Recipient Organization
VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, VA POLYTECH INST.
(N/A)
BLACKBURG,VA 24061
Performing Department
Agricultural & Extension Ed
Non Technical Summary
Illuminating Agricultural Extension and Education Career Opportunities for STEM and Liberal Arts Undergraduate StudentsProject AbstractThe United States is facing historical shortages of agriculture extension agents and teachers. With fewer undergraduates exposed to these career opportunities, this shortage will likely continue and magnify. This project aims to illuminate career opportunities for STEM and liberal arts majors at two land-grant universities in the Appalachian region of the United States. Mentoring for the students will come from university faculty, county extension agents and peers in the program.Focusing on food safety, health and nutrition will address a need in Appalachia and internationally in Senegal, a Feed the Future nation in West Africa. The undergraduates from Virginia Tech and Tennessee State University will be trained in safe food handling, food preparation, and food preservation. Each of the four cohorts of students will provide extension programming in food safety, food preparation, and food preservation to household members responsible for the health and nutrition needs in the household in Appalachia and in Senegal.The participating undergraduates will receive leadership training for problem-solving, communication, conflict resolution, decision making, and cultural competence. The students will present extension leadership programming to youth in Appalachia and in Senegal. The youth training will build on positive youth development and include a module on preparing for post-secondary education.The undergraduates will prepare, present and evaluate the food safety, food preparation, food preservation and leadership extension programs both domestically and internationally to illuminate potential careers in extension education, agricultural education, and food safety.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
80%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
Description of the objectives Prepare four diverse cohorts of ten Fellows at Virginia Tech and Tennessee State University for careers in agriculture, specifically in food safety, food preparation, home food preservation, and agricultural and extension education.Prepare four diverse cohorts of ten Fellows at Virginia Tech and Tennessee State University by providing career readiness skills in agriculture.Prepare four diverse cohorts of ten Fellows at Virginia Tech and Tennessee State University to develop and deliver agricultural education programs.Fellows will develop and deliver Extension food safety, food preparation, and home food preservation programs for adults and youth in Appalachia.Fellows will develop and deliver Extension food safety, food preparation, and home food preservation programs for adults and youth in Senegal.
Project Methods
Training will begin in February each year. Training will be available on-line, and Fellows will have a Microsoft Teams site for communication with each other and the project team. Students will travel to Blacksburg for seven days in May in the year of their experience, be housed in a local hotel with all meals and local transportation provided. Should COVID 19 still be an issue, the team will deliver all training remotely.Food safety, food preparation, food preservation training (12 hours). Fellows will learn to utilize the abundance of resources available to them, such as home-grown foods, local farmers' markets, roadside stands, community gardens, food pantries, and food recovery organizations. Additionally, Fellows will learn to demonstrate how to work with equipment and utensils to prepare and preserve food. To ensure the safety of the food, and more importantly, extend the shelf life of their food, Fellows will learn to deliver Extension programs in basic food safety principles, including understanding which microorganisms cause foodborne illness.Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator (4 hours, individual coaching). Applying psychological type, leader and follower preferences is a significant skill-set for professional development. In addition, Fellows will apply personality preferences to enhance conflict resolution, communication, decision-making, and change management.Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory (4 hours). All people are problem solvers and everyone is creative. These premises are the foundation for the Kirton Adaption / Innovation inventory or KAI. This psychometric instrument determines individual preferences for problem-solving.Cultural Intelligence (4 hours). The cultural intelligence (CQ) assessment will provide Fellows with the opportunity to learn where they are in the development of their familiarity with other cultures. The assessment provides individuals with guidance regarding their strengths and potential challenges in collaborating with others in teams or other contexts.Non-formal / Extension instructional methods (4 hours). All the knowledge in the world is useless if not transferred to learners in a way that they can apply it. Non-formal / extension instructional methods will give participants the teaching tools they need to relate to learners and provide relevant instruction that will be applicable and potentially life-saving.Program development and evaluation (4 hours). Fellows will learn what evaluation is, why it's important, and how it can impact their work as professionals using systems thinking. The students will work through building an evaluation plan for their training using gamification as the mode of instruction to illustrate the various constraints an evaluation happens within.Agricultural careers (4 hours). Fellows will learn about careers in extension, education, and food science. Agricultural careers emphasizing STEM and Liberal Arts will be highlighted.Leadership theory and application (4 hours). Students will receive leadership training specifically in cultural competence, problem-solving, decision making, conflict resolution, working in teams, communication, and conflict resolution.Senegal history and culture (4 hours). Before embarking on an international experience, it is critical for the Fellows to know about the culture in the country being visited. Senegal has a rich history from the slave trade to colonization by the French to its rich history and strong people.Survival French (2 hours). Students will be given a survival French course along with resources to continue honing their language skills.Food deserts and food insecurity in Appalachia (4 hours). Before embarking on this engaged research experience focused on food insecurity in Appalachia, it is paramount that undergraduate students understand the systemic social, economic, and environmental pressures that many Appalachian communities face.Appalachian Regional Extension ProgramThe target audiences for food safety, food preparation, food preservation programs in the Appalachian region are adults and youth in communities located in food deserts. Each cohort will work in groups of two-three. Fellows will deliver eight programs per year with approximately 10 adults and five youth in each program. A total of 40 adults and 20 youth will be reached each year with 160 adults and 80 youth reached over the duration of the project.Senegal ProgramThe programs in Senegal will be at the village level in cooperation with the University of Bambey. The audience for the food safety, preparation and preservation workshops will be adults and youth who prepare the family food, secure food for meals, and are in charge of the family health and wellbeing. Each cohort will deliver four programs per year with approximately 20 adults and 10 youth in each program. A total of 80 adults and 40 youth will be reached each year with a total of 320 adults and 160 youth reached over the duration of the project.Mentoring PlanThe project team will utilize the peer, on-sight, distance (POD) model for mentoring that includes content and interaction skills for a career area. (Lewellen-Williams, Charlotte, MPH; Johnson, Virginia A., EdD; Deloney, Linda A., EdD; Thomas, Billy R., MD, MPH; Goyol, Apollos, PhD; Henry-Tillman, Ronda, MD, (2006)). We will utilize peer mentors, distance mentors (project team), and on-site mentors (extension agents and project team).The mentor pool consists of men and women in universities and Cooperative Extension systems in two states with a wealth of experience in agriculture and undergraduate mentoring. The team consists of first-generation college students, African American faculty members, an Asian faculty member, and a Senegalese faculty member.The project will require frequent communication between the mentors and mentees. We will utilize formal (Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, email, etc.) and informal (social media, telephone calls, face-time, conversation, etc.) tools as conduits for mentoring. Mentors and mentees are expected to meet virtually or in person bi-monthly throughout the program. Graduate students can serve as temporary substitute mentors if necessary.The mentors will continue relationships with the students beyond the confines of their experience and to continue to offer mentorship to the Fellows. Zoom meetings for all program completers will continue the mentoring process after the project as a part of the long-term program.Student mentorsAfter the first cohort of Fellows completes the experience, program completers will serve as mentors for the remaining cohorts. Utilizing program completers provides a level of mentorship that will be valuable in institutionalizing the program and establishing a sustained effort after the project ends. Senior level / graduate students will serve in this role for the first cohort.Mentoring activities for studentsFellows will be matched with a mentor after their acceptance into the program. We will offer a one-on-one mentor for each student from the project team based on student interests and professional goals.Fellows will receive an on-line module to maximize the mentoring relationship ( mentors will complete this training as well). At the initial meeting students and mentors will discuss the module and develop a mentoring plan for the program and beyond. This plan will be flexible and allow changes and modifications as appropriate for the mentees. The student and mentor will establish meeting times, and discuss expectations of mentors and mentees.?