Progress 08/01/23 to 07/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Non-Technical Summary The Industrial Hemp Education, Agriculture, and Research (InHEAR) program addresses the need for a STEM-focused agricultural program in southern Colorado, allowing access to a wider field of career opportunities in industrial hemp agriculture and agriculture at large, particularly for local Hispanic students interested in these careers. This may also contribute to economic development in the region as the rise of industrial hemp agriculture, aided by the 2018 Farm Bill, will require a workforce with a diverse skillset that also emphasizes chemistry and biotechnology. InHEAR will provide a biology/chemistry curriculum that includes coursework in agriculture, both in general and specific to industrial hemp, as well as opportunities for students to participate in research, internships, and professional development. Students enrolled through InHEAR are also provided research and/or travel stipends to support their studies as they persist through their education toward a Bachelor of Science degree in biology or chemistry. The program will monitor students' progress throughout their college careers through their grades and research posters/papers, and their persistence and retention will be evaluated through enrollment status and the completion of their undergraduate careers. The effectiveness of the program as a whole is evaluated through course evaluations as well as recruitment demographics and feedback from students and internship sites. In addition, InHEAR will also track students' post-graduate destinations such as entry into STEM careers or graduate research, particularly those emphasizing industrial hemp agriculture. In doing so, InHEAR aims to be a financially-sustainable program that helps students interested in agriculture and STEM to persist through a college career and earn a degree that allows them to find in-demand careers in industrial hemp agriculture that are in-line with their specialized knowledge and skills. Accomplishments Major goals of the project InHEAR is designed to address the Educational Need Areas of the Grants Program through its main goal of increasing recruitment and retention of students in biology and chemistry, Hispanic students in particular, through the development of a biotechnology curriculum that focuses on hemp agriculture that includes critical experiential learning opportunities. This goal may be fulfilled through several objectives: measurable increase in knowledge of industrial hemp agriculture, recruitment of Hispanic students into the program, and persistence of program students towards a bachelor's degree in biology or chemistry as well as entry into STEM careers or graduate education in industrial hemp agriculture.? Changes/Problems:Previous PI left CSU Pueblo (Johnathan Velasco). There was delay to find replacement (Jeff Smith) and organize no-cost extension. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?New curriculum has been developed as part of the CBC program at CSU Pueblo. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A new director of the program has been active building the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?9 students will complete experiential learning activities with 7 instructors at CSU Pueblo. A committee of 4 faculty and one consultant will regularly review progress and refine activites.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
InHEAR is designed to address the Educational Need Areas of the Grants Program through its main goal of increasing recruitment and retention of students in biology and chemistry, Hispanic students in particular, through the development of a biotechnology curriculum that focuses on hemp agriculture that includes critical experiential learning opportunities. This goal may be fulfilled through several objectives: measurable increase in knowledge of industrial hemp agriculture, recruitment of Hispanic students into the program, and persistence of program students towards a bachelor's degree in biology or chemistry as well as entry into STEM careers or graduate education in industrial hemp agriculture.
Publications
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Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience are prospective students who wish to transfer/enroll in the university and have contacted the faculty with interest in the Hemp Agriculture program, which is under the aegis of InHEAR. In addition, we are also recruiting/accommodating students who are currently in CSU-Pueblo's Cannabis Biology and Chemistry (CBC) degree program who are looking to switch emphasis into Hemp Agriculture from other CBC degree emphases. The target audience has remained the same in this reporting year. Changes/Problems:No changes proposed, but administrative turnover has slowed some progress on advertisement/communications What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Students have not been able to receive internships yet since it is offered for coursework later in their respective course sequence How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The program was advertised at the NoCo 9 Hemp Expo (Mar 29-31, 2023, Colorado Springs, CO) with assistance from the Institute of Cannabis Research (CSU Pueblo); information was handed out to interested parties What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue advertising efforts, make contact with individual students to track their progress
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
More students (21 at time of writing) have started/declared a Hemp Agriculture emphasis (BS - Cannabis Biology and Chemistry) in the reporting year. Persistence cannot be measured yet due to the relatively short time that the emphasis was on the books.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Colorado State University Pueblo (2023). About Us. InHEAR Program. https://www.csupueblo.edu/cannabis-biology-and-chemistry-bs/inhear/about-us.html
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Progress 08/01/21 to 07/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Currently, our target audience are prospective students who wish to transfer/enroll in the university and have contacted the faculty with interest in the Hemp Agriculture program, which is under the aegis of InHEAR. In addition, we are also recruiting/accommodating students who are currently in CSU-Pueblo's Cannabis Biology and Chemistry (CBC) degree program who are looking to switch emphasis into Hemp Agriculture from other CBC degree emphases. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Collaborate with other existing research/retention programs within CSU-Pueblo's College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, particularly for their professional development events, connect with local HS now that program is in the books
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A Hemp Agriculture emphasis was approved by the university and the state; this will be part of the Cannabis Biology and Chemistry (CBC) Bachelor of Science degree. This also allows students in the CBC as well as Biology or Chemistry degree programs to enter the program as there is some overlap in their respective curricula, moreso with CBC as all emphases within CBC must have the same core and general education curricula.
Publications
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Progress 08/01/20 to 07/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Currently, our target audience are prospective students who wish to transfer/enroll in the university and have contacted the faculty with interest in the Hemp Agriculture program, which is under the aegis of InHEAR. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Although there are no results to disseminate at time of writing this progress report, the existence of the program has been publicized in university press releases as well as local and special-interest publications. In addition, we are communicating with interested parties within Colorado for collaboration with our project as well as Colorado State University's Spur Campus to establish at least an advertising (at most a physical, at the moment) presence in Denver. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?At the time of the next Progress Report, a memorandum of agreement will have been sent and agreed upon between CSU-Pueblo and CSU regarding the transferability of coursework between the two institutions to fulfill prerequisites and degree requirements on top of agreements made between the universities for the use of CSU's Agriculture and Resource Economics online coursework. In addition, agreements will be made with our internship sites defining the roles and responsibilities of the student, site, and university for student internships. Also, a 'first cohort' of InHEAR students will be identified and considered for admission into the InHEAR program proper.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The biotechnology curriculum as of time of reporting is being drafted; core and certain elective courses in botany, chemistry, and agriculture have been targeted from CSU-Pueblo and CSU (online offerings) for inclusion. Discussion is ongoing with collaborators who have pleged their support for this program as well as new collaborators that have learned of the program through press releases. Students have already expressed interest in the program, and although it has not yet been formally included as a degree emphasis, they have been advised to take courses that are already offered by CSU-Pueblo and are part of the core coursework of the hemp agriculture curriculum. Thus, they may be grandfathered into the hemp agriculture curriculum once it is included in the course catalog.
Publications
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