Progress 03/15/17 to 01/14/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Students and faculty members in Colleges/Schools of Agriculture at the 1890 land grant universities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?These workshops provided a facilitated forum for the students at the 1890 universities to engage professionals regarding career and employment opportunities and graduate and professional education opportunities. Five student workshops were conducted during the symposium: Graduate Student Programs in the Food and Agricultural Sciences: This workshop provided students with an opportunity to learn about various graduate school programs and criteria for admissions in the food and agricultural sciences. Representatives from Fort Valley State University, Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Florida, the University of Illinois, and the University of Maryland-College Park participated in this workshop. Agricultural Careers - Part I (U.S. Department of Agriculture): This workshop provided information on the many USDA career opportunities. Attendees also learned about the new USDA Pathways Program for Students and Recent Graduates. Two 1890 Program Liaison Officers from USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach presented at this workshop. Agricultural Careers - Part II (Monsanto, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank and DuPont Pioneer): This workshop provided information on the many career opportunities and application process for internships and training programs in the private industry for three specific companies, Monsanto, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank and DuPont Pioneer. Resume Development: This workshop provided information on how to develop a resume that includes the content and format needed when applying for federal employment. Attendees also learned about the Pathways Internship Program for Students and Recent Graduates. Mr. Corliss Jackson of FedJobResults.com made this presentation. Mock Interviews: This interactive session provided information about interviewing techniques in the government and private sector. Students participated in mock interviews with government officials with the goal of sharpening their skills and improving self-presentation. Some of the topics discussed included, but were not limited to, eye contact, posture, body language, dress for success, controlling your nerves, answer questions clearly and straightforward - don't digress, be authentic and focused, answering questions about your 'weaknesses," the hand-shake, taking notes during a job interview, thank the interviewer(s), and conduct research on the employer and job opportunity and prepare in advance. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Two documents ( "1890 Research: Meeting the 21st Century Challenges Through Innovation - Program and Abstracts," and "Highlights Of The 18th Research Symposium.") containing the results and accomplishments of this 2017 research symposium have been placed on the website for the Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD). The symposium website is available at https://www.umes.edu/ARD/1890Symposium/. In addition, "Meeting the 21st Century Challenges Through Innovation - Program and Abstracts" document was given to all conference registrant, including the sponsors and exhibitors. A symposium mobile "app" was also developed and was evaluated very positively. The highlights of this 18th Biennial Research Symposium were also summarized in the April 2017 edition of ARD Updates, ARD's monthly newsletter. ARD Updates, through the Executive Directors, is distributed to the entire land-grant community, including federal agencies such as the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Natural Resources Conversation Service (NRCS) and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and APLU (Association of Public and Land Grant Universities). APLU is the land grant's system and public research universities research and advocacy organization and is North America's oldest higher education association with member institutions in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories, Canada and Mexico. The "Highlights of the 18th Research Symposium" and ARD Updates were distributed to our 20 sponsors and exhibitors. Finally, in addition to the electronic documents and other information about the symposium on the ARD website, hard copies of the "Highlights Of the 18th Research Symposium" document were distributed to the research directors to share with their students, faculty and staff. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The 18th Biennial Research Symposium hosted by the Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD) was held in Atlanta, GA on April 1 - 4, 2017. This symposium provided a forum for interactions, knowledge sharing, building networks for expanded partnerships, and to showcase the talents and achievements of the 1890 community. Nine hundred and fifty--five persons participated in this symposium and 736 research papers and posters were presented in five focus areas: (1) Family, Youth, Community and Economic Development; (2) Food Safety, Nutrition and Heath; (3) Renewable Energy, Natural Resources and Environment; (4) Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; and (5) Animal Health and Production and Animal Products. By placing particular emphasis on student participation, the ARD provided students with an excellent opportunity to network, to become exposed to the diversity of scientific disciplines in the food and agricultural sciences, including but not limited to, agricultural economics and the social and behavioral science disciplines. To address NIFA's goal of "educating the next generation of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human scientists,"450 students made scientific presentations at the symposium in competitive sessions. These presentations, as well as the faculty presentations, contributed positively to NIFA's mission, "to invest in and advance agricultural research, education and extension to solve societal challenges." Finally, discussions during plenary sessions as well as workshops and paper and poster presentations focused on research innovations in the food and agricultural sciences and the role of the 1890 institutions in constructing an "innovation agenda" that contributes to practical solutions to improve the quality of life of the citizens in the 1890 region and beyond.
Publications
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