Performing Department
Agriculture Science
Non Technical Summary
The specific instructional problem and opportunity to be addressed is the student recruitment and retention in the food and agricultural sciences (FAS). The FAS programs at Southern University-Baton Rouge (SUBR) rank first in student retention and graduation rate among the SUBR's nine undergraduate degree divisions. However, the FAS programs as a whole ranks near the bottom in student enrollment. FAS programs at SUBR include (1) Agricultural Sciences and Urban Forestry and (2) Family and Consumer Sciences. The proposed project seeks to highlight how science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematic (STEAM) are an integral part of the FAS as a means to enhance our undergraduate student recruitment. The approach should enhance FAS recruitment of students on and off campus. The project team will target over 4,000 campus students over the duration of the grant. The on-campus efforts of the project will target undergraduate students in the Freshman Seminar and Freshman Composition courses. We will have the ability to establish a long term "on campus" focus in showing the relevancy of agriculture in a broader context. The focus is consistent with the National Academy of Sciences Report of 2009, which encouraged institutions of higher education on the need to broaden the treatment of agriculture in the overall undergraduate learning experiences (NAS, 2009a and NAS, 2009b). The project goals and objectives contribute to all of USDA goals. Similarly, the project addresses all five areas and goals within SUBR Strategic Plan. The top priority at SUBR is students (recruitment, retention and graduation). The project objectives deal with building the FAS undergraduate student enrollment. The project will target three high schools in Louisiana and on campus SUBR students. The project will conduct LA-STEAM summer research enrichment activities; establish a long term on-campus pipelining of students to the FAS; and attract on-campus college students for research learning opportunities. At least 50-150 new students will enroll in the food & agricultural sciences (FAS) each year due to LA-STEAM.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to increase student enrollment, retention and graduation in the food and agricultural sciences programs. The specific objectives include: 1. To conduct a LA-STEAM summer research enrichment activities, 2. To establish a long term on-campus pipelining of students to the FAS, and 3. To attract on-campus college students for research learning opportunities
Project Methods
Procedures for Accomplishing Objective 1 (To conduct LA-STEAM summer research enrichment activities)Each year, approximately 20 high school students will participate in objective 1. The application packages will be mailed to high schools within 80 miles radius of SUBR. Students will gain hands-on learning experiences in research using one of the learning modules stipulated. The deadline for the applications will be March 15th of each year. Students will be notified by April 15th of each year of their selection to the program. There is a stipend for each high school student upon completion of the program activities during the six week period. Student research activities will be team-oriented. Effort will be made to select students that are in close proximity to each other. Each student team will have a mentor. The mentor will guide the group research enrichment. Student research enhancement topics are to be provided by the project. The project director and co-project directors will select the research modules after consultation with the student teams. Additional research modules will be added, if necessary.The students' selection criteria will include: being a high school sophomore, junior, or senior; a GPA of 2.5 or better or an ACT score of 18 or higher; and/or student shows a strong interest in the FAS based upon the student's essay on why they should be accepted into the program. Each of the student groups must complete a research or produce a report that includes: title page; table of contents; introduction; experiential learning module; objectives; show how STEAM principles are an integral part of your module; experimental module protocol; statistical analysis; results and discussion; summary; and literature cited. The typed paper (minimum of 10 pages), will be graded on subject matter, comprehension, synthesis, knowledge, analysis, accuracy, and completeness, exposition of materials, grammar, spelling, and appearance. All research modules must have at least two or three of the STEAM principles.Procedures for Accomplishing Objective 2 (To establish a long term on-campus pipelining of students to the FAS)Each year, at least 1,500 on-campus students will become aware of the FAS programs. Each semester STEAM demonstrations connecting to FAS and guest lecturers will be provided by the FAS faculty and staff to large number of freshman and sophomore students in the freshman seminar and freshman composition courses a SUBR. The University College is where over 4,000 freshmen, sophomore, and junior students are enrolled, prior to transferring into a major program after completing a prescribe number of student credit hours. Each year, at least 1,500 students in the Freshmen Seminar 110 and Freshman Seminar 111 will be prime target for recruitment. Students attending will be given a pre-post survey of their first, second and third discipline interest. If an FAS program is in a student listing, then we'll target these students for further recruitment. From this approach, we hope to increase our FAS student enrollment by 50% each year.Also, each year, one FAS Day will be held at the University College Complex. Demonstration at the FAS Day will have at its core to show the STEM side of FAS. Demonstrations inclusive of ethanol production, food safety, biodiesel production, animal heath, food labeling, organic garden weed and pest control, obesity awareness etc. will be a part of the activities.The campus FAS Day will be a means of showing the relevance of STEM in the FAS to the broader campus. A selected number of these students will be allowed to participate in making biodiesel and ethanol. The demonstrations and learning activities will assist the FAS in being the major leader in SUBR's institutional goal of developing a viable student exposure on activities related to the green economy.Procedures for Accomplishing Objective 3 (To attract on-campus college students for research learning opportunities)A college research institute (CRI) will be established. At least 10 to 20 students each year will be targeted to work on existing National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) research project conducted by research scientists on the campus. The students must be classified as sophomore, junior, or senior. The selected students will participate on an existing campus NIFA projects. Selected students will receive stipends upon completion. To be eligible, the selected students must have at least a sophomore standing (60 credit hours) and be accepted by the scientist directing the research. Additional benefits gained by the students include gaining "hands on experiences" prior to doing an intern or working in the marketplace. The objective of the CRI will be to select college students for year-round research experiences with research scientists on existing projects.