Progress 02/15/18 to 02/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:FAST REEU Fellows: This project had a specific focus on providing support to economically disadvantaged, and Native American students. Native American students were given priority during the recruitment phase. The program aimed to offer valuable learning opportunities to the students, which included the development of technical skills in laboratory settings and internships. Additionally, the program facilitated the enhancement of their interpersonal skills through weekly workshops and training sessions conducted by professionals in relevant fields. A total of thirty undergraduate students from five institutions participated in the FAST-REEU program. Except for one Native American student who had to leave after a week due to personal health issues, all other students successfully completed the program. Around 25% of the participants (seven students) were able to complete two summer internships, consisting of three males and three females. The 2019 cohort faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were unable to engage in industry internships during the summer of 2020. Among the twelve Native American students in the program, eight were female. The Native American students who completed the FAST program have either already completed their four-year college degrees or are currently in the process of doing so. Out of the eleven Native American FAST scholars, one has pursued a career in the performing arts field, while the remaining ten have chosen to pursue careers in the STEM/FANH fields. Other audiences: Published articles and curricula developed by the FAST scholars were made publicly available through South Dakota State University's Open Access Institutional Repository. Changes/Problems:The target audience and overall project progress were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, considering that the final internship year was in 2022, a small adjustment was made by removing the requirement of a second summer internship for our final cohort. In terms of the 2022 summer mentoring program, as mentioned in the previous progress report, we prioritized applications from American Indian students and allocated the remaining available spots to academically inclined students, as well as students from other minorities and underrepresented groups. Consequently, we successfully recruited a total of 16 students for the program. This included 13 students for the new cohort and three students from the 2021 cohort who participated in the second summer internship. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our REEU students successfully participated in the following 10 Professional Development workshops: 1) Discovering and harnessing your own strengths; 2) Embracing internationalization and adopting a global citizen perspective; 3) Resolving conflicts effectively; 4) Navigating controversies with civility; 5) Fostering teamwork, collaboration, time management, and leadership skills; 6) Managing stress and developing interpersonal relationship skills; 7) Implementing best practices in undergraduate research, including maintaining a lab notebook, keeping a weekly journal, and preparing posters; 8) Mastering professional communication and effectively conveying scientific concepts to the public; 9) Selecting peer-reviewed articles and constructing an annotated bibliography, a crucial component of research presentations and posters; 10) Exploring graduate school opportunities and potential pathways. 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?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Recruit early-stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged or academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. (100% Accomplished) In total, the project successfully recruited 30 undergraduate students, out of which 12 were Native American students. For the past year's REEU program, the recruitment process began with the dissemination of recruitment materials. As in the previous years, the program's recruitment materials and online application form were made publicly available from December 15, 2021, to April 30, 2022. The project team electronically sent out flyers and application materials to contacts in tribal colleges located in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska. These materials were shared via emails and social media platforms. To further promote the program, the project leadership team and past FAST scholars made presentations in classrooms of the faculty contacts at the tribal colleges. Through these efforts, a total of sixteen applications were received and subsequently reviewed for the available sixteen awards. As a result, sixteen FAST scholars were successfully recruited for the summer of 2022. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. (100% Accomplished) Throughout the project duration, we successfully mentored a total of 29 undergraduate students, with one student leaving the program after a week due to personal matters. Among the 29 FAST fellows, 12 were Native American students. For the summer internships in 2022, the 13 REEU students gained valuable technical skills by working in SDSU labs under the guidance of their respective faculty mentors. Three students were selected for internships outside of SDSU. The SDSU faculty mentors for the summer of 2022 were as follows: Dr. M. Nepal mentored 2 students; Dr. S. Janaswamy mentored 2 students; Dr. N. Butzin mentored 3 students; Dr. B. Eichhorst mentored 2 students; Dr. R. Zhou mentored 1 student; Dr. L. Xu mentored 2 students; B. Karki mentored 1 student. All 13 students also successfully completed nine professional development workshops focused on enhancing their communication and team-building skills, which will greatly benefit their future careers. Additionally, three students from the 2021 cohort pursued a second summer internship during the summer of 2022. One student worked as an agronomy intern under the mentorship of Dr. J. Clark at SDSU. Another student served as a field ecology intern in Alaska, working with Dr. Karen H. Beard from Utah State University. The third student worked as a bioinformatics/biology education research intern with Dr. Nepal at SDSU. All three students have expressed interest in attending graduate school after their graduation.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Forsberg, A., J. Jahir, and B. Karki. 2022. Making Soybean Hulls Economically Useful. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Follett, D., T. Rahman, and N. Butzin. 2022. Creating Supplementary Parts For Microfluidic Experiments Using 3D Printing. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Eide, H., M. Nepal, Y. Wu, and P. Tawiah. 2022. FAST REEU Second Summer Internship Experience. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Holm, J., B. Eichhorst and Xu Lan. 2022. Impacts of Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) on Avian Communities in Eastern South Dakota. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD (J. Holms research paper received SDSUS prestigious Schultz-Werth award)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Korst, J., C. Sachen, A. Smart, A. Boe, and L. Xu. 2022. Fate of Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Seeds When Exposed to Seed-Feeder Arthropods. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Little Eagle, M., M. Janis, B. Adhikari, **D. Nelson and M. Nepal. 2022. Identification of White Sagebrush Samples from Upper Midwest. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Richardson, K., L. Gu, L. Xu, Y. Wu, M. Nepal, and R. Zhou. 2022. Identification of N2-fixing Cyanobacteria from Natural Ecosystems to Support Wheat Growth. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Janis, M., M. Little Eagle, B. Adhikari, and M. Nepal. 2022. Assessing Genetic Variation among Morus rubra, Morus alba and their Hybrids. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Sachen, C., J. Korst, A. Boe, and L. Xu. 2022. Distribution and Infestation Rate of Eastern Redcedar Seed-Feeders. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Williams, T., A. Boe, and L. Xu. 2022. Comparative Developmental Morphology Among Genetic Variations of Switchgrass. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Williams, T., J. Leffler, K. Beard and K. Kelsey. 2023. FAST Second Summer Internship: Field Technician in Coastal Western Alaska. Poster Presented at Biology and Microbiology Day of Scholar. April 25. Brookings, SD
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Larsen, J., M. Hoque, and S. Janaswamy. 2022. Extracting Corn Stover Cellulose to Create Functional and Biodegradable Films. Poster Presented at Biology and Microbiology Day of Scholar. November 15. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Hanisch, M., and B. Eichhorst. 2022. Feeding Preferences and Feeding Behaviors in Northern Prairie Skinks. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Kovash, I., T. Hossain, R. Amaratunga, and N. Butzin. 2022. Exploring the Role of Uncharacterized Gene yjbE in Bacterial Persistence. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ebrahem, T., T. Hossain, R. Amaratunga, and N. Butzin. 2022. Knockout of Uncharacterized Gene ykiA and yfgD Using CRISPR/Cas9 Mediated Lambda Red System. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Salesa, D., S. Bhattarai, and S. Janaswamy. 2022. UV Blocking, High Tensile Strength and Biodegradable Films Composed of Avicel and Spent Coffee Grounds. Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Flammang, **G., R. Alayouni, and S. Janaswamy. 2022. Ouch!! Ice Crystals in My Ice Cream. How to Prevent Them? Poster presented at South Dakota EPSCOR Undergraduate Research Symposium. July 28. Brookings, SD.
|
Progress 02/15/21 to 02/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:FAST REEU Fellows: Students from tribal colleges and SDSU were served by this project. Recruitment priority was given to students from the tribal colleges. Eligible SDSU students were selected for the remaining fellow positions. Other audiences: Published curricula developed by the FAST scholars have been made publicly available through South Dakota State University's Open Access Institutional Repository Changes/Problems:Changes: Since not all Co-PDs were available to contribute to the project, their portions of the budgeted salaries were re-allocated to compensate the extra efforts of PD Nepal and Co-PD Bott. For the 2022 summer mentoring, we are accepting all applications received from American Indian students and filling the remaining vacant seats with academically inclined students including underrepresented students. Not all students completing the first summer training in the past three years requested FAST stipends for the second summer experiences. Stipends budgeted for these students for the second summer will be used to support more students for mentoring in the summer of 2022. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our REEU students completed the following ten Professional Development workshops. Finding your own strengths Internationalization and global citizen perspectives Conflict resolution Navigating controversy with civility Teamwork, collaboration, time management and leadership Stress management; Interpersonal relationship skills Best practices in undergraduate research-lab notebook, weekly journal and poster preparation Professional communication; communicating science to the public Selecting peer reviewed articles and completing an annotated bibliography/ Key element of a research presentation/poster Exploring opportunities in graduate school. 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?Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged or academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU We are recruiting new students for for the 2022 cohort. The summer mentoring is scheduled for May 31-August 5, 2022. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. We are also planning a weekly professional development workshop for the FAST REU students during their stay at South Dakota State University. Also three of the six students from 2021 cohort are planning their second summer internship in 2022. All three students are interested in attending graduate school.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged or academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. (75% Accomplished) Recruitment materials were disseminated for the summer 2021 program and the program online application form was made publicly available from December 15, 2020 through April 30, 2021. The flyer and application materials were sent electronically to the contacts in the tribal colleges in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska through emails. PD Nepal and FAST past scholars promoted the program through presentations in the classrooms of the faculty contacts at the tribal colleges. Seven applications were received and reviewed for the six awards. Therefore, six FAST scholars were recruited for the summer of 2021, including three Native American students. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. (75% Accomplished) The REEU students received technical skills working in labs of their faculty mentors. The mentors for summer 2021 included Dr. Nepal (2 students), Dr. Janaswamy (1 student), Dr. Butzin (1 student), Dr. Xu Lan (1 student), Yajun Wu (1 student). One of the two REEU students who worked in Nepal's lab focused on an ethnobotanical study of five medicinal plants used by Lakota people, while the second student learned about developing good science modules including adding ethnobotanical knowledge to the science teaching on the reservations. As part of their REEU projects, both students learned skills in molecular biology (DNA/RNA extraction, Polymerase Chain Reactions, DNA sequencing), and in bioinformatics (sequence/genotype data acquisition and analysis). One student working in Butzin's Lab acquired skills needed to conduct synthetic biology and bioinformatics research, while one in Janaswamy' s lab learned skills to synthesize biodegradable plastics. The student working in Xu Lan's Lab focused on studying the effects of climate change on seed germination and inter-specific competition between native and introduced grasses, while the student in Wu's Lab studied effects of hydrotropism on maize seedling growth under drought stress. All students completed nine professional development workshops focused on improving their communication and team buidling skills that will benefit their future careers. Three of our 2021 cohort will take their second summer internship in industries/academia during the summer of 2022.
Publications
|
Progress 02/15/20 to 02/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:FAST REEU Fellows: Students from tribal colleges and economically disadvantaged students from SDSU were served by this project. Recruitment priority was given to the students from the tribal colleges. Eligible SDSU students were selected for the remaining fellow positions. Other audiences: Published research and creative activities, as well as the FAST program impacts, have been shared through presentation at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America. (Note: we continued recruitment and dissemination efforts until the summer camp/undergraduaute activities cancellation at SDSU, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was announced in April, 2020) Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the progress of our FAST program in the summer of 2020. Therefore we are requesting in November of this year for a one year no-cost extension of the project. That way we can use the unspent fund allotted to 2020 summer training (cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic), to recruit students and provide them research mentoring during the summer of 2022. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were shared at a scientific conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged, yet academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. We plan to request a one year no-cost-extension of the project. This will allow us to use the unspent funds that were allocated for 2020 to recruit students for mentoring during the summer of 2022. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. We plan to mentor the recruited students on their research projects and for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged, yet academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. (50% Accomplished) Recruitment materials were disseminated for the summer 2020 program and an online application form (https://www.sdstate.edu/biology-and-microbiology/fast-reeu-application) was made available from December 15, 2019 through April 30, 2020. Thirteen applications were received and reviewed for eight awards. Eligible and qualified students were selected as FAST scholars for the 2020 program. The search committee was composed of five Co-PDs and one Department Head. Eight FAST scholars were recruited for 2020, including four Native American students. Unfortunately because of the COVID-19 pandemic and university closure, we had to cancel the 2020 mentoring program. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. (50% Accomplished) None of our 2019 cohort took their second summer internship in industries during the summer of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. PD Nepal offered help to the second cohort in reviewing their resume and encouraged them to apply for the internship in the summer of 2021.One scholar of the second cohort accepted the offer and received help (via Zoom). He decided to join Califonrnia Academy of Science for his second internship during the summer of 2021. We canceled the summer 2020 mentoring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Nepal, M.P., Bott-Knutson, R.C., Mathew, F., Janaswamy, S., and White, P.T. 2020. Enhancing College Experience of Native American Students. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Society of America. July 27-31. Virtual Conference.
|
Progress 02/15/19 to 02/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:FAST REEU Fellows: Students from tribal colleges and economically disadvantaged students from SDSU were served by this project. Recruitment priority was given to the students from the tribal colleges. Eligible SDSU students filled the remaining fellow positions. Non-FAST Students: Non-FAST students at Oglala Lakota College, who did not directly participate in the FAST program, were still inspired by the accomplishments of the REEU students. These non-FAST students benefitted from the leadership and community service of three of our fellows (two from 2019 and one from 2018), who were engaged in community service on the reservation. Other audiences: Published research and creative activities, as well as the FAST program impacts, have been widely shared using open access platforms and media highlights. These dessiminations are believed to have positive impacts on people outside the FAST program. Changes/Problems:Using the unspent fund allotted to 2020 summer training (cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic), we plan to recruit additional fellows (beyond the proposed number) for the 2021 and 2022 summer trainings. For the second-summer training of our last cohort in 2022, we plan to request a one year no-cost-extension to allow this last cohort to complete their industry/academia internship. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?REEU students had the opportunity to learn technical skills (related to their research topics) in the mentor's lab, and interacted with other undergraduate and graduate students. They worked with their mentors to prepare a research poster. They presented at the Joint Poster Session of all USDA funded REEU programs at South Dakota State University on August 2, 2019. Soft Skills/Transferable skills By working directly with their faculty mentor and graduate student researchers, FAST scholars had opportunity to learn about transferable skills such as interpersonal skills, leadership skills, etc. Students wrote two page weekly journal entries (weekly reflection of their experience) and submitted these to the project team every week. They received feedback from the team every week and their journaling skills improved over time. Every week FAST scholars participated in half-day long soft-skill workshops that focused on the following topics: How science works; Basic quantitative skills and data analysis; Finding your own strengths; Teamwork, collaboration, time management and leadership; Mock Interviews; Best practices in undergraduate research; Stress management; Professional communication; Navigating controversy with civility; Interviewing skills; Understanding identity, Diversity & inclusion; Selecting peer reviewed articles & completing an annotated bibliography: Key elements of a research presentation/poster; Communicating scientific research to the public; and Exploring opportunities in graduate school. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As a project outcome this year, Charles Bush (Native American 2019 FAST scholar) published an extension article (Identification guide to common stem diseases of Sunflower in South Dakota), which was widely shared among reserachers and farmers across South Dakota and beyond. Charles Bush also gave a lightning talk at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Tuscon, Arizona. Another Native American FAST scholar, Candy Dubray, also gave a ligtning talk at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Tuscon, Arizona. Both Native American students were recognized as 2019 NSF-PLANTS fellows at the BSA meetings. PD Nepal presented a paper on "Mentoring Native American undergraduate students in his lab" to a national audience at the Education and Outreach section of the annual meetin of the Botanical Society of America. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged, yet academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. We plan to use unspent fund allocated for 2020 summer to recruit four additional students making the cohort size of 10 for the summer of 2021. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. We plan to mentor the recruited students on their research projects and for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged, yet academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. (50% Accomplished) The project team and external evaluator met early September to reflect on the 2019 summer mentoring program, discuss student reflections, and plan for the 2020 summer mentoring program. Three of the six participants in the FAST REEU in 2019 were Native American, two were female, and all of them were non-traditional college students. Major highlights/trends from 2019 mentoring include: All scholars appreciated the research experience opportunities and soft skills workshops. The minority students rated high on both technical skills and soft skills. Between the high ratings on both type of skills, SDSU students rated higher on soft skills. Five of the six students indicated that their mom inspired them to pursue science, while one was inspired by her female science teacher (this cohort had four females and two males). Having all REEU students in the same residential hall or in nearby halls built a sense of a living learning community. It enhanced social interaction, networking, and support to one another. One student commented "I made strong connections with not only the other students but with the faculty at SDSU who were involved in this program. I wish this fellowship could be longer so that more students can benefit. I feel very fortunate for being selected for this life changing experience." Plans after graduation varied: getting a job in an industry or anywhere, working as a teacher, or going to graduate school. Career goals for the SDSU students did not change between the pre and post surveys. Attending graduate school was the common career choice for the three Native students.. In response to pre-/post FAST program survey questions regarding their knowledge about nature of science, there was a shift from "little or satisfactory" knowledge or skill levels to "fair amount" or to "substantial amount". Thus, FAST program has positive impacts on the scientific thinking skills of the scholars. Comparison of pre- and post-program surveys showed a slight improvement in self-management skills such as: self-awareness, emotional management, self-confidence, stress management, and patience. In response to survey questions on people skills (18 components assessed: communication, presentation, facilitation, interviewing, selling, influence/persuasion, teamwork, time-management, leadership, interpersonal relationship, negotiation, mentoring, organizing, self-promotion, dealing with difficult personalities, networking and conflict-management), we saw a general trend of slight improvement. Overall, comparing the ratings and comments, the program has more positive influence on the Native American students than on students from SDSU. 2. Recruitment materials were disseminated for the summer 2020 program and an online application form (https://www.sdstate.edu/biology-and-microbiology/fast-reeu-application) was made available from December 15, 2019 through April 30, 2020. Thirteen applications were received and reviewed for eight awards. Eligible and qualified students were selected as FAST scholars for the 2020 program. The search committee was composed of five Co-PDs and one Department Head. 3. Eight FAST scholars were recruited for 2020, including four Native American students. Unfortunately because of the COVID-19 pandemic and university closure, we had to cancel the 2020 mentoring program. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. (50% Accomplished) Cohort 1: During the summer of 2019, four of the five scholars from 2018 completed their second-summer internship in academica or industry. One student quit the program because of personal reasons and one other student did not participate in the internship program because of a fulltime summer job. The remaining four students submitted their weekly journals to PD Nepal. They also shared their internship project through the poster presentation on August 2, 2019. 2018-Student 1 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Troy White, Laura Hasselquist and Madhav Nepal Career goal: Ag Education Industry/Academia placement: Mauston High School, Mauston, WI Mentor/supervisor in year 2: Beth Babcock, Ag Ed Teacher 2018-Student 2 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Nicholas Butzin and Madhav Nepal Career goal: Grad School in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Industry/Academia placement: RTI (http://4rtilab.com/) Brookings, SD Mentor/supervisor in year 2: Dr. Chris Chase 2018-Student 3 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Srinivas Janaswamy and Madhav Nepal Career goal: Graduate School (Now a PhD student in Nepal's Lab) Industry/Academia placement: Sanford Underground Research Facility; Lead, SD. Mentor/supervisor in year 2: Jacob Davis 2018-Student 4 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Padu Krishnan and Madhav Nepal (Did not complete the program) Career goal: unknown Industry/Academia placement: N/A Mentor/supervisor in year 2: N/A 2018-Student 5 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Sen Subramanian, David Karki and Madhav Nepal Career goal: Undecided Industry/Academia placement: Ecdysis Foundation and the Blue Dasher Farm Initiative; Estelline, SD Mentor/supervisor in year 2: Dr. Jonathan Lundgren (did not participate in the program due to his fulltime summer job) 2018-Student 6 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Bishnu Karki and Madhav Nepal Career goal: Ag Business Industry/Academia placement: Intertribal Agriculture Council; Timber Lake, SD. Mentor/supervisor in year 2: Kelsey Ducheneaux Cohort 2: During the summer of 2019, we successfully mentored the second cohort of six students through their first-year, on-campus activities. Over ten weeks, all six students received research training with their faculty mentor/graduate students and attended weekly half-day long soft-skill workshops on essential life skills. All students also had weekly, hour-long face-to-face interactions with PD Nepal and the external evaluator. Students submitted weekly reflections. The 10-week long training culminated with a poster presentation at the University Student Union on August 2, 2019, in which all students shared their FAST experiences. This event was a joint poster session of all NIFA-funded projects at SDSU, and was attended by over 120 faculty, administrators, graduate and undergraduate students. Below are listed the students, mentors, and presentation titles. 2019-Student 1 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Tanya Gupta and Madhav Nepal Career goal: Science Teacher Presentation title: Analysis of Gamification Using Lab Safety in Undergraduate Chemistry & Biology Courses 2019-Student 2 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Nicholas Butzin and Heather Deter Career goal: Marine Molecular Biologist Presentation title: Exploring the Degradation of Novel Hypothetical Toxins, and Their Relationship to Bacterial Persistence. 2019-Student 3 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Madhav Nepal and Febina Mathew Career goal: Undecided Presentation title: First Report of Pseudomonas sp. on Brassica carinata in South Dakota 2019-Student 4 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Madhav Nepal and Jordan Purintun Career goal: Undecided Presentation title: Identification and Characterization of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase (MAP3K) Genes in Sunflower 2019-Student 5 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Madhav Nepal and Wenfeng An Career goal: Biochemist Presentation title: Investigating the Effect of Aging on L1-mediated Insertional Mutagenesis in a Transgene Mouse Model 2019-Student 6 SDSU faculty mentors in year 1: Melanie Caffe and Shaukat Ali Career goal: Agronomist Presentation title: Genome-Wide Association Study for Leaf Spot Resistance in Oat Populations
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Nepal, M., Nelson, D. 2020. Scholars reflections on making a difference in American Indian STEM education through FAST REEU. Annual Meeting of the Botanical Society of America. July 27-31. Virtual Conference.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Neupane, S., Schweitzer, S., Kaluwahandi, N., Bush, C., DuBray, C., Madhav, N. 2019. Characterization of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MKKK) genes in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Annual Conference of the Botanical Society of America. July 27-31. Tucson, AZ.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Bush, C., Beck, R., Mathew, F. 2019. An identification guide to common stem diseases of sunflower in South Dakota. SDSU Extension.
(https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2019-08/P-00129_0.pdf)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Bush, C., Nepal, M., Mathew, F. 2019. Use of drones to identify resistance to stem canker in soybean (Glycine max) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Annual Conference of the Botanical Society of America. July 27-31. Tucson, AZ.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DuBray, C., Bush, C., Purintun, J., Nepal, M. 2019. Undergraduates botanizing on the Prairie Coteau of the Northern Great Plains. Annual Conference of the Botanical Society of America. July 27-31. Tucson, AZ.
|
Progress 02/15/18 to 02/14/19
Outputs
Target Audience:FAST REEU Fellows: Students from tribal colleges or economically disadvantaged students from SDSU are being served the most by this project. Recruitment priority was given to the students from tribal colleges, and eligible SDSU students filled the unfilled fellow positions. Non-FAST Students: Those students who did not directly participate in the FAST program, but were inspired by the accomplishments of the REEU students. Oglala Lakota College students benefitted from the leadership and community service of one of our fellows, who immediately served on the students' senate, and was engaged in community services in the reservation. Non-FAST Teachers: Within less than five months of publication of the work by one of the FAST Scholars, there have been over 400 downloads by users from 45 institutions representing 32 countries. Changes/Problems: Last year we had one student come with a health issue, and this student had to leave the program after a week. The search/recruitment committee is working on strategies to avoid situations that hinder program success. Students in the early stage of their college-life are undecided about their career goals, particularly those from the tribal colleges, where there is little or no exposure to information about FANH careers. Therefore, the recruitment focus has to be on those interested in majoring in agriculture or STEM disciplines. We recently learned that a good proportion of our applications come from non-traditional students including those needing childcare and other family support. We did not budget their travel separately, so even if total stipend sounds attractive, we are actively seeking out support to cover their travel support. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Technical skills REEU students had opportunity to learn technical skills (related to their research topics) in the mentor's lab, interacting with other undergraduate and graduate students. They worked with their mentors to prepare a research poster that was presented at the Joint Poster Session of all USDA funded REEU programs at South Dakota State University. Faculty mentors of the two our scholars took them to attend regional meeting of their professional societies Soft Skills/Transferable skills By working directly with their faculty scientist and graduate student researchers, FAST scholars had opportunity to learn about transferable skills such as interpersonal skills, leadership skills, etc. Students wrote two page weekly journal entries (weekly reflection of their experience) and submitted to the project team every week. They received feedback from the team every week and their journaling skills improved over time. Every week FAST scholars participated in soft-skills workshops that focused on the following topics (implemented workshops are in bold, the rest are the proposed important topics for 2019/2020; mentors in parentheses): Lab Safety (Madhav Nepal); BasicskillsFindingyourstrengths (Shelly Bayer); (weeklytime Best practices in undergraduate research- (Jessica Meendering); Stress management (Val Albert); Inspired leadership (President or Provost); Teamwork and management (Ness School of Management and Business); Professional communication (Becky Bott-Knutson); Navigating controversy with civility (Nathan and Becky); Interviewing skills- (Michael Gonda & Becky Bott-Knutson); Mentoring (Linde Murray); Understanding identity (Kas Williams); Diversity & inclusion (Flo & Becky Bott-Knutson); Organization and promotion (Andi Fouberg); Elevator speech networking (Tyler Miller & Becky Bott-Knutson); Networking activity (Larsen, Quail, Brink, Corbett); Selecting peer reviewed articles & completing an annotated bibliography (Nancy Marshall): Key elements of a research presentation/poster (Rosie Nold and Madhav Nepal); Communicating scientific research to the public (Lora Berg and her interns), and Exploring opportunities in graduate school (Nicole Lounsbery) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? As a project outcome from this REEU, one student majoring in Ag Education has developed an interactive notebook for teachers. Her work has been published in Open Prairie site (See the "Other products" section). PD Nepal is scheduled to give a talk on FAST REEU to a national audience at the Education and Outreach section of the Botanical Society of America in July. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Last summer, we successfully mentored the first cohort of five students and have now confirmed their placements in industries or academia during the second summer. We will mentor the second cohort of students and prepare them for the industry internship next summer. We will continue receiving the weekly journals of the students acquiring industry experience this summer and asses their poster presentation on August 2.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Recruit early stage undergraduate students from minority or economically disadvantaged, yet academically inclined backgrounds for a summer research and extension fellowship at SDSU. (30% Accomplished) After the award notification on February 15th, the project team met to discuss strategies for student recruitment. The external evaluator was contacted and invited to all program activities for his evaluation. The FAST program webpage (https://www.sdstate.edu/biology-and-microbiology/fastsdstate) was developed and Facebook group page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/160182851457019/) was created. South Dakota State University hosts the FAST program website. In addition, the project information story was published in the local newspapers. Recruitment materials were developed and an online application form (https://www.sdstate.edu/biology-and-microbiology/fast-reeu-application) was made available from March 15 through April 30th. Altogether 11 applications were received and reviewed for six awards. Eligible and qualified students were selected as FAST scholars. The search committee was composed of five Co-PDs and one Department Head. We recruited six FAST scholars including three Native American students. Objective 2: Mentor the students for academic success and train for necessary skills relevant to the second internship in the area of their career goal: attending graduate school or pursuing a career in academia, industry or business in FANH areas. (30% Accomplished) One of the six students selected for the program did not complete the program due to a health issue and returned home after a week in the program. The remaining five students successfully completed the first summer of the REEU program and are now placed for the second summer industry/academia experiences. The following Table summarizes the two summer internships (students personal information is not shown). 2018 FAST REEU Scholars SDSU Faculty Mentors (1st summer) Career goal; Industry/Academia Placement; 2nd summer internship mentor/supervisor Student 1 Troy White, Laura Hasselquist and Madhav Nepal Ag Education; Mauston High School Mauston, WI; Beth Babcock, Ag Ed Teacher Student 2 Nicholas Butzin and Madhav Nepal Grad School in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences; RTI-http://4rtilab.com/; Brookings, SD. Dr. Chris Chase. Student 3 Srinivas Janaswamy and Madhav Nepal Undecided. Sanford Underground Research Facility; Lead, SD. Jacob Davis Student 4 (Did not complete the program) Padu Krishnan and Madhav Nepal N/A Student 5 Sen Subramanian, David Karki and Madhav Nepal Undecided; Ecdysis Foundation and the Blue Dasher Farm Initiative; Estelline, SD. Dr. Jonathan Lundgren Student 6 Bishnu Karki and Madhav Nepal Ag Business; Intertribal Agriculture Council; Timber Lake, SD. Kelsey Ducheneaux. We mentored the students for both technical and soft skills during the first summer at South Dakota State University, preparing them for the industry/academic internship in the second summer. We have also completed placement assignment with the industries. We have also recruited a second cohort of students including four Native American students. B). What opportunities for training and professional development
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Nepal, M., R. Bott-Knutson, F. Mathew, S. Janaswamy, P. White. 2019. Mentoring Native American Students for Future Science and Agriculture Workforce through FAST-REEU. Education and Outreach Section. Annual Conference of Botanical Society of America. July 27-31. Tucson AZ.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
https://www.sdstate.edu/biology-and-microbiology/fastsdstate
|
|