Progress 03/01/19 to 02/28/23
Outputs
Target Audience:We targeted several students from schools with vocational education programs which include elements of agricultural sciences and students at community colleges. These include Cobb Middle School, Nims Middle School, West Gadsden Middle School, Rickards High School, FAMU DRS Middle and High School and John Paul II Catholic School, Tallahassee Community College and others as described below. In addition, we engaged nontraditional learners (Veteran Village, Florida Department of Corrections, Lighthouse Adult Learners, etc.). Changes/Problems:No changes were necessary; however, projects activities were hampered by COVID-19 safety restrictions for 2-3 years What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A career development seminar series (every two months) was established and featured guest speakers (professional experts) in entomological sciences and entrepreneurship. The students were required to serve on the Student Ambassadors Club of the college and participate in the Cultivating Undergraduate Research Scholars (CURS) Program in CAFS. They also serve as members of professional organizations (FES, ESA, etc.) and they registered for the FAMU Career Development Pathways. The students also attended professional meetings where they gave oral or poster presentations. They also attended events such as the Impact Collaborative Conference in Atlanta, Georgia; STEM-Bugs, and National 4-H AgriScience Summit. Through these events, leadership and communication skills were developed and collaborative linkages with other universities that do not offer Entomology Program were established. The attendance of activities such Conferences such as the National 4-H AgriScience Summit provided opportunities to work with tomorrow's leaders and gain useful insights into the topics that are of interest to prospective students. providing opportunities to highlight STEM areas (such as Entomology). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through a variety of avenues, including websites, newsletters, promotional materials for enrollment and participation in the project, bulletins, production guides, popular magazines, newspapers, seminars, professional meetings, workshops, special reports, Facebook, and other social media outlets. The dissemination process interlinks with the cooperative extension program and the public relation service of FAMU. Articles highlighting the project focus have been included in the Cooperative Extension Magazine, Newsletter and in the CAFS magazine and bulletins Results of the project are available to scientists, universities and colleges, city, county extension and state and agencies, policymakers, industry, stakeholders, students, and the general public through the website (for example: http://www.famu.edu/cesta/main/index.cfm/research/center-for-biological-control1/). Scientific findings are reported in referred journals (Journal of Education and Practice, Florida Entomologist, Journal of Agriculture, Journal of Environmental Entomology etc.). A web-based page for the project was developed to bring more public awareness to the project and served as an additional venue where participants at workshops and project hands-on activities can register and provide feedback. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to engage students through schools, public events and through social media. Use virtual platforms to create interactive content to disseminate information and engage prospective students. Advertise summer internship and other opportunities available for students through several outlets including Cooperative Extension, Listserv, social media, email, and community bulletins. This project has strengthened our partnerships with USDA-ARS, USDA-APHIS, FDACS, and the Florida Pest Management Association and maximizes the relationship between CAFS, the Department of Biology, College of Pharmacy, and the School of the Environment. These strong cooperative linkages will continue to serve as useful and reliable foundations for future ventures.We are creating a pipeline for students to move from high school to college and graduate level education in Insect Sciences, we will expand this initiative to additional schools, community colleges, and universities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Recruitment and retention of minority students in the entomology program Our recruitment efforts in creating a sustainable pipeline from secondary schools to college, were achieved through participation of students in insect science (Entomology) activities and school visits at Bond Elementary (569 student participants), Oakridge Elementary (288 studnt participants), Havana Magnet (138 student participants), FAMU Development Research School (207 student participants), Rickards High School (84 student participants), Jefferson County High School (138 student participants), Kaleidoscope School of Discovery (264 student participants), Tallahassee Community College (159 student participants), North Florida Community College (TCC) (255 student participants), Godby High School (105 student participants), Griffin Middle School (153 student participants), Riley Elementary school (126 student participants), Tallahassee School of Math and Science (211 student participants), and Apalachee Elementary (162 student participants).and nontraditional students from Lighthouse Adult Learners (40 participants), Veteran Village (88 participants) and Florida Department of Corrections (98 participants). We organized events such as Entomology Weeks on FAMU campus (Fall and Spring semester), and showcased Insect Science at several venues. These include Feed the Future Expo, 4H Day at the Capital, FAMU Day at the Capital, Agri-STEM Day, iGROW Southside Farmers Market, Insect Club, Science Nights at: Tallahassee Math and Science School, Bee Health, Beekeeper Associations, Future Farmer of America Career Expo, Academic Fair North Florida Community College, National Civil Rights Conference, Kidfest, Leon County Sustainability, MacCLay Gardens, Madison County Ecology Day, Leon County Ecology Day, Gilchrist Science Night, Deerlake Science Night, Demonstration Sustainability Institute, Girl Scouts Pollinator Education Night, STEM4Girls, Leon County Homeschool Coalition, BoyScouts of America, 4H Day at the Capital, National 4H Agricultural Summit, and Extension Professional events and Meetings. Success Stories: Twenty (20) students who participated in High School Internship applied to FAMU Entomology, ten (10) students from TCC enrolled in Entomology Program, Seven Biology students who participated in Entomology Internship during the Spring Semester gained knowledge in Insect Science, consequently they enrolled in the Master of Science in Entomology. Twenty-two (22) Criminal Justice students who enrolled in Forensic Entomology course are taking additional science related courses to acquire strong science background and then join the Master of Science program in Entomology. Insect Science Summer camps have encouraged youth (56 participants) to join insect related clubs to continue learning and foster interest in Insect Science. We received invitations to showcase Entomology at several festivals in Gainesville, St. Cloud, Panama City and Orlando Florida, San Belt Expo in Georgia among many others. Objective 2. Student Retention Strategies; Enhancement of the Entomology Program and Curricula We have revised our curricula to include courses with digital learning tools to create virtual classrooms for global access and added new courses in biotechnology, an interactive course in Forensic Entomology and in Medical Entomology. We have enhanced interactive online courses (Insect, People and Environment, and Global Integrated Pest Management). Those courses were selected based on survey evaluations that we sent out to students. We created a Google Classroom for global access to hands-on activities, academic and career information. The students in the Entomology program were trained to give oral and poster presentations to their peers during the CAFS research forum, local and professional meetings, and they have acquired critical thinking skills in Pest Management. We have established a student-mentor program where an upper division student serves as a mentor to new and lower division students. Our colleague scientists from USDA-ARS (housed on campus) provided students with mentorship and entrepreneurship experiences. Students were also provided with networking opportunities with the pest control professional, scientists at Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services (FDACS) and experts in the field of Entomology at the University of Florida, University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University and Alcon University. We also invited guest speakers with expertise in several areas of Insect Sciences for seminar presentations every semester. These activities provided students with tools and skills in writing, and research that enhance both their performance as students and their prospects for future employment. Objective 3. Development of experiential learning for students, workshops, summer camps and hands-on training for stakeholders We offered the course ENY 4907 "Special Research Problems" each semester which allowed undergraduate students to carry out mini-research projects on a topic of interest in Insect Science. This initiative has been very popular on FAMU campus in such each semester 15-20 qualified students from the Department of Biology and the College of Pharmacy gained knowledge and research skills through hands-on training for used in future endeavors. The students were supervised by a faculty, a postdoctoral fellow, or graduate student mentors during these experiential learning activities as described above. These students generated results from their mini-research projects and gave oral and poster presentations. The titles of PowerPoint presentations include the use of insects in medicine, management of the kudzu bug, color selection by honeybees, mosquito and disease transmission, etc.). These students received stipends for their successful participation and completion of the projects. Overall, we trained at least 30-40 undergraduate students each year (Fall and Spring) in Insect Science. We provided summer camp activities for secondary school students. This program exposed 30 participants to pest management strategies (digital pest identification, public health entomology, forensic entomology, biological control etc.) during two weeks between June and July. Participants created their own insect collection boxes, explored careers in entomology and investigated edible insects. We also designed creative works which include: Mosquito Awareness; Bed Bug Awareness Week; Pollinator Paradise; Entomophagy: Would you eat it?; Save the Bees; Insect Anatomy; Bugs that Bugs us; Know your Vectors; Insect Identifying apps and how to use them; Beginning beekeeping; Household pests and their control; Aquatic Insect as water quality indicator; Social insects; and Insect and Food. More than 3,000 prospective future entomologists were exposed to Insect Science through experiential learning activities, school visits, summer camps and other menus including FAMU AgDiscovery, Agr-STEM Camp, Food Science Enrichment Program, Entomology Annual Field Day, Raising Agricultural and Technologically Literate Rattlers, and Entomology Awareness weeks. In addition, we hosted summer internships for high school students interested in Entomology and conducted beekeeping and other insect science workshops.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
FAMU Cooperative Extension Newsletter and Magazine
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
ebert, S. Shalom; Lambert H. B. Kanga, Sheikh M. Basha and Jesusa C. Legaspi. 2020. Molecular assessment of genes linked to immune response traits of honey bees in conventional and organically managed apiaries. Journal/ Insects Journal/ Insects. 11, 637; doi:10.3390/ insects11090637
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
4. Francis, N., L.H.B. Kanga, C.M. Mannion, M. Haseeb, A. Ananga and J.C. Legaspi. 2022. First Report on Voracity and Feeding Preference of Predatory Beetle, Thalassa montezumae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on Croton Scale, Phalacrococcus howertoni (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Agriculture, 12, 990. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/agriculture12070990.
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Progress 03/01/21 to 02/28/22
Outputs
Target Audience:We targeted several schools with vocational education programs with elements of agricultural sciences and community colleges. These include Cobb Middle School, Nims Middle School, West Gadsden Middle School, Rickards High School, FAMU DRS Middle and High School and John Paul II Catholic School, Tallahassee Community College among others. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided opportunities for professional development by attending the Impact Collaborative Conference in Atlanta, Georgia; STEM-Bugs, and National 4-H AgriScience Summit. Through these events, leadership and communication skills were developed and collaborative linkages with other universities that do not offer Entomology Program were established. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The findings have been disseminated through a variety of avenues, including websites, newsletters, promotional materials for enrollment and participation in the project, bulletins, production guides, popular magazines, newspapers, seminars, professional meetings, workshops, special reports, Facebook and other social media outlets. The dissemination process interlinks with the cooperative extension program and the public relation service of FAMU. Results of the proposed project are available to scientists, universities and colleges, city, county extension and state and agencies, policymakers, industry, stakeholders, students, and the general public through the website (for example: http://www.famu.edu/cesta/main/index.cfm/research/center-for-biological-control1/). Scientific findings are reported in referred journals (Journal of Education and Practice, Florida Entomologist, Journal of Environmental Entomology etc.). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to resume our school visits for recruitment activities that were seriously hampered by COVID-19 safety restrictions and to continue our engagement with students through schools, public events and through social media. We will continue to conduct activities to meet the objectives listed above for the project. Some of these activities were not able to be implemented mainly because of the University COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Recruitment and retention of minority students in the entomology program Our recruitment efforts were successful and focused on recruitment visits at Cobb Middle School, Nims Middle School, West Gadsden Middle School, Rickards High School, FAMU DRS and John Paul II Catholic, Havana Magnet, Kaleidoscope School of discovery etc.., Flyers and brochures were handed out at science nights, 4H Day at the Capitol, ecology days, school visits, flyers and information about the things happening in FAMU Entomology were posted on social media via Entomologist on a Mission Facebook page and Instagram feed and through Twitter. We established recruitment linkages with middle and high school, and recruited a few students; however, these activities were hampered by COVID-19 safety restrictions during the last two years. Objective 2. Student Retention Strategies; Enhancement of the Entomology Program and Curricula We enhanced the curricula with the introduction of internships (ENY 3949), professional development seminar (ENY 4931) and the strengthening of public health entomology. We also developed two interactive online courses (Global Integrated Pest Management, and Forensic Entomology). We embedded elements of digital learning tools in our courses in order to create virtual classrooms for global access. Objective 3. Development of experiential learning for students, workshops, summer camps and hands-on training for stakeholders More than 500 prospective students were exposed to entomology through experiential learnings, school visits, summer camps and other menus including FAMU AgDiscovery, Agr-STEM Camp, Food Science Enrichment Program, Entomology Annual Field Day, Raising Agricultural and Technologically Literate Rattlers, and FAMU AgTech. We hosted virtual summer internships for high school students interested in Entomology, exposed students to entomology as a part of other summer programs, included entomology in summer internship with high school students interested in Food Science, held invasive species identification and management workshop for students and other stakeholders, and conducted beekeeping and other insect science workshops. However, the implementation of these activities was substantial hampered by COVID-19 restrictions during the last two years.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Cooperative Extension Newsletters and Magazine
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Recruitment PowerPoint, Entomophagy Poster, Insect Science Virtual Classroom
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Progress 03/01/20 to 02/28/21
Outputs
Target Audience:We targeted several schools with vocational education programs that include elements of agricultural science. These include Bond Elementary, Oakridge Elementary, Havana Magnet, FAMU Development Research School, Rickards High School, Jefferson County High School, Kaleidoscope School of Discovery, Tallahassee Community College, and North Florida Community College. These students were provided with dual enrollment options for college credits in selected courses we offered. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided opportunities for professional development by attending workshops like STEM-Bugs geared towards highlighting STEM areas not normally recognized and incorporating insect science into everyday applications in the classroom. Conferences such as the National 4-H AgriScience Summit provided opportunities to work with tomorrows leaders and gain useful insights into the topics that are of interest to prospective students. providing opportunities to highlight STEM areas not normally recognized such as Entomology. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project accomplishments have disseminated through a variety of avenues, including websites, newsletters, seminars, professional meetings, workshops, Facebook and other social media outlets. The dissemination process interlinks with the cooperative extension program and the public relation service of FAMU. Articles highlighting the project focus have been included in the Cooperative Extension Magazine, Newsletter and in the CAFS magazine and bulletins. Results of the proposed project are available to scientists, universities and colleges, city, county extension and state representatives and agencies, policymakers, industry, stakeholders, students, and the general public through the website (for example: http://www.famu.edu/cesta/main/index.cfm/research/center-for-biological-control1/) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to engage students through schools, public events and through social media. Use virtual platforms to create interactive content to disseminate information and engage prospective students. Advertise summer internship and other opportunities available for students through several outlets including Cooperative Extension, Listserv, social media, email, and community bulletins
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Recruitment and retention of minority students in the entomology program Our recruitment efforts focused on targeting of middle and high school students, summer apprenticeship and workshop programs, distribution of brochures and flyers to prospective students, online recruitment (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.), annual career fairs, open house, and networking. These efforts were achieved through in school visits at Bond Elementary (125 students exposed), Oakridge Elementary (39 students exposed), Havana Magnet (32 students exposed), FAMU Development Research School (54 students exposed), Rickards High School (18 students exposed), Jefferson County High School (26 students exposed), Kaleidoscope School of Discovery (76 students exposed), Tallahassee Community College (23 students exposed), North Florida Community College (69 students exposed). We also conducted several recruitment related activities which include survey evaluations of middle school knowledge in Entomology, CSI Forensic Entomology activities, Mentoring College Graduate students, navigating entomology and its real-world applications, butterfly garden, biodiversity of insects in Leon County, life cycle activities and Integrated Pest Management. Insect Pathology, Insect Toxicology. We organize events such as Feeding the Future Expo, 4H Day at the Capital, FAMU Day at the Capital, Agri-STEM Day, Leon County Sustainability Expo, iGROW Southside Farmers Market, Insect Club, Science Nights at: Tallahassee Math and Science School, Nims Middles School, Rutledge Elementary, Raa Middle School, and Cobb Middle School, Sustainability Institute- Bee Health, Beekeeper Association, STEM4Girls, Leon County Homeschool Coalition, Wewahitchika Homeschool Coalition, Future Farmer of America Career Expo, and Academic Fair North Florida Community College Objective 2. Student Retention Strategies; Enhancement of the Entomology Program and Curricula To encourage student retention, students were invited to participate in the annual field day and entomology workshops for pest control professionals, individuals attending the workshops gave students a realistic assessment of some professional careers. Students were also invited to attend, and Pest Management meetings and other meetings and conferences related to insects where they can network and speak with professionals in the industry. We have begun to enhance the curricula with the introduction of internships (ENY 3949), professional development seminar (ENY 4931) (required for entomology majors) and the strengthening of public health entomology. We have developed three interactive online courses (Global Integrated Pest Management, Forensic Entomology). We are embedding elements of digital learning tools in our courses in order to create virtual classrooms for global access. We created a Google Classroom for global access to hands-on activities, academic and career information. Objective 3. Development of experiential learning for students, workshops, summer camps and hands-on training for stakeholders Prospective students were exposed to entomology through experiential learning. The ability to understand, interpret, and extrapolate from scientific studies is not yet developed in many of our future and prospective entomologists and many aren't sure what entomology is and how it affects them. However, several summer programs were cancelled due to Covid-19. The activities listed below were conducted: 13 students participated in the Agri-STEM Camp Virtual Summer Program. The Agri-STEM Camp serves to provide open avenues for interdisciplinary communication, education, and enthusiasm among middle school students and their teachers. Students engaged in hands in discovery and exploration activities designed to foster an interest about agricultural sciences including Entomology. 11 students participated in the Insect Science Summer Camp Virtual. This camp gave students an opportunity to explore and investigate insect science by studying natural history, insect ecology and behavior and pest management. Students created their own insect collection boxes, explored careers in entomology and investigated edible insects. The Entomology Annual Field Day and Workshops provided training for over 70 Pest control specialist and provided opportunities for continuing education credits. Graduate and undergraduate students were encouraged to attend and learn from professionals in the industry.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Cooperative Extension Newsletter and Magazine
AEA Newsletter
|
Progress 03/01/19 to 02/29/20
Outputs
Target Audience:We targeted several schools with vocational education programs that include elements of agricultural science. These include Cobb Middle School, Nims Middle School, FAMU DRS, St. John Paul II High Scholl, Rickards High School, West Gadsden, Godby, Chiles high schools in Tallahassee; and Columbia High School in Lake City and seniors at other high schools. These students were provided with dual enrollment options for college credits in selected courses we offered. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided opportunities for professional development by attending the Impact Collaborative Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Through this conference leadership and communication skills were enhanced and collaboration efforts with other universities that do not currently teach entomology were made. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project accomplishments have disseminated through a variety of avenues, including websites, newsletters, seminars, professional meetings, workshops, Facebook and other social media outlets. The dissemination process interlinks with the cooperative extension program and the public relation service of FAMU. Articles highlighting the project focus have been included in the Cooperative Extension Magazine, Newsletter and in the CAFS magazine and bulletins. Results of the proposed project are available to scientists, universities and colleges, city, county extension and state representatives and agencies, policymakers, industry, stakeholders, students, and the general public through the website (for example: http://www.famu.edu/cesta/main/index.cfm/research/center-for-biological-control1/). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to conduct activities to meet the objectives listed above for the project,
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Recruitment and retention of minority students in the entomology program Our recruitment efforts focused on targeting of middle and high school students, summer apprenticeship and workshop programs, distribution of brochures and flyers to prospective students, online recruitment (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.), annual career fairs, open house, and networking. These efforts were achieved through in school visits at Cobb Middle School, Nims Middle School, West Gadsden Middle School, Rickards High School, FAMU DRS Middle and High School and John Paul II Catholic School. Several summer programs with entomology focuses were conducted during the months of June to August. Flyers and brochures were handed out at science nights, 4H Day at the Capitol, ecology days, school visits, flyers and information about the things happening in FAMU Entomology were posted on social media via Entomologist on a Mission facebook page and Instagram feed and through Twitter. Objective 2. Student Retention Strategies; Enhancement of the Entomology Program and Curricula To encourage student retention, students were invited to participate in the annual field day and entomology workshops for pest control professionals, individuals attending the workshops gave students a realistic assessment of some professional careers. Students were also invited to attend, and Pest Management meetings and other meetings and conferences related to insects where they can network and speak with professionals in the industry. We have begun to enhance the curricula with the introduction of internships (ENY 3949), professional development seminar (ENY 4931) (required for entomology majors) and the strengthening of public health entomology. We have developed three interactive online courses (Integrated Pest Management, Forensic Entomology). We are embedding elements of digital learning tools in our courses in order to create virtual classrooms for global access. Objective 3. Development of experiential learning for students, workshops, summer camps and hands-on training for stakeholders Prospective students were exposed to entomology through experiential learning. The ability to understand, interpret, and extrapolate from scientific studies is not yet developed in many of our future and prospective entomologists and many aren't sure what entomology is and how it affects them. Students were exposed to entomology through our summer program. The activities were as follow: 20 Students participated in FAMU AgDiscovery, 32 students in Agr-STEM Camp, 18 in students Insect Science Summer Camp, 10 students in Food Science Enrichment Program, 12 students in RAISING AGRICULTURALLY AND TECHNOLOGICALLY LITERATE RATTLERS; 8 students in FAMU AgTech and 9 students in FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION EDUCATION SUMMER PROGRAM
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Cooperative Extension Newsletter and Magazine
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