Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:High School Students, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students - Hispanic Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Year 1 - The program has an extensive agenda for career development programs already in place. Consortium-wide, we sent students to the MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science) conference from March 31- April 2, 2016. Upon return, all consortium students participated in the Agroecology Symposium with a USDA Career Development Workshop on April 25, 2016. Students covered many topics in this workshop- USDA mission, personality test, career panels, resume workshop, career strategy, introductions, etc. FIU is also currently offering a professional development workshop series for its students, with current topics on mentorship, concept mapping, and women in science. The summer student exchange program to help cross-fertilize agri-science program at FIU-UTRGV-NMSU through a number of experiential learning and professional activities. Year 2 -During the reporting year, our program focused on emphasizing professional and technical training. The consortium offered existing and new courses, colloquia, agri-science major (FIU), agri-science program (UTRGV), Agroecology Certificates, workshops, modules, field courses, and other research and educational training opportunities. About 75% of the students recruited have been engaged in research experiential learning activities. Altogether, 18 of our program students participated in 54 research projects or activities, i.e., almost three research projects per student. Nearly all of the students are currently participating in some form of experiential learning mentoring. We find that one of the most influential aspects in the students' success in the project is the experiential learning that they are exposed to. The students benefit greatly through internships, peer mentoring, undertaking research, and others; all of our students are able to take advantage of these opportunities in this program. Students report the variety of experiential learning opportunities have improved their connection to the school and the surrounding community. Peer mentoring has built camaraderie and provided leadership. Experiential learning activities has shown them different paths that they may follow after graduation. Their participation in the project is helping them to visualize themselves in other opportunities besides medicine and engineering, which most students know. The program students also have involved themselves in 13 community engagement activities. In addition, the program students made about 18 poster or oral presentations at eight different national and regional conferences and agenda. Almost all of the students had opportunity to take part in the same workshops orconferences. These conferences allowed students to network with students of other colleges and universities, USDA agencies, graduate schools and industry representatives. Throughout the year, we also conducted four online and 21 inperson professional technical workshops on campuses. The topics covered in the professional workshops and symposia included: business etiquette, resume building, internship application workshop, interviewing skills, and navigating the federal government. Technical workshops and symposia included tissue culture, pollinator insects, identification of plant diseases, plant propagation, and multiple topics on Soils. Year 3 -During the reporting year, our program focused on emphasizing professional and technical training. The consortium offered existing and new courses, colloquia, agri-science major (FIU), agri-science program (UTRGV), Agroecology Certificates, workshops, farm tours, modules, field courses, and other research and educational training opportunities. About 80% of the students recruited have been engaged in research experiential learning activities. Altogether, 25 of our program students participated in 50 research projects or activities, i.e., almost two research projects per student. Nearly all of the students are currently participating in some form of experiential and experimental learning. We find that one of the most influential aspects in the students' success in the project is the experiential learning that they are exposed to. The students benefit greatly through internships, peer mentoring, undertaking research, and others; all of our students are able to take advantage of theseopportunities in this program. Students report the variety of experiential learning opportunities have improved their connection to the school and the surrounding community. Peer mentoring has built camaraderie and provided leadership. Experiential learning activities has shown them different paths that they may follow after graduation. Their participation in the project is helping them to visualize themselves in other opportunities besides medicine and engineering, which most students know. The program students also have involved themselves in 15 community engagement activities. In addition, the program students made about 25 poster or oral presentations at ten different national and regional conferences and agenda. Almost all of the students had opportunity to take part in the same workshops or conferences. These conferences allowed students to network with students of other colleges and universities, USDA agencies, graduate schools and industry representatives. Throughout the year, we also conducted four online and 25 in-person professional technical workshops on campuses. The topics covered in the professional workshops and symposia included: business etiquette, resume building, internship application workshop, interviewing skills, and navigating the federal government. Technical workshops and symposia included tissue culture, pollinator insects, identification of plant diseases, plant propagation, and multiple topics on Soils. Year 4 -Internships experience, leadership building, presentation skills, career jobs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Year 1 - Local, regional, national conferences participation, Institutions news media outlet, BASE program website, Cultivator newsletter. Year 2 -The BASE students have presented in local, regional, and national events sharing their research experiences in agriculture, environmental sciences, and biology. The opportunity for all our students to present their work in their specific research or internship experience is fundamental towards fomenting a scene of pride and long-lasting engagement in the area of agriculture. Presentations are among the most difficult of activities for most of our students. However, after they are done, they feel that they accomplished a great step in their career. 75% our students so far have completed at least one presentation through the project and they now feel better about their communication skills. The BASE Program is becoming increasingly popular among students, area high schools and community colleges, farmers and community organizations. BASE students have participated in about 13 different community engagement activities during the year. The program has worked to provide K-12 and general community outreach through school visits, tours, presentations, and educational activities. Besides symposia, conferences, publications, BASE program activities disseminated through websites of three institutions, social media - agroecology face book, and our own CULTIVATOR newsletter. Year 3 - The BASE students have presented in local, regional, and national events sharing their research experiences in agriculture, environmental sciences, and biology. The opportunity for all our students to present their work in their specific research or internship experience is fundamental towards fomenting a scene of pride and long-lasting engagement in the area of agriculture. Presentations are among the most difficult of activities for most of our students. However, after they are done, they feel that they accomplished a great step in their career. 80% our students so far have completed at least one presentation through the project and they now feel better about their communication skills. The BASE Program is becoming increasingly popular among students, area high schools and community colleges, farmers and community organizations. BASE students have participated in about 15 different community engagement activities during the year. The program has worked to provide K-12 and general community outreach through school visits, tours, presentations, and educational activities. Besides symposia, conferences, publications, BASE program activities disseminated through websites of three institutions, social media - agroecology face book, and our own CULTIVATOR newsletter. Year 4 - FIU News, Cultivator Newsletter, UTRGV news, NMSU news, Agroecology symposium, NACTA conference, AAHHE conference. 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 project was to enable underrepresented students at three South Florida, Texas, New Mexico universities to develop scientific skills in biological, agriculture and natural resource sciences and to find a career in USDA or related agencies, or to advance to higher education. Specifically our goal was to recruit and graduate 15 Hispanic undergraduate students and 11 masters' students (total 26 students) in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences As a consortium, a total of 35students (24 bachelors + 11masters) have been recruited, mentored, superived, graduated during the projectyear. Fifteen of the students are male and twentyare female. Twentyundergraduate and ninemaster's students have graduated or will graduate by the end of Fall2020. 100% of the students are retained by the end of the fifthyear. One hundred percent of the students served are Hispanic. Thus, we have met 100% percent of our fifthyear recruitment goal. Our second objective was develop students' scientific and career skills in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences through a newly implemented agri-science major, curricular enrichment, and challenge-based learning. Each institution has offered both experimental and experiential based opportunities in ag-related fields. Each student supported under BASE is involved in either assisting in research projects or developing and executing his/her own project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Efforts include the following: FIU students were enrolled in a variety of agri-science courses including Introduction to Horticulture, Modern Crop Production, Sustainable Agriculture, agroecology, Soils and Ecosystem, and a new course, Farm Economics and Management. FIU undergraduate students also engaged in on-campus undergraduate research projects and weekly organic garden workday (six hours weekly). UT-RGV's Campus Garden continued to engage students in experiential learning, with students dedicating five to six hours per week of hands-on activities. UT-RGV students also developed a lab-based hands-on research project that required statistical data analysis and poster preparation. Six students were successful in getting competitive grants to carry out research projects. Provided students opportunities to attend several conferences, develop interactive networking and leadership skills. NMSU students involved in experiential and experimental learning at the campus organic field. Students were also attended several conferences including American Society for Agronomy - Crop Science Society of America - Soil Science Society of America National conference. The third objective was to broaden agriculture education through enhanced institutional collaboration. Our collaboration aims to conduct annual interactive workshop by bringing three institutions students and faculty together and gain knowledge transfer, develop networking, provide opportunities for graduate education, and career jobs. Three students traveled to participate in the annual BASE Project Collaborators' Workshop in Texas which included networking with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) faculty, staff, and students under the BASE Project, attended the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Meeting, and toured UTRGV facilities, research sites, and associated farms. One student presented his summer internship experience with the USDA Economic Research Service at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 31st Annual Conference in San Diego, California. Another student presented her research at the 2017 ASA, CSSA, & SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. One student attended 2018 HSIs New Project Directors' Meeting in Washington D.C. Students presented their research at the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Agroecology Symposium at FIU. FIU hosted students from UTRGV and NMSU with an interactive workshop on Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture this year. Students attended the MANRRS 33rd Annual Career Fair and Training Conference in Greenboro, NorthCarolina. The fourth objective is to help place Hispanic/minority students in USDA and other agencies. We are making progress; however, it is still too early to have placed students in permanent positions with the USDA. One student who graduated during BASE year 2 was employed by local nursery Casaplanta Garden Center before moving to Tallahassee, Florida. The other student who graduated during BASE year 2 intends to apply for graduate school. Another student who graduated during BASE year 1 is currently employed at a farm located in Connecticut. One student is currently interning at both LNB Groves and Casaplanta Garden Center. It is likely that four students will intern over the summer at the USDA ARS SHRS. Of the 24 undergraduates, two students are conducting summer internships at HACU (USDA Washington DC) and NSF, four internships at USDA-ARS-Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, one at USDA Invasive Species Lab, two at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Albuquerque NM, one at USDA-ARS, Mission TX, one at UTRGV Center for Rural Advancement and McAllen Farmers Market, and one at USDAAPHIS, Mission TX, and the rest as undergraduate research interns at their respective institutions, local farms, or other organizations. Graduate students served as judges at the Florida FFA District 12 Leadership Development Contest as well as at the South Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Graduate students assisting with the execution of the 6-week long 2017, 2018, 2019 Agroecology High School Student Summer Internship Program. One graduate student received prestigeous Fulbright Fellowship making an impact in Panama. Please refer to progress reports for full details of accomplishments throughout the project period. Studnets and faculty made significant number of presentations, workshops, conference attaendance, peer-reviewed publication. They are all reported in progress reports. We continie to acknowledge USDA-NIFA-HSI Award Number 2015-38422-24075 in our peer-reviewed publications and shared with our Program Leader.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Highschool students, undergraduate and graduate students. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Internships experience, leadership building, presentation skills, career jobs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?FIU News, Cultivator Newsletter, UTRGV news, NMSU news, Agroecology symposium, NACTA conference, AAHHE conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We continue to meet the listed project goals 1. Strengthen institutional educational capacity for agri-science curricula, 2. Recruit, support and retain Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students in food and agricultural sciences and create a pipeline between secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, 3. Establish cooperative and collaborative initiatives between three Hispanic Serving Institutions, and 4. Provide experiential learning opportunity and leadership building. Keep tracking our BASE students their career growth. Submit final report at the end of project period.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overall goal of this project was to enable underrepresented students at three South Florida, Texas, New Mexico universities to develop scientific skills in biological, agriculture and natural resource sciences and to find a career in USDA or related agencies, or to advance to higher education. Specifically our goal was to recruit and graduate 15 Hispanic undergraduate students and 11 masters' students (total 26 students) in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences As a consortium, a total of 34 students (24 bachelors + 10 masters) have been recruited during the reporting year. Fifteen of the students are male and ninteen are female. Fifteen undergraduate and seven master's students have graduated or will graduate by the end of Summer 2019. 100% of the students are retained by the end of the fourth year. One hundred percent of the students served are Hispanic. Thus, we have met 95% percent of our fourth year recruitment goal. Our second objective was develop students' scientific and career skills in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences through a newly implemented agri-science major, curricular enrichment, and challenge-based learning. Each institution has offered both experimental and experiential based opportunities in ag-related fields. Each student supported under BASE is involved in either assisting in research projects or developing and executing his/her own project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Efforts include the following: FIU students were enrolled in a variety of agri-science courses including Introduction to Horticulture, Modern Crop Production, Sustainable Agriculture, agroecology, Soils and Ecosystem, and a new course, Farm Economics and Management. FIU undergraduate students also engaged in on-campus undergraduate research projects and weekly organic garden workday (six hours weekly). UT-RGV's Campus Garden continued to engage students in experiential learning, with students dedicating five to six hours per week of hands-on activities. UT-RGV students also developed a lab-based hands-on research project that required statistical data analysis and poster preparation. Six students were successful in getting competitive grants to carry out research projects. Provided students opportunities to attend several conferences, develop interactive networking and leadership skills. NMSU students involved in experiential and experimental learning at the campus organic field. Students were also attended several conferences including American Society for Agronomy - Crop Science Society of America - Soil Science Society of America National conference. The third objective was to broaden agriculture education through enhanced institutional collaboration. Our collaboration aims to conduct annual interactive workshop by bringing three institutions students and faculty together and gain knowledge transfer, develop networking, provide opportunities for graduate education, and career jobs. Three students traveled to participate in the annual BASE Project Collaborators' Workshop in Texas which included networking with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) faculty, staff, and students under the BASE Project, attended the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Meeting, and toured UTRGV facilities, research sites, and associated farms. One student presented his summer internship experience with the USDA Economic Research Service at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 31st Annual Conference in San Diego, California. Another student presented her research at the 2017 ASA, CSSA, & SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. One student attended 2018 HSIs New Project Directors' Meeting in Washington D.C. Students presented their research at the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Agroecology Symposium at FIU. FIU hosted students from UTRGV and NMSU with an interactive workshop on Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture this year. Students attended the MANRRS 33rd Annual Career Fair and Training Conference in Greenboro, NorthCarolina. The fourth objective is to help place Hispanic/minority students in USDA and other agencies. We are making progress; however, it is still too early to have placed students in permanent positions with the USDA. One student who graduated during BASE year 2 was employed by local nursery Casaplanta Garden Center before moving to Tallahassee, Florida. The other student who graduated during BASE year 2 intends to apply for graduate school. Another student who graduated during BASE year 1 is currently employed at a farm located in Connecticut. One student is currently interning at both LNB Groves and Casaplanta Garden Center. It is likely that four students will intern over the summer at the USDA ARS SHRS. Of the 24 undergraduates, two students are conducting summer internships at HACU (USDA Washington DC) and NSF, four internships at USDA-ARS-Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, one at USDA Invasive Species Lab, two at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Albuquerque NM, one at USDA-ARS, Mission TX, one at UTRGV Center for Rural Advancement and McAllen Farmers Market, and one at USDAAPHIS, Mission TX, and the rest as undergraduate research interns at their respective institutions, local farms, or other organizations. Graduate students served as judges at the Florida FFA District 12 Leadership Development Contest as well as at the South Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Graduate students assisting with the execution of the 6-week long 2017, 2018, 2019 Agroecology High School Student Summer Internship Program. One graduate student received prestigeous Fulbright Fellowship making an impact in Panama.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Targeted Audience: Undergraduate and graduate students primarily belonging to Hispanic origin in Florida, Texas, and New Mexico. Changes/Problems:The main challenge within the consortium is having students placed in USDA internships through the pathways system. No one got the pathway internship this year. Two students received the HACU and NSF internship. We have tried various methods to address this issue, including having students apply to multiple opportunities at a time. We also have tried opportunities at private farms and other educational research organizations. In the past years of the USDA grants, we had the assistance of the former USDA HSI Liaison for Florida and Puerto Rico in Miami. That office is currently vacant. Having that position filled is critical to having continued relationship with USDA agencies for internship and job placements. While our current amount of fund withdrawn from USDA is not 100%, more than 75% of the year three grant fund is already obligated and by the year end (August), we will have encumbered most of the budget including meta-evaluation. Note that most of our activities, including internships, took place this summer. The invoices from the collaborators are at various stages of submission, approval, and disbursal. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the reporting year, our program focused on emphasizing professional and technical training. The consortium offered existing and new courses, colloquia, agri-science major (FIU), agri-science program (UTRGV), Agroecology Certificates, workshops, farm tours, modules, field courses, and other research and educational training opportunities. About 80% of the students recruited have been engaged in research experiential learning activities. Altogether, 25 of our program students participated in 50 research projects or activities, i.e., almost two research projects per student. Nearly all of the students are currently participating in some form of experiential and experimental learning. We find that one of the most influential aspects in the students' success in the project is the experiential learning that they are exposed to. The students benefit greatly through internships, peer mentoring, undertaking research, and others; all of our students are able to take advantage of these opportunities in this program. Students report the variety of experiential learning opportunities have improved their connection to the school and the surrounding community. Peer mentoring has built camaraderie and provided leadership. Experiential learning activities has shown them different paths that they may follow after graduation. Their participation in the project is helping them to visualize themselves in other opportunities besides medicine and engineering, which most students know. The program students also have involved themselves in 15 community engagement activities. In addition, the program students made about 25 poster or oral presentations at ten different national and regional conferences and agenda. Almost all of the students had opportunity to take part in the same workshops or conferences. These conferences allowed students to network with students of other colleges and universities, USDA agencies, graduate schools and industry representatives. Throughout the year, we also conducted four online and 25 in-person professional technical workshops on campuses. The topics covered in the professional workshops and symposia included: business etiquette, resume building, internship application workshop, interviewing skills, and navigating the federal government. Technical workshops and symposia included tissue culture, pollinator insects, identification of plant diseases, plant propagation, and multiple topics on Soils. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The BASE students have presented in local, regional, and national events sharing their research experiences in agriculture, environmental sciences, and biology. The opportunity for all our students to present their work in their specific research or internship experience is fundamental towards fomenting a scene of pride and long-lasting engagement in the area of agriculture. Presentations are among the most difficult of activities for most of our students. However, after they are done, they feel that they accomplished a great step in their career. 80% our students so far have completed at least one presentation through the project and they now feel better about their communication skills. The BASE Program is becoming increasingly popular among students, area high schools and community colleges, farmers and community organizations. BASE students have participated in about 15 different community engagement activities during the year. The program has worked to provide K-12 and general community outreach through school visits, tours, presentations, and educational activities. Besides symposia, conferences, publications, BASE program activities disseminated through websites of three institutions, social media - agroecology face book, and our own CULTIVATOR newsletter. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have reasonably accomplished our targets for the second year, i.e., 90% of the third year recruitment target. The remaining 10% is for graduate students recruitment that we plan to accomplish in year four. We will continue to help our students to apply for USDA jobs; give them training or advice on how to prepare job application, engage them in research and engagement activities, impart interview sills, and encourage them for higher education. About ten students were conducting internship in the USDA already. Two undergraduate and one master students have graduated during the year. We are making progress. We are meeting our goals. Three institutions conduct quarterly conference calls to review the activities and progress. We also communicate on regular basis to address any issues. We have reached 100% of year 3 undergraduate recruitment target and 75% graduate level target. Students already identify themselves as a part of a larger learning community, with more than 10 students having made 18 poster or oral presentations at national and regional conferences, a number of them taking part in local community engagement projects, and almost all of them conducting lab or organic garden training projects. We plan to continue to engage students in the above professional and academic activities in the coming years. We also plan to complete our recruitment target in the third year.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overall goal of this project was to enable underrepresented students at three South Florida, Texas, New Mexico universities to develop scientific skills in biological, agriculture and natural resource sciences and to find a career in USDA or related agencies, or to advance to higher education. Specifically our goal was to recruit and graduate 15 Hispanic undergraduate students and 11 masters' students (total 26 students) in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences As a consortium, a total of 31 students (24 bachelors + 7 masters) have been recruited during the reporting year. Forteen of the students are male and seventeen are female. Eight undergraduate and three master's students have graduated or will graduate by the end of Summer 2018. 100% of the students are retained by the end of the third year. One hundred percent of the students served are Hispanic. Thus, we have met 90% percent of our third year recruitment goal. Our second objective was develop students' scientific and career skills in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences through a newly implemented agri-science major, curricular enrichment, and challenge-based learning. Each institution has offered both experimental and experiential based opportunities in ag-related fields. Each student supported under BASE is involved in either assisting in research projects or developing and executing his/her own project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Efforts include the following: FIU students were enrolled in a variety of agri-science courses including Introduction to Horticulture, Modern Crop Production, Sustainable Agriculture, Agroecology, Soils and Ecosystem, and a new course, Farm Economics and Management. FIU undergraduate students also engaged in on-campus undergraduate research projects and weekly organic garden workday (six hours weekly). UT-RGV's Campus Garden continued to engage students in experiential learning, with students dedicating five to six hours per week of hands-on activities. UT-RGV students also developed a lab-based hands-on research project that required statistical data analysis and poster preparation. Four students were successful in getting competitive grants to carry out research projects. Provided students opportunities to attend several conferences, develop interactive networking and leadership skills. NMSU students involved in experiential and experimental learning at the campus organic field. Students were also attended several conferences including American Society for Agronomy - Crop Science Society of America - Soil Science Society of America National conference. The third objective was to broaden agriculture education through enhanced institutional collaboration. Our collaboration aims to conduct annual interactive workshop by bringing three institutions students and faculty together and gain knowledge transfer, develop networking, provide opportunities for graduate education, and career jobs.Three students traveled to participate in the annual BASE Project Collaborators' Workshop in Texas which included networking with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) faculty, staff, and students under the BASE Project, attended the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Meeting, and toured UTRGV facilities, research sites, and associated farms. One student presented his summer internship experience with the USDA Economic Research Service at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 31st Annual Conference in San Diego, California. Another student presented her research at the 2017 ASA, CSSA, & SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. One student attended 2018 HSIs New Project Directors' Meeting in Washington D.C. Students presented their research at the 2018 Agroecology Symposium on March 29th at FIU. Students attended the MANRRS 33rd Annual Career Fair and Training Conference in Greenboro, North Carolina. The fourth objective is to help place Hispanic/minority students in USDA and other agencies. It is still too early to have placed students in permanent positions with the USDA. One student who graduated during BASE year 2 was employed by local nursery Casaplanta Garden Center before moving to Tallahassee, Florida. The other student who graduated during BASE year 2 intends to apply for graduate school. Another student who graduated during BASE year 1 is currently employed at a farm located in Connecticut. One student is currently interning at both LNB Groves and Casaplanta Garden Center. It is likely that four students will intern over the summer at the USDA ARS SHRS Of 24 undergraduates, two students are conducting summer internships at HACU (USDA Washington DC) and NSF, four internships at USDA-ARS-Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, one at USDA Invasive Species Lab, two at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Albuquerque NM, one at USDA-ARS, Mission TX, one at UTRGV Center for Rural Advancement and McAllen Farmers Market, and one at USDA-APHIS, Mission TX, and the rest as undergraduate research interns at their respective institutions, local farms, or other organizations. Graduate students served as judges at the Florida FFA District 12 Leadership Development Contest as well as at the South Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Two of the graduate students will also assist with the execution of the 6-week long 2018 Agroecology High School Student Summer Internship Program. One graduate student received prestigeous Fulbright Fellowship starting Fall 2018.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Krish Jayachandran, Mahadev Bhat, Kateel Shetty, Alexis Racelis, Kulbhushan Grover, and Rolston StHilare. Broadening Agricultural Science Education for Hispanic Students through Florida-Texas-New Mexico Consortium. New PDs Meeting, Washington, DC
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Garcia, A, K. Grover, B. Schutte, B. Stringam, and D. VanLeeuwen. 2018. Evaluating guar genotypes under various irrigation regimes in southwestern New Mexico. Proceedings, 72nd Annual Meeting of the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society, Monte Alto, TX
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Garcia, A, K. Grover, B. Schutte, B. Stringam, and D. VanLeeuwen. 2017. Performance of selected guar genotypes in southern New Mexico. NMSU Graduate Research and Arts Symposium.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Vargas, K., I. Guzman, and P. Bosland. 2018. Carotenoids analysis of diverse yellow peppers in New Mexico. Proceedings, Annual New Mexico Chile Conference.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Krish Jayachandran, M. G. Bhat, K.G. Shetty, A. Khoddamzadeh, E. Beatancourt. An Innovative Agricultural Science Education at a Non-Land-Grant University. 2018 NACTA Conference, Iowa State University, Ames. IA. June 12 - 15, 2018.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Jennifer Gil-Acevedo, Miroslav Gantar, Krish Jayachandran and K. G. Shetty. Sensitivity of Marine Cyanobacteria and Green Microalgae to Nano and Bulk Zinc Oxides. Agroecology Symposium. FIU. March 29th, 2018.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Barraza, G.A., Khoddamzadeh, A.A., Freidenreich, A., Riera, D., Jayachandran, K. and Shetty, K. 2017. Non-Destructive Handheld Sensors for Sustainable Fertilizer Management in Justifia brandegeana. Agroecology Symposium. FIU. March 29th, 2018.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
www.agroecology.fiu.edu
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Krish Jayachandran. Sustainable food production in campus gardens. Tuesday Time Table Discussion
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Cultivator - Newsletter
|
Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Faculty, and the Community primarily belonging to Hispanic origin in Florida, Texas, and New Mexico. Changes/Problems:The main challenge within the consortium is having students placed in USDA internships through the pathways system. No one got the pathway internship this year. Two students received the HACU and NSF internship. We have tried various methods to address this issue, including having students apply to multiple opportunities at a time. We also have tried opportunities at private farms and other educational research organizations. In the past years of the USDA grants, we had the assistance of the former USDA HSI Liaison for Florida and Puerto Rico in Miami. That office is currently vacant. Having that position filled is critical to having continued relationship with USDA agencies for internship and job placements. While our current amount of fund withdrawn from USDA is not 100%, more than 80% of the year two grant fund is already obligated and by the year end (August), we will have encumbered most of the budget except for the meta-evaluation. Note that most of our activities, including internships, took place this summer. The invoices from the collaborators are at various stages of submission, approval, and disbursal. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the reporting year, our program focused on emphasizing professional and technical training. The consortium offered existing and new courses, colloquia, agri-science major (FIU), agri-science program (UTRGV), Agroecology Certificates, workshops, modules, field courses, and other research and educational training opportunities. About 75% of the students recruited have been engaged in research experiential learning activities. Altogether, 18 of our program students participated in 54 research projects or activities, i.e., almost three research projects per student. Nearly all of the students are currently participating in some form of experiential learning mentoring. We find that one of the most influential aspects in the students' success in the project is the experiential learning that they are exposed to. The students benefit greatly through internships, peer mentoring, undertaking research, and others; all of our students are able to take advantage of these opportunities in this program. Students report the variety of experiential learning opportunities have improved their connection to the school and the surrounding community. Peer mentoring has built camaraderie and provided leadership. Experiential learning activities has shown them different paths that they may follow after graduation. Their participation in the project is helping them to visualize themselves in other opportunities besides medicine and engineering, which most students know. The program students also have involved themselves in 13 community engagement activities. In addition, the program students made about 18 poster or oral presentations at eight different national and regional conferences and agenda. Almost all of the students had opportunity to take part in the same workshops or conferences. These conferences allowed students to network with students of other colleges and universities, USDA agencies, graduate schools and industry representatives. Throughout the year, we also conducted four online and 21 in-person professional technical workshops on campuses. The topics covered in the professional workshops and symposia included: business etiquette, resume building, internship application workshop, interviewing skills, and navigating the federal government. Technical workshops and symposia included tissue culture, pollinator insects, identification of plant diseases, plant propagation, and multiple topics on Soils. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The BASE students have presented in local, regional, and national events sharing their research experiences in agriculture, environmental sciences, and biology. The opportunity for all our students to present their work in their specific research or internship experience is fundamental towards fomenting a scene of pride and long-lasting engagement in the area of agriculture. Presentations are among the most difficult of activities for most of our students. However, after they are done, they feel that they accomplished a great step in their career. 75% our students so far have completed at least one presentation through the project and they now feel better about their communication skills. The BASE Program is becoming increasingly popular among students, area high schools and community colleges, farmers and community organizations. BASE students have participated in about 13 different community engagement activities during the year. The program has worked to provide K-12 and general community outreach through school visits, tours, presentations, and educational activities. Besides symposia, conferences, publications, BASE program activities disseminated through websites of three institutions, social media - agroecology face book, and our own CULTIVATOR newsletter. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have reasonably accomplished our targets for the second year, i.e., 75% of the second year recruitment target. The remaining 25% is for graduate students recruitment that we plan to accomplish in year three and four. We will continue to help our students to apply for USDA jobs; give them training or advice on how to prepare job application, engage them in research and engagement activities, impart interview sills, and encourage them for higher education. About ten students were conducting internship in the USDA already. Two undergraduate and one master students have graduated during the year. We are making progress. We are meeting our goals. Three institutions conduct quarterly conference calls to review the activities and progress. We also communicate on regular basis to address any issues. We have reached about 93% of year 2 undergraduate recruitment target and 100% graduate level target. Students already identify themselves as a part of a larger learning community, with more than 10 students having made 18 poster or oral presentations at national and regional conferences, a number of them taking part in local community engagement projects, and almost all of them conducting lab or organic garden training projects. We plan to continue to engage students in the above professional and academic activities in the coming years. We also plan to complete our recruitment target in the third year.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overall goal of this project was to enable underrepresented students at three South Florida, Texas, New Mexico universities to develop scientific skills in biological, agriculture and natural resource sciences and to find a career in USDA or related agencies, or to advance to higher education. Specifically our goal was to recruit and graduate 15 Hispanic undergraduate students and 11 masters' students (total 26 students) in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences As a consortium, a total of 18 students (14 bachelors + 4 masters) have been recruited during the reporting year. Two undergraduate and two master's students have graduated or will graduate by the end of Summer 2017. 100% of the students are retained by the end of the second year. One hundred percent of the students served are Hispanic. Thus, we have met 75% percent of our second year recruitment goal. Our second objective was develop students' scientific and career skills in agriculture, plant and environmental sciences through a newly implemented agri-science major, curricular enrichment, and challenge-based learning. Each institution has offered both experimental and experiential based opportunities in ag-related fields. Each student supported under BASE is involved in either assisting in research projects or developing and executing his/her own project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Efforts include the following: FIU students were enrolled in a variety of agri-science courses including Introduction to Horticulture, Modern Crop Production, Sustainable Agriculture, Agroecology, Soils and Ecosystem, and a new course, Farm Economics and Management. FIU undergraduate students also engaged in on-campus undergraduate research projects and weekly organic garden workday (six hours weekly). UT-RGV's Campus Garden continued to engage students in experiential learning, with students dedicating five to six hours per week of hands-on activities. UT-RGV students also developed a lab-based hands-on research project that required statistical data analysis and poster preparation. Two students were successful in getting competitive grants to carry out research projects. Provided students opportunities to attend several conferences, develop interactive networking and leadership skills. NMSU students involved in experiential and experimental learning at the campus organic field. Students were also attended several conferences including American Society for Agronomy - Crop Science Society of America - Soil Science Society of America National conference. The third objective was to broaden agriculture education through enhanced institutional collaboration. Our collaboration aims to conduct annual interactive workshop by bringing three institutions students and faculty together and gain knowledge transfer, develop networking, provide opportunities for graduate education, and career jobs. Students and faculty from FIU and UTRGV travelled to NMSU and received overview of NMSU programs in Plant &Environmental Sciences organized by Drs. Grover and St. Hilaire. They also received overview of research and extension program on sustainable crop production and guar as a potential drought tolerant alternative and specialty crop. The group also visited Cooperative Farmer's Market; USDA Certified Organic Student Research and Education Gardens, a facility at NMSU campus to provide research and experiential learning training opportunities in organic agriculture and agroecology. Students also toured the NMSU Fabian Garcia Plant Research Center and Plant and Environmental Sciences research laboratories and state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities on campus. Students also attended part of the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference as part of the exchange program. (February 18-19, 2017) The fourth objective is to help place Hispanic/minority students in USDA and other agencies. It is too early to place students in USDA for jobs, but we have successfully reached out to local USDA agencies, USDA ARS Beltsville, local farms and businesses, and other non-governmental organizations. Of 14 undergraduates, two students are conducting summer internships at HACU (USDA Washington DC) and NSF, two internships at USDA-ARS-Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, one at USDA Invasive Species Lab, one at Jamaica sustainable agriculture farm, one at Italy Sustainable Farming Systems, one at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Albuquerque NM, one at USDA-ARS, Mission TX, one at UTRGV Center for Rural Advancement and McAllen Farmers Market, and one at USDA-APHIS, Mission TX, and the rest as undergraduate research interns at their respective institutions, local farms, or other organizations.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Katharine Jones (2017). Ecosystem services of bats in subtropical agroecosystems. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Annual Meeting. Weslaco, TX. Feb 3. (Poster Presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Robert Mier, Raul Ruiz-Arce, Warren Even Braswell and Alexis Racelis (2017) Mitochondrial DNA variation within the ND2-COI tRNA region for the members of the Anastrepha fraterculus group. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Annual Meeting. Weslaco, TX. Feb 3. (Poster Presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Habraham Lopez, J. Goolsby, A, Vacek, A. Racelis. (2017) Impacts on nitrogen in mass rearing of Rhizaspodiotus donacis, biological control agent for giant reed. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Annual Meeting. Weslaco, TX. Feb 3 (Poster Presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Diana Cantu, Pushpa Soti, Alexis Racelis (2017) Integrating cover crops in organic vegetable farming systems in south Texas. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Annual Meeting. Weslaco, TX. Feb 3. (Poster Presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Habraham Lopez, J. Goolsby, A, Vacek, A. Racelis. (2017) Impacts on nitrogen in mass rearing of Rhizaspodiotus donacis, biological control agent for giant reed. Hispanic Serving Institutions Program Project Directors Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. Feb 16-18. (Poster Presentation-Update)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Duarte, E., Vandenberg, K., Khoddamzadeh, A.A., Supurna, D., Mathee, K. and Jayachandran, K. 2016. Panax Ginseng Extracts as a Novel Antibiotic. ASHS Annual Conference. Atlanta, Georgia.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Font, A., Khoddamzadeh, A.A., Supurna, D., Mathee, K. and Jayachandran, K. 2016. Anti-Bacterial Properties of the Annona Montana. ASHS Annual Conference. Atlanta, Georgia.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Barraza, G.A., Khoddamzadeh, A.A., Riera, D. and Jayachandran, K, Shetty, K. Handheld Sensors Application for Fertilizer Management in Landscaping Ornamental Justifia Brandegeana. 2016. ASHS Annual Conference. Atlanta, Georgia.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Betancourt, E., M. G. Bhat, K. Jayachandran, K. Shetty and A. Khoddamzadeh. Innovative Curriculum for Agriculture Training and Career for Hispanics. Poster Presented at the USDA HSI National Project Directors Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 2017.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Diana Cantu, Pushpa Soti, Alexis Racelis (2017) Integrating cover crops in organic vegetable farming systems in south Texas. Hispanic Serving Institutions Program Project Directors Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. Feb 16-18. (Poster Presentation-Updated)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Amrita Singh, Brad Christoffersen, Dan Johnson, Liang Wei, Chonggang Xu, Nate McDowell, and Alex Racelis. (2017) Gap-filling plant trait data for Earth System Models. Hispanic Serving Institutions Program Project Directors Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. Feb 16-18.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Robert Mier, Raul Ruiz-Arce, Warren Even Braswell and Alexis Racelis (2017) Mitochondrial DNA variation within the ND2-COI tRNA region for the members of the Anastrepha fraterculus group. Hispanic Serving Institutions Program Project Directors Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. Feb 16-18.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Habraham Lopez, J. Goolsby, A, Vacek, A. Racelis. (2017) Impacts on nitrogen in mass rearing of Rhizaspodiotus donacis, biological control agent for giant reed. Hispanic Serving Institutions Program Project Directors Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. Feb 16-18.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Diana Cantu, Pushpa Soti, Quentin Van Camp, Alexis Racelis (2017) Insect diversity in cover crops in organic vegetable farming systems in south Texas. UTRGV Engaged Scholars Research Symposium. Edinburg, TX. April 18.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Krish Jayachandran, Mahadev Bhat, and Kateel Shetty. 2016. Experiential and Experimental Learning Approaches in Agriculture Sciences at Florida International University. Poster presentation at NACTA Annual Conference, June, 21-24, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Barraza, G.A., Khoddamzadeh, A.A., Freidenreich, A., Riera, D., Jayachandran, K. and Shetty, K. 2017. Non-Destructive Handheld Sensors for Sustainable Fertilizer Management in Justifia brandegeana. USDA HSI Principal Investigators' Meeting Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Rodriguez A., Khoddamzadeh, A.A., Vendrame, W., Jayachandran K. and Freidenreich, A. 2017. Poinsettia Fertilizer Management: Application of Optical Sensor Technology. Agroecology Symposium. Miami, Florida.
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Various recruitment activities have been conducted simultaneously in all three partner institutions -FIU, UTRGV, NMSU. Each institution prepared and distributed its own publicity brochures and flyers campus-wide, visited various classes, workshops and seminars, and participated in open-houses. We also have met with undergraduate advisers of individual departments. We reviewed each application thoroughly for their merit, commitment, and interest. If an application passed this first phase, the student was invited to interview with the project director, co-directors, and project manager. After a successful interview (phase two), the student was invited back to sign a commitment letter and to discuss long term research and activity goals, as well as strategies for successful completion of the program. As a consortium, we have recruited 11 undergraduate students and 3 master's students (FIU-5 + 1 MS; UTPA - 3 + 1 MS; NMSU - 3 + 1 MS), representing 56% of our goal. We are committed to selecting only those students with genuine interest in agriculture sciences and USDA employment and a high likelihood of successful completion and commitment. Our target audiences are highschool students, community college students, college freshmen, sophomores, juniors Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The program has an extensive agenda for career development programs already in place. Consortium-wide, we sent students to the MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science) conference from March 31- April 2, 2016. Upon return, all consortium students participated in the Agroecology Symposium with a USDA Career Development Workshop on April 25, 2016. Students covered many topics in this workshop- USDA mission, personality test, career panels, resume workshop, career strategy, introductions, etc. FIU is also currently offering a professional development workshop series for its students, with current topics on mentorship, concept mapping, and women in science. The summer student exchange program to help cross-fertilize agri-science program at FIU-UTPA-NMSU through a number of experiential learning and professional activities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Local, regional, national conferences participation Institutions news media outlet BASE program website Cultivator newsletter What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue the plan of activities to meet the program goals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
At FIU a new major in Agri-Science is currently available, as a part of the curricula we have developed three new courses (Modern Crop Production, Introduction to Horticulture and Integrated Pest Management) and two new lab based Horticulture and Soil Science courses. The undergraduate students are involved in mandatory multi-disciplinary advanced laboratory experiments, service learning projects and field trips. The graduate program in Environmental Studies with a focus on agroecology requires students to engage in thesis research. UTPA undergraduate and graduate program in environmental science and biology offers courses relevant to FANRRS (e.g., genetics, plant diseases and pests, restoration ecology, environmental sciences and agroecology. Similarly, NMSU undergraduate and graduate program in plant and environmental sciences offers courses in sustainable crop production, environmental sciences, genetics, soils, agronomy and horticulture. As per our program, each student engaged in research experience projects, community engagement projects, and USDA internships. As of now, every student admitted into the program already has or will soon have a faculty mentor to guide each of their research projects. The program is also satisfactorily progressing towards integrating technology and social-media into agri-science curricula. The program has an extensive agenda for career development programs already in place. Consortium-wide, we sent students to the MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science) conference from March 31- April 2, 2016. Upon return, all consortium students participated in the Agroecology Symposium with a USDA Career Development Workshop on April 25, 2016. Students cover many topics in this workshop- USDA mission, personality test, career panels, resume workshop, career strategy, introductions, etc. FIU is also currently offering a professional development workshop series for its students, with current topics on mentorship, concept mapping, and women in science. The summer student exchange program helped to cross-fertilize agri-science program at FIU-UTPA-NMSU through a number of experiential learning and professional activities. At FIU we conducted International Workshop on Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture (IWASA) during the summer, 2016. Undergraduate students from UTPA and NMSU attended this workshop and in collaboration with FIU BASE faculty and students.
Publications
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