Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:All target audience for the RUTAS Program is 100% Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and historically and currently economically and educationally disadvantaged. All undergraduate students directly and indirectly impacted by the RUTAS program are enrolled in the biology and/or environmental technology programs at UPRAg.RUTAShas directly funded thirty-one (31)RUTAS Scholarsvia the RUTAS Undergraduate Research Scholarships which provides stipend and resources for students to be able to be involved in experiential learning activities in the laboratory, practical and outreach experiences at dairy farms, and participate in leadership and dissemination activities and scientific conferences. Of 31 scholars of the RUTAS program, 100% were retained by the program. Of these, 9.7% (3) are currently finishing their undergraduate programs and continue involved in their RUTAS research projects and 90.3% (28) have graduated and continued to graduate studies or research careers in STEM. The impact of the RUTAS program is evident on every one of these students' stories and experiences with RUTAS. Of note are students like Cindy Andujar, who as a RUTAS Scholar received a RUTAS Travel award to participate at the American Chemistry Society [ACS] conference in San Diego, CA to present the research she performed funded by the RUTAS program. During this conference Cindy was offered a position as a contractor for a Department of Defense [DoD] sponsored program in Ohio, IL, USA where she is studying the effects of microorganisms, specifically virus and bacteria, on plants and crops. An outstanding example of the impact the USDA HSI awards can have on our student's development is Jonathan Lee Borges. As an ex-alumnus of UPRAg and a former RUTAS Undergraduate Research Scholar and knows first-hand the impact he can have in preparing and motivating students for careers in agricultural sciences and increase their chances of entering graduate school. Furthermore, Lee is also the recipient of the RUTAS Graduate Research award that has allowed him the opportunity to attend prestigious conferences like the Entomological Society of America National Meeting in Minneapolis, MN, and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is also evidence on the valuable insights and networking opportunities gained by attending these events. He is currently a PhD student at the Entomology Department at Ohio State University and a collaborator on the PD's new STEP-UP HSI proposal application. RUTAS provided a total of four (4) RUTAS Travel Scholarships during the 1st(pre-pandemic) and 4th(post-pandemic) year of the program to undergraduate students in the program to present their research projects in scientific conferences. During the first year of the program, RUTAS was able to sponsor two (2) undergraduate students with the RUTAS Summer Internship Scholarships which allowed them to continue working on their research projects during summer. Once covid restrictions were applied, summer internships were cancelled, and the awards modify to RUTAS Professional Development Scholarships. In addition, four (4) undergraduate scholars were awarded the RUTAS Professional Development Scholarships to cover registration and tuition fees for specialized courses and workshops` Thus, the RUTAS Program has directly funded 41 undergraduate scholars, while additional influencing and providing opportunities for an additional 100 students approximately (20 x award year) and by maximizing RUTAS resources and attending practical activities and resources, such as the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory. These students were provided experiential learning opportunities, research facilities, novel biotechnology experiences, mentoring, lab meetings, while learning about the dairy and food industry, milk production, and animal husbandry. Two (2) graduate students from UPR RUM under the supervision of our co-PD Dr. Guillermo Ortiz-Colon where also indirectly supported by the RUTAS program via a direct collaboration with RUTAS Scholars. These graduate students have been instrumental as professional role models and peer mentors for undergraduate students at UPRAg. In addition to the impact the RUTAS program had on our student population, it also indirectly provided research collaboration opportunities and motivation to six (6) faculty members: the PD, Dr. Perez Laspiur, the Co-PD Dr. Guillermo Ortiz-Colon, Dr. Jesus Lee-Borges, Dr. Jose Planas, Dr. Yadira Malavez, and Dr. Carlos Nieves. Many of these scientists are currently collaborating in research projects. Changes/Problems:The RUTAS Program, as most projects with similar funding periods started as originally planned and was transformed by the pandemic and the post-pandemic generational challenges faced by our students. The RUTAS program had to be modified and restructured for a post-pandemic college experience and student population. Specific and successful modifications to the objectives are discussed on the Other Products section of the 5thyear progress report. Although at first the changes perceived by the pandemic where perceived as negative, it was this period which allowed the PD to adapt the project to a new generation of students that have different communication methods and sources of information that students in 2018. For year 5, all modified objectives where accomplished with the program having an all-time high regard from students and faculty. Now, the once perceived negative effects of the pandemic have turned out to have a positive impact in the program, students, and PD. Previously,institutional procurement policies hadlong been a problemhinderingRUTAS hands-on research experience and scope.During year 5,a post-award support office (CIPS) was established at UPRAg as part of the institutional support to the administration of these projects in an attempt to avoid previous problems in the acquisition of materials for the projects. CIPS has provided support for year 5 allowing the PD to focus on the training and mentoring of students and accomplishment of project goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RUTAS awarded a total of 10 research scholarships during the pre-pandemic era as originally proposed, and arranged for all scholars to have a research mentor. Mentor-mentee kept constant throughout the first two-years of the programs. Research mentors included the PD, Co-PD, and three additional collaborating faculty engaged in FANH Sciences research. However, during the pandemic the PD took over the mentoring of almost all scholars and adapted all activities to manage during that period off odd and abrupt changes. During the post-pandemic era, the PD continued to be the prominent mentor in the program and by year 5, the PD alone provided experiential learning experiences and practical experiences in scientific research totwenty-four (24)undergraduate students at UPRAg and two graduate students at UPR-RUM. Students projects focused on FANHS sciences particularly animal health, nutrition, welfare and food safety while using microbiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology biotechnology to investigate, 1) which bacteria are involved in mastitis incidence in western Puerto Rico, 2) characterize the cytokine profile of white blood cells from Puerto Rican Holstein cows, 3) extraction, purification, and identification of phytocannabinoids from non-cannabis native plants of Puerto Rico, and 4) stress hormone profile in calf saliva and correlation to housing and handling alternatives. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Pérez Laspiur, J. (2022, November 22). Investigating the therapeutic potential of CB2 in inflammation duringlactation. 2023 Natural Sciences Department Colloquium, University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Ramirez K., Galarza J., Acevedo W., Rivera S., Rodríguez, K., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in bovine milk during mastitis infection. 41st Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA. Morales M., Cordero G., Echevarria E., Rodriguez K., Albarrán G., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. 41st Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA. Perez V, Álvarez S., Díaz-González J., Hernández-Cordero E., Nieves-Marrero C., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). Phytocannabinoids extraction from anti-inflammatory plants and herbs from Puerto Rico 41st Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA. Galarza J., Ramirez K., Acevedo W., Rivera S., Rodríguez, K., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in bovine milk during mastitis. 21st Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Cordero G., Echevarria E., Rodriguez K., Albarrán G., Morales M., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. 21st Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Perez V., Álvarez S., Díaz-González J., Hernández-Cordero E., Nieves-Marrero C., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). Phytocannabinoids extraction from anti-inflammatory plants and herbs from Puerto Rico. 21st Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Acevedo W., Galarza J., Ramirez K., Rivera S., Rodríguez, K., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, October 26-28th). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in milk of cows with mastitis from the western region of Puerto Rico.National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, USA. Emanuel Echevarria, Rodriguez K., Morales M., Cordero G., and J. Pérez Laspiur (2023, October 26-28th). Cytokine expression profile in white blood cells from cows with mastitis. National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, USA. Andujar et al., 2022. Sida rhombifolia L. to prevent heavy metal toxicity in water. American Chemistry Society Spring 2022 Meeting in San Diego, CA on March 21st, 2022. Andujar et al., 2022. Sida rhombifolia L. to prevent heavy metal toxicity in water. National 40th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 55th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JTM) in Humacao, PR on April 9, 2022. Andujar et al., 2022. Sida rhombifolia L. to prevent heavy metal toxicity in water. XXI Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla on May 3rd, 2022. Acevedo E., Albarran G., Rivera J., et al., 2022. RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. XXI Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla on May 3rd, 2022. Cordero K., Nieves K., Chinea J., et al., 2022. Isolation and identification of bacteria in milk of cows with mastitis in a local farm in Puerto Rico. XXI Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla on May 3rd, 2022. Adrian Girald Rodriguez et al. Detection of CB2 protein abundance by immunofluorescence in cell cultures. Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021. Mirelys Torres-Galarza et al. Isolation of white blood cells from whole blood of cows with mastitis for the detection of CB2 expression. Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021. Jeevan Rivera Diaz et al. Dynamics of Parasite Coinfection on the gills of the Crevalle jack, Caranx hippos (Carangidae). Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021. Adriana Muñiz-Rosa et al. Comparative analysis of antibiotic resistance genes of E. coli strains isolated from claves and clinical patients in Pennsylvania, United States. Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021. Lee, Jonathan. 2020. A Brief Review on Encarsia formosa: Bio-Control Agent. (Review as part of the activities performed during summer since summer internships were suspended due to pandemic. Perez Alers, J. et al. November 2019. "Examination of TIE1 Functions in Flow-Mediated Lymphatic Valve Development in vitro". Presented at the SACNAS 2019 Diversity in STEM Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. Domenech et al., 2019. Detection of CB2 mRNA abundance in tissue culture and mammary tissue during clinical mastitis by real-time PCR Poster presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019. Lee Borges et al., 2019. "Preliminary Study on the use of environmental DNA in the surveillance of the invasive cichlid Amphilophus citrinellus in Rio Guajataca, Isabela, Puerto Rico." Poster presentation at the XIX Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla during April 2019. Miranda et al., 2019. Detection of CB2 protein abundance by immunofluorescence in tissue culture and mammary tissue during clinical mastitis. Poster presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019. Muñoz et al., 2019. Detection of Staphylococcus aureus associated to subclinical mastitis in bovine milk from Puerto Rico, its resistance to antibiotics and biofilm formation. Poster presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019. Muñoz et al., 2019. Detection of Staphylococcus aureus associated to subclinical mastitis in bovine milk from Puerto Rico, its resistance to antibiotics and biofilm formation. Oral presentation at the 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and the 53th Junior Technical Meeting. That took place in UPR Mayaguez on May 4,2019. Poster presentation at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic during July 8-12, 2019. Perez Alers et al., 2019. Coffee as a mastitis therapeutic agent. Oral presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019. Acevedo et al., 2019. CB2 mRNA abundance in bovine mammary tissue during clinical mastitis; a pilot study. Poster presentation at the 14th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education that took place on the Hilton Orange County Hotel, Costa Mesa, CA on February 27-March 2nd, 2019. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Sadly, this is the end of the award and thus, there will be no "next reporting period" for this award. The PD wil continue developing and tailoring programs that provide experiental learning and practical experiences in agricultural sciences to our unique undergraduate student population.We will miss the RUTAS Program very much. Thank you for the opportunity.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The RUTAS programwas originally designed tailored to our pre-pandemic student with the maingoal of the NIFA in promoting and strengthening the ability of HSIs to carry out educational programs that attract, retain and graduate outstanding students capable of enhancing the nation's food, agriculture, natural resources, and human science professionals and scientific work force. In order to achieve thisgoal,the originalRUTASprogramaimed to achieve seven objectives that go in par with all Focus Areas suggested by the HSI project evaluation plan and RFA.AS many projects, the RUTAS program had to be modified and restructured for a post-pandemic college experience and student population. Specific modifications to the objectives are discussed on the Other Products section of this progress report. All modified objectiveswhere accomplished within the award period with the program ending on an all-time high regard from students and faculty. To date, RUTAS has awarded a total of thirty-one (31) undergraduate research scholarships, mentoring, and experiential learnings to students that otherwise would not have this opportunity. The RUTAS Program and the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory have provided resources and a space that is cherished by the students and has considerably improved motivation for research experiences.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:All target audience for the RUTAS Program is 100% Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and historically and currently economically and educationally disadvantaged. For the 5thyear of the RUTAS program on a no-cost extension;RUTAShas directly funded six(6) new RUTAS Scholarsvia the RUTAS Undergraduate Research Scholarships which provides stipend and resources for students to be able to be involved in experiential learning activities in the laboratory, practical and outreach experiences at dairy farms, and participate in leadership and dissemination activities and scientific conferences. Of these above mentioned 2022-2023 RUTAS scholars, three (3) undergraduate students have continued to be fully involved on their project during this 1SS 2023-2024 while we actively search for funds to provide them with research scholarships. Of note, Javier Galarza started his experiential learning experiences in our Mastitis project as a first-year undergraduate student voluntarily. Although his original plan was to enter Pharmacy School after obtaining his bachelor's degree, he is now considering graduate studies. He is now on his 2ndacademic year, is fully involved in 3 projects and leads the project on bacteria causing mastitis. Because of RUTAS success and high student motivation, the students, along the PD, are actively searching for funds to support their undergraduate research scholarships for 2023-2024. It is worth mentioning that the other three 2022-2023 RUTAS Scholars finished their undergraduate program this summer. Of note, Kevin Ramirez was recently recruited as laboratory technician for the biology and microbiology courses in our Department of Natural Sciences at UPR Aguadilla, based on the experiences, skills, and leadership he developed during his time as a RUTAS Scholar and lead student on our Mastitis Research Project. An additional 18 students where indirectly impacted by the RUTAS Program practical activities and resources, such as the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory. These students were supported by the AREA Program (n=4) and the MSEIP (n=3) Programs, or where enrolled in the PD's undergraduate research course (n=11). These students were provided experiential learning opportunities, research facilities, novel biotechnology experiences, mentoring, lab meetings, while learning about the dairy and food industry, milk production, and animal husbandry. Of these students, seven (7) are currently still involved in their projects for 2023-2024, some funded by other programs (n=4), and some actively this academic year. Two (2) graduate students from UPR RUM under the supervision of our coPD Dr. Guillermo Ortiz-Colon where also indirectly supported by the RUTAS program via a direct collaboration with RUTAS Scholars. These graduate students have been instrumental as professional role models and peer mentors for undergraduate students at UPRAg. In addition to the impact the RUTAS program has on our student population, it has also indirectly provided research collaboration opportunities to three faculty members: the PD, Dr. Perez Laspiur, the Co-PD Dr. Guillermo Ortiz-Colon, and Dr. Carlos Nieves at UPRAg with efforts directed into writing new research proposals. Changes/Problems:The RUTAS Program, as most projects in the current period had to be modified and restructured for a post-pandemic college experience and student population. Specific and successful modifications to the objectives are discussed on the Other Products section of this progress report. Although at first the changes perceived by the pandemic where perceived as negative, however, it was this period which allowed the PD to adapt the project to a new generation of students that have different communication methods and sources of information. For year 5,all modified objectiveswhere accomplished with the program having an all-time high regard from students and faculty.Now, the once perceived negative effects of the pandemic have turned out to have a positive impact in the program, students, and PD. For year 5, the PD Dr. Perez Laspiur was solelyresponsible for administering the program, andproviding all activities, research experiences, coordinating and leading allfarm visits toall students in the project. The original coPD Dr. Yadira Malavez transferred to a different UPR campus and stopped working on the program for year 5. Thus, all efforts and accomplishments reported for this year 5 of the program where performed by Dr. Perez Laspiur. Previously,institutional procurement policies hadlong been a problemhinderingRUTAS hands-on research experience and scope.During year 5,a post-award support office (CIPS) was established at UPRAg as part of the institutional support to the administration of these projects in an attempt to avoid previous problems in the acquisition of materials for the projects. CIPS has provided support for year 5 allowing the PD to focus on the training and mentoring of students and accomplishment of project goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?For year 5, although only 6 students were fully funded by the RUTAS research scholarships, the PD through the RUTAS Program and resources provided experiential learning experiences and practical experiences in scientific research totwenty-four (24)undergraduate students at UPRAg and two graduate students at UPR-RUM. Students projects focused on FANHS sciences particularly animal health, nutrition, welfare and food safety while using microbiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology biotechnology to investigate, 1) which bacteria are involved in mastitis incidence in western Puerto Rico, 2) characterize the cytokine profile of white blood cells from Puerto Rican Holstein cows, 3) extraction, purification, and identification of phytocannabinoids from non-cannabis native plants of Puerto Rico, and 4) stress hormone profile in calf saliva and correlation to housing and handling alternatives. In addition, the RUTAS Program through the PD's collaboration indirectly impacted two additional faculty members, the CoPD Dr. Ortiz-Colon from UPR RUM, and collaborator Dr. Nieves from UPRAg. In addition to research training, the projects activities such as the field trips and lab meetings where mentoring, workshops and journal clubs also took place, have been very successful in retaining and graduating students at UPRAg. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?For year 5, all undergraduate students involved or benefitted from the RUTAS program presented their research projects at one local and one state level scientific conferences designed for undergraduate students. Ramirez K., Galarza J., Acevedo W., Rivera S., Rodríguez, K., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in bovine milk during mastitis infection. 41stPuerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56thACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA. Morales M., Cordero G., Echevarria E., Rodriguez K., Albarrán G., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. 41stPuerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56thACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA. Perez V, Álvarez S., Díaz-González J., Hernández-Cordero E., Nieves-Marrero C., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, April 29th).Phytocannabinoids extraction from anti-inflammatory plants and herbs from Puerto Rico41stPuerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56thACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA. Galarza J., Ramirez K., Acevedo W., Rivera S., Rodríguez, K., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in bovine milk during mastitis. 21stUndergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Cordero G., Echevarria E., Rodriguez K., Albarrán G., Morales M., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. 21stUndergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Perez V., Álvarez S., Díaz-González J., Hernández-Cordero E., Nieves-Marrero C., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). Phytocannabinoids extraction from anti-inflammatory plants and herbs from Puerto Rico. 21stUndergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. Acevedo W., Galarza J., Ramirez K., Rivera S., Rodríguez, K., and J Pérez Laspiur (2023, October 26-28th). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in milk of cows with mastitis from the western region of Puerto Rico.National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, USA. Emanuel Echevarria, Rodriguez K., Morales M., Cordero G., and J. Pérez Laspiur (2023, October 26-28th).Cytokine expression profile in white blood cells from cows with mastitis.National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, USA. Pérez Laspiur, J. (2022, November 22). Investigating the therapeutic potential of CB2 in inflammation during lactation. 2023 Natural Sciences Department Coloquium, University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Unfortunately, the RUTAS Program has ended. The PD, students,d department, and institution are grateful for the opportunity and are motivated to pursue this type of support for HSI's which have a great impact in our undergraduate small low-income student population. The PD has submitted a newly designed HSI program called STEP-UP that builds up on the success of the RUTAS program and addresses the challenges encountered during the RUTAS Program.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The RUTAS programwas originally designed tailored to our pre-pandemic student with the maingoal of the NIFA in promoting and strengthening the ability of HSIs to carry out educational programs that attract, retain and graduate outstanding students capable of enhancing the nation's food, agriculture, natural resources, and human science professionals and scientific work force. In order to achieve thisgoal,the originalRUTASprogramaimed to achieve seven objectives that go in par with all Focus Areas suggested by the HSI project evaluation plan and RFA.AS many projects, the RUTAS program had to be modified and restructured for a post-pandemic college experience and student population. Specific modifications to the objectives are discussed on the Other Products section of this progress report. For year 5,all modified objectiveswhere accomplished with the program having an all-time high regard from students and faculty. To date, RUTAS has awarded a total of thirty-one (31) undergraduate research scholarships, mentoring, and experiential learnings to students that otherwise would not have this opportunity. The RUTAS Program and the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory have provided resources and a space that is cherished by the students and has considerably improved motivation for research experiences. In result, the demand to be part of the PDs research programs is at an all-time high with long waiting lists full of motivated students.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ramirez K., Galarza J., Acevedo W., Rivera S., Rodr�guez, K., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in bovine milk during mastitis infection. 41st Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Galarza J., Ramirez K., Acevedo W., Rivera S., Rodr�guez, K., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in bovine milk during mastitis. 21st Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Cordero G., Echevarria E., Rodriguez K., Albarr�n G., Morales M., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. 21st Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Perez V., �lvarez S., D�az-Gonz�lez J., Hern�ndez-Cordero E., Nieves-Marrero C., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, May 3rd). Phytocannabinoids extraction from anti-inflammatory plants and herbs from Puerto Rico. 21st Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Acevedo W., Galarza J., Ramirez K., Rivera S., Rodr�guez, K., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, October 26-28th). Isolation and characterization of bacteria in milk of cows with mastitis from the western region of Puerto Rico. National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Emanuel Echevarria, Rodriguez K., Morales M., Cordero G., and J. P�rez Laspiur (2023, October 26-28th). Cytokine expression profile in white blood cells from cows with mastitis. National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Morales M., Cordero G., Echevarria E., Rodriguez K., Albarr�n G., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. 41st Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Perez V, �lvarez S., D�az-Gonz�lez J., Hern�ndez-Cordero E., Nieves-Marrero C., and J P�rez Laspiur (2023, April 29th). Phytocannabinoids extraction from anti-inflammatory plants and herbs from Puerto Rico 41st Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 56th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JrTM), San Juan, PR, USA.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
P�rez Laspiur, J. (2022, November 22). Investigating the therapeutic potential of CB2 in inflammation during lactation. 2023 Natural Sciences Department Coloquium, University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, Aguadilla, PR, USA.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:All target audience for the RUTAS Program is 100% Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and historically economically and educationally disadvantaged. For the current program year 4, RUTAS awarded ten (10) Undergraduate Research Scholarships that were issued to nine (9) new RUTAS Scholars, five (5) female and four (4) males, plus one recurring male scholar. Three (3) scholars are pending graduation, set for the summer of 2023, and will seek to continue doing research and gaining experience during their senior year. Of the remaining scholars, two reported taking time off to prepare and pursue careers in health care. Of note, as a participant at the American Chemistry Society [ACS] conference in San Diego, presenting the work she has done in RUTAS, a scholar was offered a position as a contractor for a Department of Defense [DoD] sponsored program in Ohio. Her plan was to study toxicology, but the experience and opportunities given by RUTAS made her rethink her plans. RUTAS swayed a career path change that led her to accept an offer where she will study the effects of microorganisms, specifically virus and bacteria, on plants and crops. The efforts to reach this target audience include research and mentoring opportunities, scientific journal clubs, seminars, workshops, full hands-on laboratory instruction, bioinformatics and online practices, experiential learning activities, visits to local farms, and academic mentoring. To date, RUTAS has awarded twenty-five (25) scholarships impacting a total of nineteen (19) students; eight (8) females and eleven (11) males between the ages of 21 and 23. Most graduates of UPRAg steer towards professional doctorates like MDs and PharmDs, therefore, one of the main goals of the program was to increase the number of students applying to research-centered graduate programs from an average of three per year. Based on the yearly program's evaluation, RUTAS influenced a change in career path for 43% of RUTAS scholars graduates into a FANH sciences graduate programs or jobs. One graduate candidate is expected to follow a career in the FANH sciences, based on expressed interest, tallying the total to 7 or 37% of the RUTAS Scholar cohort . When accounting for all participants, regardless of graduation status, 53% of scholars are either coursing graduate programs or in the workforce, and 26% [this number includes graduation candidates] are pursuing graduate school. All RUTAS Scholars, graduates or candidate, are, either pursuing or engaged in scientific careers ranging from entomology to medicine. This years evaluation couldn't confirm the status of the remaining 21% of RUTAS cohort. Changes/Problems:Based on the year 4 program evaluation and as previously stated, procurement process at the institution has been somewhat of a hindrance, a problem that has been discuss among institutional administration personnel, the PD, and Chancellor. The situation has been acknowledged and attributed to administrative issues that were not equipped to handle a sudden surge of approved projects being implemented at once. Solutions has been presented and are currently at the implementation process. This evaluation identifies two mayor limitations that had an impact on students taking full advantage of what RUTAS had to offer: [a] The extraordinary events caused by COVID-19: COVID greatly limited the activities and research experience. Even though Scholars express satisfaction with their research work, still they express frustration of not being able to have more hands-on experience. COVID also limited hands-on learning opportunities like the field trip and, other enrichment opportunities like travel to conferences, forums, or symposiums. [b] Procedural policies enforced by the institution: Institutional procurement policies have long been a problem, made worst by COVID-19. This situation hindered RUTAS hands-on research experience and scope since students had to wait for long periods of time to acquire their materials and in some cases, redesign their projects due to not being able to get what they needed on time, quoting: "Procurement process is a problem, spent a whole semester dealing with trying to buy my materials.". Regardless, summatively, students feel that the institution, apart from procurement policies, supported their research endeavors. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?To date, RUTAS has awarded a total of twenty-five (25) research scholarships, 9 more than proposed, performing better than expected. RUTAS arrange for scholars to have a research mentor. Mentor-mentee pairing keeps constant throughout the scholar's tenure at RUTAS. RUTAS funded all participants awarding a total of 25 scholarships, a 56% increase from the proposed goal. PY-4 cohort either strongly agree (75%) or agree (25%), that the program was instrumental in acquiring the needed tools to accomplish all they set out to do as RUTAS Scholars, keeping in pace with previous years. Summatively, most of RUTAS cohort strongly agree (78%) or agree (17%) with the premise with only 6% of the cohort reporting indifference [N=18].? Summatively, RUTAS sponsored one (1) Summer Research Scholarship, sent two (2) students for a summer internship at the University of Mayaguez [UPR RUM] and sent eight (8) students to national conferences during the four (4) year program timeframe. Seven (7) students participated of summer internships not sponsored by RUTAS, bringing the total of internship experiences [irrespective of sponsor] to 10, falling short of the proposed experiences due to travel restrictions and cancellation of activities due to the pandemic. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All but one scholar presented their findings at a scientific symposium held annually at the university. One student had the opportunity to present at a national conference where she was offered to work as a contractor for a DoD funded project. Three students participated of summer internships sponsored by the School of Dentistry "Profile for Success Summer Program" at the University of Michigan, the STaRS program at Boston University School of Medicine and Oncoimmunotherapy Program presented by Bio talents and Amgen Foundation of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez & Texas A&M University in Texas to the Summer Undergraduate Research and Genomics. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the 5th year of the program (no cost extension approved), RUTAS will provide theundergradute research scholarship and the professional development award to eligible students. The PD will pair mentors and mentees to provide the best research experiences for the interested students. Bi-weekly meetings between the scholars and PD will guarantee progress and facilitate solutions to obstacles. All students will be requiered to present their scientific research projects at least at the local XXII Undergradute Research Symnposium at UPR Aguadilla.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The RUTAS program proposed to achieve the goal of the NIFA in promoting and strengthening the ability of HSIs to carry out educational programs that attract, retain and graduate outstanding students capable of enhancing the nation's food, agriculture, natural resources, and human science professionals and scientific work force. In order to achieve the goal, RUTAS aimed to achieve seven objectives that go in par with all Focus Areas suggested by the HSI project evaluation plan and RFA. All goals for the project have been completed or are in the final steps of compeltion. A re-budgeting to redirect travel and internships funds to undergraduate research scholarships was approved in 2022. In addition, a no cost request was approved by USDA-NIFA in order to provide the undergraduate scholarships and professional development awards to eligible students. A four-point gain in retention has been observed according to data from IPEDS from 2019 to 2021. For academic year 2019-20, retention was at 73% and at 77% for 2020-21 [data for 2021-2022 is not yet available]. Our cohort kept through the year with a graduate rate of roughly 80%. The remaining scholars are on track to graduate in the summer of 2023, forecasting a zero (0) attrition rate. Although it's not adequate to link this gain only to RUTAS, given there are additional projects parallel to this one with similar objectives to tackle retention, we can acknowledge that RUTAS has, indeed, played a significant role based on the findings included in this report.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Andujar et al., 2022. Sida rhombifolia L. to prevent heavy metal toxicity in water. American Chemistry Society Spring 2022 Meeting in San Diego, CA on March 21st, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Andujar et al., 2022. Sida rhombifolia L. to prevent heavy metal toxicity in water. National 40th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM) & 55th ACS Junior Technical Meeting (JTM) in Humacao, PR on April 9, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Andujar et al., 2022. Sida rhombifolia L. to prevent heavy metal toxicity in water. XXI Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla on May 3rd, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Acevedo E., Albarran G., Rivera J., et al., 2022. RNA extraction yields from bovine white blood cells. XXI Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla on May 3rd, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Cordero K., Nieves K., Chinea J., et al., 2022. Isolation and identification of bacteria in milk of cows with mastitis in a local farm in Puerto Rico. XXI Undergraduate Research Symposium at UPR Aguadilla on May 3rd, 2022.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:During the current reporting period (2020-2021), the RUTAS program and all its activities had to be modified to a virtual format to comply with the restrictions and precautions set in place at the UPR Aguadilla campus to avoid further COVID-19 infections in Puerto Rico. All target audience for the RUTAS Program is 100% Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and historically economically and educationally disadvantaged. For the current program year, RUTAS recruited five (5) new students as RUTAS Research Scholars, totaling fifteen (15) RUTAS Scholars to date; two (2) female and three (3) males between the ages of 21 to 24. Of the five (5) scholars, four (4) obtained their bachelors graduating during the summer of 2021, the remaining scholar is expected to graduate in 2022. More than 70 undergraduate students have assisted the seminars/workshops and activities organized and provided by the Program during this reporting period (2020-2021. The efforts to reach this target audience include research and mentoring opportunities, limited hands-on laboratory instruction (3 days) due to the pandemic restrictions, bioinformatics and online practices and experiences. Our research scholars even had the opportunity to present their research projects at our local Undergraduate Research Symposium. Additional efforts included instructional online seminars and workshops, scientific journal clubs, scholar's meetings, alternative tutoring services, experiential learning opportunities, and virtual field trips among others. Furthermore, with our efforts, we have reached undergraduate students from UPR Aguadilla, UPR Mayaguez, and Universidad Central del Caribe through our collaborations and summer projects. Due to the pandemic, in-person research experiences and our outreach project had to be cancelled. Our outreach project has been redesigned and will be completed this upcoming year. Changes/Problems:Problems/Limitations The RUTAS annual evaluation by our External Evaluator identified two mayor limitations of the program for this reporting period: [a] the extraordinary events caused by COVID-19 and [b] procedural policies enforced by the institution. COVID-19 impeded RUTAS hands-on activities leading to students not able to appreciate the full scope of running a research project. Still, scholars valued the experience as an opportunity that expanded their views on the scope of science and research and others with skills that makes them feel competitive in the research world. COVID also limited hands-on learning opportunities like the field trip and, other enrichment opportunities like travel to conferences, forums, or symposiums, which had to be performed virtually or online. Students feel that the institution supported their research endeavors within COVID policies, but institutional procedural and procurement policies appears to still be somewhat of an issue with materials acquisition on a timely manner, according to reports from a student as mentioned previously. Recommendations Institutional acquisitional procedure continues to be somewhat of a hindrance to RUTAS. It is recommended that RUTAS schedule a meeting with the administration and explore ways on how this process can be accelerated given the nature and scope of research programs. It is also recommended that RUTAS explore new ways of promoting the program, a recommendation a scholar made when asked what RUTAS needed to change in order to be successful, quoting: "I feel that the program need more publicity because not many students knew about it". RUTAS should explore other promotion strategies, like for example, working with the department hosting the program where faculty announces the program and any other available programs in each class at the beginning of the semester Prompt resolution of the pandemic [an unintended and out of control deterrent] as well as addressing the acquisition issue would be paramount to achieve proposed objectives and have all expected outcomes come to fruition. To date, RUTAS has manage to achieve most expected outcomes like increasing research and exposing students to scientific fields in the FANH sciences. It is expected for the coming year to focus on objectives not been able to achieve for unintended reasons in order to comply with all proposed objective and realize the expected impact as presented in the logic model. The Logic Model and Evaluation plan will be revised and updates based on the adjustments made by RUTAS in order to keep with the proposed goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Seminar Series On Nov 12, 2020, RUTAS offered Seminar 2: Research in Animal Science at the University of PR on Mayaguez and on Nov 17, 2020, Seminar 3: How to analyze scientific literature of the Seminar Series with the aim of making students and faculty aware of the program, inform about research and career opportunities on the FANH sciences and recruit new scholars. The activity was made known by way of an electronic flyer disseminated through the institutional email and Facebook and promoted in special activities and during class. Seventy-seven (77) students including all five RUTAS scholars, two (2) faculty members and the speaker, totaling 80 participants attended the seminars. Eleven (11) students showed interest in participating in RUTAS for the 2021-22 academic year, a significant increase from previous years. Workshop Series Workshop 3 of the Workshop Series: How to apply to grad School, was offered on April 13, 2021, aimed at advising and providing tips to attendees on how to apply to grad school. The activity was made known by way of an electronic flyer disseminated through the institutional email, promoted by word-of-mouth in school activities and during class. Seventy-seven (75) students including all five RUTAS scholars, two (2) faculty members and the speaker, totaling 77 participants attended the seminars. Field Trip Series RUTAS organized and, on May 12, held a virtual tour of the American Dairy Association Mulligan Farm to give attendees an insight on the innerworkings and the research done on a dairy farm. The activity was promoted by institutional email and virtual meetings. All five (5) students along with two (2) faculty members attended the activity. Journal Club The Journal Club was offered in a on a 4-to-6-week intervals for anyone interested, student and faculty alike. It is a favorite among participants, Scholars praised the activity as a tool that helped them feel more prepare and confident on how to disseminate and communicate findings in a scientific environment. The Journal Club had five (5) sessions during PY-3: During the fall semester of 2020, three sessions were offered, resuming with 3 additional sessions in spring semester of 2021, with the goal of providing a guided review of scientific literature and exposing attendees on topics related on how to search, read/interpret, and review scientific literature by discussing journal articles. For each session a student selected a scientific article to review, present and engage in discussions with attendees guided by the PD. The activity was promoted through an electronic flyer using the institutional email and word of mouth. All five scholars attended the Journal Club and were aware that the activity was being offered. Research activities RUTAS offers research experience to participants. To date, RUTAS has awarded a total of fifteen (15) research scholarships. RUTAS arrange for scholars to have a research mentor. Mentor-mentee pairing keeps constant throughout the scholar's tenure at RUTAS. Research mentors included the PD, Co-PD, and three additional collaborating external faculty engaged in FANH Sciences research. Scholars reported meeting their respective mentos for an average of at least once a week for a little over an hour but not more than two hours per meeting. Only one scholar participated in a summer internship. The scholar interned at the Pennsylvania State University [Penn State] with the Food Science Department Summer 2021 Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) Program and was funded by the USDA Bugs in my food grant program. Expansion of institutional capabilities: Tutoring Services At the beginning of the pandemic, we were unable to retain our tutors. Thus, the second semester of the reporting period, we hired 3 tutors to offer their services for four (4) hours per week in targeted topics in chemistry, English, and math. Due to COVID-19, and to avoid interruptions, services were provided through Google Meet. According to the students, tutors and program director, there is continued demand for tutoring services and have receive positive feedback from current users. Research Center Regarding the Research Center, all equipment and most supplies have been acquired and some are in process of acquisition. The lab is not yet running at full capacity, set-up is in course but delay for more than 1.5 years due to the pandemic, and some materials and supplies are in purchasing cue due to pandemic restrictions.[RERM1] Outreach As an extension project, RUTAS proposed to develop an outreach venture with the aim of engaging participants in leadership skills by providing K-12 students with solar powered learning resources to be readily available in case of sustained power outages like the one caused by hurricane Maria in 2017. A collaborative agreement was arranged by program director with faculty from other UPR campuses to develop modules and other academic resources for the project. Due to COVID-19 policies, the outreach project has been put on hold. The scope and focus of the objective is under review and redesign. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All our research scholars have presented their research projects in local and regional scientific meetings. Although they have graduated in May 2021, they are committed to submitting their research work to a peer-reviewed journal this next year. All RUTAS program's activities are promoted via campus e-mail and social media. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Due to the pandemic restrictions, travel and summer internships scholarships were not offered during this reporting period. Participants funds will be used to provide additional research scholarships, increasing the number of undergraduate students impacted by the project. We plan on continuing offering our activities, including a modified version of our proposed outreach project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The main goal of UPRAg's RUTAS program is to contribute to the preparation of low-income, academically talented undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds to enter the agricultural scientific workforce and help maximize animal health and well-being, while providing knowledge of food safety to the human population. During this reporting period, RUTAS succesfully impacted one scholar to follow a career path in Agricultural Microbiology. Said student applied, assisted by RUTAS, and was accepted into a fall internship at the university of Nebraska Lincoln expecting to start a masters program in the spring semester. RUTAS helped another scholar refocus professional aspirations by deciding to apply to a PhD program in Biomedical Sciences instead of a MD program at the Ponce Health Science University in Ponce, Puerto Rico to start at the fall semester of 2021. Two (2) students followed through with plans to attain a medical degree with a new interest and perspective. RUTAS prompted the aforementioned students to seek research mentors at their new respective schools and will continue doing research alongside their course schedule beginning this fall of 2021. One student is yet to graduate but expect to pursue a research oriented career in the medical field.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Elvin Hernandez Cordero et al. Extraction and Identification of cannabinoids from non-cannabis plants native to Puerto Rico.
Research was presented for the first time during December 5th, 2020 in the virtual symposium held by PR-LSAMP.
The research was presented virtually during March 20th, 2021 and won 3rd place nationally in the oral presentation competition.
The research was presented virtually during April 24th, 2021 at the PR-LSAMP Junior Tech Annual Meeting.
Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Adriana Mu�iz-Rosa et al. Comparative analysis of antibiotic resistance genes of E. coli strains isolated from claves and clinical patients in Pennsylvania, United States.
Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Adriana Mu�iz-Rosa et al. Characterizing antibiotic resistance and virulence genes of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail meat in Puerto Rico.
Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Mirelys Torres-Galarza et al. Isolation of white blood cells from whole blood of cows with mastitis for the detection of CB2 expression.
Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Jeevan Rivera Diaz et al. Dynamics of Parasite Coinfection on the gills of the Crevalle jack, Caranx hippos (Carangidae).
Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Adrian Girald Rodriguez et al. Detection of CB2 protein abundance by immunofluorescence in cell cultures.
Presented at the UPR Aguadilla 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 27th, 2021.
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:All audience is Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and historically and currently disadvantaged educationally and financially. With our efforts, we have reached undergraduate students and professors from UPR Aguadilla, UPR Mayaguez, UPR Humacao, UPR Ponce, and Universidad Central del Caribe. Students receiving the RUTAS scholarships are enrolled in the Biology and/or Environmental Technology Programs. This year, on our second year of the program, five students received the RUTAS Research Scholarship. The 3 RUTAS Travel Scholarship and 2 the RUTAS Summer Scholarships were actively publicized, applications were received and reviewed, and scholars were selected. However, due to the pandemic all the scientific conferences and summer internships were cancelled and funds were not awarded. More than 50 undergraduate students have assisted the seminars and journal clubs organized and provided by the Program. The efforts to reach this target audience include but is not limited to, announcement of activities on media, group and individual invitations by the PD and Co-PD, student to student invitations, presentations in seminars, conferences, student organization meetings, and fall welcoming activities for new students, among others. In addition, the program provides instructional seminars and workshops, scientific journal clubs, scholar's meetings, alternative tutoring services, experiential learning opportunities, hands-on laboratory instruction, field practices, and research experiences, among others.? Changes/Problems:The major problem we have faced to reach our objectives and goals has been the long administrative processes at UPR System and the pandemic lock-down. The ordering and purchasing processes are slow and time-consuming, obstructing the success of the project. Thus, one equipment necessary to set-up the tissue culture room has not been received. Since we have not been able to perform those research experiences on campus, we have fostered collaborations to provide the resources and accomplish research goals. The laboratory is not at full capacity but will be this semester, if executive orders allow. Workshops and Field Trips will be replaced with other activities if the pandemic lock-down does not end soon. Summer internships and Travel Scholarships that were not provided on PY-2 due to the pandemic will be offered on PY-3, if permission is granted.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RUTAS recruited five (5) students as RUTAS Scholars for PY-1, one female and four (4) males between the ages of 22 to 24. Those same five scholars continued with RUTAS until the end of PY-2, therefore no active recruitment process for PY-2 took place. All five scholars obtained their bachelors graduating during the summer of 2020. One scholar was admitted into an agriculture graduate program in Entomology at The Ohio State University, three scholars went on to professional graduate programs: Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland, Optometry at the University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry and Medicine at Ponce Health Science University in Puerto Rico. One scholar will take a year off with plans to enroll in medical school to begin in the fall of 2021. Satisfaction was high towards the program in general, it was highly rated among scholars with a 4.8 out of 5. All agree that RUTAS' staff was amicable, helpful, and accessible that replied in a timely manner with relevant and helpful feedback. All five scholars received funding for their research through RUTAS and most felt that the program was instrumental in acquiring the needed tools to accomplish all they set out to do as RUTAS Scholars -one felt indifferent with the premise. In terms of efficiency, not all scholars had the same opinion, one scholar strongly felt that RUTAS fell short in providing research funds, materials and stipend in a reasonably timely manner. Two other scholars attributed this problem on the institution, suggesting that the acquisition process is a burden, it affects timelines, progress, and the lack of readily accessible funds affects the scope of the projects, quoting: "The bulk of the problems that occurred during my time in the RUTAS program can be attributed to the department/administration and the amount of bureaucracy in the buying of material and equipment". After being ask about their opinion on changes RUTAS needed to make in order to be successful, some scholars felt that RUTAS success is affected by lack of administration support, vaguely stating and quoting: "The administration of the university doesn't let the program be successful", "Try to get the materials on time". Nevertheless, it is worth to note that, similar with how they rated RUTAS in general, satisfaction among scholars with the program was also high receiving an average rating of 4.5 out of 5, quoting: "RUTAS is a great, all around, program that offers many tools for academic success". In order to address retention, graduation and increase the number of students pursuing careers in the FAHN Sciences, RUTAS organized and offered a series of activities. Due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, some scheduled activities, projects and services were either interrupted, modified or canceled. Among the activities/services offered were the Seminar Series, the Journal Club and Tutoring services. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?RUTAS Scholarssuccessfullyprepared and submitted their research abstracts to different scientific conferences and summer internships opportunities. All these activities were cancelled because of the pandemic. Thus, scholars and PD were unable to disseminate the results of our scholar's projects. All our activities and events are promoted through institutional emails,social media platforms, in courses, and by word of mouth.? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The PD has worked with Administrative Offices attempt to accomplish all purchasing and hiring goals on time. Thus, our timeline has been affected by this and by the pandemic. Permission will be requested to use the funds of the travel and summer internship scholarships of PY-2 that were cancelled due to the pandemic lock-down for students in PY-3. Permission will be requested to provide additional research scholarships, travel scholarships, and summer internship scholarships per year with these funds. Workshops and Field Trips may have to be replaced with different activities if the lock-down and mandatory social distancing does not end soon. If the pandemic allows, we will keep our objectives and goals as planned.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have accomplished our RUTAS major goal and all performance-based objectives for PY2 (1 through 6) with the exception of: 1) We have provided research experiences to 5 undergraduate students with research scholarships for PY2. However, summer and travel scholarships were cancelled due to the pandemic. 2) The workshop and field trips planned for the second semester of PY-2 were canceled due to the pandemic and lock-down. 3) As an extension project, RUTAS proposed to develop an outreach venture with the aim of engaging participants in leadership skills by providing K-12 students with solar powered learning resources to be readily available in case of sustained power outages like the one caused by hurricane Maria in 2017. The leadership and skills building and outreach project programmed for PY-2 was started and meetings took place to organize the acquisition of materials, plan the activity to assemble the solarspells, and the recruitment of collaborators for preparation of the modules. A collaborative agreement was arranged by program director with faculty from other UPR campuses to develop modules and other academic resources for the project. However, due to the pandemic and administrative issues, we were unable to purchase the materials prior to lock-down. Apparently, necessary materials for the Solar-Spells are attainable only though Amazon. Institutional procurement policies prohibit making purchases from this platform, and materials were not readily available in near-by hardware stores, therefore, to date no materials have been purchased. We also attempted to hire a student to assist with the process, however, institutional hurdles prevented this task to be completed prior to the pandemic lock-down. Alternatives are being considered and discussed with the institution.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Lee, JOnathan. 2020. A Brief Review on Encarsia formosa: Bio-Control Agent. (Review as part of the activities performed during summer since summer internships were suspended due to pandemic.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Perez Alers, J. et al. November 2019. Examination of TIE1 Functions in Flow-Mediated Lymphatic Valve Development in vitro . Presented at the SACNAS 2019 Diversity in STEM Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:All audience is Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and historically economically and educationally disadvantaged. With our efforts, we have reached undergraduate students from UPR Aguadilla, UPR Mayaguez, and Universidad Central del Caribe. Students are enrolled in the Biology and/or Environmental Technology Programs. Five of these students received the RUTAS Research Scholarship, 3 the RUTAS Travel Scholarship, and 2 the RUTAS Summer Scholarship. More than 30 undergraduate students have assisted the seminars/workshops organized and provided by the Program. The efforts to reach this target audience include hands-on laboratory instruction, practices and experiences. Instructional seminars and workshops, scientific journal clubs, scholar's meetings, alternative tutoring services, experiential learning opportunities, and field trips among others.? Changes/Problems:The major problem we have faced to reach our objectives and goals has been the long administrative processes at UPR system. The ordering and purchasing processes are slow and time-consuming, obstructing the success of the project. Thus, the equipment neccesarry to set-up the tissue culture room have not been received. Since we have not been able to perform those research experiences on campus, we have fostered collaborations to provide the resources and accomplish research goals. We also faced a logistic problem with the Summer internships scholarship. Although all our student worked on their summer internships, only two of these were supported by our RUTAS Program. Our 3rd summer internship funds were not awarded because our selected candidate received a scholarship from the Leadership Alliance Program. Thus, one summer internship was not awarded for PY 1 and we hope to use those funds to award an additional Summer Research Scholarship in PY 2. Materials for tutoring services were ordered but have not yet arrived. Thus, the service has not completely launched. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided undergraduate research experiences, seminars, workshops, field trips, journal clubs, tutoring services, networking, collaborations with diverse faculty. The RUTAS Program also promotes any other activity and/or opportunity for training even if supported or provided by different programs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research experiences and results were presented at local, national, and international symposiums. All our activities have been promoted on our campus community (as described in previous sections). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The PD has met with Administrative Offices to inform the required diligence of all processes involved in a federal grant award. The Institution is committed to reaching this goal and thus has provided much needed support to accelerate the processes to be able to reach our objectives and goals for PY2. Provide dynamic activities presented in nature settings around campus to educate our community and attract students from different disciplines that may be interested in agricultural sciences. Summer internships are being planned and decided during the Fall Semester to guarantee the highest impact in our students.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have accomplsihed our RUTAS major goal and all performance-based objectives for PY1 (1 through 6). The process has not always been smoothed but we have adapted and prioritize the solution to our unique problems at UPR. All goals were accomplished with the following exceptions: - We have provided research experiences to 5 undergraduate students with research rcholarships, 2 with summer scholarships, and 3 with travel awards. The performace-based objective states 16 in 4 years for an average of 4 per year. The fifth scholarship is provided by the changes in budget requested by NIFA regarding the meta-evaluation analysis. - The leadership and skills building and outreach project was progammed for our PY 2 and we plan to achieve it this year. We already started the purchasing process for that objective.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Domenech et al., 2019. Detection of CB2 mRNA abundance in tissue culture and mammary tissue during clinical mastitis by real-time PCR Poster presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lee Borges et al., 2019. Preliminary Study on the use of environmental DNA in the surveillance of the invasive cichlid Amphilophus citrinellus in Rio Guajataca, Isabela, Puerto Rico. Poster presentation at the XIX Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla during April 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Miranda et al., 2019. Detection of CB2 protein abundance by immunofluorescence in tissue culture and mammary tissue during clinical mastitis. Poster presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Mu�oz et al., 2019. Detection of Staphylococcus aureus associated to subclinical mastitis in bovine milk from Puerto Rico, its resistance to antibiotics and biofilm formation.
Poster presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019.
Oral presentation at the 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting and the 53th Junior Technical Meeting. That took place in UPR Mayaguez on May 4,2019.
Poster presentation at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic during July 8-12, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Perez Alers et al., 2019. Coffee as a mastitis therapeutic agent.
Oral presentation at the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium at The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla on April 26, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Acevedo et al., 2019. CB2 mRNA abundance in bovine mammary tissue during clinical mastitis; a pilot study.
Poster presentation at the 14th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education that took place on the Hilton Orange County Hotel, Costa Mesa, CA on February 27-March 2nd, 2019.
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