Source: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA submitted to NRP
BROADENING THE STEM PIPELINE WITH RESEARCH EXPERIENCES IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1011173
Grant No.
2017-67032-26012
Cumulative Award Amt.
$281,453.00
Proposal No.
2016-06367
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 1, 2017
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2021
Grant Year
2017
Program Code
[A7401]- Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
Microbiology and Cell Science
Non Technical Summary
The project will provide faculty-mentored summer research experiences for 8 undergraduate fellows per year for 4 years in IFAS labs at the main campus of UF and the IFAS RECs. Students will be matched with faculty in the areas of plant health and production and bioenergy, and several IFAS faculty from different departments have agreed to serve as mentors. In addition to research, the project has a strong emphasis on extension with the fellows participating in extension activities and shadowing extension professionals. The fellows will also receive career mentoring to explore the breadth of careers in the agricultural sciences. The project will increase diversity in the STEM pipeline as we are recruiting fellows from 2-year minority-serving institutions, including Valencia College and Miami Dade College, and from our Distance Education in Microbiology and Cell Science major, in which half of the students are underrepresented minorities.?
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
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
90340103020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
4010 - Bacteria;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
1. To provide independent research experiences for undergraduates in agricultural sciences at a land-grant universityWe will harness the expertise and breadth of research in the Microbiology and Cell Science Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS) Research and Education Centers (RECs), and our experience in broadening access to STEM undergraduate education. Undergraduates in STEM fields from UF and from minority-serving community colleges in Florida will conduct faculty-mentored summer research that address the AFRI foundation areas of plant production and health and bioenergy, sustainability and natural resources.2. To integrate extension activities into the researchEach REEU fellow will have extension activities woven into their research experience through participating in their faculty mentor's extension programming, shadowing an extension professional, and writing an extension document.3. To promote and to prepare undergraduates for a range of engaging and dynamic careers in the agricultural sciencesWe will host a series of presentations that introduce students to the breadth of modern scientific agriculture in which leaders from the field provide a scope of their position, describe skills and challenges, and share their outlook for the agricultural science workforce. The talks will be recorded and integrated into an online course format for wider dissemination and delivery for REEU fellows in years 3-4 and for MCS majors at UF.4. To increase diversity and retention in the agricultural education pipeline by broadening participation of underrepresented minority students and early stage undergraduate studentsThrough targeted recruitment approaches, we will provide opportunities for individuals from underrepresented minorities and ethnicities (URM) in STEM and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. By engaging students at early stages of their undergraduate careers including community college students who are in interested in completing their bachelor's degree, the REEU project will increase retention.
Project Methods
III. ApproachStudent recruitment, selection and retention. First and second year STEM students will be actively recruited at one of our 3 community college partners: Miami Dade College - North Campus, Valencia College, and Florida State College in Jacksonville as well as from students in their 3rd or 4th year of the DE MCS program. From our efforts, we have learned that the most effective recruitment approach to date to reach students from two-year institutions is when their own Dean or Instructor encourages them to apply or promotes the program.Student selection. Selection criteria are outlined below. Besides targeted approaches via the partners, applicants will also be recruited through standard means with promotional materials (website and brochures), emails/announcements and social media. We will use Qualtrics for the online applications. We will begin recruiting in January and February for summer fellowships. We will convene as a team annually in late February to review applicants and send out decisions in March of each year.To qualify, REEU applicants must meet the following general criteria:Complete the entire fellowship application with demographic information including year in school, major, home institution, gender and ethnicityComplete a brief statement on career/educational goals and interest in learning more about agricultural scienceBe a US citizen, national, refugee alien or permanent resident alien at the time of application submissionBe declared as a STEM major or equivalent (for 2-year students at partner institutions)Be declared as a DE MCS major (for UF students)Have a minimum GPA of 2.5With a targeted recruiting approach and with a track record of recruiting students from all 3 sites for summer experiences and our own DE MCS program, we are confident that we can recruit at least 50% (4 of 8 fellowships per year) of the REEU fellows from the community college partners. In fact, our objective is to award more than 50% of the fellowships to 2-year students assuming we have enough applicants to meet the criteria. Our community college partners are highly diverse institutions, and we expect these demographics to be reflected in the applicant pool for the fellowships. In addition, half of the DE MCS students are URM, which contributes to our diversity goals. One of the project milestones is to establish an REEU cohort that mirrors the diversity of the state of Florida. As per the RFA, REEU fellows will be eligible to apply for a second summer of funding. We will maintain a list of applicants each year who were qualified but were not selected. If a fellow terminates the program early, we will find another student from the applicant pool to replace the student. If we are not able to replace the fellow because of short notice, we will shift those funds to the next summer and add another fellow for that cohort.Student Activities1. Research. The crux of the UF REEU program is to provide opportunities for faculty-mentored research in agricultural sciences at a land-grant, flagship state university. The proposed research experiences will span 10 weeks during the summer, working in a lab under the mentorship of a UF faculty member with a stipend of $4500. Students can choose a mentor in MCS or at one of 5 IFAS RECs. The project will support eight REEU fellows per year for 4 years (2017 - 2020).2. Extension. The Extension arm of UF is located in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and represents a key part of the land-grant mission to develop knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life.a. Research/Extension Integration - Each fellow will participate in extension activities as relevant to their research project. For fellows who conduct research at the IFAS REC locations and with Co-PI Triplett, their mentors already have a tightly interwoven research and extension program and will involve their mentees in their extension programming (see mentor letters). For example, a fellow may participate in the Plant Diagnostics lab to see how faculty share their expertise with stakeholders or attend a growers meeting. Fellows whose MCS mentors do not have an official extension appointment will work with Co-PI Triplett in his extension programming.b. Shadow an Extension Professional/Tour Experiential Learning at UF - To see firsthand the breadth of activities of an IFAS Extension Professional and the experiential learning environment in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at UF, REEU fellows will be immersed in extension shadowing and activities during a 2 week period (one at the beginning and one at the end of the summer). To see how teaching, research, and education are fully integrated at UF, students will visit a variety of the exciting and unique programs at UF such as the Field to Fork program, in which the UF Community Farm is used as platform to learn about sustainable food production and food security.c. EDIS - The Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS) is a collection of peer-reviewed publications on topics spanning all areas of IFAS research. The publications are developed by IFAS faculty and are maintained for universal free distribution. EDIS publications are a powerful way to reach a broad audience. The EDIS article will be subject to an EDIS editor's comments and peer-review, but the REEU fellows will submit a draft.3. Career development. To introduce and promote engaging careers in agricultural sciences, we will organize a series of talks from professionals in the agricultural sciences. The series will be delivered in person for on-campus students and/or through webinars for any REEU fellows at IFAS RECs who cannot attend the talk in person. This series will be formatted as an online course so that we can broaden the impact through a 1-credit elective available for all UF students. The talks will be recorded and maintained online within the UF learning management system to protect privacy. The professional development course is intended to benefit students making career decisions and organizing their academic and credentials to support these decisions. PI Drew and Co-PI Oli will develop the course. Dr. Oli has created many career-based modules that will be helpful to boost the workforce skills of the REEU fellows.Throughout the summer, successful guest speakers from the agricultural sciences will share their experiences. We aim to host three different speakers each summer to scale up to a cadre of 12 speakers. Since each speaker will be recorded, other UF students will be able to view the presentations online. Starting in year 2, fellows will be asked to view the banked presentations prior to the start of the summer program so they begin the program with some familiarity of agricultural sciences. We will recruit speakers from many sectors to talk about careers in agricultural research and science including food scientists, soil microbiologists, molecular biologists in industry, crop specialists from citrus, tomato, and soybean as well as representatives from the USDA, the tech sector, and an agricultural technical writer. MCS will cover the costs associated with travel or arranging the presentations.?Research Mentors. REEU fellows will be matched based on their research and location preferences to mentors in MCS and IFAS RECs that conduct research in many of AFRI's foundational and challenge areas.

Progress 01/01/17 to 12/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience is undergraduates in the STEM transfer pathway from 2-year institutions. We were thrilled to fill 10summer undergraduate research and extension positions with students enrolled in their first or 2nd year at a community college or who had transferred to our 4-year program from a 2-year community college. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Professional Development is an objective of the project and addressed in the response above. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We are working on a manuscript that explores how an integrated research and extension experience affects transfer rates, success and outcomes for underrepresented students. Addtional products have been entered into the product section of this report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? To prepare the next generation of leaders and to increase the diversity of those leaders in agriculture science, we are providing faculty-mentored summer research opportunities for undergraduates at a land-grant university. There are far more jobs in the agricultural sciences than there are qualified people to fill them, and this gap is projected to outpace the number of graduates with B.S. degrees in agricultural sciences. The field also lags in participation of women and minorities. The project targets undergraduate students in the 2-year to 4-year transfer pathway. Transfer students are more diverse and have a lower retention rate and academic performance compared to their non-transfer peers. By focusing recruitment on these students, we hope to increase retention in the 4-year degree pathway and contribute to a well-prepared and diverse agricultural science workforce. Activities: Ten students were selected according to criteria described in the grant and on their interest in fields related to agricultural sciences. They were matched according to interest and preferred research site to faculty mentors across the state of Florida. The 10 undergraduates conducted 9 - 12 weeks of research at six different UF research centers. The student projects spanned a broad scope including bioenergy crops, plant nutrition, medical entomology, and fungal plant diseases. Data: Participants were asked to complete the SURE Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences instrument, which is a published instrument designed to evaluate summer research experiences. The instrument is anonymous and is administered in mulltiple stages. The surveys are anonymous, include an IRB/consent statement, and managed through Qualtrics. A focus group interview was conducted was conducted with these students to further assess the quality and effectiveness of their summer experience. The project succeeded in meeting the goal of providing independent summer undergraduate research experiences at a land-grant university in the area of agricultural sciences. Students gained expertise and research skills in agricultural sciences. Data from the SURE instrument indicates that the students in this summer program posted higher gains than the national average of students completing the SURE in 21 items. Half of the students have not had a prior research experience. All of the respondents indicated being very satisfied with the overall experience and very likely to participate in another research experience in the future. The two recommendations made by students to improve the research experience were to "have the research experience to be more focused on the students' field of study or major" and to provide housing for those in remote areas. In focus groups, Students indicated that the opportunities available for research were very good. However, for some of them, the focus on agricultural sciences was something new and pushed them out of their zone of comfort. Even though students may prefer to be able to choose research experiences closer to their interests, they recognized that learning about something new was exciting and helped them get a more complete understanding of what research is. This new understanding contributes to make them satisfied with the experience - "Research has been the best thing I've ever done at UF. Courses do not allow you to use critical thinking the way this experience allowed me to. I am now excited to do research in the future." One of the successful activities that was held several summers was the symposium The symposium brought together > two dozen undergraduates from various colleges and programs and was held at the Univesrity of Florida each summer. Co-PI Oli developed a resource for students with career exploration and professional development tools and sites and presented resources for students including ones on enhancing resilience. Students were given training in how to construct their project for a presentation, practice interviewing, and develop their resumes. In addition, current graduate students were asked to share their experiences and insightss with the summer students in an open panel session. In addition, Co-PI Galindo delivered a presentation to students on the history and role of extension that provided a unique perspective. We collaborated with the University Career Resource Center to have a career counselor deliver a training to students about crafting their resume/CVs for future opportunities. The training was hands on and helped students translate their research into clear, concise experiences suitable for a resume. In focus groups, students said that the research experience gave students a more solid ground to decide what is that they want to do in the future. For example, it was mentioned that "I have a more concrete idea about the type of research work I'd like to do. Instead of having a vague notion of just wanting to work in a lab, I now know how to develop and eventually market my lab skills to find work at a university lab..." All of the students reported that the experience helped them confirm that research is something that they want to do in the future - "...before, I was unsure if I would like to do research and now I know I am very interested in it." Through collaborations with 2-year institutions, particularly Hispanic-serving institutions, we were able to broaden the pipeline through a very diverse student cohort.Data/Results:Eight of the 2021participants were in their early stage of their undergraduate career "pre-transfer" to a BS program and attend a Minority-Serving 2-year institution. Half of the students were from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM, and 70% of the participants were women.Outcomes:The project team is particularly proud to have exceeded our goals in increasing the diveristy of the agricultural science workforce.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Meru, G. , Leyva, D. , Michael, V. , Mainviel, R. , Dorval, M. and Fu, Y. (2019) Genetic Variation among Cucurbita pepo Accessions Varying in Seed Nutrition and Seed Size. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 10, 1536-1547. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2019.109109.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bhargava ., Gorelik MG, Walker AC, Romeo T, and Czyz DM. Identifying Butyrogenic Bacteria in the Human Microbiome. National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education. Knowledge Exchange, Virtual Poster Sessions, 2021
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Martinez, I. , Michael, V. , Fu, Y. , Shrestha, S. and Meru, G. (2021) DNA Extraction from a Single Seed for Marker-Assisted Selection in Squash. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 12, 1912-1925. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2021.1212132.


Progress 01/01/20 to 12/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:COVID posed a significant challenge to the programas research was halted and lab access was severely restricted. Student research was not permitted in 2020. We planned for a no cost extension and prepared for a robust 2021 summer program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Once COVID restrictions are lifted and its safe, we plan to return to training for students. We will be able to support more students than usual in summer 2021.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Because of COVID, lab work was suspended in the labs and students were not permitted for research experiences. The PI worked with the extension team to develop materials and educational items for broad audiences to help explain how vaccines work and to help dispel common vaccine myths.

Publications


    Progress 01/01/19 to 12/31/19

    Outputs
    Target Audience: The target audience reached the key target of this project: undergraduates in theSTEM transfer pathway from 2-year institutions. Eight undergraduates were selected. We were thrilled to fillall 8 summer undergraduate research and extension positions with students enrolled in their first or 2nd year at a community college or who had transferred to our 4-year program from a 2-year community college. Changes/Problems:We began the application and selection process for summer 2020, but have paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our facilities are closed and no research can be started. Given these circumstances, we will not be able to host students this summer. We will reach out the program officer to determine if the positions can be extended to summer 2021 given the extenuating circumstances. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Professional Development is an objective of the project and addressed in the response above. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We are working on a manuscript that explores how an integrated research and extension experience affects transfer rates, success and outcomes for underrepresented students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will maintain the project plan outlined in the grant to meet the objectives stated above. We began the application and selection process for summer 2020, but have paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our facilities are closed and no research can be started. Given these circumstances, we will not be able to host students this summer. We will reach out the program officer to determine if the positions can be extended to summer 2021 given the extenuating circumstances.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? To prepare the next generation of leaders and to increase the diversity of those leaders in agriculture science, we are providing faculty-mentored summer research opportunities for undergraduates at a land-grant university. There are far more jobs in the agricultural sciences than there are qualified people to fill them, and this gap is projected to outpace the number of graduates with B.S. degrees in agricultural sciences. The field also lags in participation of women and minorities. The project targets undergraduate students in the 2-year to 4-year transfer pathway. Transfer students are more diverse and have a lower retention rate and academic performance compared to their non-transfer peers. By focusing recruitment on these students, we hope to increase retention in the 4-year degree pathway and contribute to a well-prepared and diverse agricultural science workforce. Obj. 1. Research experiences. Activities: Eight students were selected according to criteria described in the grant and on their interest in fields related to agricultural sciences. They were matched accordingto interest and preferred research site to faculty mentors across the state of Florida. The 8 undergraduates conducted 9 - 12 weeks ofresearch at six different UF research centers. The student projects spanned a broad scope including bioenergy crops, plant nutrition, medical entomology, and fungal plant diseases. Data: Participants were asked to complete the SURE Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences instrument, which is a published instrument designed toevaluate summer research experiences. The instrument is anonymous and is administered in mulltiple stages.The surveys are anonymous, include an IRB/consent statement, and managed through Qualtrics. A focus group interview was conducted was conducted with these students to further assess the quality and effectiveness of their summer experience. Result discussion/Outcomes: The project succeeded in meeting the goal of providingindependent summer undergraduate research experiences at a land-grant university in the area of agricultural sciences. Students gained expertise and research skills in agricultural sciences. Data from the SURE instrument indicates that the students in this summer program posted higher gains than the national average of students completing the SURE in 21 items. Half of the students have not had a prior research experience. All of the respondents indicated being very satisfied with the overall experience and very likely to participate in another research experience in the future. The two recommendations made by students to improve the research experience were to "have the research experience to be more focused on the students' field of study or major" and to provide housing for those in remote areas. In focus groups, Students indicated that the opportunities available for research were very good. However, for some of them, the focus on agricultural sciences was something new and pushed them out of their zone of comfort. Even though students may prefer to be able to choose research experiences closer to their interests, they recognized that learning about something new was exciting and helped them get a more complete understanding of what research is. This new understanding contributes to make them satisfied with the experience - "Research has been the best thing I've ever done at UF. Courses do not allow you to use critical thinking the way this experience allowed me to. I am now excited to do research in the future." 2. Integration of extension. Activities: The type of extension activities varied and ranged from shadowing extensionscientist at a county extension center to participating and leading groups at field days to working in a developing public resources and websites for mosquito control. Data: There is considerable researchon the value of undergraduate research experiences, but minimal understanding of undergraduate extension experiences. We would like to use this project to evaluate the effect of integrated research/extension in undergraduate education. Because the n is low each year, we will analyze all years together at the end of the program funding.Discussion results: All 8undergraduates participated inwide-ranging extension projects that were intertwined with their research projects. Outcomes: Students obtainedvaluable and unique experiences in extension as indicated by survey responses. Most of the survey respondents (86%) indicated that the inclusion of extension related activities had made the whole experience either "somewhat better" (29%) or "much better" (57%). The same proportions of students considered that participating in the extension activity had "probably" (29%) or "definitely" (57%) enhanced their understanding of the scientific concepts underlying their research projects. Based on her integrated research and extension summer experience, one student changed her career trajectory and was offered a job at a county extension office at the end of her experience. 3. Promotion and career development. Activities: We provided professional development through a research symposium. Each student delivered a presentation on their research/extension project. The talks were 12 min in length with 2 min of questions. The symposium brought together 24 undergraduates from various colleges and program and was held at the Univesrity of Florida. Co-PI Oli developed a resource for students with career exploration and professional development tools and sitesand presented resources for students. Students were given training in how to construct their project for a presentation. In addition, current graduate students were asked to share their experiences and insightss with the summer students in an open panel session. In addition, Co-PI Galindo delivered a presentation to students on the history and role of extension that provided a unique perspective. We collaborated with the University Career Resource Center to have a career counselor deliver a training to students about crafting their resume/CVs for future opportunities. The training was hands on and helped students translate their research into clear, concise experiences suitable for a resume. In focus groups, students said that the research experience gave students a more solid ground to decide what is that they want to do in the future. For example, it was mentioned that "I have a more concrete idea about the type of research work I'd like to do. Instead of having a vague notion of just wanting to work in a lab, I now know how to develop and eventually market my lab skills to find work at a university lab..." All of the students reported that the experience helped them confirm that research is something that they want to do in the future - "...before, I was unsure if I would like to do research and now I know I am very interested in it." 4. To broaden participation of underrepresented minority students and early stage undergraduate students.Activities: Through collaborations with 2-year institutions, particularly Hispanic-serving institutions, we were able to broaden the pipeline through a very diverse student cohort. Data/Results: Five of the participants were in their early stage of their undergraduate career "pre-transfer" to a BS program and attend a Hispanic-Serving 2-year institution.Half of the students were from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM, and 66% of the participants were women. Outcomes: The project team is particularly proud to have exceeded our goals in meeting this objective and increasing the diveristy of the agricultural science workforce.

    Publications


      Progress 01/01/18 to 12/31/18

      Outputs
      Target Audience:The target audience reached the key target of this project: undergraduates in the STEM transfer pathway from 2-year institutions. Six undergraduates were selected. We were thrilled to fill 5/6summer undergraduate research and extension positions withstudents enrolled in their first or 2nd year at a community college and 1 student who had transferred from a community college. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development is an objective of the project and addressed in the response above. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been shared with STEM education researcher communities including university symposiums, the NACTA conference for 2019, and at the USDA REEU PI meeting in April 2018. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will maintain the project plan outlined in the grant to meet the objectives stated above. We currently have selected 8 students for summer 2019 and are very excited to extend the reach of this program to two new research sites.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? To prepare the next generation of leaders and to increase the diversity of those leaders in agriculture science, we are providing faculty-mentored summer research opportunities for undergraduates at a land-grant university. There are far more jobs in the agricultural sciences than there are qualified people to fill them, and this gap is projected to outpace the number of graduates with B.S. degrees in agricultural sciences. The field also lags in participation of women and minorities. The project targets undergraduate students in the 2-year to 4-year transfer pathway. Transfer students are more diverse and have a lower retention rate and academic performance compared to their non-transfer peers. By focusing recruitment on these students, we hope to increase retention in the 4-year degree pathway and contribute to a well-prepared and diverse agricultural science workforce. Obj. 1. Research experiences. Activities: Six students were selectedaccording to criteria described in the grant (minimum GPA of 2.5; STEM major or equivalent; in the pre or post transferpathway seeking their BS degree) and on their interest in fields related to agricultural sciences. They were matched according to interest and preferred research site to faculty mentors across the state of Florida. The 6 undergraduates conducted 9 weeks of full-time research at fourdifferent UF research centers. The student projects spanned a broad scope including bioenergy crops, synthetic biology, and microbial ecology.Data: Participants were asked toomplete the SURE Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences instrument, which is a published instrument designed to evaluate summer research experiences. The instrument is anonymous and is administered in mulltiplestages. Co-PI Galindo designed two evaluation instruments tailored to this program and analysis of the survey data is in progress. The surveys are anonymous, include an IRB/consent statement, and managed through Qualtrics. Result discussion/Outcomes: The project succeeded in meeting the goal of providing independent summer undergraduate research experiences at a land-grant university in the area of agricultural sciences. Students gained expertise and research skills in agricultural sciences. Data from the SURE instrument indicates that the students in this summer program posted higher gains than the national average of students completing the SURE. The students in the REEU program posted the greatest gains in the areas of intepreting results, understanding how knowledge is constructed, and learning laboratory techniques. 2. Integration of extension. Activities: The type of extension activities varied and ranged from shadowing extension scientist at a county extension center to participating and leading groups at field days to working in a plant disease clinic. Data: There is considerable research on the value of undergraduate research experiences, but minimal understanding of undergraduate extension experiences. We would like to use this project to evaluate the effect of integrated research/extension in undergraduate education. Discussion results: All 6 undergraduates participated in wide-ranging extension projects that were intertwined with their research projects. Outcomes: Students obtained valuable and unique experiences in extension. 3. Promotion and career development. Activities: Weprovided professional development through a research symposium. Each student delivered a presentation on their research/extension project. The talks were 12 min in length with 2 min of questions. The symposium brought together 24 undergraduates from various colleges and program and was held at the Univesrity of Florida. Co-PI Oli developed a seminar on career exploration and presented resources for students. Students were given training in how to construct their project for a presentation including a "demo" talk that was carefully annotated by a graduate student. In addition, current graduate students were asked to share their experiences and insightss with the summer students in an open panel session. In addition, Co-PI Galindo delivered a presentation to students on the history and role of extension that provided a unique perspective. 4. To broaden participation of underrepresented minority students and early stage undergraduate students. Activities: Through collaborations with 2-year institutions, particularly Hispanic-serving institutions, we were able to broaden the pipeline through a very diverse student cohort. Data/Results: Five of the sixparticipants were in their early stage of their undergraduate career "pre-transfer" to a BS program. Sixty-sixpercent of the students were from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM, and 80% of the participants were women. Outcomes: The project team is particularly proud to have exceeded our goals in meeting this objective.

      Publications


        Progress 01/01/17 to 12/31/17

        Outputs
        Target Audience:The target audience reached in the first year of this project was primarily the key target of this project: undergraduates in the STEM transfer pathway from 2-year institutions. As per the grant, 8 undergraduates were selected. We had originally set a goal to fill at least half of the 8 undergraduate research positions with students currently attending a two-year college and the other four positions with students enrolled in their 3rd or 4th year at UF (the lead institution). However, we were thrilled to fill all summer undergraduate research and extension positions in year 1 with students enrolled in their first or 2nd year at a community college. These students were all working towards transferring into a 4-year STEM program. Students were selected according to the criteria of the grant including a minimum 2.5 GPA, an interest in microbiology, plant science, or other agriculturally related science. All of the target participants attended a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Seventy-five percent of the participants belonged to minority backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM and exactly 50% were women and 50% men. The eight students participated in research projects with UF IFAS faculty located at six different Research and Education centers around the state of Florida. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development is an objective of the project and addressed in the response above. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Preliminary results have been disseminated in a poster at the Gordon Conference for Undergraduate Biology Education Research in summer, 2017. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will maintain the project plan outlined in the grant to meet the objectives stated above.

        Impacts
        What was accomplished under these goals? To prepare the next generation of leaders and to increase the diversity of those leaders in agriculture science, we are providing faculty-mentored summer research opportunities for undergraduates at a land-grant university. There are far more jobs in the agricultural sciences than there are qualified people to fill them, and this gap is projected to outpace the number of graduates with B.S. degrees in agricultural sciences. The field also lags in participation of women and minorities. The project targets undergraduate students in the 2-year to 4-year transfer pathway. Transfer students are more diverse and have a lower retention rate and academic performance compared to their non-transfer peers. By focusing recruitment on these students, we hope to increase retention in the 4-year degree pathway and contribute to a well-prepared and diverse agricultural science workforce. In the first year of the program, eight early stage undergraduates from a Hispanic-Serving 2-year Institution were selected. In the first year cohort, 75% of the students were from underrepresented minority backgrounds and 50% were women. Obj. 1. Research experiences. Activities: The team developed an online application. Eight students were selected according to criteria described in the grant (minimum GPA of 2.5; STEM major or equivalent; in the pre or post transfer pathway seeking their BS degree) and on their interest in fields related to agricultural sciences. They were matched according to interest and preferred research site to faculty mentors across the state of Florida. The 8 undergraduates conducted 10 weeks of full-time research at six different UF research centers. The student projects spanned a broad scope that included the cultivation of hops in Florida for beer making to investigating citrus greening disease. Data: Participants were asked to complete the SURE Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences instrument, which is a published instrument designed to evaluate summer research experiences. The instrument is anonymous and is administered in 3 stages. At this time, the students have not completed the 3rd stage, which is intended as the follow-up 6-9 months post-experience. Co-PI Galindo designed two evaluation instruments tailored to this program and analysis of the survey data is in progress. The surveys are anonymous, include an IRB/consent statement, and managed through Qualtrics. To explore the program from the perspective of the faculty mentors, Dr. Galindo is piloting a set of interview questions, which were administered in December and the qualitative analysis is in progress. Result discussion/Outcomes: The project succeeded in meeting the goal of providing 8 independent summer undergraduate research experiences at a land-grant university in the area of agricultural sciences. Students gained expertise and research skills in agricultural sciences. Please read excerpts from students, in their own words: "...This internship has been so much fun and full of new information! I am thoroughly enjoying myself each and every day. ... has been a great mentor and has alwaysencouraged us to work on extension projects. So far I have finished a presentation about the banker plant system. The idea was to create a presentation for the home gardener that would explain the banker plant concept and encourage people to use biological controls instead of pesticides. I have also started working on a "Featured Creatures" article abouta predatory beetle. I hope that my work will be of assistance to our local extensions." "The research that I am currently working on is with Mycorrhizae which is a fungus that helps plants develop better root systems. This fungus shares nutrients with the plant in exchanged for carbohydrates. This research will help to test if there is a benefit to adding mycorrhizae to the soil will affect the crop yield, and medicinal compounds found in the plant." "I am enjoying my time at the lab... They are all doing a great job in getting me involved with as much knowledge and hands on learning as possible. I told him I was interested in nutritional science and he is allowing me to look at the seeds at a nutritional level as well as genetic level to identify the similar traits amongst 35 different cultivar. ...I'm really excited with the material I've gained so far and look forward to the next steps" "I am currently working on an experiment that involves the root weevil species that have been creating economic problems in Florida's citrus industry... the results that I yield from my experiment should provide information on the pest and aid in the biological control of it as well." "It has been an unforgettabletime here...They have beenabsolutely supportive,inspiring, and passionate for the work they do." 2. Integration of extension. Activities: For year 1, we requested mentors to integrate their student into their extension program. The type of activities varied and ranged from co-authoring an EDIS article (a peer-reviewed extension publication distributed through UF IFAS), contributing to a website for public audiences, meeting with growers, shadowing an extension scientist at a county extension center, and presenting research to public stakeholders. Data: There is considerable research on the value of undergraduate research experiences, but minimal understanding of undergraduate extension experiences. We would like to use this project to evaluate the effect of integrated research/extension in undergraduate education. We have designed a novel survey instrument, and are analyzing the data. Discussion results: All 8 undergraduates participated in wide-ranging extension projects that were tightly intertwined with their research projects. Outcomes: Students obtained valuable and unique experiences in extension. One student expressed an interest in future work with county extension agents after the summer, one student co-authored a an EDIS and other students have extension publications in preparation. 3. Promotion and career development. Activities: In year 1, we provided professional development through a research symposium. Each student delivered a presentation on their research/extension project. The talks were 8 - 10 min in length with 2 min of questions. The symposium brought together 24 undergraduates from various colleges and program and was held at Valencia College. The symposium agenda also featured a seminar from Dr. Triplett, Chair of Microbiology & Cell Science, about career preparation/development. The PI also participated in a STEM Summit at Valencia College that focused on research, careers, and the USDA REEU program. Data: The survey instruments described above include questions relevant to career development and will provide insights into the effectiveness of the activities when analysis is complete. Results/Outcomes: The Project team is planning improvements for year 2. We are aligning the summer research experiences in Year 2 with the bootcamp lab offered by the MCS program and bringing all 8 students to the main Gainesville campus for a week to learn basic lab skills, tour facilities, attend talks and speak to research and extension professionals at the main campus. 4. To broaden participation of underrepresented minority students and early stage undergraduate students. Activities: Through collaborations with 2-year institutions, particularly Hispanic-serving institutions, we were able to broaden the pipeline through a very diverse student cohort. Data/Results: All of the participants were in their early stage of their undergraduate career "pre-transfer" to a BS program. Seventy-five percent of the students were from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM, and half of the participants were women. Outcomes: The project team is particularly proud to have exceeded our goals in meeting this objective.

        Publications

        • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Phenotypic relationships among oil, protein, fatty acid composition and seed size traits in Cucurbita pepo. Journal of Scientia Horticulturae
        • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Geofrey Meru, Yuqing Fu, Dayana Leyva, Paul Sarnoski, and Yavuz Yagi. Health Benefts of Pumpkin Seed and Nutrition Profle of 35 Pumpkin Accessions. UF IFAS Extension EDIS HS1312