Progress 04/15/23 to 04/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All 8 student participants in the 2023 REEU program have gained valuable research and extension experiences during the program. In the group reflection sessions held during the last week of the program, students shared their key learning moments, including touring the wood products industries, overcoming obstacles while conducting research, and presenting their findings at the research showcase and receiving feedback. Additionally, this program provided an opportunity for the students to attend the MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase and present their research findings in a professional setting. Overall, this program functioned as a platform to provide student participants with research and extension experiences as well as technical and professional training, which will help prepare them for their careers. The participants touredpaper and lumber manufacturers: International Paperand West Fraser How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All 8 students successfully presented their research findings at the MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, held on August 2, 2023, in Starkville, MS. The research findings of the student participants have also resulted in one manuscript that will be submitted for peer-reviewed journal publication. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we plan to host the REEU program with the eight selected students from May 28 to August 3, 2024, totaling 10 weeks. Each student will be paired with one of up to 8 faculty mentors in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, according to their research interests and preferences. The students' research and extension activities, including wood products industry tours and laboratory work, will be mentored and overseen by their paired faculty mentors. All students will present their research findings at MSU's 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase that will be held on August 2, 2024 in Starkville, MS. Upon the conclusion of the program, faculty mentors and PIs will meet to discuss the outcomes of the mentoring program and the overall organization of the REEU program. The findings will be reflected on the recruitment of students for the summer of 2025.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In this reporting period, we hosted our 2nd year REEU program during May 30, 2023 - August 4, 2023. The proposal outlined three specific goals: recruitment, student engagement in mentoring, and increased student interest in the broad field of food and agricultural sciences. In the following, we will compare the actual accomplishments made during this reporting period to each of these goals. 1) Attraction of high-achieving, underrepresented students to MSU who are interested in pursuing research opportunities and careers in the food and agricultural sectors Our recruitment plan involves several key elements aimed at attracting a diverse group of students to the program. Here are the results of our recruitment efforts, including the total number of recruited students, the number of underrepresented and female students, the number of students pursuing non-four-year undergraduate degrees, and the number of students who are not affiliated with MSU. # of students recruited during this period (REEY in Summer 2023): 8 # of underrepresented students recruited: 4 (50%, goal: 50%) # of female students recruited: 3 (38%, goal: 50%) # of students recruited who are pursuing two year or other degrees/certificates: 1 (13%, goal: 75%) # of students recruited who are not affiliated with MSU: 5 (63%, goal: 75%) In the 2nd year of the program in Summer 2023, we successfully recruited a total of 8 students from Auburn University, Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, Coahoma Community College, and Mississippi State University. This demonstrates good progress toward our target of recruiting 32 students by the end of the program. Out of the 8 recruited students, 4 were from underrepresented groups, all of whom were African American. This accomplishment aligns well with our goal of fostering diversity and inclusivity within our program. However, we fell slightly short of our goal in recruiting female students, with 3 female students during this reporting period. We recruited one student pursuing a two-year degree or other degrees/certificates. Additionally, a total of 5 students recruited are not affiliated with MSU, which is very close to our goal. 2) Engagement of students in a student-centered mentoring program that will provide the opportunity to autonomously learn research skills and instrumentation Our program goal is to facilitate the integration of participating students into departmental research groups. Specifically, we aim for 100% of the students to make significant learning gains and experiences in specific research and communication skills, as identified by the project. This is achieved via our one-on-one matching process between students and faculty mentors. Below are the mentor-mentee pairing results for the 2023 REEU program during this reporting period. Dr. Yunsang Kim (renewable materials): 2 students Dr. Elizabeth Stokes (wood protectants and bio-remediation): 2 students Dr. Jason Street (bio-energy and wood composites): 1 student Dr. Adriana Costa (forensic wood identification): 2 students Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd-Shields (wood chemistry): 1 student During the first week of the program, we successfully paired all 8 students with a total of 5 faculty mentors across diverse research areas, including renewable materials, bio-remediation, forensic wood identification, bio-energy, and wood chemistry. The mentor-mentee pairing process took into account students' preferences and technical backgrounds, facilitated by faculty mentors' introductions to their respective research programs. 3) Increase of student interest and persistence in the graduate programs or post-graduate employment through mentoring and career development opportunities Our program aims for 100% of the students to make presentations at the MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase and for the entire student cohort to publish at least one peer-reviewed publication within one year of the program's conclusion. Additionally, we aim to monitor the post-graduation outcomes of student participants, including graduate school entrance and employment within three years after completing the program. By doing so, we will be able to assess the long-term impact and success of our program in preparing students for their future careers in the food and agricultural sciences. In this reporting period, all 8 students successfully presented their research findings at MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, which was held on August 2, 2023, in Starkville, MS. The full citations of the conference presentations are shown below in 7. Products/Full Citations. Regarding post-graduation outcomes, we have exciting news to share. One student who participated in the REEU 2023 program has decided to transfer from his community college to the undergraduate program in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Aquaculture in the College of Forest Resources at MSU, starting in the fall of 2024. We strongly believe that this transfer from a community college to a research-intensive university like MSU will be a significant accomplishment for both the student and our program. Notably, the transferring student is from an underrepresented group, which highlights the success of our program in creating opportunities for underrepresented students and fostering diversity in the field of food and agricultural sciences. In summary, we made significant progress towards achieving our proposed goals during this reporting period. Our recruitment efforts for the 2023 REEU program resulted in positive outcomes regarding the number of recruited students and the number of underrepresented students. However, we fell short in recruiting female students and students pursuing two-year or other degrees/certificates. Student engagement in the mentoring program was facilitated by our mentor-mentee pairing process based on students' preferences with the support of 5 faculty mentors. All 8 students recruited for the 2023 REEU program successfully presented their research findings at the MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase during the last week of the program. Finally, one student participant has decided to transfer from his community college to the undergraduate program in our college at MSU, starting in the fall of 2024. This outcome showcases the immediate and positive impact of our REEU program on workforce development in the wood science and forest products industry. In comparison to our recruitment goals, we did not meet our targets for recruiting female students and students pursuing two-year or other degrees/certificates. This indicates a need for improvement in our recruiting strategies. For the 2024 REEU program, we will leverage our alumni connections to reach out to institutions offering two-year degree programs. This expanded outreach will help us attract a larger pool of students pursuing these degrees. We also recognize the importance of female representation and mentorship in encouraging female students to participate in our program. To address this, we will ensure that at least two female faculty members from our department serve as faculty mentors for the 2024 REEU program. Their involvement will provide strong role models for female students.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Paul Gramelspacher, Shuaib Mubarak, and Yunsang Kim (faculty mentor). Water-in-oil inverse Pickering emulsions prepared by cellulose nanofibrils and their stability. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Paul Gramelspacher (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Carson A. Bedics, Hamed Olayiwola, Yunsang Kim (faculty mentor), and Edward Entsminger. The effect of an essential oil-based wood preservative on viscosity and shear strength of wood adhesive. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Carson Bedics (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Surabhi Gupta and Adriana Costa (faculty mentor). Exploring fluorescent wood species: Insights from the David A. Kribs Wood Collection. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Surabhi Gupta (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Eric Brannon and Adriana Costa (faculty mentor). Wood identification by chemical reactivity using Chrome Azurol-S. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Eric Brannon (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Devin Mabry, Adrian Rhoden, and C. Elizabeth Stokes (faculty mentor). Initiation of a standard soil-block test to evaluate wood preservative treatments. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Devin Mabry (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Adrian Rhoden, Devin Mabry, and C. Elizabeth Stokes (faculty mentor). Initiation of exposure test of coated wood flooring panels. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Adrian Rhoden (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Micaiah L. McDonald and Gwendolyn D. Boyd-Shields (faculty mentor). Occupational skin diseases (atopic & contact dermatitis): a literature review. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Micaiah L. McDonald (REEU)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Megan Berry, Jason Street (faculty mentor), Yunsang Kim, and Ananda Nanjundaswamy. The impact of dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) on the performance of southern yellow pine particle board. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2023, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2023. Poster presentation by Megan Berry (REEU)
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Progress 04/15/22 to 04/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All 9 student participants in the 2022 REEU program has gained research and extension experiences during the program. In the group reflection sessions during the last week of the program, students mentioned their learning moments, including touring to wood products industry, overcoming obstacles while conducting research, and presenting their findings in the research showcase and getting feedback. They also mentioned using powertools and analytical instrumentation as their most engaging moments during the program. Additionally, this program provided an opportunity for the 9 students to attend the MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase and present their research findings in a professional setting. Overall, this program functioned as a platform to provide student participants research/extension experiences as well as technical and professional trainings, which will help them prepared for their careers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All 9 students successfully presented their research findings at MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, which took place on August 2, 2022, in Starkville, MS. The research findings of the student participants resulted in one peer-reviewed journal publication. The overall outcome of the 2022 REEU program was shared with the advisory board members of the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts at MSU in the annual Advisory Board Meeting, which was held on November 15, 2022, in Starkville, MS. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we plan to host the REEU program with the eight selected students from May 30 to August 4, 2023, a total of 10 weeks. All the students will be matched to up to 6 faculty mentors in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts according to their research interests and preferences. The students' research/extension activities, including wood products industry tours and laboratory work, will be mentored and overseen by the paired faculty mentors. All the students will present their research findings in MSU's 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase that will be held on August 2, 2023 in Starkville, MS. Upon the conclusion of the program, faculty mentors and PIs will have a meeting to discuss the outcomes of the mentoring program and overall organization of the REEU program. The findings will be reflected on the recruitment of students for the summer of 2024.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Three specific goals were outlined in the proposal regarding recruitment, student engagement in mentoring, and increased student interest in the broad field of food and agricultural sciences. In the following, the actual accomplishments made during this reporting period will be compared to each goal. 1) Attraction of high-achieving, underrepresented students to MSU who are interested in pursuing research opportunities and careers in the food and agricultural sectors. Our recruitment plan involves several key elements aimed at attracting a diverse group of students for the program. Here are the results of our recruitment efforts, including the total number of recruited students, the number of underrepresented and female students, the number of students pursuing non-four-year undergraduate degrees, and the number of students who are not affiliated with MSU. # of students recruited during this period (summer 2022): 9 # of underrepresented students recruited: 5 (56%, goal: 50%) # of female students recruited: 1 (11%, goal: 50%) # of students recruited who are pursuing two year or other degrees/certificates: 0 (0%, goal: 75%) # of students recruited who are not affiliated with MSU: 6 (67%, goal: 75%) In the first year of the program in summer 2022, we successfully recruited a total of 9 students, who are from Auburn University, Alcorn State University, North Carolina State University, and Mississippi State University, indicating good progress towards meeting our target of recruiting 32 students by the end of the program. Out of the 9 recruited students, 5 students were from underrepresented groups, including African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Americans. This accomplishment aligns well with our goal of fostering diversity and inclusivity within our program. However, we fell short of our goal in recruiting female students, ended up recruiting only 1 female student in this reporting period. Furthermore, we were not able to recruit any students who are pursuing 2 year or other degrees/certificates. This represents an area where we need to enhance our recruiting strategies. On a positive note, we successfully recruited 6 students who are not affiliated with MSU, which was very close to our goal. 2) Engagement of students in a student-centered mentoring program that will provide the opportunity to autonomously learn research skills and instrumentation. Our program goal is to facilitate integration of the participating students into departmental research groups. Specifically, we aim for 100% of the students to make significant learning gains in specific research and communication skills, as identified by the project. This is accomplished via our one-on-one matching process between students and faculty mentors. Below are the mentor-mentee matching results for the 2022 REEU program during this reporting period. Dr. Elizabeth Stokes (wood protectants and bio-remediation): 2 students Dr. Yunsang Kim (renewable materials): 2 students Dr. Frank Owens (forensic wood identification): 2 students Dr. Jason Street and Dr. Mostafa Mohammadabadi (bio-energy and wood composites): 3 students During the first week of the program, we successfully matched all 9 students with a total of 5 faculty mentors across diverse research areas, including bio-remediation, renewable materials, wood identification, bio-energy, and wood composites. The mentor-mentee matching process took into account students' preferences and technical backgrounds, whose decisions were aided by faculty mentors' introduction regarding their respective research programs. 3) Increase of student interest and persistence in the graduate programs or post-graduate employment through mentoring and career development opportunities. Our program aims for 100% of the students to make presentations at MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase and for the entire student cohort to publish at least one peer-reviewed publication within one year of the program's conclusion. Additionally, we aim to monitor the student participants' post-graduation outcomes, including employment and graduate school entrance within three years after completing the program. By doing so, we will be able to assess the long-term impact and success of our program in preparing students for their future careers in the food and agricultural sciences. In this reporting period, all 9 students successfully presented their research findings at MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, which was held on August 2, 2022, in Starkville, MS. One peer-reviewed journal publication has been published during this reporting period, in which one REEU student participated as one of the co-authors. The full citations of the conference presentations and the published journal article are shown below in "7. Products/Full Citations." Regarding post-graduation outcomes, we have exciting news to share. Two students who participated in the REEU 2022 program have decided to join the graduate program in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts at MSU, starting in the fall of 2023. We strongly believe that their enrollment in our graduate program will be a significant accomplishment for both the students and our program. It should be noted that both two students are from underrepresented groups, which highlights the success of our program in creating opportunities for underrepresented students and fostering diversity in the field of food and agricultural sciences. In summary, we made significant progress towards achieving our proposed goals during this reporting period. Our recruitment efforts for the 2022 REEU program resulted in positive outcomes regarding the number of recruited students, as well as the number of underrepresented students. However, we fell short in recruiting female students and students who are pursuing 2-year or other degrees/certificates. The engagement of students in a student-centered mentoring program was facilitated by our mentor-mentee matching process based on students' preferences, with the support of 5 faculty mentors. All 9 students recruited for the 2022 REEU program successfully presented their research findings at MSU Undergraduate Research Showcase, which took place during the last week of the program. Additionally, the research findings of the student participants resulted in one peer-reviewed journal publication. Finally, two student participants have decided to enroll in our graduate program, starting in the fall of 2023, which showcases the immediate and positive impact of our program on workforce development in wood science and forest products industry. In comparison to our recruitment goals, we did not meet our targets for recruiting female students and students pursuing 2-year or other degrees/certificates. This indicates a need for improvement in our recruiting strategies. Specifically, for the 2023 REEU program, we will leverage our alumni connections to reach out institutions offering 2-year degree programs. This expanded outreach will help us attract a more pool of students pursuing these degrees. We also recognize the importance of female representation and mentorship in encouraging female students to participate in our program. To do this, we will ensure that at least two female faculty members from our department will serve as faculty mentors for the 2023 REEU program. Their involvement will provide a strong role model for female students.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Mostafa Mohammadabadi, Jordan Miller, Jason Street, Yunsang Kim, Rubin Shmulsky, and Kevin Ragon. Wood-based corrugated core sandwich panels manufactured using a wooden mold. BioResources, 2023, 18(2), 3033-3043.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Daylan Barnes, Sarah Fullerton, Gabrielly d.S. Bobadilha, and C. Elizabeth Stokes (faculty mentor). The Fight on Fungus. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Jonathan Boyd, Mostafa Mohammadabadi (faculty mentor), and Jason Street. Development of Bio-based Filament for 3D Printing. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Benjamin Bradley, Brunela P. Rodrigues, Frank C. Owens (faculty mentor), and Alex C. Wiedenhoeft, Surface Preparations Effect on the Accuracy of Computer Vision Wood Identification Systems. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Nicholas Dickinson, Jason Street (faculty mentor), and Mustafa Kaya. Evaluation of Flood Damage on Cross Laminated Timber Wall Configurations. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Sarah Fullerton, Daylan Barnes, Gabrielly d.S. Bobadilha, and C. Elizabeth Stokes (faculty mentor). Bio-Based Wood Protectants vs the Weathering Machine. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Jordan Miller, Mostafa Mohammadabadi (faculty mentor), and Jason Street (faculty mentor). Development of Lightweight and High-Performance Wood-Based Products. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Hunter Patrick, Shuaib Mubarak, and Yunsang Kim (faculty mentor). Cellulose and Chitin Nanofibers Stabilized Pickering Emulsion Encapsulating Phase Change Material. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ethan Turo, Brunela P. Rodrigues, Frank C. Owens (faculty mentor), and Alex C. Wiedenhoeft. Evaluating the Effect of a Lower Resolution Camera on Computer Vision Wood Identification with the XyloTron. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ryan Vann, Hamed Olayiwola, and Yunsang Kim (faculty mentor). Creation of Biodegradable Preservatives Through Use of Essential Oils. Undergraduate Research Showcase Summer 2022, Mississippi State University, MS, August 2, 2022.
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Progress 04/15/21 to 04/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:One of the original co-PIs of the project, Dr. Hyungsuk Lim, departed from MSU and Dr. Elizabeth Stokes has been selected as a replacement in the fall of 2021. Since joining the project, Dr. Stokes and the other PIs have worked toward opening invitations for students to apply for internships in the summer of 2022. This has been successful, and we have accepted a cohort of students who will join the program on June 1, 2022. 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?During the next reporting period, we plan to host the REEU program with the nine selected students from June 1 to August 5, 2022, a total of 10 weeks. All the students will be matched to faculty mentors in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts according to their research/extension interests. The students' research/extension activities will be mentored and managed by the paired faculty mentors. Through the proposed mentoring program, we plan to measure students' engagement and motivation towards wood science and forest products industry throughout the REEU program by using a survey and interview. All the students will present their research/extension findings in MSU's 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase that will be held on August 2, 2022 in Starkville, MS. After the conclusion of the program, faculty mentors and PIs will have a meeting to discuss the outcomes of the mentoring program and overall organization of the REEU program. The findings will be reflected on the recruitment of students for the summer of 2023.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Due to COVID restrictions at the time the award was received, the program was not able to be opened for student travel to the MSU campus for the summer of 2021. Since the funds are supposed to support student travel, stipends, and meals, and no students could be accepted for 2021, there were no expenditures for the summer of 2021. Starting from early 2022 with COVID restrictions loosening up, we have begun student recruitment activities for the summer of 2022. Student recruiting information was distributed through professional ties our department has including historically black colleges (HBCUs) and community colleges (CCs) in Mississippi and the Mid-South region. The recruiting information was also sent out through social media channels including LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. It should be noted that we attempted to assemble an REEU class made up of at least 70% underrepresented minorities (URMs). A dedicated REEU website was launched in a Wix platform showing the specifics of the REEU program, which include work areas, faculty mentors, and an application form that allowed student candidates to apply for the program. In the application form, an applicant needed to indicate their preference in their research/extension areas, which were Renewable Materials and Bioderived Composites, Bio-oil and Bio-energy Pellets, Forensic Wood Identification and Forest Products Trade, and Novel Wood Protectants and Bioremediation. These research/extension areas will help identify mentor-mentee matching in the REEU program. https://frankcowensiv.wixsite.com/internship2022/home After a few months of rolling out the recruitment campaign, 25 applications were received. Among them, the search committee consisting of four PIs of the program carefully selected nine students for the summer of 2022 REEU program in consideration of students' statement of purpose, GPA, and research areas of interest in the REEU program. The selected students are from Auburn University, Alcorn State University, North Carolina State University, and Mississippi State University. Among the nine students, six students are women and URMs. Currently, we are in the process of finalizing housing contract for the REEU students in the MSU campus in Starkville, MS, which will be during June 1 - August 5, a total of 10 weeks. Direct deposit and W9 forms have been distributed and collected for processing students' stipend and meal costs, The REEU program in the week 1 and 2 has been finalized including introduction to the REEU program, the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, and the College of Forest Resources, safety training, library session, and mentor-mentee matching.
Publications
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