Source: KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
STRENGTHENING TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS, CURRICULUM, AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING TO PREPARE AGRICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) WORKFORCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1026073
Grant No.
2021-38821-34849
Cumulative Award Amt.
$150,000.00
Proposal No.
2020-11013
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 1, 2021
Project End Date
Apr 30, 2024
Grant Year
2021
Program Code
[EP]- Teaching Project
Recipient Organization
KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
FRANKFORT,KY 40601
Performing Department
College of Agriculture, Commun
Non Technical Summary
Students from underrepresented communities have been seriously underrepresented in the agricultural, natural, and environmental sciences academic programs and research. Kentucky State University's (KSU)'s Agriculture Food and Environment (AFE) program has the potential to fulfill the demand for increasing diversity in the workforce. Environmental science and geospatial (GIS and remote sensing) courses are relevant to multiple disciplines in agriculture, natural resources, and other STEM fields. Increasing demands for cross-disciplinary GIScience, precision agriculture, Agriinformatics, and emerging technology-related jobs have been emerging at the state government agencies and industries. KSU currently provides a certificate in Environmental Measurement and a certificate and minor in Geospatial Technology Application. Solving the environmental workforce shortage with geospatial research and critical thinking skills in Kentucky is of great importance because such a workforce will be more capable of addressing the agricultural and environmental problems more efficiently in the state. The enhancement of the Environmental Science concentration will strengthen the AFE program by developing and offering relevant courses that will appeal to minority and under-served students, provide hands-on learning experiences, create an innovative learning environment, and use advanced instruments and teaching technologies for experiential learning. Building collaborative efforts with high schools to attract traditional students, as well as reaching out to businesses and other industries to attract non-traditional students, will further promote the AFE program. The increase in student enrollment will support KSU's overall strategic goals. Collaborative efforts with high schools and businesses also provide an opportunity to offer the courses online for non-traditional students and students at other 1890 schools. Market-responsive and competitive curricula with a strong emphasis on experiential and active learning modules and instrumentation will enhance teaching capacity, enrollment, and distance-learning opportunities. This project has adopted many innovative methods for strengthening existing courses and for providing state-of-the-art teaching and learning opportunities to undergraduate students. The current Environmental Science option area will be strengthened in such a way that project- and inquiry-based learning materials and techniques will be integrated into the curricula. The course materials will be integrated with additional visual aids and innovative hands-on lab assignments with real-time online data created by geospatial instruments to assist students with diverse learning capabilities. These curricula will provide both theories with examples and case studies from real-life examples. Senior-level courses will be integrated with geospatial, climate and land cover, water quality, and soil properties change data. The project adopts an innovative experiential learning approach to improve the quality of environmental teaching capacity at KSU to address environmental problems. Combining time-series remote-sensing, Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR), the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones), and high-resolution aerial photography images with physical, economic, and social data will create multiple senior research and capstone class projects for students. KSU will seek support for continuous recruitment activities, enhancing classrooms and geospatial labs, and creating more faculty training, internships, and co-op opportunities for students through collaborating partners with industries, government offices, and other HBCUs and educational institutions.This teaching enhancement project will strengthen KSU's faculty capacity utilizing emerging technologies and shared resources for research and education needs. The training of faculty, students and research staff for the use of instruments bought from the partial support of this grant will also assist in producing new knowledge and skills on emerging technology to address a variety of needs, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will result in creating preliminary data, engage minority students in experiential research and learning, and will enhance the ability to apply for multi-disciplinary collaborative, competitive grants for long-term research on the issues of environmental monitoring, climate change, agroforestry, renewable energy, and other agriculture and human science disciplines. Collected and compiled data and results will be used to develop hands-on education modules and case studies for use in teaching. The project possesses a high level of merit in developing experiential learning projects for various courses. The other benefits and impacts of this project will be through the improvement of student learning and students recruited and retained, as well as the development of a competitive and strong academic program. Such effort will lead toward an increase in revenue generation through increased enrollment and funding through external resources. The project will implement its core competencies in providing a structured learning environment outside of the classroom through field trips, mapping, and collecting real-time climate, landscape, insects, and invasive species data using remotely sensed instruments. The outcomes of such projects will be communicated creatively and innovatively via conference presentations, story maps, and publications.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
4040430206050%
1120120107030%
1020320207020%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 404 - Instrumentation and Control Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
0120 - Land; 0320 - Watersheds; 0430 - Climate;

Field Of Science
2070 - Meteorology and climatology; 1070 - Ecology; 2060 - Geography;
Goals / Objectives
The overarching goal of this teaching proposal is to enhance and strengthen the Environmental Science curriculum by providing a wider scope of environmental and geospatial science courses and experiential learning instrumentation and opportunities to undergraduate students. The project will enhance the curriculum to fulfill the wider need for agricultural and environmental scientists, GIS analysts, data analysts, community development specialists, and agricultural educators in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The project will assist in producing a competent environmental science workforce with data analytical, critical, and spatial thinking, plus leadership skills for the 21st century. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has changed the traditional way of teaching and learning. Virtual learning environments have encouraged including the adoption of multiple innovative active learning and engagement methods. Project-based teaching can use real-time weather, COVID-19, deforestation, fire data, and visualization techniques by integrating geospatial concepts and spatial thinking and assisting students in developing agricultural data analytics, measurement, and critical thinking skills. This grant will integrate this technology, data, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) curricula to further enhance and strengthen the Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) program. The proposed activities will further the College of Agriculture, Community, and Sciences (CACS)'s mission and corroborate Kentucky State University (KSU)'s institutional teaching and research missions that will ultimately contribute to the state, regional, national, and international strategic goals. The further enhanced bachelor's degree program in AFE with the option in Environmental Science, including GIScience curricula, will create a linkage with the existing graduate-level curriculum and establish a pipeline to support as well as strengthen the Master of Science in Environmental Studies (MES) program. This project will also enhance faculty's teaching capacity both in-class and in an online environment, broaden the student research experience, and provide learner-centered, market-responsive, competitive, project-based data analytics curricula. These efforts will help make KSU's agricultural and environmental science programs more competent, thereby attracting students across the United States to pursue careers in agriculture, environmental science, and other Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics (STEAM) disciplines. To achieve the project goal, the specific objectives of this project are as follows:Objective 1.To increase students' enrollment into the "Environmental/Geospatial Science" option in KSU's Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Food and Environment (AFE) program. This objective will be accomplished through the following major activities: (a) develop recruitment materials and conduct recruiting trips to targeted high schools and community colleges; (b) develop and offer dual credit course to high school students; and (c) collaborate with state agencies and other organizations for educational program outreach and awareness Objective2.To strengthen curricula offered for the "Environmental Science option and Geospatial Application certificates and minor program option" under the Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) program to ensure that this program meets the highest possible standards and addresses skills and expertise needed for current jobs in environmental science and geospatial application. This project will reshape and/or reform the curriculum by developing new or revising and/or adapting existing curricula and related materials to meet changes anticipated within the environmental sciences system.Objective 3.To create experiential learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students by establishing stipends, instrumentation, and internship opportunities. Such opportunities will provide need-based and student-centered learning beyond the classroom for motivating students to learn, retain, apply and transfer knowledge and skills in a structured and nurturing environment.
Project Methods
We have proposed the following methods (tasks) to accomplish the stated three objectives related to recruitment, curricula enhancement, and experiential research for students. These tasks are complementary and involve collaboration and synergy among Unit Chairs and faculty from the School of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and the School of STEM. Task I. Develop recruitment materials:A recruitment package will be developed in the form of brochures, banners, presentations, testimonial videos of graduates, display boards, and use of social media. This package will be regularly updated with highlights about program objectives, possible environmental and geospatial jobs and expected salaries, teaching and research strengths of faculty, scholarship/internship opportunities, and DVDs/YouTube videos of current research and academic experiences of current students and recent graduates. This project aims to recruit about ten students in the first year and increase this rate by 10% every year in the Environmental Systems option.Task II.Provide stipends and promote experiential learning:This task will include activities designed to attract qualified students during the sophomore year and provide competitive partial stipends to the selected students, who could engage in experiential research with the project team during their sophomore to senior period. Partial stipends will be provided to 10 students per year beginning from the sophomore year. We will seek students who have demonstrated a certain level of academic achievement, as well as students from socially disadvantaged groups and communities. Selected scholars' tasks will involve mentoring the incoming freshmen students and become environmental "ambassadors" or recruiters (junior and senior years). Focused one-on-one mentoring and counseling will be designed to recognize early academic difficulties and help students devise a plan of action for success.Task III. Develop online dual credit course for high school students:We will develop at least one dual credit course,Computers Application in Environment(3 hours), for juniors and seniors in high school. This course will assist in enhancing their basic statistics, spatial analytics, and mapping skills to prepare for introductory environmental science and geospatial courses. The curriculum for the proposed course will be developed in fall 2021 and will be submitted to the curriculum committee for approval. The course will start in spring 2022. Such a course will help establish linkages with high schools and prepare their students for college-level foundational courses.Task IV. Review/revise curriculum for Environmental Science/Geospatial option:We will organize a course/curricula review workshop in fall 2021 to ensure the existing courses are high standard, market-responsive, competitive and practical for the project- and inquiry-based learning. The review workshop will assess current course syllabi and learning outcomes and finalize the sequence of required and elective courses and required credit hours for a certificate in Environmental Science and a certificate and minor in Geospatial Technology Application. Potential need for the development of basic and upper-level courses will be discussed during the workshop. The agency representatives will provide feedback for the contents of the courses based on expected expertise, knowledge, and skills required for environment-related jobs in government and private sectors.Task V. Enhance instrumentation for experiential teaching-learning and research.We will purchase a GeoSLAM Revo RT or similar single or multi-unit ready-to-use instrument(s) to develop time series data for agricultural, environmental, property management, and data science experiential learning and research projects for students. The LIDAR or other infrared cameras will be mounted in a drone to collect data four times a year (every season). The landscape change pattern indicators will be compared with the surface model derived from GeoSLAM or LIDAR data. Students will participate in the use of these instruments and analyze collected data to develop their Practicum I, Special Topics, and geospatial course-related projects. These collected data will be made available for teaching and training/workshops for students, faculty, and high school teachers. We will arrange for two public field days each in a high school in eastern Kentucky (Pikeville) and central Kentucky (KSU's Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm in Frankfort, during AFE DAY) to share students' research projects.Task VI.Enhance teaching, mentoring, and academic advising:Various training opportunities will be sought for faculty development, such as course development and effective teaching, use of cyber technology in the classroom, student engagement techniques, development of online learning modules (such as podcasts, wikis, and use of online resources and apps), use of cutting-edge lab instruments and others. The project team will be encouraged to network with environmental science/geospatial science faculty from other 1890s and 1862s colleges and universities for sharing/evaluating curricula, course materials, and learning modules, cross enrollments, advising students, and sharing data for experiential research. A mentoring plan will be developed to ensure that the students who receive research stipends stay focused and obtain the required support and advisement. Two MES graduate students will also be assigned to mentor undergraduate students. The faculty and graduate student mentor will be required to meet with his/her student(s) for at least one hour per week to stay in regular personal contact with the student(s). The accomplishmentof the project goals/objectives, timely implementation of the activities and impacts of the project, and other efforts will be assessed through formative and summative evaluations. In consultation with the external evaluator, the project team will conduct aformative evaluationtoassess the progress and issues quarterly through retroactive discussions, review meetings, and questionnaires. The activities listed in the operational timeline and outputs, outcomes, and impacts stated in the logic model will be reviewed every three months. This effort will provide feedback to immediately resolve issues related to delays in the implementation of the proposed activities and the achievement of the periodic milestones. TheSummative Evaluationwill be conducted annually by the external evaluator in consultation with the project team. The evaluator will develop an assessment framework and evaluation questions, as well as performance measurement criteria based on qualitative and quantitative benchmarks, indicators, expected outputs, and outcomes of the project. A timelyfeedback mechanismwill be developed to communicate problems, issues, and obstacles identified during the course of implementation to appropriate committees and authority for the continuous improvement of the project activities. The results of the project will be shared internally with the KSU administration, as well as externally in professional society meetings and conferences, annual meetings with USDA in Washington, D.C., 1890s Association of Research Directors (ARD) biennial meetings, and the Kentucky Academy of Science annual conferences. Students are also encouraged to regularly utilize web-based social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, to report their experiences so that their peers will know the success stories of their participation in experiential research, scholarship, and mentoring programs and foster their interests in AFE or other STEM programs at KSU.

Progress 05/01/21 to 04/30/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this grant were KSU students, high school students, undergraduate research assistants, and scientific communities in Kentucky and elsewhere. Changes/Problems:The project was extended two times because of COVID-19. We could not organize a program review workshop during the COVID-19 time. It wasn't easy to hire undergraduate agriculture majors as many students were already employed in other programs, which conflicted with the 1890 scholarship. Many students were already occupied with research work on campus. Some funds were not used in the proposed line item, and we needed to reallocate them into other line items, such as supplies/equipment to travel. We could not offer a dual credit course as planned due to a delay in syllabus development and approval. We will continue to implement the remaining activities beyond the project's life using funds leveraged from other grants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The grant provided financial support for participation in professional conferences, workshops, meetings, internships, and training. Students and the project team have presented at multiple conferences in the past years, such as the Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), Southern Rural Sociological Association (SRSA), College Seminar classes, Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS), 1890 Biennial ARD Symposium, etc. Project Director (B. Gyawali) collaborated with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Southern University, and Florida A&M University in securing new grants from the USDA NextGEN Program and DOE-MSIPP in the 2023-2024 reporting period. The Co-PI, J. Sandifer, was involved in multiple research, education, and Extension projects to provide UAV-Drone Pilot training to faculty, students, and staff. He visited numerous high schools to demonstrate UAV-Drone data and training materials. He also organized separate training and workshops on using geospatial technology in agriculture and the environment at KSU for students, staff, faculty, and summer camp participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Over the project period, multiple education and experiential research outcomes and experiences of students were presented at various professional and scientific society annual meetings and conferences. Presentations were conducted at the Kentucky Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals, Departmental Seminars, international visits and collaborative discussions, Open House, and recruitment events at Kentucky State University. Students and the project team gave scientific presentations at these conferences. Citations are entered in the Products section. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project is terminated on April 30, 2024.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the last reporting period, we continued to support students' stipends and their engagement in professional development, such as presentations at conferences, training and internship preparation, and experiential research and learning. Mr. Jeremy Sandifer (Co-PI) and Dr. Buddhi Gyawali (PI) continued to collaborate in on-campus events such as the 4-H program, Summer Apprenticeship Program (SAP), Summer Transportation Institute (STI), AgDiscovery, 4-H high school clubs, and others. An Academic Program Review Retreat for graduate and undergraduate programs was conducted in July 2023 to review syllabi, recruitment efforts, and success and constraints. Feedback received from the retreat was implemented. More innovative teaching techniques were integrated to strengthen teaching effectiveness. Additional teaching and research supplies were purchased for students' research and teaching purposes. ?Objective 1 (increase enrollment in the AFE program and Environmental Systems option track). During the project period, multiple efforts were adopted to increase enrollment into the Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) and Environmental Systems track within the AFE. We visited numerous high schools, participated in open house events within KSU, regularly updated recruitment materials, and visited classrooms to promote Environmental System tracks and the geospatial certificate program. We continued to use Third Thursday field days, regional Eastern and Western Kentucky workshops, the KY Minority and Small Farm Conference, the Annual State Fair, the KY Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), and other stakeholder meetings and exhibits to conduct information sessions. The enrollment of students in the AFE program increased slightly to 85 in the 2023-2024 reporting period, with 20 students in the environmental Systems option and 6 in the "Geospatial Technology Application" certificate program. We could not submit a dual credit course (AFE 199 Geospatial Application in Agriculture) program proposal to the Curriculum Committee (CC). We are planning to do it in the Fall 2024 CC meeting. We have received interest among some high schools for offering a geospatial dual credit course. Objective2 (strengthen curricula offered for the Environmental Systems option and "Geospatial Technology Application certificate and minor program option). Substantial efforts were made during the project period towards strengthening the Environmental Systems Track. We conducted a retreat for all AFE faculty by inviting subject matter experts, reviewing course materials for all six courses, and implementing strategies to make classes more practical by adding more essential skills concepts and practicum. We included more project-based learning concepts, assignments, and hands-on activities. The student learning outcomes (SLOs) were reviewed during the AFE retreat to coincide with the AFE program outcomes. We are implementing the recommendations from the AFE Retreat participants and experts. Objective 3 (create experiential learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students). Over the project period, five undergraduate students received part-time stipends and continued to be involved in experiential research projects related to agriculture, geospatial, UAV-drones use and piloting, and geohazard projects. Undergraduate students visited Jamaica and Dominica to study geohazard and collegeohazardata with other students and faculty in collaboration with the College of Agriculture, Science, and Education (CASE), Jamaica, and Dominica State College (DSC). These students were paired with students from CASE and DSC to learn geospatial concepts and their use in geohazard, agriculture, marketing, and supply chain research. The project-funded Lidar camera collected vegetation data from various state parks and coal mine areas in Eastern Kentucky. These data were used in graduate thesis research. Five students were involved in summer internships in different places and presented their research at regional and national conferences. The PI and Co-PIs regularly met with these students to prepare them for essential skills development (critical thinking, communication, teamwork, writing, etc.). They helped collect data and analyze their scientific presentations at the Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS), the 1890 ARD Biennial Symposium, and other events.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Andy Short, Eric Muncy, Jeremy Sandifer, and Demetrio Zourarakis (2023). UAS Aerial Imagery: Sensors, Data, Process. Pre-Conference Workshop at Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP). Owensboro Community and Technical College. Owensboro, KY. October 10, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jeremy Sandifer (2023). FAA Part 107 Certification: Rules and Regulations. Professional Development. Kentucky State University Hunter Hall. Frankfort, KY. November 10, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jeremy Sandifer, B.R. Gyawali, W.T. Maynard, and N. Novelo. (2023). Applied GeoSpatial Technology: Kentucky to Costa Rica. Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP) Annual Conference. Davies County Convention Center. Owensboro, KY. October 11, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jeremy Sandifer (2023). Drone Workforce Pipeline and Training Initiatives at Kentucky State University. Round Table Panel. UAV EXPO, Las Vegas, NV. September 6, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jeremy Sandifer (2023). Applied Drone and GeoSpatial Technology for Forest Land Management. Habitat Management Symposium. Harold Benson Research and Demonstration Farm, Frankfort, KY. October 2, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Malik J. Thompson, Buddhi Gyawali (2024). The Relative Efficacies of Traditional Brush Management Systems Compared to Goat Browsing in an Early Successional Forested Habitat. Association of 1890 Research Directors Biennial Research Symposium (ARD). Nashville, Tennessee, April 6-10, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Anthony Osterman, Buddhi Gyawali (2024). Studying Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, and West Virginia - Finding Ways to Mitigate them. Association of 1890 Research Directors Biennial Research Symposium (ARD). Nashville, Tennessee, April 6-10, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Mark Tilford, Buddhi Gyawali (2024). Central Kentuckians Perceptions about the Role of Nutrition in Chronic Disease Prevention. Association of 1890 Research Directors Biennial Research Symposium (ARD). Nashville, Tennessee, April 6-10, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Buddhi Gyawali (2024). Studying Flood Hazards in Eastern Kentucky Using Lidar Data. Association of 1890 Research Directors Biennial Research Symposium (ARD). Nashville, Tennessee, April 6-10, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jeremy Sandifer, Buddhi Gyawali (2024). Integration of GeoSpatial and Al-Enabled Technologies for Enhancing Decision Support on Small Farm and Managed Lands in Kentucky. Association of 1890 Research Directors Biennial Research Symposium (ARD). Nashville, Tennessee, April 6-10, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jada Jones, Buddhi Gyawali (2023). The potential impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of geohazards in Portland, Jamaica. Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS). Northern Kentucky University, KY, November 3-4, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Anthony Osterman, Buddhi Gyawali (2023). Studying Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana and Finding Ways to Reduce Them. Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS). Northern Kentucky University, KY, November 3-4, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Mark Tilford, Buddhi Gyawali (2024). Central Kentuckians' Perceptions on the Role of Nutrition in Chronic Disease Prevention. Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS). Northern Kentucky University, KY, November 3-4, 2023


Progress 05/01/22 to 04/30/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this project are undergraduate minority students, faculty, and high school teachers and students. Changes/Problems:Some planned activities in the first and second years were delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. We were not able to organize a program review workshop earlier. Hiring new undergraduate students was also affected due to multiple reasons, including KSU's lower-than-minimum-wage hourly salary, for which students were not interested in being hired. Many students in our AFE programs have already been hired by other faculty to work in grant-based research activities. . It has been a problem for a few years. We will ask the dean and Human Resources to update the hourly wage policy and request to increase the hourly wage. We will have a focused recruitment plan for hiring at least 4 new students for the year 2023-2024. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided financial support for students and the project team for participation in multiple professional workshops, meetings, and training. Students and the project team have presented at multiple conferences in the past years, such as the Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), Field Day, College Seminar class, Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS), etc. PI B. Gyawali was involved in writing multiple new grants, including USDA-Center of Excellence Grants with other HBCUs, and secured two new grants during the reporting period. The Co-PI J. Sandifer was involved in multiple research and Extension related projects for collecting Drone data and training staff and students. Plans have been made to present UAV-Drone data and training materials to high school teachers, workshops and summer apprenticeship programs, Earth Day, and STEM Day celebrations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Grant-related education and experiential research projects were presented in public forums at multiple professional and scientific society annual meetings and conferences. Presentations were prepared for the Kentucky Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals, Departmental Seminars, and international collaborative meetings, Open House, and recruitment events at Kentucky State University. Scientific presentations were given at these conferences by students and faculty. Citations are provided herewith. Gyawali, B. Sandifer, J. Maynard W. Enhancing International Competence in Agricultural Science Education and Experiential Research: A multi-Institutional International Collaboration Project. Presented at the International Collaboration meeting with CATIE, Costa Rica. May 25, 2023. Maynard, W. Gyawali, B. Zourarakis, D. Analysis of Reclaimed Surface Mine's Land Cover Types. A paper presented at Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), Lexington, KY, September 27-29, 2022. Thompson M., and Maynard, T. Analysis of Derived Normalized Vegetation Index and Land Use Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals Conference, September 27-29, Lexington, KY. Paudel, K., Gyawali, B. (2022). A Study of Vegetation Growth in Reclaimed Mined Lands in Eastern Kentucky between 2011 and 2019 using Statewide Lidar data [Conference presentation]. 2023 ASPRS Annual Conference at Geo Week, February 13 - 15, Denver, Colorado. Paudel, K., Gyawali, B., Zourarakis D. (2022). Evaluation of ground cover reclamation success in reclaimed mined sites in Eastern Kentucky, 2010-2021 [Conference presentation]. 2022 Kentucky GIS Conference, Lexington, KY, USA, September 27-29,2022. Link to the story map. K C, S., Gyawali, B., Zourarakis, D.P. (2022). Estimation of potential areas for forest restoration in Pike County, KY, USA (Oral presentation). 2022 Kentucky GIS Conference by Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), Lexington, KY, USA, Sep 27-29, 2022. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project is currently in its third year. The project team will continue to implement the remaining activities associated with the three objectives and continue to provide stipends to more minority students and create more opportunities for students' experiential education and learning. We will continue to collaborate with 4-H programs, including Summer Transportation Institute, AgDiscovery, 4-H high school clubs, and others. A review of curricula will be conducted continuously, and innovative techniques will be integrated to strengthen classroom teaching. Additional sensors and equipment will be purchased to use for students' hands-on learning and research. An academic program review workshop is being organized July 17-19, 2023, to review AFE syllabi and develop innovative recruitment, retention, and graduation strategies and a plan of action for 2023-2024. Additional focus will be more on hiring new AFE majors, engaging them in research, and assisting students for summer internships in the next reporting period.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under Objective 1 (increase enrollment in the AFE program and Environmental Systems option track), efforts to visit high schools and updating of promotional materials were continued during the reporting period. We have updated recruitment materials, including brochures and flyers for the B.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) and its tracks. We participated in open houses, Third Thursday field days, regional Eastern and Western Kentucky workshops, KY Minority and Small Farm Conference, Annual State Fair, KY Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), and other stakeholder meetings and exhibits to conduct information sessions to targeted high schools and community colleges. The enrollment of students in the AFE program was steady during the reporting period. Current enrollment, as of Spring 2023, is 85 students, with 17 students in the "Environmental Systems" option and 5 in the "Geospatial Technology Application" certificate program. We have already developed a syllabus for a dual credit course (AFE 199 Geospatial Application in Agriculture) for high school students, which will be submitted to Faculty Senate for approval. A high school database with science teachers was developed to make them liaisons for dual credit course offering in Eastern and Central Kentucky. Interests among these teachers have grown to collaborate with us for participation in geospatial workshops, field days, and dual credit courses. Under Objective2 (strengthen curricula offered for the Environmental Systems option and "Geospatial Technology Application certificate and minor program option), additional efforts were made towards strengthening the Environmental Systems track during the reporting period. We reviewed all 6 syllabi for this track and geared the courses with enhanced project-based- based learning concepts, assignments, and hands-on activities. The student learning outcomes (SLOs) were reviewed during the reporting period, and now they coincide with the AFE program outcomes. We will discuss some of these syllabi in the Program Review Retreat again on July 17-19, 2023, for additional feedback from students strengthening accordingly. Under Objective 3 (create experiential learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students), three undergraduate students received part-time stipends and continued to be involved in experiential research projects related to agriculture, geospatial, UAV-drones use and piloting, and geohazard projects during the reporting period. Two students also visited Dominica to study geo-hazard and collect field data with other students and faculty in collaboration with the College of Agriculture, Science, and Education (CASE), Jamaica. These students were paired with students from CASE and continuously worked on geohazard and food security projects. Students continued to learn UAV-Drone and the newly purchased LiDAR Zenmuse LI camera and collected changes in vegetation change and green browsing stock available for livestock at the KSU research farm. The project-funded Lidar camera was used to collect Lidar data from various state parks and coal-mine areas in Eastern Kentucky. These data are being used for student's research projects and teaching resources. Undergraduate research assistants will be continuously involved in using this instrument for collecting data from other places. Three students are pursuing a 10-week-long summer internship in California, Alabama, and Kentucky. The PI and Co-PIs have mentored these students providing assistance for data collection and analysis and developing essential skills for leadership development and critical thinking.

Publications


    Progress 05/01/21 to 04/30/22

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audiences of this project are faculty, staff, minority undergraduate and graduate students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided support for participation in professional meetings and training. Students and the project team have presented in multiple conferences. Project team members collaborated with faculty in the College of Agriculture to integrate new computer programing lessons into the graduate-level statistics course ENV 506. New materials expanded the use of open-source R programming language to acquire and import data from online sources. Materials are being revised to accommodate high school and undergraduate student learners in other grant-related activities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Student-centered research projects were presented in a public forum at multiple professional and scientific society annual meetings and conferences. Presentations were prepared for the Kentucky Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Southern Rural Sociological Association Annual Conference, and the Association of 1890 Research Directors Meeting. Scientific presentations were given at these conferences by students and faculty. Citations are provided herewith. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project team will continue to implement the three objectives and develop opportunities for engaging with new students through experiential learning research and summer programming offerings in collaboration with other grants, such as 4-H programs, including Summer Transportation Institute, AgDiscovery, 4-H high school clubs, and others. A review of curricula will be conducted and innovative techniques will be integrated to engage students. In addition to learning activities, we also plan to develop materials that highlight the internship and employment opportunities

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Under Objective 1 (increase students' enrollment into the "Environmental/Geospatial Science" option in KSU's Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Food and Environment (AFE) program), a few activities were accomplished. We have updated recruitment materials, including brochures and flyers for the B.S. in Agriculture, Food and Environment (AFE) and its option areas. We utilized open houses, field days and exhibits to conduct information sessions to targeted high schools and community colleges. The enrollment of students in the AFE program has gone up recently. Current enrollment, as of Spring 2022, is 80 students, with 15 students in the "Environmental Systems" option and 3 in the "Geospatial Technology Application" certificate program. We have developed a syllabus for a dual credit course (AFE 199 Geospatial Application in Agriculture) for high school students, which is currently in review. A database has been developed to identify high schools that are interested in dual credit courses and other grant-related activities. Under Objective2 (strengthen curricula offered for the Environmental Systems option and "Geospatial Technology Application certificate and minor program option), some accomplishments were achieved. We have compiled all the AFE degree-Environmental Systems Option syllabi for review. The student learning outcomes are being reviewed to make sure they coincide with the AFE program outcomes. We will discuss these syllabi in the departmental retreat in summer 2022. Under Objective 3 (create experiential learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students), we have recruited three undergraduate students and involved them in experiential learning opportunities related to environmental resource and monitoring of change over time. A student-centered project was awarded 3rd place in the agriculture sciences section of the 2021 Proceedings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, held virtually in November 2021. The project included an AFE undergraduate who developed a research project on the use of drone technology and GIS for monitoring conditions in the grazing fields at Kentucky State University (KSU) farm. A second cross-discipline project was developed with another undergraduate student that included the use of drone and sensor technology to characterize the change in green browsing stock available for livestock at the KSU research farm. A UAV/Drone Zenmuse L1 Lidar Bundle was purchased. This instrument is being used to collect Lidar data from various state parks and coal-mine areas in Eastern Kentucky. This data will be used for students' research projects and teaching resources. Undergraduate research assistants will be involved in using this instrument to collect vegetation data for their research. We invited speakers from the Kentucky Division of Environment to talk about internship opportunities in April 2022. Eighteen undergraduate students attended the internships information session. A few of them applied for internships for summer 2022

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Joshua Maddox, Jeremy Sandifer and William Rogers (2021). Small Unmanned Aerial Systems for the Long-term Monitoring of Livestock Rotation Plots at Kentucky State University: 2019-2021. Kentucky Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Eastern Kentucky University, November 3, 2021.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Jeremy Sandifer and Buddhi Gyawali (2022). Downscaling County-level Crop Yields to Estimates of Parcel-specific Production for Kentucky Farm Lands. Southern Rural Sociological Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 15, 2022.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Eyislea LeaHendon, Joshua Maddox, Jeremy Sandifer, Emily Clement, William Rogers, Buddhi Gyawali. (2022). Evaluating Long-term Change in Rotational Grazing Pasture Using Small Unmanned Aerial Systems. Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD) Conference, Atlanta, GA April 3, 2022