Source: TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY - TIAER submitted to NRP
RETENTION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO INCREASE SUCCESSFUL GRADUATES OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN THE ANIMAL AND FOOD SCIENCE INDUSTRY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1008536
Grant No.
2015-38503-24396
Cumulative Award Amt.
$45,220.00
Proposal No.
2015-08344
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2015
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2017
Grant Year
2015
Program Code
[WAM]- Women and Minorities in STEM Fields-old
Recipient Organization
TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY - TIAER
201 Saint Felix Street
STEPHENVILLE,TX 76402
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
We request funding to support an innovative effort to recruit women and minority students from historically underserved communities into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by supporting promising students in undergraduate research. Grant funds will be used to acquire an IDEXx Procyte Veterinary Hematology Analyzer. Ten promising undergraduates (freshman or sophomore) will be recruited from among the campus community and paired with faculty research mentors from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Recruitment of undergraduate assistants will be supported by the competitive award of stipends. Stipends will be awarded by committee of faculty researchers headed by the Project Director, and funded with grant funds in FY2016. Undergraduate Researchers will also work alongside current Graduate Research Assistants. Graduate Research Assistants have been identified that are currently conducting research on swine and quail physiology, but additional Graduate Research Assistants may be added to the program if they become available.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
3053899102033%
3013810108133%
3050820115034%
Knowledge Area
305 - Animal Physiological Processes; 301 - Reproductive Performance of Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
0820 - Wild birds; 3899 - Other animals, general; 3810 - Horses, ponies, and mules;

Field Of Science
1081 - Breeding; 1020 - Physiology; 1150 - Toxicology;
Goals / Objectives
The primary objectives of this project are to: (1) increase retention and graduation rates of women and minority students in the Animal Science and Veterinary Technology department; (2) develop a mentoring program of support students; (3) provide workshops to develop women and minority students' knowledge, techniques, soft skills, and confidence; (4) increase the number of women and minority students who are actively involved in research and applied science techniques as well as the process of experience of presenting findings at symposiums and conferences; (5) develop alternative methods to maintain student involvement and communication among non-traditional students; (6) increase the number of women and minorities who pursue careers in the industry of animal science.
Project Methods
There are two major components of this program: (1) the seminar component: designed to develop skills, work habits, knowledge and professionalism; (2) the research component: designed to give students the opportunity to work on research projects in animal health, nutrition, behavior and welfare, and production. Both aspects of the project will have a concurrent peer and faculty mentoring component via graduate students and participating faculty. The classroom/seminar component will be designed to enhance the academic success and competitiveness to acquire a job or assistantship for a graduate degree in a desired area of the industry via knowledge and exposure to research and the scientific process. The seminar program will be tiered to promote a successive development from incoming students to graduating students who are considering their immediate and long term career goals. Each participating faculty (those sponsoring participating students)will present selected seminar topics. Applied learning activities aimed at keeping the students involved will be produced by upperclassmen and faculty mentors. These activities will include research projects as well as trips to conferences, and industry businesses/laboratories.Seminars will include research concepts including ethics, the scientific method, and proposal writing. The study design seminarwill include topics such as sampling strategies, variability and study applications. The data analysis will include data management, introduction to statistical applications as well as inference and presentation. Each student will be required to present a research proposal at the conclusion of the seminars. Five candidates will be selected to be awarded a stipend to perform a proposed research project. Students who are not selected will be encouraged to continue with their proposed projects by soliciting institutional funding already in place for undergraduate research. The faculty will escort students to various symposiums and meetings to expose the participants to the industry, other presentation of findings, networking and to experience the conference environment. The purpose of having students attend meetings as undergraduates is twofold. To stimulate critical thinking, and excite those who may be interested in science, but may not have a perspective of the scope and significance of science. Funding for student travel to present findings is already in place at Tarleton State University and year four is a no cost continuation of the project that will also serve as a component of the effectiveness of the program on student development. Twice per month, students will have the opportunity to engage with one another and with leaders in the Animal and Food Science Industry fields through Twitter chats utilizing a common hashtag. In addition to these chats, program participants will have the opportunity to interact with one another throughout the semester utilizing the same common hashtag.MethodsTo evaluate the effectiveness of the program, we plan to utilize the following evaluation and assessment techniques: (1) Pre and Post Program Questionnaire - Each participant in the program will complete a questionnaire during the first face-to-face meeting and the last face-to-face meeting of each semester. Questions will focus on the participant's career goals, education goals, interest in undergraduate research, and their reflections about the academic semester. (2) Assessments will compare students to similar student cohort groups (programs). Student course grades will be compared to a similar cohort program such as Honors College participants or Learning Community participants. Additional a student satisfaction survey will be provided to all students to determine individual program value to student and the relevance of WAMS program participation to career goals and overall level of satisfaction of college experience. (3) Participant GPA - The program will gather the grade point average for each program participant at the beginning and end of each semester. (4) Participant Focus Groups - Participants will interact in focus groups at the beginning of the semester, mid-semester, and at the end of the semester. The researchers conducting these focus groups will feature questions focused on career goals, education goals, and interest in undergraduate research.

Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:We have focused on helping students (primarily young women and minorities) to expose them to the scientific process. We have five young women on stipends, but there are also six others who are also participating in the projects thanks to the funding provided for projects. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These students have been exposed to training and policieson Animal Care and Use,ethical procedures in science, experimentaldesign and problem solving. They have also been trained in applied skills such as collection of data (blood draws, IDEXX diagnostics, ELISA assays), that can directly or indirectly benefit them in a career. Three of the students have received job offers in the industrybefore graduation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Finished work has been presented at various meetings via oral presentations and posters. Posters are also hung in the halls in the University for students to see the work done by their peers, which may aid in recruiting new students. 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 studentshave been introduced to the scientificprocess from the idea- experimental design- planning and are currently working on their projects. We have gone over field work, sample collection, sample processing, and laboratory analysis (bench time). They have all been able to work with the IDEXX machine and mostutilized it in their projects for sample analysis. They have experienced lab meetings to which they were expected to bring updates on their work so far. They also actively participated in discussion of other projects as the meeting took a collaborative approach. I believe that the program has significantly increased theirselfconfidence as well as their feelings of being a part of something which is important in retentionof students.Even though this project onlyfundedtime forsix students, money from undergraduate research funds from the university and other grants were leveraged with this grant to expose more students.The IDEXX and laboratory supplies were available to a total of 12students who were working onundergraduate research. The titles of some of the ongoing research are: Emily McGehee: The Effects of a chronic, low-dose of Gossypol on reproductive. Johnathan Baker: Effects of Chronic, Low-Dose Gossypol on Seminal Characteristics and Vitality in Swine. Shelby Ayedelotte: Effects of Chronic, Low-Dose Gossypol on Fertility and Immune function in gilts. Of the eight students who have been able to finish their projects, 6 of them have presented at a meeting. Two studentswon top awards in competitions (1st and 2nd). Four of the 8 would like to continue with research and/or are considering attending graduate school. Five of the 8 feel that the experience taught them valuable skills to use in their careers. Six of the 8 feel more confident in problem solving skills. Six of 8 of them expressed that the experience has positively changed their perception of science and research. Five assistant professors (across two departments)have been able to collaborate and work with the students involved. This has been helpful for them in building their programs as well. Because this projectwas partially funded for only one year, it will bedifficult to providethe longer term data originally desired, buttheimpacts of the project on themare evident. The faculty and graduate students are did an excellent job mentoring the undergraduates. This was a very synergistic project that allowedstudents and young faculty communicate ideas and theoryin groupmeetings, as well as on a one to one basis.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Christie A, Harris Bozer A, Guay K, Ridges R, Exploring an Animal Model of Diabetic Retinopathy in Swine: Progress and Applications Journal of Veterinary and Animal Science, Submitted August 2017
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Effects of CSM on Boar semen (reduction and recovery rate) as a means to mediate feral hogs in Texas. The 66th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science: Jonathan Baker
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Gut flora, muscle lactate, and correlations with immune function after treatment of a multi-faceted probiotic


Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:We have focused on helping students (primarily young women and minorities) to expose them to the scientific process. We have five young women on stipends, but there are also six others who are also participating in the projects thanks to the funding provided for projects. Changes/Problems:Because the project was partially funded and limited to one year, we had to remove the organized scheduledworkshops. The screening and recruiting of students was managed by individual faculty instead of committee. However, we did have lab meetings with formal disscussions regarding experimental method and design, trainings in IDEXX, CASA (computer assisted semen analysis),and IACUC and extensive one on one mentoring. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These students have been exposed to training and policieson Animal Care and Use,ethical procedures in science, experimentaldesign and problem solving. They have also been trained in applied skills such as collection of data (blood draws, IDEXX diagnostics, ELISA assays), that can directly or indirectly benefit them in a career. Three of the students have received job offers in the industrybefore graduation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Finished work has been presented at various meetings via oral presentations and posters. Posters are also hung in the halls in the University for students to see the work done by their peers, which may aid in recruiting new students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This project is finished.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The studentshave been introduced to the scientificprocess from the idea- experimental design- planning and are currently working on their projects. We have gone over field work, sample collection, sample processing, and laboratory analysis (bench time). They have all been able to work with the IDEXX machine and mostutilized it in their projects for sample analysis. They have experienced lab meetings to which they were expected to bring updates on their work so far. They also actively participated in discussion of other projects as the meeting took a collaborative approach. I belive that the program has significantly increased theirselfconfidence as well as their feelings of being a part of something which is important in retentionof students.Even though this project onlyfundedtime forsix students, money from undergraduate research funds from the university and other grants were leveraged with this grant to expose more students.The IDEXX and laboratory supplies were available to a total of 12students who were working onundergraduate research. The titles of some of the ongoing research are: Emily McGehee: The Effects of a chronic, low-dose of Gossypol on reproductive. Johnathan Baker: Effects of Chronic, Low-Dose Gossypol on Seminal Characteristics and Vitality in Swine. Shelby Ayedelotte: Effects of Chronic, Low-Dose Gossypol on Fertility and Immune function in gilts. Of the eight students who have been able to finish their projects, 6 of them have presented at a meeting. Two studentswon top awards in competitions (1st and 2nd). Four of the 8 would like to continue with research and/or are considering attending graduate school. Five of the 8 feel that the experience taught them valuable skills to use in their careers. Six of the 8 feel more confident in problem solving skills. Six of 8 of them expressed that the experience has positively changed their perception of science and research. Five assistant professors (across two departments)have been able to collaborate and work with the students involved. This has been helpful for them in building their programs as well. Because this projectwas partially funded for only one year, it will bedifficult to providethe longer term data originally desired, buttheimpacts of the project on themare evident. The faculty and graduate students are did an excellent job mentoring the undergraduates. This was a very synergistic project that allowedstudents and young faculty communicate ideas and theoryin groupmeetings, as well as on a one to one basis.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Matlock, C., K. Guay, T. Jones, and H. Matthewson. 2016. Subdermal, 72mg slow-release melatonin effects on mare estrous induction. Proc. VIIth International Scientific Symposium. Bydgoszcz- Ciechocinek, Poland.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Fisher, J., A. Okichich, H. Mathewson, and K. Guay. 2016. Toxicity and Reproduction of Northern Bobwhite Quail. Proc. TAMU Pathways Conference. Prairie View, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Fuentes, M. D., T. N. Jones, and K. A. Guay. 2016. Evaluation of Immune Response in Piglets During Ear Notching, Teeth Clipping, and Tail Docking. Proc. TAMU Pathways Conference. Prairie View, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Okichich, A., T. Schwertner, K. Guay, and H. Mathewson. 2016. Acute Toxicity of Gossypol on Northern Bobwhites. Proc. VIth North American Ornithological Conference, Washington, D.C., USA. 1620.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Laurent, A., K. Guay, T. Jones, Sawer, J., and T. Schwertner. 2016. The Effects of gestational n-3-fatty acid supplement diet on stress indicators and inflammatory response in piglets during castration and tail docking. Proc. VIIth International Scientific Symposium. Bydgoszcz- Ciechocinek, Poland.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Smithermann, L., K. Guay, and C. L. Matlock. Immune response of a Subdermal, 72mg slow-release melatonin in mares. 2016. Proc . Tarleton State University Research Symposium, Stephenville, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: " Fuentes, M. D., T. N. Jones, and K. A. Guay. 2016. Evaluation of Immune Response in Piglets During Ear Notching, Teeth Clipping, and Tail Docking. Proc. Tarleton State University Research Symposium, Stephenville, TX.