Source: RECINTO UNIVERSITARIO MAYAGUEZ submitted to
ENCOURAGING CAREERS IN FOOD SECURITY AND SAFETY: A MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATIVE APPROACH IN PUERTO RICO
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1009896
Grant No.
2016-38422-25541
Project No.
PR.W-2016-03473
Proposal No.
2016-03473
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
NJ
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2016
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2021
Grant Year
2019
Project Director
Rivera, L. I.
Recipient Organization
RECINTO UNIVERSITARIO MAYAGUEZ
259 BLVD ALFONSO VALDES
MAYAGUEZ,PR 00680-6475
Performing Department
Crops and Agro-Environmental
Non Technical Summary
Worldwide, plant and food-borne pathogens pose significant hazards to the food supply. At the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) we are conscious of the importance of preparing a robust mass of Hispanic scientists well trained to diagnose plant diseases and food-borne pathogens. Through a multi-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborative agreement between Inter American University-San German, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce and University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla, lead by UPRM, we will train and expose a substantial number of underrepresented Hispanics minorities to food security and food safety issues. This collaborative agreement will provide curricula enhancement, research experiences, internships opportunities within USDA agencies and non-profit organizations, as well as faculty professional development, among others. In addition, we will outreach middle and high schools students through summer camps and field days. Approximately, 760 middle and high school students; 3,024 undergraduate students; five M.S. and one Ph.D., will benefit from the results of this collaborative agreement among scientists from all participating HSIs of Puerto Rico. Our final goal will be to increase the critical mass of Hispanic agricultural scientists pursuing careers in NIFA HIS priority areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2121099104058%
5023450110018%
5032499202024%
Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants; 503 - Quality Maintenance in Storing and Marketing Food Products; 502 - New and Improved Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
1099 - Tropical/subtropical fruit, general/other; 3450 - Milk; 2499 - Plant research, general;

Field Of Science
1040 - Molecular biology; 2020 - Engineering; 1100 - Bacteriology;
Goals / Objectives
The goals of this multi-institutional collaborative project are:a) Strengthen capacities of four HSI's to develop and enhance faculty, curriculum, instruction methodology, and scientific instrumentation to serve underrepresented students in Puerto Rico in areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.b) Recruit, retain, and support Hispanics undergraduate and graduate students from Puerto Rico and prepare them for careers in areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.c) Encourage collaborative initiatives among four HSI's, public and private organizations and agencies in Puerto Rico, to potentiate the development and use of resources and to improve food security, food safety teaching programs.d) Sustain activities and consolidate interactions and collaborations among four HSI's to enhance educational equity for underrepresented students of Puerto Rico in areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.Objectives:Three project objectives are emphasized:1) Train middle and high school students of the PR's public education system in disciplines related to food security, food safety, agricultural biotechnology and natural resources, through hands-on activities and learning workshop experiences.2) Strengthen ties and capacities of collaborating Puerto Rican HSIs to develop and enhance faculty, improve curriculum, introduce new methods of instruction, and acquire equipment to improve infrastructure; to better serve undergraduate and graduate students in areas of (but not limited to) food security and food safety.3) Increase by 20% the number of students pursuing careers in food security and safety from all collaborating HSIs after their participation in practical learning experiences such as research mentoring and internships in USDA agencies and private sector.
Project Methods
Plan of Operation and Methodology:To achieve objective 1, public school students will be encouraged to participate in summer camps and field trips.Anually efforts will be placed in organizing two summer camps at southern and western regions of PR to offer hands-on workshops on different topics related to food safety, food security, agricultural biotechnology and natural resources. A total of 90 public school students will be trained in the use and application of techniques commonly used in plant pathology, food microbiology, agricultural biotechnology, entomology and natural resources.In addition, once a year a field trip will be organize to attract a total of 30 students from two agricultural schools of the Central region of PR. They will be exposed to field experiences of agricultural production systems, crop management practices, and plant pathology and plant in vitro propagation laboratory facilities.To accomplish objective 2, various strategies will be implemented focused on promoting faculty and students professional development. These are: new trends in science workshops; on-line course creation; changes in curriculum; and acquisition of laboratory equipment (details of the activities are described in products section).To accomplish Objective 3, various strategies will be implemented to increase by 20% the number of students pursuing careers in food security and safety from all collaborating HSIs. Practical learning experiences will prepare students with knowledge, skills and capabilities to successfully pursue careers in public and private sectors. To ensure the fulfillment of the proposed strategies a program coordinator will safeguard the efficient and proper management of funds and resources (details of the activities are described in products section).A major effort will be placed in undergraduate student research mentoring and insternships in topics of food security, food safety, and related areas. Annually, among all participating HSIs the project will provide funds for 44 students to participate in a research experiences.In addition, annually, the project will provide internships to selected students (11 per collaborating HSI) interested in areas related to food security, food safety, natural resources and conservation of collaborating HSIs. The "Role Model" Rotational Seminars will be coordinated every semester among all collaborating HSIs, USDA agencies and a non-profit organization participating in this project, to promote interest in careers related to food, agriculture and natural resources.Annually, workshops on communication skills in English, development of effective communication strategies, preparation of scientific presentations, and writing a resume will be organized at each participating HSI. Research assistantships will be offered to selected graduate students to pursue M.S. (n=3) or Ph.D. (n=1) in topics related to food security and safety.Evaluation Plans: The UPRM Office of Institutional Research will provide baseline registration data of student number and the number completing the different programs. These baseline numbers will be compared to determine changes in student enrollment or graduating yearly. Student follow-up will be done to measure the effectiveness of these initiatives.Funding for a data collector and a Meta evaluation were set aside fro this purpose. In addition, an independent evaluator will be recruited to assist in the development of assessment instruments and annually document project outcomes and impacts. This documentation will be used to make adjustments or modifications on the implementation of strategies for the following year. An advisory board will be recruit in the field of plant pathology to advanced education of underrepresented students.

Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:During FY 2020-2021, ECaFSS organized twenty-one (21) on-line and presential activities with the participation of 869 Hispanic minorities. Of these 98 were K-12 students, 595 undergraduates and 45 graduate students, 111 faculty/staff of participating HSI's and community members. In addition, ECaFSS students attended other activities non-organized by the project such as: Biotechnology Webinars, Latino-American Symposium on Microbiomes, Workshops of Food Waste Management, Electronic Portfolio and Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP). All ECaFSS goals were accomplished during this period. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During FY 2020-2021, ECaFSS organized twenty-three (23) on-line and presential activities with the participation of 869 persons (see details below). Of these 98 were K-12 students, 595 undergraduates, 45 graduate students, 111 faculty/staff of participating HIS's and community members. In addition, ECaFSS students attended other activities non-organized by the project such as: Biotechnology Webinars, Latino-American Symposium on Microbiomes, Workshops on Food Waste Management, Electronic Portfolio and Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project accomplishments were disseminated and communicated through our web page at https://www.uprm.edu/ecafss and in commonly used social web tools (i.e. ECaFSS facebook page). Posters were prepared to announce universities' communities various ECaFSS activities such as New-trends in Science and Role Model Webinars, Faculty Training Workshops, Summer Camps, Professional Skills Development Workshops and 4th ECaFSS Symposium, among many others. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the course of five years (2016 to 2021), ECaFSS, a multi-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborative project, surpassed the number of underrepresented Hispanics minorities (n=5,265) exposed to NIFA priorities of food security and safety in the island of Puerto Rico, with ample participation of faculty, staff, students, administrative personnel and community members. Our proposed objectives stated to directly impact over 3,790 students (as per Project Narrative, Feb. 2016) through a series of educational activities. An array of activities were organized and coordinated to reach our goals. Among them: summer camps and field days directed to K-12 students of the PR's public education system, undergraduate and graduate research mentoring, summer internships, role model and new-trends-in science seminars, creation of an online course on Fundamentals of Pest Risk Analysis, professional trainings and scientific workshops, students presentations in scientific forums, visits to agriculture and food production facilities at governmental agencies and the private sector, voluntary work, among many others. Over all, 312 K-12 students benefited from ten (10) summer camps and six (6) field days that were organized by project staff, in despite of the impact of Hurricane Maria (Sept. 2017), and the Covid-19 pandemic which restricted the full capacity of these activities. The field days impacted a total of 230 K-12 students, who visited the UPR-Agricultural Experimental Station, Corozal, PR to learn about food biosecurity in topics of crop production and agricultural practices. At HSI's participating institutions, the project proposed to impact a total of 44 students enrolled in undergraduate research mentoring (11 per semester per institution). At the end of the 5th year, an average total of 33 undergraduate students per semester participated of research mentoring. Most students presented their research findings at different scientific forums and had the opportunity to publish their research in symposia proceedings or other forms of scientific publications. We propose to grant six (6) graduate assistantships, during the course of the project, an average total of nine (9) graduate research assistantships were granted per semester among all institutions. Many of these students have graduated and are pursuing graduate school degrees or have been recruited by ARS-USDA, APHIS, NRCS, FS and the private sector, in areas of food security and safety, or related sciences. We proposed a total of four (4) New-trends-in Science Seminars impacting a total of 160 persons from the academic community. The project actually delivered five (5) New-trends-in Science Seminars, impacting a total of 253 persons, of these 240 were students. Among the topics covered were metagenomics, phytobiomes, nanotechnology, climate change and sustainable food practices for future agriculture, among others. These topics were and still are being gradually incorporated into existing courses at the different participating institutions. In relation to the Role Models seminars/webinars, we proposed eight (8) and we delivered thirty (30) Role Model Seminars/Webinars with a total audience of 1,793 including faculty, staff, students (n=1,700) and community members. Four (4) workshops for faculty development were proposed for the five-year period. A total of six (6) were actually delivered with 136 attendees among them faculty, staff and students (n=70). A total of 123 summer internships opportunities were granted to undergraduate students of a 44 initially proposed. A total of 151 student's oral and poster presentations were delivered at different scientific forums with 145 publications during the 5-year project period. Over 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students from participating institutions took part of multiple professional and leadership activities organized by ECaFSS project and by other organizations or interest groups. Such activities included four (4) ECaFSS Student's Symposia, professional association conferences, student's lab meetings for demo purposes, voluntary work and other professional advancement activities. Finally, the new on-line course on Fundamentals of Pest Risk Analysis has been offered at UPRM for two consecutive semesters. Through ECaFSS we were able to develop a strong network among faculty and students from all four participating HSI's. The project trained and provided a highly specialized workforce in areas of food security and safety. We have increased the number of Hispanic students with higher education degrees (i.e. B.S. and M.S.) that will or had continued careers in these NIFA priority areas as well as in agriculture related disciplines (i.e. soils, horticulture, biotechnology). Thus, we complied with our main objective that was to increase the critical mass of Hispanic agricultural scientists pursuing careers in areas of food security and safety. At the end, the project educated thousands (>5,000) of underrepresented Hispanics minorities of PR about important issues related to food security and safety.

Publications

  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Avil�s-Noriega, A. 2021. Sigatoka disease complex of Musa spp. in Puerto Rico and the development of a transformation vector for Pseudocercospora fijiensis to examine the avirulence 4 (pfavr4) effector during infection of Musa spp. M.S. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez P.R. 136pp.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Santiago-Charneco, J. L. 2021. Antifungal analysis of synthetic fungicide against Neocosmopara falciformis (syn. Fusarium falciforme) isolated from Solanum lycopersicum in Puerto Rico. M.S. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez P.R. 114pp.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Aviles-Noriega, A., M. C. Giraldo, B. Valent and L. I. Rivera-Vargas. 2021. The development of a transformation vector for Pseudocercospora fijiensis to examine the avirulence 4 (PFAVR4) effector during infection of Mussa spp. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Berrios, R. A.. and A. G. Tosass. 2021. Seabird monitoring in an important bird area of Puerto Rico. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Cruz-Mart�nez, V. I. and R. Berrios-Villarini. 2021. Sweet orange Citrus sinesis (L. Osbeck) micropropagation method. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Galarza-Perez, J. and A. E. Perez-Matos. 2021. Identification of endophytic bacterial flora in citrus trees and their relations with the plants immune system. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gonz�lez-Rodr�guez, D., C. M. Soto-Ramos and L. I. Rivera-Vargas. 2021. Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Colletotrichum queenslandicum, foliar pathogens of breafruit (Artocarpus altilis) in Puerto Rico. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Irizarry-Tardi, N., A. Rubio-Marrero, C. Rios-Velazquez and P. Ortiz-Berm�dez. 2021. Assessment of polymicrobial interactions of Candida albicans biofilms co-cultures with Escherichia coli clones from environmental metagenomic libraries. World Microbe Forum. Poster Presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Irizarry-Tardi, N., A. Rubio-Marrero, C. Rios-Velazquez and P. Ortiz-Bermudez. 2021. Assessment of polymicrobial interactions of Candida albicans biofilms co-culture with Escherichia coli clones from environmental metagenomic libraries. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Little C., Cruz-Mart�nez V., St. Fort D. P., Pag�n-Medina C., Perez-Perez Y., Taveirne M., Lee A., Arroyo-Gonz�lez N., Santiago C., P�rez-D�az I. M. 2021. Reclamation of surplus vegetables by low salt fermentation to reduce food waste. J Food Sciences.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lugo-M�ndez, M. E. and M. Feliciano-Rivera. 2021. Effect of plant preservative mixture (PPM) treatments on fungi isolated from contaminated Coffea arabica cv. Liman� tissue culture leaf explants. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Santiago-Padua, M. E. C., M. Marrero-Gonz�lez, C. M. Soto-Ramos and L. I. Rivera-Vargas. 2021. Fungi associated to stem rot of flamboyant (Delonix regia) at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayag�ez. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Soto-Morales, J. and M. Feliciano-Rivera. 2021. In vitro multiplication protocol of Dioscorea rotundata cv. Guinea Negro using temporary immersion bioreactors. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Velez-Ferrer, Z. M., Casiani M. Soto-Ramos and Lydia I. Rivera-Vargas 2021. Morphological and Pathogenic Characterization of Fungi Associated with Soursop (Annona muricata L.) in Southern Puerto Rico. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zayas Declet, J.M.; M. Feliciano-Rivera and Y. Miranda-Cort�s. 2021. Effect of the plant preservative mixture (PPM) inhibiting the growth of an endophytic fungus.4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Mercado-L�pez, Y. R. and Y. Col�n-Mena. 2021. Could nematophagous fungi serve as biocontrol agents against Pratylenchus coffeae affecting Dioscorea rotundata in Puerto Rico? 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: P�rez-Soto, B. and Y. Col�n-Mena. 2021. Identification of a soil bacterium (possibly B. amyloliquefaciens) and its pathogenicity against soil fungi. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Quimbita-Reyes, A., L. I. Rivera-Vargas, C. M. Soto-Ramos and G. A. Garay-Rodr�guez. 2021. Fungi of Botryosphaeriaceae asociated with die-back of mango (Mangifera indica Linn.), after Hurricane Mar�a in Puerto Rico. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation. 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Rom�n Zea, D. and M. Feliciano-Rivera. 2021. Identification of Pseudocercospora fijiensis via Loop-Media Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). 4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Santiago, J. L. and L. I. Rivera-Vargas. 2021. Analysis of the antifungal synthetic fungicicde chlorothalonil against Neocosmospora falciformis(syn. Fusarium falciforme) isolated from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)in Puerto Rico.4th ECaFSS Student Symposium. Oral presentation.


Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:ECaFSS project impacted morethan 650 underrepresented Hispanics of social, economic and educational disadvantage of the island of Puerto Rico. This group of Hispanics comprises: K-12 students, university students (BS and MS), technicians, faculty, administrative personnel as well as community members. An array group of activities were planned and organized by project personnel and staff. These activities included: professional training workshops (e.g. Bioinformatics and Genomics), Role Model Seminars/Webinars, New Trends in Science Webinars, Internships, Undergraduate Research Mentoring, Volunteer Work,Community Service, Curricula Development, among others. Changes/Problems:Challenges are strictly related to situations out of our hands: funds administration through the UPR Research and Development Center, natural events (i.e. earthquakes and tropical storms) and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, all courses and university activities were carry out on-line until July 2020. After that date, undergraduate and graduate students were able to continue research activities following personal protection protocols. As recently as July 30, 2020, tropical storm Isaias hit the southwestern region of the island causing loss of electric power for few days. This atmospheric event affected laboratories' routine and caused losses of fungal culture media, molecular biology reagents and other temperature sensitive materials. No major changes in personnel or otherwise has been made in the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ECaFSS project offered and array of activities to underrepresented Hispanic students of Puerto Rico providing training and development of professional skills in areas related to food security and safety. These included participating in professional scientific conferences, role model seminar/webinars series, symposiums, professional skill building workshops, research and internship opportunities, among others. Also a group of students performed volunteer work at private farms, the US Fish and Wildlife Service visitor's center at Cabo Rojo, P.R. and the UPRM Experimental Station at Lajas P.R. In addition, students participating in the project learned how to expose their research project results or their internship experiences through oral or posters presentations locally and internationally. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A very effective way to disseminate project results was through the ECaFSS Symposium organized in August 2019. This event provided a stage to students from four HSI's to meet and expose their research projects, internships' opportunities, voluntary work and other professional activities such as job shadowing with their peers, faculty and community members. Other outreach activities organized by ECaFSS personnel and staff were the active participation at the Chemistry Festival organized by the Puerto Rico Section of the American Chemical Society. During this activity, students designed science related activities and presented them to the general public. In addition, abstracts of research projects have been published through different professional meetings and scientific conferences (i.e. Puerto Rican Agricultural Sciences Society, Puerto Rican Mycology Society, American Chemistry Society Senior Technical Meeting, American Microbiology Society). On January 2020, a note was published in Phytopathology News published by the American Phytopathological Society reviewing K-12 activities such as Summer Camps and a GMO's training organized by project staff. Also Women in Ag Sciences showed cast a profile of one of our students, Yesenia Velez, that was accepted at OSU for a MS degree. Project activities and achievements were published in social media and at UPR platform through web pages (https://www.facebook.com/ecafss; https://www.facebook.com/ecafss upr aguadilla and http://www.uprm.edu/ecafss). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For FY 2020-2021, we will continue supporting undergraduate and graduate students, especially through the extraordinary situation we are living caused by COVID-19 pandemic. We are finishing laboratory experiments and preparing manuscript's drafts to publish research findings. We have scheduled to finish analyzing data to submit the second independent evaluator report comprising FY's 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All ECaFSS project goals were accomplished through a diverse group of activities planned and coordinated by project personnel. These activities impacted > 650 students, faculty, technicians and community members, all from Hispanic backgrounds. During FY 2019-2020, a total of 57 students were supported by ECaFSS. Twenty-three students graduated with either BS or MS. Five students have been accepted in graduate school in areas of plant pathology and biological or health related sciences. Activities organized by ECaFSS included: Role Model Seminars/Webinars (n=8), New trends in Science Webinars (n=3), professional development workshops (n=3), undergraduate research mentoring (n = 40 students), graduate research (n=10 students) and volunteer work (n=7 students), among others. The first independent evaluator report, explaining in detail project's achievements through FY's 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, was prepared and submitted to the funding agency. It is important to mentioned that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting on March 16, 2020, all face to face undergraduate student Summer Internships and K-12 Summer Camps were cancelled. ECaFSS project's faculty and staff worked on the designing of a series of summer activities that were accomplished using virtual platforms (see details below) to face this enormous challenge. Summer Activities: Twenty-five undergraduate students received summer stipends based on their participation in diverse on-line activities such as: Role Model Webinars, New trends in Science Webinars, professional and scientific trainings [i.e. Genomic Internships (USDA TARS), Portfolios, Resume Writing] and other related activities. Among those students, seven of them were participating through on-line internships managing genomic and other types of data in collaboration with the following agencies: USDA-ARS-Tropical Agriculture Research Station, USDA-ARS-Food Science & Market Quality and Handling Research Unit and Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Guayama, P.R. In addition, students were encouraged to review literature and developed manuscripts drafts of their research projects. ECaFSS participants from different HSI's completed from 50 to up to 200 hours of work during the summer, including face to face laboratory experiences following university approved personal protection protocols established after July 2020. Agro Science Summer Camps 2020: ECaFSS Co-PI's and collaborators developed during the summer practical learning modules intended for middle and high school students. The modules consisted of a theoretical component and a hands-on or practical experience, similar to those developed for the face-to-face summer camps from previous years. Our strategy was to provide a group of K-12 students, during the coming semester, a box with the necessary materials to carry out laboratory practices through on-line presentations and videos of the following disciplines: Plant Pathology, Nanotechnology, Food Microbiology and Natural Resources, among others. Teachers, two from each educational level (i.e. middle or high school), will incorporate the modules in their science courses during the semester from August to December 2020. With this format, we will expect to impact > 60 students and provide them with a different and innovative learning experience. A hybrid (on-line and face-to-face) Plant Tissue Culture Workshop: An In vitro plant tissue culture workshop emphasizing plant bioreactors (plant mass production) and its applications in agro-industrial development is in progress. ECaFSS Co-PI's are preparing webinars and videos on recent plant tissue culture technology applications as a tool to secure food by: multiplying improved plant varieties, healthy plants production and cultivars tolerant to pathogens and other abiotic stress.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Acevedo Cort�s, S.A. 2019. Investigating the therapeutic potential of CB2 in the modulation of inflammation of the mammary gland during mastitis. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Agosto, R. 2019. Diferencias en el conteo de bacterias y c�lulas som�ticas de la leche entre caprinos y bovinos lecheros en Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Avil�s, A. 2019. Sigatoka Disease Complex of Musa spp. in Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Avil�s-Noriega, A. and L.I. Rivera-Vargas. 2019. Pseudocercospora fijiensis: The predominant species of the Sigatoka disease complex of Musa spp. in Puerto Rico. 43rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA). San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berr�os P�rez, R.A. 2019. Seabird monitoring in a critical wildlife area in Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Colon-S�nchez, P.D. y C. Esteves de Jensen. 2020. Identificaci�n del tiz�n sure�o en ma�z. PUCPR. Ponce PR
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gonz�lez Rodr�guez, D.J. 2019. Nuevos agentes patog�nicos observados en follaje de panap�n (Artocarpus altilis) en Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gonz�lez Rodr�guez, D. J., C. Soto Ramos y L.I. Rivera Vargas. 2019. Hongos pat�genos del follaje de panap�n (Artocarpus altilis). 43ra Reuni�n Anual de la Sociedad Puertorrique�a de Ciencias Agr�colas. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Loperena-Gonz�lez, P. N, Miranda-Nieves, S. M, Padin-Lopez, A. F., Yoder, K., Nawrocki, E., Dudley, E. G., and Malavez-Acevedo, Y. 2019. Whole Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis of E. coli isolates from different farm management systems in Puerto Rico. Allegheny Branch of American Society for Microbiology (ABASM),Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Loperena-Gonz�lez, Paola N, Miranda-Nieves, Sharon M, Yoder, Kyle, Nawrocki, Erin, Dudley, Edward G., & Malavez-Acevedo, Yadira. 2019. Whole Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis of E. coli isolates from different farm management systems in Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mercado-Lopez, Y. R., and Col�n-Mena Y. 2019. Identification of nematophagous fungi for the control of Pratylenchus coffeae affecting Discorea rotundata in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican Mycology Society.Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Miranda Cort�s, Y.; M. Feliciano Rivera y J.M. Cardona. 2019. La t�cnica de minisettss como alternativa para mejorar la producci�n de �ame en Puerto Rico. 43ra Reuni�n cient�fica y Asamblea Anual de la Sociedad Puertorrique�a de las Ciencias Agr�colas. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Otero Franqui, A. M. 2019. Calidad microbiol�gica de la leche entera y parcialmente descremada en Puerto Rico y su efecto en el largo de vida �til. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pad�n L�pez, A. F. 2019. Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli strains isolated from cattle and calves from different management systems. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pad�n-L�pez Adri�n, Feng Jingzhang, Sinclair Priscilla, LaBorde Luke, & Kova Jasna. 2019. Combating Listeria monocytogenes growth in apple packing house biofilms. Allegheny Branch of American Society for Microbiology (ABASM), Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rivera D�az, J. E. 2019. Entero-helminth fauna of wild brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rivera Torres, C. 2019. Identifying genes regulating pathogenicity and cercosporin production in Cercospora beticola. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla,P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rivera Torres, C., P. Ort�z Berm�dez, L.I. Rivera Vargas, M. Feliciano Rivera, J. Caraballo and L. L. Simba�a. 2019. Susceptibility of Colletotrichum spp. to synthetic antimicrobial �- peptide treatment. 43rd Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA). San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Salazar, A., Morris, T., Watson, S,, & Campbell J. 2019. Alternative Heat Treatments for Jerky That Do Not Follow USDA Appendix-A Are Adequately Lethal for E. coli and Listeria. Allegheny Branch of American Society for Microbiology (ABASM), Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Santiago, J. L., C. Soto y L. I. Rivera Vargas. 2019. Fusarium spp. asociadas con Solanum lycopersicum (tomate) en Puerto Rico. 43ra Reuni�n Anual de la Sociedad Puertorrique�a de Ciencias Agr�colas. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vargas Figueroa, A.G. 2019. Characterization of C. elegans longevity in a dynamic laboratory environment. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: V�lez Negr�n, Y. I. 2019. Identificaci�n morfol�gica y patog�nica de bacterias asociadas al cogollo de la pi�a (Ananas comosus) en Puerto Rico. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vel�z-Negr�n, Y. I., L.L. Simba�a Carrera, L. Ramos-Sep�lveda, C. Lapaire Harmon, C.M. Soto Ramos y L.I. Rivera-Vargas. 2019. Dickeya sp. y Pseudomonas sp.: Bacterias pat�genas de pi�a (Ananas comosus) en Puerto Rico. 43ra Reuni�n Anual de la Sociedad Puertorrique�a de Ciencias Agr�colas. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: https://www.facebook.com/ecafss upr aguadilla
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zayas Declet, J. 2019. Establishment and richness of wildflowers islands on roadsides. 3rd ECaFSS Student Symposium, UPR Aguadilla. Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Otero Franqui, A. M., 2020, Calidad microbiologica de la leche pasteurizada entera y parcialmente descremada en Puerto RIco y su efecto en el largo de vida util MS. Programa Ciencia y Tecnologia de Alimentos. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, P.R.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Summer Camps and Workshops in Puerto Rico Sponsored by USDA NIFA. Phytopathology News.January 2020.Vol.54(1):14.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: https://www.facebook.com/ecafss
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: http://www.uprm.edu/ecafss


Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:ECaFSS impacted more than a thousand persons (i.e students, technicians, faculty, adminitrative personnel and community members). Of these, more than 98 % were Hispanics. Project Activities: K-12 Students: A. Prospective: Two 2019 Agri-Science Summer Camps at UPRM and at the Agricultural Experiment Station, Isabela, PR, were coordinated for June 2019. B. Prospective: 2019 Bio-molecular Summer Camp at PUCPR, Ponce, PR was coordinated for June 2019. C. Two field trips were organized at Agricultural Experiment Station at Corozal, Puerto Rico (no. student participating = 68). Other activities emphasizing undergraduate and graduate students: A. ECaFSS Research Program: Participants (n=39) Undergraduates students; (n=8) Graduates students. Research focused in topics of plant pathology, plant breeding, food microbiology, chemistry, applied biology, environmental technology, nanotechnology and agricultural biotechnology among others. B. Six Role Model Seminars were presented in topics of food security at three participating HSI's (total no. of attendees = 324). C. ECaFSS Faculty Workshops on Introduction ot the Analysis of Microbial Communities (n=30) and Forest Pathology (prospective for July 2019). D. Thirteen professional development activities for students were organized by the project. Among them workshops about: Strategies for a successful interview (Role play activity), How to build and engage in a profesional network: Linkedin, How to use a biophotometer, use and function of Light and Fluorescent Microscopes, Whole Genome Sequence Analysis, Writing your CV: a key step in your career, among others (no. attendees = 230). E. 2019 Summer Internships (prospective no. student participating = 30): At USDA Agencies (n=14); Universities in USA (n=9); PR's Department of Natural Resources (n=1); Agro-Industry (n=1); and others (n=5). F. Outreach activities (no. 3): Technology and Environmental Fair, Promoting ECaFSS to high school students and Students mathematics tutoring (69 people participated). G. Two symposiums: 2019 ECaFSS Symposium: This is the most significant project activity in which students conducting research or participating in summer internships meet to share their experiences with peer, faculty, project staff and community members (Programed for August 2019). We expect that > 100 persons will attend (approx. 75% students and 25% faculty and community members). In addition, the XIX Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla was coordinated by Dr. Yadira Malavez, ECaFSS, Co-PI (no. attendees = 176). H. Volunteering and Job shadowing: Twelve undergraduate students did volunteer work or shadowing at the industry, USDA FWS, USDA TARS, Animal shelter, Veterinary Clinic, Vegetable and Fruit Farm, Garden and Plant Nursery and at the UPR Agricultural Experiment Station. I. Laboratory Equipment Acquired: Fluorescence Microscope and an electroporator (UPRM). Bright-light microscope equipped with camera (UPR-Aguadilla). Changes/Problems:Most of the challenges encountered during this fiscal year were related to UPR institutional procedures for award administration. UPRM Research and Development Center is undergoing major restructuring as a result of aggressive external auditing. While we recognize that these actions are beneficial for continuous compliance with federal regulations, it caused great delays in the flow of regular transactions. For example, no funds has been withdrawn from NIFA accounts since June 5, 2018. Major delays in the release of financial reports and processing of pending expenses affected our expedited method for materials and supplies acquisition including the use of the institutional credit card. The limitation of credit lines caused a snow ball effect on purchases which created extraordinary delays in acquiring materials for many of the researchers that relied on this method to get their materials and supplies, equipment repair and mantainance, among others. Also, is worth mentioning the still problematic instability of the electric power system in Puerto Rico, which causes power fluctuations and outages that has damage key laboratory equipment and losses of reagents and biological materials. To our understanding major project goals will be reach by the end of term in August 2019. No major changes in perssonel or otherwise has been made. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ECaFSS provided different opportunities for training and professional development in areas related to food security and safety to underrepresented Hispanic students of Puerto Rico. Project activities included scientific conferences, role model seminar series, symposiums, professional skill building workshops, internship opportunities, summer camps, field trips and faculty training workshops, among others. A very large group of project participants attended professional conferences and symposiums held locally and internationally. In a different note, participants were very actively involved in community service activities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?One of the most important activity of the project is the ECaFSS Symposium which has been programmed for August 2019. During the symposium students share their research, interships and other professional activities such as volunteering or job shadowing, with their peers, faculty and community members. Various outreach activities were organized by ECaFSS personnel and staff. These included active participation in the Technology and Environmental Fair, promoting ECaFSS to high school students and tutoring students in mathematics (69 people participated). Two web pages has been developed: one at social media https://www.facebook.com/ecafss and another at UPR-Mayaguez http://www.uprm.edu/ecafss to help us dissminate project activities and achivements. Abstracts of research projects have been published through different profesional meetings and scientific conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For FY 2019-2020, we have programmed a variety of activities to fulfill project objectives. We will continue strengthening our ties with collaboratin HSI's and partners at USDA agencies, universities, industries and NGO's. We have programed to submit the independent evaluator report from FY's 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? For FY 2018 to 2019, all project goals (a through d) were accomplished. More than 31 activities were organized by ECaFSS personnel impacting > 1,099 students, faculty, technicians and community members, all from Hispanic backgrounds. A total of 25 students graduated with BS or MS. Seven continue graduate school in areas of plant pathology, biological sciences, soils and medicine. Project activities were described in detail previously.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Acevedo, S. and J. Perez-Laspiur. 2019. Therapeutic Potential of CB2 in the Modulation of Inflammation in the Mammary Gland During Lactation. 66 National Biology Honor Society Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), District Convention. Humacao, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Acevedo-Lugo, F. J. and M. Feliciano-Rivera. 2018. Sensibilidad de aislados de Colletotrichum spp. Obtenidos de papaya a fungicidas QoI. 42da Reuni�n Cient�fica y Asamblea Anual SOPCA, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Aviles-Noriega, A. and L.I. Rivera-Vargas. 2019. Sigatoka Disease Complex of Musa spp. in Puerto Rico. III Seminario Internacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria  XX Congreso Latinoamericano de Fitopatologia, Varadero, Cuba.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Goyco-Blas, J.F. and E. Molina. 2019. Analysis of Volatile Aroma Compounds in Homebrewed Ale Beer Samples Using SPME/GC-MS. 2019 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berrios-Perez, R., Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Y. and A. Tossas. 2019. Seabird monitoring in an Important Wildlife area in Isabela, PR. 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and the 53rd ACS Junior Technical Meeting, Mayaguez, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cordero Irizarry, P.M., C. Vargas Garc�a, S. Cosme Reyes, J.S. Beaver and T.G. Porch. 2019. Evaluation of SCAR markers associated with Bean common mosaic virus, Bean common mosaic necrosis virus and Bean golden yellow mosaic virus in common bean seeds collected from Haitian farmers. 42da Reuni�n Cient�fica y Asamblea Anual SOPCA, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Est�vez de Jensen, C., D. Intriago and O. Gonz�lez. 2018. Prevalent diseases in pineapple in Puerto Rico: An update. Proceedings of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA), Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Estevez, C. 2018. Challenges of a Plant Pathologist. 2nd ECaFSS Student Symposium. PUCPR Ponce, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Feng M. and C. Est�vez de Jensen. 2019. Characterization of fungi in imported agricultural products. XVII Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Figueroa Pi�eiro, J. D., Girald P�rez, M. N. and R. J. Mayer-Arzuaga. 2019. Soil and Water Analysis of the Mangrove Forest in Finca Nolla Nature Reseve in Camuy, Puerto Rico. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Girald P�rez, M. N. and N. Johnson. 2019. Effects of Seiche-Induced Activity on the Oxidation Rate of Sulfides in Riparian Soils. Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM, Washington, DC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gonzalez-Carrero, A. and F. Ortiz. 2019. Antimicrobial activity of Rhizohora mangle against Enterococcus faecalis. XI Exhibici�n de investigaci�n cient�fica. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Goyco-Blas, J. 2019. Alternative solution to the land fields in Puerto Rico: Waste to Energy. 5th Symposium of Environmental Chemistry and Green Chemistry, UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Goyco-Blas, J., Nieves-Miranda, S., Quiles-P�rez, C., V�lez-Morales, K., Malavez-Acevedo, Y., Xialoli, L., Springer, H. and E. Dudley. 2018. Genome Sequencing for Rapid Detection of Virulent and Resistant E. coli in Pennsylvania Farms. American Society for Microbiology - Allegheny Branch 2018 Annual Meeting, PA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Goyco-Blas, J.; Rivera-Rosario, E.; Nieves-Marrero, C. and B. J. Ramos-Santana. 2019. UPR-Aguadilla Green Division: Searching for Environmental Action Using the Be-Know-Do Model. 2019 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hern�ndez-Arbelo, I.M. and Y. Malavez-Acevedo. 2019. Identification and characterization of MRSA isolated on a university campus in Puerto Rico. 66 National Biology Honor Society Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), District Convention. Humacao, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hern�ndez-Arbelo, I.M. and Y. Malavez-Acevedo. 2019. Virulence and resistance profile of MRSA isolated on a university campus in Puerto Rico. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Irizarry Tardi, N., Renu, S., Han, Y. and R. Gourapura. 2018. Formulation of chitosan like nanoparticles for vaccine delivery in poultry. SROP research symposium, the Ohio State University.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Irizarry-Tardi, N. 2019. Assessment of Microbial Biofilms of Candida albicans growth in co-culture with Escherichia coli clones from a tropical hypersaline metagenomic library. 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and 53rd ACS Junior Technical Meeting, Mayag�ez, P.R
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Mas-Arroyo, O. and A. Gonzalez 2018. Recovery of acidic soils used in coffee plantations by amendment with compost. 41st Senior Technical Meeting, Guayanilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miranda, Y. and M. Feliciano. 2018. T�cnica de minisetts como m�todo alterno para la producci�n de semilla de �ame. 2nd ECaFSS Student Symposium. CEIBA- PUCPR Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miranda-Cortes, Y.; Feliciano-Rivera, M. and J.M. Cardona. 2018. Toward the improvement of yam (Dioscorea rotundata) seed production using the minisetts techniques. Proceedings of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA), Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Nieves-Miranda, S.M., Pad�n L�pez, A., Loperena Gonz�lez, P. and Y. Malavez-Acevedo. 2019. Whole Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis in highly resistant E. coli isolates. 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and the 53rd ACS Junior Technical Meeting. Mayaguez, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pad�n- L�pez, A.F.; Loperena, P. N.; Nieves-Miranda, S.N. and Y. Malavez-Acevedo. 2019. Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli strains isolated from cattle and calves from different management systems. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: P�rez Y, Morales S., D�az O. y Hna. N. Arroyo. 2019. Extractos crudos de tres variedades de mango en Puerto Rico presentan actividad bactericida y bacteriost�tica en contra de bacterias pat�genas en la industria av�cola. XVII Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: P�rez-Lozada, S.; Vera, J. and A. Vazquez. 2019. How Susceptible are fungi yeasts and bacterias to the properties of vectorized ferrocene organometallic complexes. 2019 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Orlando FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ponce de Leon, L. 2019. Crecimiento mundial de la producci�n de bebidas de origen vegetal y su efecto en el consumo de la leche. Seminar sponsored by International Program Affair Office, College of Agricultural Sciences. UPR-Mayaguez, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quiles-P�rez, C. J. 2018. Whole genome sequencing as a tool for identification of serotype of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes of E. coli serotypes. 2nd ECaFSS Student Symposium. CEIBA- PUCPR Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2091 Citation: Quintana-Acevedo, L. M. and Y. Malavez-Acevedo. 2019. Characterization of virulence factors and the antibiotic resistance profile of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail meat from Puerto Rico. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Quintana-Acevedo, L. M. and Y. Malavez-Acevedo. 2019. Characterization of virulence factors and the antibiotic resistance profile of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail meat from Puerto Rico. 66 National Biology Honor Society Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), District Convention. Humacao, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rivera-Torres C. 2019. Identificaci�n, aislamiento y mitigaci�n de hongos fitopat�genos de Cajanus cajan en Puerto Rico. 19na Convenci�n Cient�fica de Ingenier�a y Arquitectura, Habana, Cuba.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rivera-Torres C. 2019. Susceptibility of Plant Pathogenic Fungi to Antimicrobial Peptides and Combinatorial Treatments. 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and 53rd ACS Junior Technical Meeting, Mayag�ez, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rivera-Vargas, L.I.,Espola, M., Simba�a, L., Feliciano, M., Ponce de Le�n, L., Ortiz-Bermudez, P., Estevez, C., Giraldo, M., Santiago, C., Gonzalez, A. and Malavez, Y. 2018. ECaFSS provides experiential learning opportunities in food security and safety. Proceedings of the 42th Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA), Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: M�s Arroyo, Oniel. 2019. Evaluaci�n del efecto de calcita y Nutrical sobre el pH del suelo de dos fincas del municipio de Las Mar�as, Puerto Rico. M.S. Thesis, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Miranda Cortes, Yanira. 2019. Improvement of yam (Dioscorea rotundata) seed production. M.S. Thesis, University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Blanco, E.J., Miranda, E.,Domenech, C., Martinez-Montemayor, M. and J. Perez-Laspiur. 2019. Detection of CB2 protein abundance by immunofluorescence in mammary tissue during clinical mastitis. 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and the 53rd ACS Junior Technical Meeting, Mayaguez, PR. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bronfen-Qui�ones S., Torres-Rivera G. and A. Perez-Matos. 2019. Frequency of Somaclonal Variation in Micropropagated Citrus Trees. XVII Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Carrero Gonzalez A. 2019. Antimicrobial activity of Rhizohora manlge against Enterococcus faecalis. Poster presentation. XI Exhibici�n de investigaci�n cient�fica. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Jimenez-Gonzalez, G., Acevedo, S., Martinez-Montemayor, M. and J. Perez-Laspiur. 2019. CB2 mRNA abundance in mammary tissue during clinical mastitis. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada, UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rivera-Vargas, L.I., Espola, M., Simba�a, L., Feliciano, M., Ponce de Le�n, L., Ortiz-Bermudez, P., Estevez, C., Giraldo, M., Santiago, C., Gonzalez, A. and Malavez, Y. 2019. ECaFSS: increasing the critical mass of scientists in food security and safety in Puerto Rico. III Seminario Internacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria  XX Congreso Latinoamericano de Fitopatolog�a, Varadero, Cuba.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rodr�guez-Nieves, A.L. and A. Gonz�lez. 2019. Puerto Rican Craft Beer Characterization. 2019 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rodr�guez-Santana, E. and A. Gonz�lez. 2019. Nutrient, pH and salinity of Guanajibo and Yag�ez rivers soils. 2019 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Orlando FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Salazar-Hern�ndez, A., Vega, A.,Gonzalez, Y. and A.G. Tossas-Cavalliery. 2019. Prey availability for aquatic birds in a coastal lagoon in northern Puerto Rico. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Santiago, R. and R. Weber 2019. Response of Megacopta cribraria to insect exposed soybeans plants in a Y-track olfactometer. 2019 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Orlando Fl.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Santiago, R. and R. Weber. 2019. Response of Megacopta cribraria to insect exposed soybeans plants in a Y-track olfactometer. Poster presentation. XI Exhibici�n de investigaci�n cient�fica. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Simba�a, L.L., Y. V�lez and L.I. Rivera-Vargas 2019. Outbreaks of Phytophthora nicotianae causing heart rot of pineapple in Puerto Rico. III Seminario Internacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria  XX Congreso Latinoamericano de Fitopatologia, Varadero, Cuba.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vargas Figueroa, A.; Lebron, A. and M. P. Mendez-Gonzalez. 2019. Characterization of C. elegans longevity in a dynamic laboratory environment. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vargas Figueroa, A., Lebron, A. and M. P. Mendez-Gonzalez. 2019. Characterization of C. elegans longevity in a dynamic laboratory environment. 66 National Biology Honor Society Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), District Convention. Humacao, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vega-Vargas, C. and J. A. Carde-Serrano. 2019. Microbiological Bioremediation: Isolation and Identification of Microorganisms from Extreme Environments. 66 National Biology Honor Society Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), District Convention. Humacao, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Vel�zquez-Acosta, A. and A. Gonz�lez. 2019. Calidad de agua en la Reserva Natural Ca�o Boquillas Mayag�ez-A�asco Puerto Rico. XI Exhibici�n de investigaci�n cient�fica. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Velez Morales, K.A., Rivera Diaz, J.E., Torres-Irizarry, V.M., Soto Torres, K.A., Hernandez-Vale, O and A. G. Tossas-Cavalliery. 2019. Entero-Helminth Fauna of Wild Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. XIX Simposio de Investigacion Subgraduada UPR Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: V�lez Negr�n, Y. and C.R. Clarke. 2018. 2018. Optimizing RNA and gDNA extraction for Gene Expression Quantification of Streptomyces scabies. 2nd ECaFSS Student Symposium. CEIBA- PUCPR Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Velez-Negron, Y.; Simbana-Carrera, L. and L. I. Rivera Vargas. 2019. Bacterias como possible agentes causales de la pudricion blanda en pina (Ananas comosus L.). 42da Reuni�n Cient�fica y Asamblea Anual SOPCA, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Yulfo, G., Miranda-Cortes, Y., Feliciano-Rivera, M. and J.M. Cardona. 2019. Screening of efficient explants surface disinfection methods for the micropropagation of Dioscorea rotundata (cv. Guinea negro). Proceedings of the 42th Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA), Aguadilla, PR.


Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audiences impacted by ECaFSS project from 2017 to 2018 were middle and high school students (n=75), undergraduate (n= 44) and graduate (n=6) students, laboratory technicians, administrative personnel and faculty from four HSI's collaborating in the project: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM, Leading institution), University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla (UPRAg), Pontifical Catholic University-Ponce (PCUPR) and Interamerican University (IAU) in San German, Puerto Rico. Our audience was 98 % Hispanic. The project directly impacted the lives of 50 Hispanic students (34 Females and 16 Males), of these 38 conducted research (32 undergraduates; 6 graduates). Besides reseach, students engaged in different experiental learning and carreer oriented experiences such as job shadowing (n=29). Changes/Problems:Over all, the impact of catastrophic Hurricane Maria (category 5 to 4) to the island of Puerto Rico was the major challenge of 2017. It affected many lives and still is, many people are without power even today. Even though we return to our duties after a month and half without electric power, we lost reagents, materials, samples and equipment. In addition, the academic calendar was rushed to be able to complete Autumn semester that was finished in February 2018. UPRM Research and Development Center (R&DC administration building) was without power even longer. Many of the personnel assigned to administrative duties did not return to the R&DC, this situation dramatically affected project administrative processes and especially management of funds. Other administrative challenges were: slowness of UPRM to complete legal documents related to subawards, professional services or to hire personnel, and major delays in invoice payments and other duties of the accounting and finance officials. At UPRM, a major challenge has been the recruitment of a Ph.D. student to conduct research with Dr. Patricia Ortiz, project Co-PI and bio and nanotechnologist. A prospective candidate accepted at the Department of Chemical Engineering has been interview and she will start in our program next semester. Another major challenge has been the recruitment of K-12 students from PR's public education system to participate of summer camps activities in campus (i.e. UPRM and PUCPR Ponce). Due to PR's economic situation and decrease in population, many public schools has been closed. Students and teachers had migrated to USA, mainly to Orlando, Florida and Texas. Many parents with children in public's schools can not provide daily transportation for a week to the summer camps. For June 2018 summer camps, we allowed some children from private schools to participate but we are exploring other initiatives to work out the situation. At PUCPR, although this year ten (10) students are participating in the program, not all of them were able to conduct research. This was caused mainly by student's class itinerary, which does not provide consecutive hours to be able to compromise time in a laboratory. The students that were not able to conduct research during the semester, were encourage to participate in summer internships funded by the program. At Interamerican University-San German, the major challenge were the lack of power, internet and water, but all students were fully engaged with the project. The early start with the subaward documentation attenuated the slowness of UPRM administrative procedures of previous year. ECaFSS project goals will be reach by the end of the term in August 2018. No major changes in perssonel or otherwise has been made. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?ECaFSS has provided a diverse array of opportunities to underrepresented Hispanic students of Puerto Rico for training and professional development in areas of food security and safety, among other disciplines related to agricultural and environmental sciences. All activities described in detail at the previous section, provided valuable opportunities for student's professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?ECaFSS participants research findings have been disseminated at local and international scientific meeting such as: XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium held at UPRAg; XVI Scientific Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.; XXII Sigma Xi Poster Day, UPRM; 65th Caribbean District Convention of the Beta Beta Beta, National Biological Honor Society held at UPR-Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico; 52nd ACS Junior Technical Meeting and 37th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM), held at Ana G. Mendez University System, University of Turabo, Gurabo, PR; 18th Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society National Convention held at Monterey Bay, California. In addition, students will participate at the International Mycology Congress that will be held in July 2018 at the Puerto Rico's Convention Center, San Juan.PR and at the 51th ONTA Annual Meeting, that will be held in August 2018 in Arequipa, Peru. An article in the April 2018 issue of the professional newletter, Phytopathology News, was published to inform about the First ECaFSS Student Symposium. Two web pages has been created to inform and disseminate project activities: https://wordpress.uprm.edu/ecafss and https://www.facebook.com/ecafss. UPRM Press (Prensa RUM) has been invited to cover the summer camp experiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?First we will conclude ECaFSS's proposed activities for FY 2017- 2018: Faculty training workshop on Introduction to Metagenomics programed for August 9, 2018 and ECaFSS Student Symposium (August 25, 2018). For FY 2018-2019, we will continue with the coordination and fulfilment of project's proposed activities to accomplish our goals. We will strength collaborations among four HSI's and strength partnerships with agencies and other organizations that have been supportive of project's initiatives. We will continue organizing professional activities addressed to students and faculty to enhance learning experiences. We will continue promoting project activities to the general public and communities. We will provide data for the project independent evaluation as well as the meta-evaluation reports.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? From the period of 2017 to 2018, all project goals were accomplished through a diverse array of activities (n=33) organized by ECaFSS personnel. Activities are described in detailed below and included scientific conferences, role model seminar series, student symposium, professional skill building workshops, summer camps, field trips and faculty training workshops, among others. In addition, ECaFSS co-sponsored a series of activities such as XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium organized at UPR Aguadilla and promoted the active participation of students in outreach, community service and other professional activities not organized by ECaFSS. These were: Hispanics Educational and Technology Services (HETS): Student Leadership Showcase; XI Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology: Interconnections Shaping Life (Symposium); Hurricane Maria relief Group organized by American Red Cross (Distributing emergency relief supplies to communities), Blood drive, Reforesting UPR Aguadilla after Hurricane Maria, Chemistry Festival organized by ACS-PR (Outreach), among many others. Project Activities: A. Two K-12 Summer Camp Experiences: During June 2018, approximately 75 students from the western and southern regions of PR will participate of two simultaneous summer camps experiences. The 2018 Agri-Science Summer Camp at UPRM campus, addressed to students of the western region of the island, is intended to impact students from 9th to 12th grade of the PR's public education system. Students will have hands-on experiences in diverse disciplines related to food security and safety such as: plant pathology, entomology, food microbiology, bio- and nanotechnology and forestry. The 2018 BioMolecular Summer Camp will take place at PUCPR Ponce campus to address students of the southern region of the island. At the Biotechnology Center (CEIBA), high school students will conduct experiments in topics such as: plant tissue culture techniques, DNA extraction from plants, food testing for Salmonella, water testing for bacteria followed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis and introduction to bioinformatics using BLAST, among others. Students will visit the following agroindustries: Corteva AgroScience (before DuPont & Pioneer), Syngenta and Monsanto. B. Three Field Trips UPR-Agricultural Experiment Station, Corozal, PR. - Twenty six (26) students from 9th grade participated in a field trip to the UPR-Agricultural Experiment Station, Corozal, PR. Students from a public school of the central region of the island were exposed to agricultural production systems (i.e. root and starchy crops yams), and sustainable crop management practices. USDA-TARS, Mayaguez, P.R - Nine undergraduate (n=9) and one graduate students participated in a field trip to visit USDA-TARS. They learned about crop diversity and current research projects going-on at the research station. Agroindustries - Seven (n=7) undergraduate students visited Monsato Agroindustrial facilities at Santa Isabel, PR. C. Professional and leadership skill development workshops: Twelve workshops (12) were developed to improve students professional and leadership skills. A total of 173 students participated of the ECaFSS workshops. These were: HACU National internship application; Aquaponics; Plant Nursery; Demonstration of the use of water testing kits; LinkedIn Platform; Preparation of a successful resume; How to develop a Professional Curriculum Vitae: A key to success; Real-Time PCR Theory and Analysis; How to craft an effective resume for federal government; Federal Government opportunities for undergraduates (Pathways Program); and Orientation for a learning experience in Agricultural Sciences Research at USDA ARS Beltsville, MD. D. ECaFSS Role Model Seminars: Six (6) rotational "Role model seminars" were organized at different collaborating HSI's. A total of 566 persons attended the seminars. Invited speakers were: 1) Dr. Hugo Cuevas, USDA-TARS, Mayaguez, PR. Seminar: How to envision a scientist career? From college to USDA-Agriculture Research Service; 2) Ms. Mildred Sosa, Supervisory PPQ Officer, USDA APHIS PPQ,Carolina PR. Seminar: USDA/APHIS/PPQ: who we are? What we do?; 3) Dr. Jose C. Rodrigues, UPR Agriculture Experiment Station, Rio Piedras, PR.Seminar: Puerto Rico - A science hub for research in agriculture & invasive species; 4) Ms. Lourdes Saez, Mr. Nisael Nieves, Ms. Yalitza Nieves and Ms. Michelle Puig from USDA APHIS, Aguada, Puerto Rico. Seminar: USDA PPQ-Safeguarding U.S. Agriculture; 5) Dr. Martha C. Giraldo from UPR-Mayaguez. Seminar: Phytopathology: From Basic to Applied Science; 6) Dr. Madeline Velazquez, Food Microbiologist, Seminar: Importance of Foodborne Viruses. E. Faculty Workshops Six (6) faculty workshops were organized to expose faculty, technicians, and graduate students to professional issues critical to our disciplines and academic duties. A total of 88 persons attended five of the six workshops, of these 52 were faculty. Topics covered during workshps were: Bioethics (i.e. Integral Ecology and Publish: Motivation or Tyrany); GMO's: Benefits and Risks; Climate Change; and Introduction to the multi-strategic model for an effective on-line teaching. A workshop on the Introduction to Metagenomics applied to agricultural issues has been organized for August 9, 2018. F. Undergraduate Research Mentoring: Thirty two (n=32) students participated of undergraduate research mentoring. Different topics were investigated at participating HSI's: Food Sciences (i.e. microbiology and chemistry); Plant Sciences (i.e. pathology, breeding, tissue culture, botany); Entomology; Nanotechnology; Environmental Sciences (i.e. microbiology; waste water management). G. Volunteering, job shadowing or experiential learning experiences: Twenty nine (n=29) ECaFSS participants from collaborating HSI's had some sort of volunteering, job shadowing and experiential learning experiences at UPRM Agriculture Experiment Stations and private farms among others. H. Summer internships opportunities: A total of 34 students are currently participating of summer internships. Of these 15 are interns at USDA Agencies such as ARS, BARC, Maryland and APHIS, Puerto Rico. Others are at USA universities (i.e. Penn State, Ohio State, NCSU); Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program, Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico's Departament of Natural Resources and Environment (i.e. Jobos Research Reserve Guayama,PR.); Ag Industries (i.e. Pioneer,Suiza Dairy, Microbrewery) and UPR Agricultural Exeriment Station at Corozal, PR. I. Graduate research assistantships: Six (n=6) graduate students were directly sponsored by the project to pursue M.S. in disciplines related to agricultural sciences in areas of plant pathology, food microbiology, nanotechnology and environmental sciences. J. ECaFSS Student Symposium: The activity has been programed for August 25, 2018. The activity will provide a forum for students to present their reasearch and share their internship experiences during the summer of 2018. K. Curriculum enhancement: Students from various courses [i.e. Tropical Plant Pathology (UPRM), Bacteriology of Milk (UPRM), Fundamental of Plant Virology (UPRM), Microbiology (UPRAg) and Cell Biology (UPRAg)] were introduced to concepts such as metagenomics, phytobiomes, climate change, nanotechnology and other novel nano- and biotechnological applications. L. Instrumentation Acquisition: At UPRM, a set of stereo and bright light microscopes with cameras were acquired to improve teaching laboratories facilities of various courses and will be used during the summer camps to enrich students learning experiences. The acquisition of a fluorescent microscope and nanophotometer is in process.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Acevedo, S., S. Santos and J. P�rez. 2018. Investigating the therapeutic potential of CB2 in modulation of inflammation in the mammary gland during lactation. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Acevedo, S., S. Santos and J. P�rez. 2018. CB2 mRNA abundance in mammary tissue during clinical mastitis. 52st ACS Junior Technical Meeting and 37th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. Ana G. Mendez University System. University of Turabo, Gurabo, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Aviles Noriega, A., L.M. Serrato Diaz, L.I. Rivera Vargas and P. Bayman Gupta. 2018. Botryosphaeria spp. and Phomopsis spp. Causing Leaf Blight and Necrotic Spots on Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) in Puerto Rico. 11th International Mycological Congress. San Juan, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Badillo Chico, P.N., J.C. Pedraza Gonz�lez, B. Fuentes Acevedo, Y. M�ndez Ruiz and Y. Malavez Acevedo. 2018. Antimicrobial effect of Genipa americana plant extracts against bacteria and fungi. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berr�os, R., I. R�os, B. Cruz, M. Barreto and A. Tossas. 2018. Seabird monitoring in a critical wildlife area of Puerto Rico. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cordero Irizarry,P.M., C. Vargas Garc�a, S. Cosme Reyes, J.S. Beaver and T.G. Porch. 2018. Evaluation of SCAR markers in Phaseolus vulgaris L. associated with Bean common mosaic virus, Bean common mosaic necrosis virus and Bean golden yellow mosaic virus in seeds collected from Haitian farmers. Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists 61st Annual Meeting-Hurricane Season: A Microbes Paradise. Universidad del Este, Carolina, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cuebas-Alberty, L. 2018. Effect of Bacteriophages in the Control of Bacterial Leaf Spot in Tomato. XVI Scientific Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Figueroa Nazario, G. 2018. Organogenesis of Citrus latifolia cv. Tahit� by foliar tissue. XVI Scientific Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Goyco Blas, J.F. 2018. Analysis of Volatile Aroma Compounds in Homebrewed Ale Beer Samples Using SPME/GC-MS. 52nd ACS Junior Technical Meeting and 37th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. Ana G. Mendez University System. University of Turabo, Gurabo, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Goyco Blas, J.F. and E. Molina Rojas. 2018. Beer Analysis by UV-Vis Spectrophotometry. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Luciano, C. and Ponce de Leon, L. 2018. The bactericidal effect of cinnamon powder in keeping quality of pasteurized milk. XXII Sigma Xi Poster Day, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: M�ndez Acevedo, M. 2018. Environmental identification of Staphylococcus aureus in bathrooms located in a university campus. 65th Caribbean District Convention of the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society. UPR Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hern�ndez Arbelo, I.M. and Y. Malavez Acevedo 2018. Molecular and biochemical identification of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a university campus. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hern�ndez Arbelo, I.M. and Y. Malavez Acevedo 2018. Antibiotic resistance profile of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from a university campus. 52nd ACS Junior Technical Meeting and 37th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. Ana G. Mendez University System. University of Turabo, Gurabo, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Irizarry-Tardi, N. 2017. Aminopropyl Triexoxysilane nanoparticles as a model biosensor for capture E. coli. 1st ECaFSS Student Symposium. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Luciano, C. 2017. Nutritional Characterization of high proteins Distillers grains for dairy cattle. 1st ECaFSS Student Symposium. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: M�ndez Acevedo, M. 2018. University campus restrooms as a potential source of Staphylococcus aureus infections. 2018 Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society National Convention. Monterey Bay, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: M�ndez Acevedo, M., C. J. Quiles P�rez and Y. Malavez Acevedo. 2018. University campus restrooms as a potential source of Staphylococcus aureus infections. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Mercado-Irizarry, K.L. 2017. Coffee, insects and leadership: a summer experience. 1st ECaFSS Student Symposium. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quiles-Perez, C.J. 2018. Evaluation of Potential risk of contamination with Staphylococcus aureus at a University athletic facilities. 65th Caribbean District Convention of the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society. UPR Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quiles-Perez, C.J. 2018. Universities athletic facilities, as a source of contamination for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. 52nd ACS Junior Technical Meeting and 37th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting. Ana G. Mendez University System (PRISM). University of Turabo, Gurabo, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quiles-Perez, C.J. 2018. Methicillin Resistant S. aureus as a health threat in universities athletic facilities. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quiles-Perez, C.J. 2018. Evaluation of Potential risk of contamination with Staphylococcus aureus at a University athletic facilities. 2018 Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society National Convention. Monterey Bay, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quintana Acevedo, L.M. 2018. Incidence and characterization of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in retail meat from Puerto Rico. 2018 Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society National Convention. Monterey Bay, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Quintana Acevedo, L.M., H. Figler, Y. M. Acevedo and E. Dudley. 2018. Creating and screening a fosmid library to identify E. coli colicin genes. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Qui�ones Ort�z, D.; K. A. V�lez Morales and A.G. Tosass Caralliery 2018. Inventory of trees and palms at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla campus after the passage of Hurricane Mar�a, and reforestation plan. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ramos Miranda, K. and Yvonne Col�n Mena. 2018. �Cu�l ser�a el efecto de las nanopart�culas de plata, y de la bacteria Pseudomonas putida sobre el hongo Mycospharella fijiensis actuando como fungicidas bioqu�micos y biol�gicos? XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rivera Cubero, L.D. 2017. Remediation of Nitrogen and phosporous in wastewaters. 1st ECaFSS Student Symposium. Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germ�n Campus.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rivera Cubero, L.D., G. M. Swain and C. Rusinek. 2018. Investigation of Electrochemical Oxidation in Wastewater Samples. XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rosario M�ndez, K.D. 2018. �Cu�l es el efecto de las nanopart�culas de oro y plata como fungicidas de Fusarium en plantas de tomate? 65th Caribbean District Convention of the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society. UPR Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rosario M�ndez, K.D. and Y. Col�n Mena. 2018. What is the effect of gold and silver nanoparticles as fungicides of Fusarium in tomato crops? XVIII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rosario M�ndez, K.D. and Y. Col�n Mena. 2018. What is the effect of gold and silver nanoparticles as fungicides of Fusarium in tomato crops? 2018 Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society National Convention. Monterey Bay, California
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Santiago-Charneco, J.L., L.L. Simba�a-Carrera and L.I. Rivera-Vargas. 2018. Phytopathogenic fungi affecting peppermint (Mentha nemorosa L.) in Puerto Rico. 11th International Mycological Congress. San Juan, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Torres-Pi�ero, J. 2018. Use of different disinfection treatments for in vitro culture of Citrus lim�n. XVI Scientific Research Symposium, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Velez-Negron, Y.I., L.L. Simba�a-Carrera and L. I. Rivera-Vargas. 2018. Causal agents of the Heart Rot of the Pineapple (Ananas comosus) in Puerto Rico. 11th International Mycological Congress. San Juan, P.R.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Phytopathology News. 2018. USDA-NIFA-HSI Sponsored First ECaFSS Student Symposium in Puerto Rico. 52(4):35.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: https://wordpress.uprm.edu/ecafss
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: https://www.facebook.com/ecafss
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Soto-Ramos, C., M. Feliciano-Rivera and J.M. Cardona. 2018. Effect of organic nematicides to control dry rot disease of yams (Dioscorea rotundata)in Puerto Rico. 51th ONTA Annual Meeting, Arequipa, Peru.


Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:During the 2016-2017 period a total of 2,568 Hispanics were impacted by a diverse array of activities sponsored or co-sponsored by the project entitled: Encouraging careers in food security and safety (ECaFSS). The target audiences impacted included high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, laboratory technicians and professors from four HSIs: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM), University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla (UPRAg), Pontifical Catholic University-Ponce (PCUPR) and Interamerican University (IAU) in San German, Puerto Rico. From 2016-2017, ECaFSS directly sponsored 46 Hispanic students (35 females;11 males), of these 31 conducted research (27 undergraduates; 4 graduates). Currently, 35 students are engaged in summer internship experiences at USDA agencies, state agencies or public facilities (PR's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, NY Botanical Garden), higher education institutions (i.e. Penn State, Ohio State), NGO's (i.e. Jobos National Estuarine Research Reserve), and agroindustries (i.e. Suiza Dairy). Bio-Molecular Summer Camp Experience for Public high school students: Thirty two (32) student from PR's public system were exposed to a summer camp experience in topics related to general biotechnology, plants genetics and food microbiology. High school students conducted a series of experiments at the laboratories of the Biotechnology Center (CEIBA) of PCUPR. Experiments included topics such as: plant tissue culture techniques, DNA extraction from plants, food testing for Salmonella, water testing for bacteria followed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis and introduction to bioinformatics using BLAST, among others. Students also visited the agroindustry facilities of DuPont Pioneer in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Conferences, seminars, symposiums and workshop trainings for undergraduate and graduate students, laboratory technicians and faculty of collaborating HSI's: To develop students professional and leadership skills, ECaFSS participants attended multiple activities. Among them conferences on topics such as: APHIS/USDA an overview of opportunities and challenges; The future of GMO: integrating GM technology with traditional chemistry, microbial agents, and geospatial technology; Biotechnology applied to our daily life; Soil Erosion an Mangrove Importance, Coffee from the soil to your cup; among others, to gained knowledge on critical issues related to agriculture and the environment. They also attended diverse symposiums: X Symposium in Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology: Agricultural Innovations at Universidad del Turabo, XVIII Mycology Symposium at IAU, San German, XV Scientific Research Symposium at PCUPR, in Ponce PR, and XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium held in UPRAg. Students participating in the ECAFSS project visited agro industrial facilities of DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto located at Southern Puerto Rico. In addition, they received workshop trainings in topics such as Pathogen detection in water; Sustainable soils; Agricultural Entomology; Resume building; and How to write a successful personal statement. A total of 240 people attended the Role Model Seminar series. At UPRM, forty-one people attended Dr. Alberto Pantojas, a USDA-ARS Associate Director of the Midwest Area, seminar entitled: Research in foreign lands: opportunities, challenges and rewards. ECaFSS project PI, Dr. Lydia I. Rivera was invited to present her research at UPR Aguadilla as role model seminar speaker. One hundred sixteen (116) people attended her seminar entitled: Phytoplasmas: Pathogenic bacteria inhabiting plant phloem". At UPRAg another role model seminar speaker was Dr. Esbal Jimenez from UPRM, 83 people attended his seminar entitled: New discoveries about Puerto Rican's Holsteins short-hair cows. Undergraduate Research Mentoring or Volunteer Work: Thirty-six students conducted research or volunteer work in areas of food security and safety. At UPRM, five students conducted research in plant pathology, two in food microbiology and one in nanotechnology. At UPRAg, sixteen students performed research in areas such as environmental technology and microbiology. At IAU students benefited from volunteer work in areas such as: General Agriculture, Entomology, Environmental Sciences, Food technology and Chemistry. At PUCPR one student conducted research in plant pathology at the Experimental Agricultural Station in Juana Diaz, PR; another in plant tissue culture at the Biotechnology Center (CEIBA). Graduate students (M.S.): At UPRM, two graduate students were partially sponsored by the project in areas of plant sciences and food microbiology. At IAU, a student was sponsored to conduct research in soil recovery. At PUCPR, one graduate student was sponsored to pursue a non-thesis MS in agricultural biotechnology. Faculty workshops training: Seventeen (17) faculty, technicians and graduate students of the four collaborating HSI's participated of an interactive workshop to create courses on-line. The workshops was offered by collaborating professors of UPRM and UPRAg and held at IAU Center of Informatics and Telecommunications. Curriculum enhancement: Approximately 153 students were exposed to concepts such as metagenomics, phytobiomes, climate change, nanotechnology and other novel biotechnological applications (Real time PCR) in the following courses: Tropical Plant Pathology (UPRM), Bacteriology of Milk (UPRM), Microbiology (UPRAg) and Cell Biology (UPRAg). Equipment acquisition: Various pieces of equipment were acquired to enrich students learning opportunities at UPRM and UPRAg. This action improved teaching laboratories, undergraduate and graduate research opportunities by providing students hands-on experiences through laboratory practices and trainings workshops in disciplines related to food security and safety. Outreach activities (>1,700): More than a 1,000 persons were impacted by the IAU ECaFSS student's exhibition held at American Chemical Society's Chemistry Festival. Students conducted demonstrations about agriculture, food and nutrition issues for the general public. In addition, about 700 attendees learned about theresearch conducted by ECaFSS participants through the following events: X Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology Symposium; XVIII Mycology Symposium; XV Scientific Research Symposium; and XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. Changes/Problems:UPR System problems: A major constraint to the project was caused by a student strike in response to severe budget cuts to the UPR System. This situation limited access to administrative personnel and campus facilities, affecting university operations from April 7 to June 1, 2017. This situation caused that the semester was extended until the end of June. Project personnel and laboratory facilities were compromise to finish with the academic semester (i.e. courses). Project activities that were coordinated for the summer at UPRM were cancelled, among them the summer camps, addressed to public school's students, and faculty training workshops (i.e. GMO's and climate change). These two workshops were postponed until the summer of 2018. The other two summer workshops on Bioethics and Metagenomics has been rescheduled for September and November 2017, respectively. PUCPR Challenges: One of the major challenges is the recruitment of students. Since PCUPR does not have an agricultural academic program, most of the students that are in sciences are looking for careers in medicine, pharmacy or health related. The recruitment of students started in the spring semester of 2017, and we were not able to recruit the total of 11 students per year as we proposed. Because of that the rate of expenditure of the student's assistantship was not as projected. However, we were able to financially support a student with lodging for the 2017 summer internship. Another problem we encountered is student's class itinerary. Many of them do not have enough time to dedicate to a research project. Therefore, this past semester only three were able to have a research experience. Only two from the current program demonstrated interest in a summer internship experience. Others have plans of register into summer courses by the time they enter in the program. IAU San German: Administrative paperwork were finalized by March 2017, therefore we have a slow start in money expending. However, our students are well engaged with the project and we expect to reach the project's goals by the end of the term in August 2017. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through the year ECaFSS provided multiple opportunities to underrepresented Hispanic students of Puerto Rico to gained knowledge about food security and safety issues and be familiarize with careers options. Opportunities for training and professional development were: Undergraduate students research mentoring or volunteer work in food security and safety issues: Thirty-six (36) undergraduate students benefited from training and professional activities through ECaFSS program in the following disciplines: agricultural biotechnology, animal sciences, entomology, environmental microbiology, environmental sciences, general agricultural sciences, microbiology, nanotechnology, plant pathology, plant sciences, soils, and veterinary medicine. Graduate students: Four (4) graduate students conducted research in areas related to food microbiology, plant pathology, plant sciences and soil recovery. ECaFSS provided research assistantships to all graduate students either partially or complete. Summer Internships: Thirty-five students have been placed as interns at different agencies, institutions, NGO's and private industries. Of these, twelve has been placed at USDA agencies such as APHIS, Carolina and Ponce units in PR; at ARS in Beltsville, MD and TARS, Mayaguez, P.R.; and NRCS, Pennsylvania. Also students have been placed as interns at state agencies or public facilities such as PR's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; the NY Botanical Garden and the Gateway National Recreation Area N.J.; at higher education institutions such as Iowa State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UPR Lajas Ag Experiment Station and UPR Alzamora Farm; at NGO's (i.e. Jobos National Estuarine Research Reserve); and at agroindustries (i.e. Suiza Dairy, Jeanmarie Chocolat). Faculty workshops training: Faculty, technicians and graduate students participated in an interactive workshop to create courses on-line. Conferences, seminars and symposiums: To gain knowledge on careers opportunities and critical issues related to food security and safety issues, ECaFSS participants attended different activities. Among them: APHIS/USDA an overview of opportunities and challenges; The future of GMO's: integrating GM technology with traditional chemistry, microbial agents, and geospatial technology; Biotechnology applied to our daily life; Soil Erosion and Mangrove Importance, Coffee from the soil to your cup; among others. They also attended diverse symposiums: X Symposium in Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology: Agricultural Innovations at Universidad del Turabo, XVIII Mycology Symposium at IAU, San German, XV Scientific Research Symposium at PCUPR, in Ponce PR, and XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium held in UPRAg. In addition, they attended the role model seminar series at UPRM and UPRAg. Invited speaker at UPRM was Dr. Alberto Pantojas, USDA-ARS Associate Director, Midwest Area, and his seminar was entitled: Research in foreign lands: opportunities, challenges and rewards. ECaFSS project PI, Dr. Lydia I. Rivera was invited to present her research at UPR Aguadilla as role model seminar speaker. One hundred sixteen (116) people attended her seminar was entitled: Phytoplasmas: Pathogenic bacteria inhabiting plant phloem". At UPRAg another role model seminar speaker was Dr. Esbal Jimenez from UPRM, 83 people attended his seminar entitled: New discoveries about Puerto Rican's Holsteins short-hair cows. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?ECaFSS participants research findings have been disseminated in local events such as the XVIII Mycology Symposium sponsored by the Puerto Rican Mycological Society, and the XV Scientific Research Symposium held at PUCPR and XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium held at UPRAg. An ECaFSS Symposium has been coordinated for August 26, 2017 in which students from four collaborating HSI's will present their Summer Internships experiences and their undergraduate research projects. The activity will be held at IAU, San German. Outreach activities (i.e. exhibits) were presented at American Chemical Society's Chemistry Festival to expose the general public to agricultural and environmental issues. A facebook page has been developed to disseminate project activities: https://www.facebook.com/ecafss. A site and project page is still under construction at UPR network system: http://www.uprm.edu/ecafss. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue the planning, coordination and development of ECaFSS proposed activities to accomplished project goals. Among them: Role Model Seminar series; Field trips to UPR-Agricultural Research Station at Corozal; ECaFSS Symposium; Professional development activities adressed to students; Agro-Sciences and Bio-Molecular Summer Camps; and 2018 Summer Faculty Training Workshops. Continue undergraduate and graduate research and volunteer mentoring at participating HSI's and start collaborations with entities that will support 2018 Summer internships. Continue improving curriculum at participating HIS's Continue promoting project activities to the general public and communities. Continue gathering and analyzing project assessment data. Acquired necessary equipment to complete furnishing laboratory facilities located at Doctoral program building at UPRM.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All multi-institutional collaborative project goals (a through d) were accomplished from the period of 2016 to 2017, through nine (9) different activities organized by ECaFSS personnel. Activities (described in detailed below) included conferences, seminars, research symposia, professional skill building workshops, summer camps and faculty training workshops. Another two activities were co-sponsored by ECaFSS project. These were: Frontiers in Microbiology: Agricultural Innovation Symposium, organized by Turabo University and an exhibition at the Chemistry Festival organized by American Chemical Society in which ECaFSS students made demonstrations on agriculture, food and nutritional issues. In addition, ECaFSS promoted the active participation of students in more than eleven (11) professional development activities (non organized by ECaFSS). For example, ECaFSS students participated in training workshops about agricultural entomology and sustainable soils; in conferences focused on Coffee; Pathogen Detection in Potable Water; Soil Erosion and Mangrove Importance; and Dry Forest and Salt Flats. Students attended different symposiums (i.e. Frontiers in Microbiology: Agricultural Innovation; Mycology; Potable Water Issues in Puerto Rico; XV Scientific Research at PUCPR and XVII Undergraduate Research at UPRAg). Students also visited the composting facilities at the Water and Sewage Authority and agroindustries such as Pioneer and Monsanto. Project Activities: Bio-Molecular Summer Camps for public school's students: Thirty-two (32) high school students were exposed to hands-on experiences in biotechnology, plants genetics and food microbiology. A series of experiments were designed to provide students with experiential learning at the Biotechnology Center (CEIBA) at PUCPR. Public high school students were exposed to basic concepts and the application of modern techniques in agricultural settings. In addition, students visited the Agricultural Industrial Facility of DuPont Pioneer in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Role Model Seminar Series: Forty (40) people attended the Role Model Seminar series at UPRM. Invited speaker was Dr. Alberto Pantoja, USDA-ARS Associate Director, Midwest Area, and his seminar was entitled: "Research in foreign lands: opportunities, challenges and rewards". ECaFSS project PI, Dr. Lydia I. Rivera was invited to present her research at UPR Aguadilla as role model seminar speaker. One hundred sixteen (116) people attended her seminar entitled: Phytoplasmas: Pathogenic bacteria inhabiting plant phloem". At UPRAg another role model seminar speaker was Dr. Esbal Jimenez from UPRM, 83 people attended the seminar entitled: New discoveries about Puerto Rican's Holsteins short-hair cows. Undergraduate students mentoring: Twenty-seven undergraduate students obtained research experience and knowledge in food security and safety and other related areas such environmental issues, nanotechnology and biotechnology. Participating students were able to present their research and socialize with other students and faculty from collaborating HSI's at local scientific meetings and symposiums. Volunteering: Nine (9) students volunteered at higher education institutions (i.e. UPRM's Ag Experiment Substations), federal agencies (i.e. FWS), NGO's (i.e. Cabo Rojo Salt Flats Conservation Center) or at private farms or offices (i.e. dairy farms and a veterinary clinic). Graduate assistantships: Four graduate students were sponsored by the project to pursue MS in areas of agricultural biotechnology, environmental sciences, food microbiology and plant sciences. Internships: During the summer of 2017, thirty-five students have been placed as interns locally or in the USA. Of these twelve has been placed at USDA agencies such as APHIS, ARS and NRCS. Other collaborations included: state agencies (PR's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, NY Botanical Garden, Gateway National Recreation Area, N.J.), higher education institutions (i.e. Iowa State University, Michigan State University; Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, UPRM Ag Experiment Station, UPRM Alzamora Farm), NGO's (i.e. Jobos National Estuarine Research Reserve), and agroindustries (i.e. Suiza Dairy). Faculty workshops training: Seventeen (17) faculty, technicians and graduate students from all ECaFSS collaborating HSI's participated of an interactive workshop to create courses on-line. The workshops was offered by collaborating professors of UPRM and UPRAg and held at IAU Center of Informatics and Telecommunications. Curriculum enhancement: Approximately 153 students of courses such as Tropical Plant Pathology (UPRM), Bacteriology of Milk (UPRM), Microbiology (UPRAg) and Cell Biology (UPRAg) were introduced to concepts such as metagenomics, phytobiomes, climate change, nanotechnology and other novel biotechnological applications. Equipment acquisition: At UPRM, a thermocycler (i.e. PCR) and a refrigerated microcentrifuge was acquired through the project to furnish a recently improved and renovated laboratory facility for a proposed Tropical Agriculture Ph.D. program. The acquisition of a set of stereo and bright light microscopes is in process. At UPRAg a real time PCR System with Laptop and a Nanophotometer were acquired. These pieces of equipment will enrich students learning opportunities at collaborating HSI's by providing hands-on experiences in plant and food-borne pathogen detection, gene expression analysis, among others and will improve teaching laboratories of courses such as Tropical Plant Pathology, Plant Pathogenic Fungi, Molecular Biology and Microbiology, as well as undergraduate and graduate research.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Escalera-Garcia, I.A. and M. Feliciano-Rivera. 2017.Sensitivity of Colletotrichum alatae to a quinone outside inhibitor (Qol) fungicide. Mycology Symposium, Inter American University, San German, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Giraldo, M. 2017. Characterization and regulation of expression of an antifungal peptide from hemolymph of an insect, Maduca sexta. Frontiers in Microbiology: Agricultural Innovation Conference, Turabo University, Gurabo, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Luciano C. and L. Ponce de Le�n. 2017. The bactericidal effect of cinnamon powder in the keeping quality of pasteurized milk. XXII Sigma Xi Poster Day. UPR-Mayaguez, Mayaguez, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rivera-Vargas, L.I. 2017. Phytoplasmas: pathogenic bacteria inhabiting plant phloem. Frontiers in Microbiology: Agricultural Innovation Conference, Turabo University, Gurabo, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rivera-Vargas, L.I., P. Ortiz-Berm�dez, M. Feliciano, L. Ponce de Le�n, C. Est�vez de Jensen and M. Giraldo. 2017. Encouraging careers in food security and safety: A multi-institutional collaborative approach for success in Puerto Rico. Workforce Diversity and Career Opportunities within the USDA for Current and Recent Graduates Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Santiago Charneco, J., L. L. Simba�a Carrera and Lydia I. Rivera-Vargas. 2017. Pathogenic fungi of spearmint (Mentha spicata) in Puerto Rico. Mycology Symposium, Inter American University, San German, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Vel�z Negr�n, Y., L.L. Simba�a Carrera and Lydia I. Rivera-Vargas. 2017. Phytophthora spp. and fungal species associated with pineapple (Ananas comosus) production in Puerto Rico. Mycology Symposium, Inter American University, San German, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Aquino Acevedo,A. N., Garc�a V�zquez, K. E., Qui�ones Avil�s, Y., Ram�rez Feliciano, A., Rosado Garc�a, A. N.,Sabino Badillo, Z. K. and Vera Pad�n, L. I. 2017. Effects of the properties of sand and compost on the characteristics of tree Thespesia populnea. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus,Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: M�ndez Acevedo, M., Quiles P�rez, C. J., P�rez Torres, C. J., and Malavez Acevedo, Y. 2017. Environmental identification of Staphylococcus aureus in bathrooms located in a university campus. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gonz�lez, C. P. and Malavez Acevedo, Y. 2017. Analysis of the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Curcuma longa. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hern�ndez Arbelo, I. M. and Malavez Acevedo, Y. 2017. Prevalence of the community-associated methicillin resistant- Staphylococcus aureus in a university campus of Puerto Rico. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rodr�guez M�rtir K. M., Vendrell Mart�nez, M., Rosado, A. and Malavez, Y. 2017. Assessment of the antibacterial activity of the Tamarindus indica. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Quintana Acevedo, L.M. and Malavez Acevedo, Y. 2017. Incidence and characterization of methicillin resistant-Staphylococcus aureus in retail meat from Puerto Rico. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rivera Cubero, L. D. and Jenkins G.S. 2017. History of tropical cyclones in Cape Verde: 1851-2015. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Badillo Chico,P., Miranda Torres, M., Pedraza Gonz�lez, J., Fuentes Acevedo, B., Mendez Ruiz, Y. and Malavez Acevedo, Y. 2017. Antimicrobial effect of Genipa americana plant extracts against multi-drug resistant bacteria and fungi. XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium. University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, Aguadilla, P.R.