Recipient Organization
MICHIGAN STATE UNIV
(N/A)
EAST LANSING,MI 48824
Performing Department
ANIMAL SCIENCE
Non Technical Summary
The Crossing Paths Program is a collaboration between Michigan State University (MSU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU) in the U.S. and Chungnam National University in South Korea. This program addresses a gap in undergraduate agriculture education by providing national and international experience(s) to students in order to enhancing the soft skills and cultural awareness needed to be successful members of the future agricultural workforce. The program will also educate and engage participants in creating a premium beef product in order to address a buildingmarket need for high quality beef products to meet demands of a changing consumer base. Undergraduate students (n=80) from the U.S. will participate in a suite of experiences -including instruction, extension, research, and a marketing competition - designed to enhance participants' knowledge, communication, and leadership skills as well as their ability to compete in a tightening market for beef and dairy products. Surveys and interviews with participating students as well as program mentors will evaluate the extent to which student knowledge, ability, and interest in cattlemarket careers are enhanced by the program. Through broad recruitment, attention to cross-cultural exchange, and opportunities for research engagement, the program anticipates two important societal outcomes. First, the program seeks to increase the participation of underrepresented ethnic minorities and women in agricultural careers. Second, the program anticipates producing vital collaborations and research outcomes that will influence how cross-breeding impacts beef product quality and marketability.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
GoalsThe goal of the Crossing-Paths Program (CPP) isto:provide learning experiences (related to premium beef and dairy-beef cross-bred animals) to enhance graduate school and job-relevant knowledge and skills for undergraduate students interested in agricultural and food sciences, with a focus on underrepresented students.educate and engage participants in creating a premium beef product while enhancing soft skills and cultural awareness needed to be successful members of the future agricultural workforce.ObjectivesUndergraduate students participating in the program will gain:foundational knowledge and practice of critical thinking and problem-solving via educational modules.advancement ofknowledge, communication, and leadership skills by completinga STEAK experience.Undergraduate assessments includes:student knowledge, soft skills, valuing of cross-bred systems, and entrepreneurial variablesperceptions of the programprogram impacts on career(s)Mentors participating in the program will gain:training and experiencefocused on program elements, diversity, equity, and inclusion, learning platforms, sexual violence, discrimination, and harassmentMentor assessments includes:mentoring ability, soft skills, and valuing of cross-bred systemsperceptions of the program
Project Methods
Each year, (20) undergraduate students from Oklahoma State and Michigan State will be recruited to a 1-year sponsored program, and an optional second-year advanced experiential opportunity program. In the Fall, the program coordinator will create diverse (based on major and demographics) student teams of (5) students enrolled in the program, with teammates hailing from the same university (i.e., MSU students will remain on MSU teams). Teams at each university will host orientation for their participants in which program specifics and expectations will be discussed. Three 2-week summer experience options are provided each year to student participants. The aim of the summer experience is to provide in-depth knowledge, experience, and real-life/hands on experiences with content pertinent to the specific area. The jigsaw technique will be used so that all three experiences can be shared within each team of 5 students. (Experience 1) Two students from each team (n=8 total, 4 from each university) will travel to Korea to learn about raising Hanwoo cattle and the Korean market. (Experience 2 and 3) Two students from each team (n=4 from each university) will travel to the other collaborating university, leaving one student from each team (n=2 from each university) to remain at their home university. Oklahoma State university summer experience will focus on feedlot production and processing. Michigan State University summer experience will focus on dairy production, with a focus on the rising and processing niche market of dairy-by-beef crossed animals (i.e., F1 Wagyu). Additionally, MSU will provide examples and lessons on marking of a product and entrepreneurship. At the termination of each summer experience, students will be asked to reflect, summarize, and provide an informative video or media resource for their cohort counterparts. This material will be available to the entire cohort.Educational modules will provide all participants with foundational knowledge vital to program success. The topics of these modules are (1) Supply and Demand, (2) Farm Finance, (3) Business Plan Building, (4) Genetic/Genomic Considerations in Breeding and Selection, (5) Nutrition Considerations in Herd Management (Dairy and Feedlot/Feeding out), (6) Products and Processing of Beef Products, (7) Marketing a Product, (8) Effective communication/Leadership Skills, (9) Animal Ethics, and (10) Human Ethics. Modules will take an average of 5 hours of interaction to complete and contain aligned assessments which are required for module completion. Modules will be available for the duration of the cohort; students will be expected to complete modules prior to their summer experience.