FASM Majors and FSCI Minors) grew from 11% Hispanic in 2012/2013 to 50% Hispanic in 2018. The larger Department of Agriculture saw enrollment rise from 13.3% Hispanic in 2012/2013 to 27.59% Hispanic in 2018. Objective 1: Increase the number of Hispanic and other minority ASU students seeking degrees in meat and food science fields (FASM majors and food science minors) to 30% (from a baseline of 25.8%), thereby adding at least 15 new students over the three-year grant period. Over the course of the grant period, 16 new degree-seeking students enrolled in the FASM program and 13 new students declared minors in Food Science, for a total increase of 29 new students in the Food Science program. Additionally, in the three months since the conclusion of the official grant period, ASU added five more FASM majors and six more FSCI minors. The researchers feel that the successful completion of this objective was due to the combined activities targeting faculty and staff training as well as high school and community outreach efforts. Below is a summary of major activities as well as research findings. We developed resource packets containing a video and written resources to highlight the breadth of agriculture career opportunities, scholarships, and programs in meat and food science for more than 450 K-12 counselors and teachers. Results of the pre- and post- surveys indicate that teachers' confidence to provide students with information on the variety of career opportunities available in food and agriculture science increased from 52.63% at pre-review to 80% at post-review. Additionally, we conducted outreach programs for over 1,300 high school students from 69 different high schools to introduce them to the range of opportunities available in the agricultural sciences. Students from 38 schools completed pre- and post- surveys to assess the impact the outreach visit made. From the 455 pre-program surveys and the 646 post-program surveys received, we found that students' interest in and confidence to pursue a career in the food and agricultural industries increased significantly from pre- to post-test. More complete research results are published in graduate student Savina Robles' thesis and will be submitted to an agriculture education journal for publication. Thirty-five students from four different cohorts successfully participated in the pre-college "Leaders in Food Technology" (LIFT) experiential learning program to help them transition from high school to college. While LIFT focused initially on the Food Science Program and its offerings, the entire Agriculture Department faculty has witnessed its effectiveness and plan to expand the LIFT program to all five of our degree programs to enhance all agriculture students' opportunities for success. Objective 2: Retain at least 65% of all students who pursue a degree in Food Animal Science and Marketing (FASM) through mentorship programs. Since this project began, 27 of the 32 FASM degree-seeking students (84.38%) have either successfully graduated or are in good standing at the time of this report. This successful retention rate is credited to the combined efforts of the grant funded LAMBS mentorship program and the intensive faculty-student advising program employed in the Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture and the Food Science program uses an academic advising program in which the faculty meet with each student no fewer than twice each academic year to address any academic issues the student is having and to ensure they stay on a successful path to graduation. The Department of Agriculture has the highest retention rate of the 23 departments on ASU's campus, and this successful advising model has shown to be effective in the FASM degree. The LAMBS mentor program engaged an average of 11-12 undergraduate mentees, 3-4 graduate students, and two faculty mentors each year. Before the program academic year began, faculty met with graduate students to review best practices for serving as a mentor in the program. During each long semester, the LAMBS group met every 2-3 weeks and discussed topics including time management, test taking skills and resume building. Additionally, the meetings incorporated a social component to encourage students to share challenges they were currently facing and help each other work through those challenges.LAMBS expanded to include members from all five programs within the Department of Agriculture, which will continue both the mentor program and advising model beyond the grant period as they have proven to be beneficial to student retention. Objective 3: Increase the skill level of students who will seek employment in agricultural science fields through experiential learning projects and curriculum enhancement as evidenced by performance on classroom, standardized, and industry assessments. By making changes to the Food Science curriculum, students' skill levels improved substantially. Seventy-nine percent of the students taking Food Microbiology and 92% of the Students completing Processed Meats exhibited satisfactory proficiency scores in these two courses that are heavy in laboratory techniques. Additionally, 97% of those who attempted (34 of 35 students) became HACCP Certified, and 91.8% of those who attempted (45 of 49 students) were ServSafe Certified because of curriculum changes.Of the 40 students who have completed or reached the point in their degree program where they are eligible to either participate in undergraduate research or complete an industry internship, 42.5% have participated and successfully completed an industry internship, while 52.5% have participated in either a group or independent research project, which they had to present to Agriculture Department faculty. This increase in field-specific skill levels through experiential learning and curriculum enhancement has and will continue to improve the students' career readiness.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Robles, S. 2018. Identification Factors Influencing Underrepresented Students Choosing Food Science Related Degrees in College. Angelo State University. Thesis.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Branham, L.B. 2018. Angelo State University program and research update. Southwest Meat Association. 62nd Annual Convention and Suppliers' Showcase. San Antonio, TX.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Braden, K. and L. Branham. 2015. Developing Tomorrow's Meat and Food Scientists. 2015 Latinos in Agriculture Leaders Conference. Grapevine, Texas.
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience: ASU FASM majors (12 in Fall 2016 and 11 in Spring 2017) and minors (6 in Fall 2016 and 5 in Spring 2016); and Over 300 parents/guardians and elementary age children, in addition to parents and 4-H members, who took part in two community meetings. One of these was a career fair with 200 students in attendance. LAMBS mentor/mentee students ( 3- graduate students, 8-FASM majors, 2- Ag Science and Leadership Majors, and 2- Animal Science Majors) • High school students transitioning into college freshman participating in the LIFT program (13 total, 3-Food Animal Science and Marketing majors, 3 - Animal Business major, 2- Ag Science and Leadership Major, 2- Natural Resource Management majors and 3 - Animal Science majors); • Three graduate students participating as LAMBs mentors and participating in high school outreach efforts; • An unknown number of community members reached during four tailgating/outreach/informational events at ASU football games during the 2016 season. Changes/Problems:During this reporting period the ASU Meat and Food Science program has undergone some faculty changes, including addition of a new Meat Science Professor. While this faculty member is new, he has extensive industy experience and this addition has allowed us to provide our students research and training opportunities in the field of meat quality. Due to challenges early on in the project and faculty changes in the middle of the project, we requested and were granted a one-year no cost extension in order to complete the original objectives of the project. Progress made this reporting period as well as in the Fall 2017 semester set the project on a timeline to be sucessfuly completed within the new projected end date. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and professional development have been a large part of this project. However, as we are in the later part of the project, the majority of these activities took place earlier in the grant. Activities to date, some of which continue to be conducted in a follow up/refresher copacity include : Providing workshops for faculty and staff; Sending staff and students to conferences; Holding workshops; Working with high school counselors and teachers; and Training graduate students to serve as mentors in the LAMBs program. Supplementary training (supporting the grants purpose, but not put on by the grant) included professional development sessions at major conferences. Various sessions addressed not only scientific proficiency topics but also sessions on challenges of underrepresented populations in higher education and the ag workforce. This past year eight undergraduate students, five graduate students and four faculty members attended the the Reciprocal Meats Conference to participate in workshops, and skill-building related to the industry, such as product development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach has been a primary component of this project, with a goal of targeting students in school districts who are not currently receiving information on ASU programs. A new program brochure is being designed to disseminate to potential students. Results of outreach and research have been shared with other ASU faculty and staff; with mentors, through workshops and conferences, and with administration. Though it occured in the previous reporting period, it is noted grant PIs were invited to present their grant efforts and preliminary outcomes at the Latinos in Agriculture conference held in Grapevine, TX in October 2015.Once data collection has been completed and analyzed, results will be presented on the dedicated project web page. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Plans to further progress on tasks and accomplish initial outlined goals include: Continue outreach efforts to identified high schools. Additionally, a survey has been developed to administer to current ASU students during the Fall 2017 semester. The new survey is targeted at identifying key influential factors impacting their decision to pursue their specific degree paths. Information obtained from this survey will be utilized by both departmental and campus addmision counselors in aiding highschoolers who are trying to identify thier future degree and career opportunities. Continue efforts of collaboration with extension and other community groups to conduct community outreach sessions. For example: Discussions have started with extension personel to host a summer workshop/camp geared at educating youth on career opportunities in agriculture and the food industries. Continue to develop relationships with industry leaders. Increase student participation in internship participation through interaction with industry reps at conferences and career fairs. Continue scientific technique training through traditional courses being taught in the upcoming reporting period including Food Microbiology and Processed Meats, as well as one-on-one training conducted as part of undergraduate research projects. Continue Food Safety certifications through courses scheduled for the upcoming reporting period including Food Regulations and HACCP and Food Safety and Sanitation.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Task Progress for the reporting period Objective 1: Task 1.1: Faculty and Staff Training and Awareness: The ASU Multicultural Center and AgForLife® consultant will host three workshops for faculty on recruiting and retaining underrepresented students and creating an inclusive classroom environment. ASU's HSI Outreach Coordinators and recruiters will attend the workshops to increase their awareness of agriculture, degree programs and careers. Meetings with admissions personnel are ongoing to facilitate outreach and recruitment. This includes recruiters coming to the meat lab for a tour so they can better describe the program to potential students. Task 1.2 Develop and Distribute Recruitment and Agricultural Awareness Materials Informational publications and resource materials have been updated and remain available on the web site. This site is interactive and allows for analysis of resources. Task 1.3 Site Visits, Demonstrations and Development Sessions 1. While no outreach visits took place specifically during this grant period, a total of 46 such visits have been made. This far exceeds the original target of 35. 2. To make outreach with area schools more comprehensive for students, project staff are working to develop ongoing relationships with two schools. In conjunction with and buildign upon another USDA funded project, ASU provided technical training at Brackett ISD, helping that instructor in developing a program that will enable students to get more hands-on experience. Fourteen students from Wall ISD have visited ASU and will begin more frequent visits to participate in scientific activities that will assist in tying meat science into other science courses and activities. Task 1.4 Community Development Sessions: Community meetings have been held hosted by one ISD and two different 4-H groups. FASM students participated in four tailgating events at ASU football games, providing awareness of the program, answering questions and serving meat produced as part of the meat and food science program. Task 1.5 Leaders in Food Technology (LIFT) Program To further spread awareness of food careers, non-FASM majors (including animal science, ag business, ag science and leadership and range and wildlife management) were recruited into LIFT program during this reporting period. A push has been made to specifically target underrepresented students to participate in LIFT. This includes minorities, low-income and first-generation students. A total of thirteen entering freshman participated in LIFT with four graduate students acting as mentors throughout the week. These students participated in meat and food science product development activities and leadership building programs. Task 1.6 Improve Transfer and Articulation Between Junior Colleges and ASU Relationship building with junior colleges is ongoing. Work is being conducted to align curricula from both the junior college (Cisco and Weatherford Junior Colleges) and ASU campus to ensure a smooth transition for transfer students. Objective 2: Task 2.1 Mentor Training 1. Graduate Student mentors met with faculty before each LAMBs meeting to discuss meeting content and best practices. Task 2.2 Leaders in Agriculture Mentoring Beginnings (LAMBs) 1. The LAMBs mentor program was very active during the year, with 12 undergraduate and three graduate students meeting 16 times. Task 2.3 Raising and Meeting Standards (RAMS) 1. As there was staff transition during, the reporting period the RAMS program was not integrated during this reporting period. However campus support programs including University Recreation, Student Life and Career Development presented workshops to students participating in the funded program as part of the LIFT summer program. Objective 3: Task 3.1 Scientific Technique Proficiency Eleven students recieved Food Microbiology trianing during the spring semester - they were trained on both traditional culture methods as well as new rapid detection methods of common food borne pathogen and spoilage organisms. Two graduate students who served as mentors presented thesis research at a national conference during this reporting period. Multiple undergraduate FASM students assisted with this research, learning proper sample collection techniques and various laboratory analysis protocols. Additionally, one additional graduate student who served as a mentor in this program has gone on to a PhD program. Task 3.2 Food Safety Certifications 1. Ten students became ServSafe Certified during the reporting period. Task 3.3 Internships, Undergraduate Research and Presentation In Fall 2016, three students participated in undergraduate research projects. Two were associated with a graduate student's thesis project that focuses on sensory characteristic differences between three high-end beef types. The third assisted a graduate student with looking at the effect of dehydration on bacterial levels of a non-heat-treated whole muscle beef jerky. In Spring 2017, five total students participated in research or research prep projects. Three assisted with sample collection and laboratory processing of research addressing antibiotic resistance of E.coli and Salmonella isolated from market steers and hogs. Two others participated in a literature review search focused on consumer perception of current issues including genetically modified organism food production and the raw milk consumption trend. These literature reviews will be utilized to construct some survey-based research in the future. One new student took part in an internship. All students within the FASM major and FSCI minor, as well as other agriculture students participated in an ag career day which included presentations and reciprocation sessions with various ag industry representatives, as well as a career fair attended by multiple ag industries including, Food SafetyNet Services, Seaboard Foods, HEB foods, and Texas AgriLife Extension.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience during this grant reporting period has included: ASU FASM majors (12) and food science minors (5); LAMBS mentor/mentee students ( 5- graduate students, 10-FASM majors, 2- Ag Science and Leadership Majors, and 4- Animal Science Majors) High school students transitioning into college freshman participating in the LIFT program (8 total, 2-Food Animal Science and Marketing majors, 1 - Animal Business major, 1- Ag Science and Leadership Major and 4 - Animal Science majors); Seven graduate students participating as LAMBs mentors and participating in high school outreach efforts; 140 community members reached during an Ag Day activity in Cherokee; An unknown number of community members reached during four tailgating/outreach/informational events at ASU football games; High school students at 29 different schools (Harper, Comfort, Fredericksburg, Llano, Sterling, Georgetown, Veribest, Hutto, Marion, Bandera, Boerne-Champ, Stockdale, Brownwood, Bangs, Brady, Poth, Sabinal, Navarro, Poteet, Madison, Mason, Menard, Rochelle, Richland Springs, Floresville, Water Valley, Hondo, Utopia and Blanco. This resulted in the collection of 649 program surveys that are being used for evaluation purposes. Changes/Problems:During this reporting period the lead PI resigned which led to a re-appointment of lead PI. To aid in completion of stated objectives, two additional members were added to the project team to allow re-distribution of roles. The resulting reallocation of duties has been completed and no major influence is anticipated on the original objectives set forth in the project proposal; however, a slight modification to the timeline on some tasks has occurred as a result of the change in grant personnel. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and professional development have been a large part of this project. However, as we are in Year 3, the majority of these activities took place earlier in the grant. Activities to date have included: Providing workshops for faculty and staff; Sending staff and students to conferences; Holding workshops; Working with high school counselors and teachers; and Training graduate students to serve as mentors in the LAMBs program. Supplementary training (supporting the grants purpose, but not provided by the grant) included professional development sessions at two major conferences. Various sessions addressed not only scientific proficiency topics but also sessions on challenges of underrepresented populations in higher education and the ag workforce. Reciprocal Meats Conference Attended by four faculty/staff, 11 undergraduate and six graduate students Latinos in Agriculture Conference Attended by two faculty and three undergraduate students How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach has been a primary component of this project, with the PIs specifically designing aspects of outreach to target students in school districts who are not currently receiving information on ASU programs. In addition, results of outreach and research have been shared with other ASU faculty and staff; with mentors; through workshops and conferences; and with administration. Additionally, grant PIs were invited to present their grant efforts and preliminary outcomes at the Latinos in Agriculture conference held in Grapevine, TX in October 2015. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plans to further progress on tasks and accomplish initial outlined goals include: Continue outreach efforts to identified high schools. Increase efforts to collaborate with extension and other community groups to conduct community outreach sessions. For example: Discussions have started with a local group called House of Faith (an organization that works with underrepresented junior high and high school students, the majority of which are low income and/or minority students). One area this organization would like to provide more resources for their students is focusing on career exploration. The PIs are working on organizing an event to educate these students on the opportunities in agriculture and the food industries. Continue to develop relationships with industry leaders. Increase student participation in internship participation through interaction with industry reps at conferences and career fairs. Continue scientific technique training through traditional courses being taught in Fall2016 including Food Microbiology and Processed Meats, as well as one-on-one training conducted as part of undergraduate research projects. Continue Food Safety certifications through courses scheduled for Spring 2017 including Food Safety and Sanitation (ServSafe Certification).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The chart below outlines each of the tasks planned for this grant project, with updates on progress during this reporting period. Task Task Progress for Year 2 Task 1.1: Faculty and Staff Training and Awareness: The ASU Multicultural Center and AgForLife® consultant will host three workshops for faculty on recruiting and retaining underrepresented students and creating an inclusive classroom environment. ASU's HSI Outreach Coordinators and recruiters will attend the workshops to increase their awareness of agriculture, degree programs and careers. Meetings with admissions personnel are ongoing to facilitate outreach and recruitment. A workshop on post-secondary hurdles faced by minority and first-generation students was held in fall 2015. Anecdotal data collected during this workshop will be utilized to develop further workshops and resources. Task 1.2 Develop and Distribute Recruitment and Agricultural Awareness Materials Informational publications and resource materials remain available on the web site. This site is interactive and allows for analysis of resources. Surveys were collected from teachers/counselors and students at 29 high schools. Task 1.3 Site Visits, Demonstrations and Development Sessions Outreach visits were made to 29 high schools. Task 1.4 Community Development Sessions: A community event (Ag Day) was attended in Cherokee, with 140 attendees reached. FASM students participated in four tailgating events at ASU football games, providing awareness of the program, answering questions and serving meat from the program. Task 1.5 Leaders in Food Technology (LIFT) Program To further spread awareness of food careers, non-FASM majors (including animal science, ag science and leadership and range and wildlife management) were recruited into LIFT program during this reporting period. A push has been made to specifically target underrepresented students to participate in LIFT. This includes minorities, low-income and first-generation students. A total of eight entering freshman participated in LIFT with five graduate students acting as mentors throughout the week. Task 1.6 Improve Transfer and Articulation Between Junior Colleges and ASU Relationship building with junior colleges is ongoing. Two articulation agreements were completed prior to this reporting period. A third is being worked on. Task 2.1 Mentor Training One new graduate student was trained in mentor/mentee best practices. Task 2.2 Leaders in Agriculture Mentoring Beginnings (LAMBs) The LAMBs mentor program was very active during the year, with 13 undergraduate and five graduate students meeting 16 times. Task 2.3 Raising and Meeting Standards (RAMS) Staff members are working to collaborate RAMS with the LIFT program. Meetings with admissions personnel are ongoing to facilitate outreach and recruitment. Task 3.1 Scientific Technique Proficiency A total of eleven undergraduate students participated in undergraduate research and became proficient in sample preparation procedures for either general microbiological culturing protocols or TBA analysis of meat samples. Task 3.2 Food Safety Certifications Fourteen students trained in HACCP principles. Task 3.3 Internships, Undergraduate Research and Presentation In fall 2015, six students participated in undergraduate research, with topics ranging from various cooking methods used to cook lamb and pork to pathogen detection in sheep and on lamb carcasses using commercially available PCR systems; participants created electronic posters covering their research project topics and presented them to supervising faculty. In spring 2016, five students participated in undergraduate research with topics including TBA analysis of beef from various breeds to bacterial presence in show market steer and swine; participants created electronic posters covering their research project topics and presented them to supervising faculty. A total of four students took part in student internships, with one in fall 2015 and three in spring 2016. As part of their internship all students had to participate in a research project and present a professional presentation covering their project and internship experience. In addition, participants created electronic posters highlighting their internship experiences. All students within the FASM major and FSCI minor, as well as other agriculture students participated in an ag career day which included presentations and reciprocation sessions with various ag industry representatives, as well as a career fair attended by multiple ag industries including, NRCS, Seabaord Foods, HEB foods, and Texas AgriLife Extension.
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The funded project, "Developing Tomorrow's Meat & Food Scientists: A Program to Recruit and Retain Underrepresented Students," addresses the low number of Hispanics currently in food and agriculture careers. This issue is being addressed through several components: Outreach Recruitment Retention Graduation and graduate school/career placement The project uses a combination of resources including a video, informational pamphlets, in-person demonstrations, school/community visits and experiential learning programs to recruit and retain high school students and undergraduates into the meat and food science fields at ASU.The primary impacts of the project are increased enrollment and graduation rates of underrepresented students in post-secondary food and agricultural science programs, which will lead to greater representation in government and industry food and agricultural fields. As presented in the original grant application, a number of activities are taking place within this project, including: The development and distribution of video highlighting careers in agriculture to high schools. In-person visits to high schools following the screening of the video. These visits will include information on the AgForLife® model and food science/safety demonstrations. Articulation agreements developed with three junior colleges to facilitate transfer and retention. Development of a learning program called "Leaders in Food Technology," which engages participants in hands-on training and summer research. Experiential learning and internships. Undergraduate research. Training on industry-grade equipment. Obtaining food safety certifications. The target audience for this grant during the reporting period has included: New students in the program, with 12 added during the past year; Faculty and staff, with 25 trained in AgForLife®; High schools, with packets sent to 40 different schools; High school teachers and counselors, with 30 reached; Undergraduate researchers, with five participating; and High school students, with 300 reached. Changes/Problems: There was some confusion as per the original RFA, by the PIs and the evaluators regarding meta evaluation within this project. Money was set aside for this purpose in the original grant budget, but as of the beginning of the reporting period the PIs had not received solid information on whether they should be participating or how to do so. By the end of the reporting period, the PIs had received clarification on the Meta Evaluation and what steps they need to complete to fulfill these requirements. They are currently working on completing those requirements. Toward the beginning of the Fall semester the Outreach coordinator resigned to pursue another employment opportunity elsewhere. Due to the required protocol for refilling university positions, we have been without an outreach coordinator for an entire semester. This position aided in : Distributing recruitment and agriculture awareness materials; Making visits to at least 12 schools annually to discuss career opportunities; and Providing community development sessions. As of the time of this report, this position has been refilled and tasks that were delayed due to its vacancy are being completed. While the target numbers for this grant are relatively low (15 new students in FASM), the outreach activities have the potential to encourage large numbers of students to attend ASU, both in agriculture and other areas of study. The impact of intensive outreach as a result of these federal dollars could be felt for many years. In addition to the information above regarding outreach, the evaluators discussed setting up focus groups during the next formal site visit (spring 2015). These groups would ideally consist of 7-8 students in two groups: current students at all levels; and first-year students. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and professional development during the past year have included providing an AgForLife® workshop for faculty and staff; sending two staff members and two students to the Latinos in Agriculture Conference; workshops were held on unique post-secondary hurdles faced by minority and first-generation students; a grant presentation and outreach was completed with 30 high school teachers and counselors; a workshop was held to share mentor basics and to discuss specific needs of underrepresented students; and graduate students have been trained to serve as mentors in the LAMBS program. Training activities AgForLife®Outreach and Recruitment Workshop - PI's held the AgForLife®Workshop with Dr. Edward Romero, to discuss outreach, recruitment and retention goals, challenges and strategies. Approximately, 21 faculty and staff received training. Professional development Latinos in Agriculture Conference - two PI and two students attended the conference and were provided with valuable information to be used with future recruitment efforts. The conference also provided career development training for the students. AgForLife Workshop - PI's and AgForLife consultant met for a half-day session to discuss the use of the AgForLife careers in agriculture model and determine the most effective method of conveying the information to the target population. Reciprocal Meat Conference - PIs and thirteen students of which three are from underrepresented populations attended the national meetings of the American Meat Science Association. Students were members of competitive quiz bowl teams and were able to present their product development products as members of a product development team. Students also attended scientific presentations and career preparation seminars to gain valuable information. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach has been a primary component of this project, with the PIs specifically designing aspects of outreach to reach students in school districts who are not currently receiving information on ASU programs. In addition, results of outreach and research have been shared with other ASU faculty and staff; with mentors; through workshops and conferences; and with administration. Additionally, project information attained and products created can be found electronically via the project website ( http://www.angelo.edu/dept/agriculture/developing-tomorrows-meat-and-food-scientists.php) and issuu page (http://issuu.com/asumfs) . What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Based on the second year's activities and reports, the Project Evaluators have made several recommendations for accomplishing project goals in the next reporting period. We agree with their recommendations and plan to engage in the following activities beyond those already scheduled for the next reporting period: A late start on the project - due in large part to project updates made in conjunction with USDA -has resulted in some components to be slightly behind. The PIs recognize that this will require a request for an extension of the project into a fourth year. The evaluators agree. It should be noted that an extension should be requested specifically to complete tasks to meet objectives and not just to spend remaining funds. One data set that could be useful to have is information on students taking part in the Ag Living-Learning Community versus those who are not. This data could include grade point average, test scores, attendance records and retention rates, as well as qualitative data collected through surveys that would look at hours spent studying, satisfaction with the program and future plans. As outreach continues, it is recommended that current FASM majors attend outreach activities and be given substantial responsibility for making presentations at area schools. This will enable potential students to more clearly see the impact of the program. The PIs recognize the importance of serving each student in the program as effectively as possible. So, while they are working to actively recruit students, they are not going to increase numbers dramatically. Their focus is on graduating students and ensuring they are employed in the industry. Training opportunities are being created for faculty members. These focus on how to engage students, using Blackboard and promoting career awareness. The majority of outreach activities have taken place closer to ASU (typically within 45 minutes of campus). Project staff is working to reach out further, with site visits planned for locales up to three-and-a-half hours away. Administrators have identified six additional schools that have low enrollment rates at ASU that are now being focused on for outreach activities. Faculty members are encouraged to continue looking at additional grant opportunities, including a potential collaborative grant with community colleges extending and enhancing the longevity and efficiency of the current project. The project PIs are encouraged to evaluate grant opportunities in the USDA-NIFA HSI program. It is important that data is being collected that shows how many schools are visited and how many students are contacted during each visit. This data should be paired with survey results to illustrate which school visits have the biggest impacts on enrollments in FASM
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Task 1.1: Faculty and Staff Training and Awareness: Completed an AgForLife® workshop with faculty and staff. Twenty-five people attended from across campus. Four individuals (two staff and two students) attended the Latinos in Agriculture conference. They attended training sessions in multiple areas designed to increase awareness and the representation/success of Hispanic and other underrepresented students. A new departmental faculty member has been engaged as a project collaborator to assist with recruitment, retention and placement strategies. Workshops were planned around unique post-secondary hurdles faced by minority and first-generation students. One was held in spring 2015 and another is planned for fall 2015. Meetings with admissions personnel are ongoing to facilitate outreach and recruitment. Task 1.2 Develop and Distribute Recruitment and Agricultural Awareness Materials: The contract for use of the AgForLife® Model has been finalized. Resource packets for use by teachers and counselors were developed, with materials available online. Also completed were several publications: Pathways to Your Career Guide; FASM Informational Booklet; and DTMFS Resource Guide. All informational publications and resource materials are now published to the web site. This site is interactive and allows for analysis of resources. To assist with outreach, a contact list of 4-H agents was developed. An agreement was developed with Communications and Marketing to allow qualified students to work on translation using project funds. Translation is in progress for all printed resources. Electronic resource packets were sent to 40 schools. A grant presentation and outreach was completed with 30 high school teachers and counselors. Task 1.3 Site Visits, Demonstrations and Development Sessions: To ensure continued outreach and recruitment, a list was developed of specific target schools. Because of rules regarding human subjects research, project staff submitted protocol to the IRB, which will allow students to participate in pre- and post-surveys. Approval of survey tools for use in Fall 2015 was received from ASU-IRB Task 1.4 Community Development Sessions: The communities in six school districts have been identified as having lower secondary to post-secondary matriculation levels than the state average. They are being focused on for community outreach activities moving forward. Task 1.5 Leaders in Food Technology (LIFT) Program: While the 2014 LIFT program was cancelled, the 2015 program has been scheduled, with recruitment ongoing. The LIFT program was offered at the beginning of the Fall 2015 semester and had 5 participants Task 1.6 Improve Transfer and Articulation Between Junior Colleges and ASU: An outreach visit to Clarendon College was held in November 2014 and relationships with other institutions, including Howard College and Odessa College, are ongoing. Task 2.1 Mentor Training: A workshop was held to share mentor basics and to discuss specific needs of underrepresented students. Graduate students have been trained to serve as mentors in the LAMBS program. Trainings are being planned for Fall 2015. LAMBS meetings are currently ongoing with approximately 15 members from FSCI minor and FASM major degree tracts. LAMBS meet twice monthly. Task 2.2 Leaders in Agriculture Mentoring Beginnings (LAMBs): The first LAMBS meeting was held in January 2015, with seven mentees and three mentors. Meetings were held twice a month throughout the spring semester. LAMBS participants have received a resource binder, were given a Strengths Finder book and self-administered the strengths exam. They have also discussed time management, resumes, their strengths and have had a guest speaker discuss careers. Task 2.3 Raising And Meeting Standards (RAMS): 1. Meetings have been scheduled with the MCS director (Erika Baeza) to develop collaborations with RAMS for the 2015 LIFT summer program. Task 3.1 Scientific Technique Proficiency: Three courses in FSCI were utilized for this purpose. They were Food Microbiology; Introduction to Meat Science and Muscle Biology; and Introduction to Processed Meats. Across these courses, 90% of all students and 100% of FASM students demonstrated proficiency in laboratory techniques. (Proficiency is based on a content mastery of 70%.) Task 3.2 Food Safety Certifications: A new cross-listed (4300 undergrad, 5300 grad) course (Food Laws, Regulations and HACCP) was developed in Fall 2015 to provide students with pertinent information and allow for HACCP certification. This course is being offered to undergraduate and graduate students in Spring 2016 semester. Food Safety and Sanitation (ServSafe Certification) - This course is being offered to undergraduate students in Fall 2015. Task 3.3 Internships, Undergraduate Research and Presentation: In Fall 2014, five students participated in an undergraduate research project. In 2015, internships were developed with new companies: Five Star Custom Foods, HEB, Greens Groceries, AbiMar Foods and Labatt. Students have already been placed with Five Star, Greens Groceries, and HEB. Three students presented at the undergraduate research symposium in spring 2015. Two students completed summer 2015 internships.
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences reached during the current reporting period consisted of Angelo State University faculty and staff, high school teachers, high school students and 2-year college students. As this project nears the end of its first year, one major challenge has been staying on track with the projected timeline due to a later-than-expected project start. This was due in large part to changes that needed to be made in the scope of work and approved by the USDA. ASU faculty and staff, specifically Department of Agriculture faculty and staff, along with members of ASU’s Hispanic Serving Institution Steering Committee were briefed on the project summary, project objectives, specifics tasks and deliverables through several general and individual meetings as well as small workshops to increase the success and implementation of the project.Additionally, data and information was gathered for inclusion into various departmental recruiting documents and the pathways to agriculture recruiting video.ASU established initial contact with two high schools to begin the recruiting efforts in the classroom.Initial recruiting information and agriculture career pathways information was developed and purveyed to high school students and teachers while demonstrating food science in the classroom through various hands-on experimentation platforms.Work is on-going is this area to continue to develop interesting and informative hands-on experiment platforms, engaging students in agriculturally relevant scientific experimentation that can be completed in the classroom in a given amount of time.Approximately 40 high school students were reached in classroom settings and after school programs.Moreover, initial contact was developed with a new 2-year college regarding an articulation agreement.Through this arrangement project personnel were able to discuss the benefits of pathways of careers in food and agriculture sciences.Additionally, through enhanced recruiting efforts with 2-year colleges in the region and programming designed to increase student’s awareness of careers in food and agriculture science at ASU, two students were recruited into the Food Animal Science and Marketing degree and/or Food Science minor. Changes/Problems: As this project nears the end of its first year, one major challenge has been staying on track with the projected timeline due to a later-than-expected project start. This was due in large part to changes that needed to be made in the scope of work and approved by the USDA. As the project entered the spring 2014 semester, activities began in earnest. As of the date of this report, there was progress toward each objective and all of their related tasks, with some components – such as the video – completed. However, because of the initial stall in project progress, there may be a need to extend significant portions of the project into the fourth year to ensure that all objectives are sufficiently met. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Training activities AgForLife Consultant – PI’s convened multiple conference calls with the AgForLife consultant, Dr. Edward Romero, to discuss outreach, recruitment and retention goals, challenges and strategies. Professional development NIFA New PI Meeting – PI’s and one student attended meetings at the Beltsville, Maryland USDA complex and received valuable information pertaining to NIFA, USDA, careers in agriculture and project reporting related information. NACTA, Bozeman, MT – PI’s attended the annual NACTA conference and received valuable knowledge pertaining to innovative agricultural education techniques and NIFA briefing focusing on REEPort. Latinos in Agriculture Conference – PI and one student attended the conference and were provided with valuable information to be used with future recruitment efforts. The conference also provided career development training for the student. AgForLife Workshop – PI’s and AgForLife® consultant met for a half-day session to discuss the use of the AgForLife careers in agriculture model and determine the most effective method of conveying the information to the target population. Reciprocal Meat Conference – PI’s and twelve students of which three are from underrepresented populations attended the national meetings of the American Meat Science Association. Students were members of competitive quiz bowl teams and were able to present their product development products as members of a product development team. Students also attended scientific presentations and career preparation seminars to gain valuable information. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Present results include completion of the video, completion of the Opportunities in Agriculture Display and the recruiting databases. The video has been disseminated to the ASU campus community as well as the general public via social media, email and the website. The video is planned for extensive use as outreach and recruiting efforts begin in earnest. Dissemination of the information provided on the Opportunities in Agriculture display has occurred in targeted audiences consisting of career fairs, campus workshops and future outreach and recruitment efforts. The recruiting database, upon completion, has been shared with other interested faculty and staff, as well as ASU admissions personnel in order to enhance utilization of resources. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Based on the first year’s activities and reports, the Project Evaluators have made several recommendations for accomplishing project goals in the next reporting period. We agree with their recommendations and plan to engage in the following activities beyond those already scheduled for the next reporting period: As the Principal Investigators work toward submitting their Year 1 progress report, the following recommendations should be considered: Recruitment did not happen at the pace it was originally expected to during Year 1. As Year 2 begins, project staff will concentrate on reaching out to potential FASM students – including students already enrolled at ASU who might change their major or declare an FASM minor – to ensure that enrollment numbers are on track with projections. This process will include intensive follow-up with any students who have expressed an interest in the program. An intern or graduate student will be used to make follow-up phone calls with the interested students. Data for the project will be collected on a regular basis, with quantitative data including numbers of potential students reached, percentages of students receiving outreach who enroll in FASM and retention and completion figures for the program. Qualitative data will also be collected. A short survey will be finalized to be completed by high school students during outreach visits that will provide feedback on the presentation, enable them to express an interest in FASM if applicable and collect pertinent contact information for students who want to learn more. Progress on the AgForLife® component of the grant was significantly stalled early on based on some concerns pertaining to intellectual property. As of the date of this report, the contract for AgForLife® has been finalized, which will enable more movement on this piece of the project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The purpose of this project is to address the USDA identified problem of underrepresentation of Hispanics in food and agriculture careers through outreach, recruitment, retention, graduation and graduate school/career placement of students in these areas.To address these issues the project objectives seek to reduce the potential negative perception of opportunities available in agriculture in the target population by a coordinated approach that seeks to show students, parents, their mentors and the community of the available pathways in agriculture. To begin outreach and recruitment efforts, high schools with significant populations of underrepresented students were identified.After reviewing schools within the originally proposed target regions and the current ASU Department of Agriculture student body, an additional region was added to the grant outreach target area.During the reporting project period grant personnel identified approximately 310 schools within the targeted recruiting regions.The increase in identified high schools in the targeted region over that of the proposed amount (140 high schools) will allow project personnel to better disseminate grant material to a wider audience.This should serve to increase the student impact of the project.The project grant material consists of an ASU careers in agriculture video, ASU agriculture degrees resource guide and grant program pamphlets.Over the course of the first year project period the Career Pathways in Food and Agriculture Science video and data collection for informational pamphlets was completed.Additionally, in-person demonstrations began, school and community visits were initiated and experiential programs were further evaluated for inclusion into the current Food Animal Science and Marketing curriculum.These activities have created the framework for a successful second year of the grant period. Measurable results can be seen in efforts began with high school visits, 2-year college counseling sessions, number of students recruited into the Food Animal Science and Marketing programs, training of ASU admissions counselors and student attendance at national conferences. During completion of the recruiting database, two high schools were selected and approximately 40 students and 5 mentors were engaged in food science demonstrations and given agricultural career pathway information. Also, 20 2-year college students seeking transfer to a 4-year institution were advised of food and agriculture career pathways and transfer opportunities at ASU. As a result of outreach and recruiting efforts five additional students (three first time freshman and two 2-year college transfer) were recruited into the Food Animal Science and Marketing program or Food Science minor and are currently pursing degrees. Moreover, approximately 25 students were engaged in experiential learning events over the course of reporting period. Additionally, ASU admissions administration and staff received training on careers in agriculture and the Department of Agriculture at ASU. Lastly, three students attended a combination of two national conferences in which they were exposed to industry leaders, scientific inquiry, and career preparation information and were afforded the opportunity to present unique ideas and theories through competitions. The overall impact of these efforts has begun to address the goal of reducing the negative perception of lack of opportunities in food and agriculture sciences and has increased the number of students pursing degrees in these fields. Task 1.1: Faculty/Staff Training and Awareness The PIs planned and conducted their first stakeholder advisory meeting to discuss collaboration of campus resources (Jan. 12, 2014). Project PI designated as a member of the campus-wide HSI Steering Committee to more efficiently implement the grant (Feb. 5, 2014). PIs conducted a meeting with Dr. Edward Romero (AgForLife®) to discuss the phasing of workshops over the project period (January- February 2014). PIs tentatively scheduled workshops for the training of ASU faculty, staff and graduate students (February 2014). Meetwith HSI Outreach Coordinator, Multicultural Center and Admissions to discuss training (April 2014). Attended NACTA Conference in Bozeman, Mont., June 25-28, 2014. Task 1.2 Develop and Distribute Recruitment and Agricultural Awareness Materials The video has been completed. The final draft video was delivered June 2, 2014, and posted to the ASU web site (http://www.angelo.edu/dept/agriculture/) on June 4. The FASM web site has been developed, with an initial web site going live June 3. The collection of information took place between December 2013 and February 2014. Recruitment processes have begun, with the development of an initial resource packet, the completion of a master school rosterand the development of a Quick Reference Guide for school counselors. The development of survey tools has started. The master school list has been completed. The contract for use of the AgForLife®Model is completed. Task 1.3 Site Visits, Demonstrations and Development Sessions Contact was initiated with school districts surrounding ASU in March to schedule site visits. STEM demonstrations were developed for high school visits, as were student information packets. Site visits were held in March with Uvalde ISD and Roscoe Collegiate High School The development of a master school roster to include specific counselor data started in April. Meetings were held in June with multiple representatives from the admissions office to coordinate recruitment efforts within schools to maximize student contact. Task 1.4 Community Development Sessions Work began in March with ASU’s HSI Outreach Coordinator. Meetings were scheduled in April to further delineate responsibilities and needs for future community visits. Meetings were held in June with multiple representatives from the admissions office to coordinate recruitment efforts within schools and communities. Task 1.5 Leaders in Food Technology (LIFT) Program Recruitment and scheduling of tentative summer dates began in April, as did work on the LIFT application and planning. Task 1.6 Improve Transfer and Articulation Between Junior Colleges and ASU In January, new collaborations were created with Cisco College and Clarendon College. In May, further development was done on articulation agreements with Howard College and Odessa College. Task 2.1 Mentor Training Tentative meetings for the duration of the grant have been scheduled. Mentor program capacity and connections are currently being developed, with information received on mentorship best practices. The department began working in June with residential programs to determine Resident Advisors for Department of Agriculture Living Learning Community Task 2.2 Leaders in Agriculture Mentoring Beginnings (LAMBs) A roster of current FASM students was developed in April to migrate to the mentor program when it is fully operational. Best practices for mentor programs are being collected to develop training documents for mentors. Task 2.3 Raising And Meeting Standards (RAMS) 1. Meetings have been scheduled with the new MCS director (Erika Baeza) to discuss RAMS program and trainings. Task 3.1 Scientific Technique Proficiency 1. An assessment tool for the evaluation of students’ mastery on specified topics is being developed. Task 3.2 Food Safety Certifications 1. The International HACCP Alliance was contacted in December 2013 to obtain approval of curricula for the certification course. Task 3.3 Internships, Undergraduate Research and Presentation An internship pool is being developed, with new internship opportunities being developed with Five Star Custom Foods and Tyson. Work continued with USDA-FSIS and a site visit was conducted. A new design is being piloted for an undergraduate research course with further development of poster presentations for undergraduate research information.
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