Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
Plant & Soil Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Oklahoma State University (OSU), a land grant university (LGU), in partnership with Northeastern Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical College (NEO), a two-year Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), will collaborate to provide four American Indian students with scholarships to complete their Bachelors with dual degrees in Plant and Soil Science and Entomology. The overall goal is to develop a strong pipeline of American Indian students transferring from two-year NASNTI institutions to four-year LGUs, and to provide the necessary support systems to enable students to complete the baccalaureate. This will simultaneously increase the diversity of LGU agriculture programs and food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) diversity while providing tribal nations with citizens possessing the necessary skills to improve agrosecurity. OSU will achieve this goal by meeting four objectives. Objective 1: Develop and provide hands-on learning for American Indian scholars through inquiry-based learning and research internships. Objective 2: Increase interactions with NASNTI institutions by providing students at two-year colleges with a path to the baccalaureate. Objective 3: Develop qualified students who can contribute to agrosecurity while increasing the number of American Indian students graduating from LGU. Objective 4: Provide the necessary support structure to transfer American Indian students to increase the retention and persistence rate at LGU agricultural programs. Scholars will have opportunities to engage with the community and visit agriculture research stations sites such as the Chicago Field Museum. It is anticipated that this project will enhance retention of American Indian students through its innovative course content and hands-on learning experiences.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Oklahoma State University (OSU), a land grant university (LGU), in partnership with Northeastern Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical College (NEO), a two-year Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI), will collaborate to provide four American Indian students with scholarships to complete their Bachelors with dual degrees in Plant and Soil Science and Entomology. The overall goal is to develop a strong pipeline of American Indian students transferring from two-year NASNTI institutions to four-year LGUs, and to provide the necessary support systems to enable students to complete the baccalaureate. This will simultaneously increase the diversity of LGU agriculture programs and food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) diversity while providing tribal nations with citizens possessing the necessary skills to improve agrosecurity. OSU will achieve this goal by meeting four objectives. Objective 1: Develop and provide hands-on learning for American Indian scholars through inquiry-based learning and research internships. Objective 2: Increase interactions with NASNTI institutions by providing students at two-year colleges with a path to the baccalaureate. Objective 3: Develop qualified students who can contribute to agrosecurity while increasing the number of American Indian students graduating from LGU. Objective 4: Provide the necessary support structure to transfer American Indian students to increase the retention and persistence rate at LGU agricultural programs. Scholars will have opportunities to engage with the community and visit agriculture research stations sites such as the Chicago Field Museum. It is anticipated that this project will enhance retention of American Indian students through its innovative course content and hands-on learning experiences. This projectwill allow OSU to advance agrosecurity knowledge among American Indians, enrich the lives of tribal communities, and stimulate rural economies.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Develop and provide hands-on learning for American Indian students through inquiry-based learning and research internships.Four scholars will complete research over a four year period. The program will immerse undergraduate students from diverse tribal nations into agrosecurity, which will equip them to pursue entry-level positions or graduate education. Scholars will earn a dual degree in Plant and Soil Science and Entomology.The training of scholars will occur within the undergraduate curriculum at NEO and OSU's departments of Plant and Soil Sciences and Entomology and Plant Pathology. Scholars will participate in summer research at NEO's greenhouse in Year 1 and at OSU or outside partners in Years 2-4.As a requirement, PROVIDE students will participate in the Capstone series by the end of their junior year, which involves training in research techniques and an independent research project. This is a key component of PROVIDE as undergraduates who directly participate in the research are more likely to continue in that particular field and begin to think about furthering their education at a higher level (Russell et al., 2007). These projects will enable students to develop decision-making skills, critical thinking, and participate in workshops and professional meetings. Students may choose projects from all departmental research faculty who participate in the Capstone series, but will be encouraged to work with Med-Vet; Plant Disease and Insect Diagnostic Lab; The Soil, Water, and Foliage Analytical Laboratory; and OSU's National Institute for Microbial Forensics & Food and Agricultural Biosecurity (NIMMFAB). Student research topics may include food safety, arthropod transmission of disease pathogens, microbial forensics, agricultural biosecurity, or advanced diagnostics for animal or plant pathogens.To expand the research opportunities at NEO, OSU will aid in the experiential learning activities at NEO. The OSU PIs will work with NEO to incorporate inquiry-based learning into the curriculum. NEO is constructing a greenhouse as part of the program that will provide research opportunities for students. During Year 1, scholars will conduct research overseen by Dr. Booth and Ms. Anderson. Additional support will come from a Greenhouse Coordinator. Objective 2: Increase interactions with NASNTI institutions by providing students at two-year colleges with a path to the baccalaureate in agrosecurity.To ensure scholar success, we will increase interactions between OSU and NEO beginning with the recruitment of high school students entering NEO. Furthermore, OSU will develop an institutional transition model that will benefit students transferring from NEO and other institutions. Many transfer students indicate they feel less confident in their ability to cope with change and have lower views of self than students native to the university. Anecdotally, NEO faculty indicate they spend a significant amount of time convincing previous students to remain at OSU at the beginning of the semester, likely resulting from transfer shock (Flaga, 2006; Ishitani, 2008). A 2008 study indicated that American Indian transfer students persist at lower rates than their non-native peers (Ishitani, 2008), possibly resulting from transfer shock. PROVIDE will ease transition shock by providing research experiences at OSU and a pre-transfer visit. Students will visit with OSU campus advisors who will provide guidance and direction to help prepare the students for expected obstacles, and meet with the Center for Sovereign Nations and Native American Student Association. These experiences will orient students to OSU and familiarize them with the campus and its services. Allowing students to remain in their home community and begin their coursework at NEO makes the transition to OSU smoother and more successful. This model helps students develop stronger American Indian identities and increase success in a predominantly non-Native classroom.Objective 3: Develop qualified students who can contribute to agrosecurity while expanding the diversity of FANH and increasing the number of American Indian students graduating from land grant universities.In addition to research opportunities, scholars will have opportunities to contribute to their community and develop non-cognitive skills. Scholars can engage with OSU's 'Insect Adventure', Partnership of Summer School Education (POSSE) led by the Choctaw Nation, and/or potentially Pawnee Nation's locally sourced grocery store development. Scholars will also attend and present their data at research conferences. The training scholars receive will enable them to graduate with strong knowledge of plant-insect interactions, training in BSL-2 lab readiness, and critical thinking skills. At OSU, scholars will engage in bi-weekly journal clubs with discussions on topics related to agrosecurity.PROVIDE will increase graduation rates by offering a program that honors scholars' communities of origin. American Indians traditionally acquired knowledge through direct experience and understanding particulars in relation to the whole (Kawagley & Barnhardt, 2007).Objective 4: Provide the necessary support structure to transfer students to increase the retention and persistence rate at land grant universities agricultural programs.To increase retention rates, PROVIDE will coordinate necessary supports including:Diversity-inclusive programming: Programming that encompasses multicultural education, inclusion, and culturally-responsive teaching to create an environment where all students experience an equitable education (Lavergne, 2012). The project focuses on individual experiences and transitions over time (Page-Reeves et al., 2017).Tutoring: The PIs will assign students tutoring when necessary through the LASSO Center or Center for Sovereign Nations at OSUand Tutoring Services or American Indian Center of Excellence (AICE) at NEO.Assistance with course selection: The PIs will meet with scholars each semester to provide guidance regarding the courses most likely to assist them in reaching their goals.Career Development: The PIs will encourage students to attend Career Services, AICE, and CSN events including specialized workshops. PROVIDE will invite speakers related to agrosecurity from varied backgrounds such as academia, industry, tribal nations.Peer Mentoring: Current USDA Multicultural Scholars Program participants and Center for Sovereign Nations Student Ambassadors will assist students in becoming familiar with the campus and share knowledge about navigating OSU.Faculty Mentoring: Faculty mentors will engage with scholars beginning in their first year at NEO. Mentors will help scholars navigate the program and achieve success.Management plan for administrationOSU will develop and implement the needs assessments, curriculum, learning activities, and agronomic research. NEO will deliver and implement activities and the daily management of the summer interns. The program will establish an Advisory Committee composed of representatives from tribal communities, agricultural education, and diversityCultural TrainingPROVIDE will train faculty and staff on how to better support American Indian students with modules on culturally-responsive teaching and diversity-inclusive programming through programs such as the Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching. NEO's agriculture faculty including Co-PI Alisen Anderson previously completed culturally-responsive training. Supplemental in-kind training will be provided by OSU's Center for Sovereign Nations and NEO's AICE in addition to NEO's Native Ways of Knowing program.