Progress 08/01/23 to 07/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience: This ambitious collaborative project between two campuses of Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR), IAUPR Barranquitas (hereafter referred as IAUPR BC) and IAURP Aguadilla (hereafter referred as IAUPR AC) is committed to advancing the goals of USDA-HSI program by attracting and supporting undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for careers related to agricultural sciences and enhance the quality of university education. Also, during the second year of the project, our initiative reached a very diverse audience consisting of students, faculty, farmers, nonscience citizens, K-12 students and teachers, and unreserved community members from Puerto Rico and beyond. Most students (97.6%) from IAUPR-BC are from Barranquitas and the surrounding six low-income municipalities of Orocovis, Naranjito Corozal, Comerio, Aibonito and Coamo. These seven municipalities have a combined population of 203,421 and are the poorest areas in Puerto Rico. Although agriculture is the main source of income for the population of this rural area of Puerto Rico, a vast majority of the population has limited, or negligible knowledge of recent advances made in the field of agriculture. The average per capita income per municipality served by the campus varies from $8,500 to $11,000. In contrast, the average income for Puerto Rico is $27,000 (www. census.gov). In the target service area, only 19% of the populations hold college degrees and the unemployment rate has significantly increased during the last decade due to les agricultural outputs, partly due to the lack of educational opportunities in highly skilled areas of agriculture. Most of the undergraduate students (93%) attended the public school system and more than 90% receive financial aid. More than 66% of enrolled students are females. COVID-19 pandemic has further decreased the enrollment rate in the university since many students were directly affected by the economic losses. Therefore, our first effort was centered around engaging undergraduate and graduate students in academic programs including research experience, recruitment, participation in conferences and workshops and providing them course related orientation and counselling for retention. We also visited K- 12 schools and trained K-12 students and teachers through a hands-on experience in agricultural biotechnology approaches. We invited expert faculty from outside to deliver workshops and seminars to strengthen the knowledge skills of students as well faculty of various universities in Puerto Rico. Our collaborating institution IAUPR Aguadilla reached out to undergraduate students at IUPR- majoring in Biology, Toxicology, Microbiology and Biotechnology. The population served by IAUPR-Aguadilla is mostly from rural towns and villages in the vicinity of Aguadilla, with high levels of poverty and low educational attainment (Aguada, Anasco, Isabela, Moca, Rincon, San Sebastian, Quebradillas). IAUPR Aguadilla serves an economically distressed area. The median household income for Aguadilla residents is less than one third that of the U.S. ($16,821 vs. $57,652); more than half live in poverty (51.6%); and the unemployment rate is more than triple the U.S. rate (U.S. Census, ACS, 2013-2017; BLS, 2019). Furthermore, the students IAUPR Aguadilla serve are from low-income socioeconomic backgrounds, more than half (79.6%) report a household income of less than $10,000 (Student FAFSA Self-Report, 2019). Besides impacting university students, IAUPR AC impacted K-12 Students from their region thereby enhancing the scope of the project. We also involved participants of our industrial partner Corteva Agrisciences in developing industrial research internship plans for future years of the proposal. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? In November 2023, eight students and two staff members visited Finca Campo Caribe in Quebradillas, Barranquitas. During this visit, the students received an orientation on the hydroponics from the company. On November 30, 2023, project staff along with fifteen students participated in the Forward Research & Innovation Summit at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan. At this event, the project had a promotional booth, and four students presented posters on their research. In January 2024, the Mini-Symposium - Hybrid "Caribbean Agriculture: Nourishing Resilience for Sustainable Food Security" was held on our university campus, impacting 118 people in person and 52 virtually. The event, held on January 26, 2024, featured expert speakers who shared valuable information on the topic: Diane M. Beckes from the University of California Davis, Emily V. Merchand from Rutgers University, David A. Hensley from the University of the Virgin Islands, Sonia Peters from Biocultural Education and Research in Barbados, Schonna Manning from Florida International University, Mr. Jaime Sánchez from Corteva Agriscience, Thierry Hance from KU Leuven in Belgium, Jim Giovanonni from Cornell University, and Lorraine Rodriguez Rivera from the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, and Research Trust. In April 2024, Dr. Alok Arun coordinated and supervised the visit of 24 students and 6 faculty members from Oregon State University to carry out a collaborative service learning program at Inter American Barranquitas. The students and faculty spent a week developing the medicinal plant garden, planting trees with Para La Naturaleza, and learning farming skills at a farm located in Corozal. The students also participated in forest cleaning in Toro Negro and El Yunque on two separate days, followed by reflections and discussions each day. This educational trip led to the development of informal collaboration between both institutions, and eventually six students from Inter Barranquitas were selected to carry out summer REUs at Oregon State University. During May 2024, student Rebeca N. Torres Astacio worked on the in vitro micropropagation of coffee at the USDA-ARS Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Mayagüez. A total of 9 individual presentations on research projects under this grant have been presented at National Scientific Conference Forums (USDA Annual 2501, ACMAP 2023, ERN, Plant Health, 2024 USDA) in Puerto Rico and the U.S. ?From July 9th-14th of 2023, Dr. Elizabeth Padilla Crespo visited the USDA offices in Washington, D.C., as one of 30 participants in the Kika de la Garza Fellowship program. Notably, Dr. Padilla was one of only six Science Fellows and the only science fellow from Puerto Rico. Following her time in D.C., she visited the two USDA Agricultural Research Service Laboratories: The National Sedimentation Laboratory, and the Natural Products Utilization Research, both in Oxford, Mississippi, where she gained valuable insights and hands on experience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? On November 14 and 15, 2023, the laboratory technician participated in The Summit: Student Experience Summit, where she was able to promote the associate degree and conduct demonstrations of what we are currently doing at the Barranquitas Campus in the agricultural area. In the first week of November 2024, the laboratory technician from the project had the opportunity to present the USDA project to attendees at the event Train-the-Trainer: Understanding Heirs' Property Issues in PR Farming Communities at the Ponce Hilton. Also, in December 2023, the new Associate Degree was promoted at the Annual Assembly of the College of Agronomists of Puerto Rico, and in July 2024 at the Festival of Flowers in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. Additionally, the results were disseminated through K-12 outreach activities, conferences, and social media. Furthermore, the laboratory technicians visited several K-12 schools to demonstrate precision agriculture techniques to students. The project also participated in various university activities to promote the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective 1: Continue the promotional efforts for the new academic program in Precision Agriculture. The update of the curriculum for Agriculture courses will continue to expand to other courses. Faculty will be identified and provided with basic training to teach courses in the new program. Outreach activities will be developed and organized in areas served by IAUPR-BC and IAUPR-AC to enhance STEM education and awareness of careers. Evaluation plans for student learning will be designed, assessed, and implemented on both campuses. Objective 2: Five courses from the Associate Degree program in Precision Agriculture will be converted into online modules. Faculty will be identified to create the remaining online courses. Objective 3 Research internship positions will be provided to eight students at both IAUPR-BC and IAUPR-AC, and research opportunities will be more widely advertised so that motivated students from other IAUPR campuses and other HSIs in Puerto Rico can benefit. Students will be recruited for industrial training at Corteva Agriscience. Additionally, more professional development activities for faculty members will be organized to raise awareness and experience in various areas of STEM teaching and research. IAUPR-BC will continue to support IAUPR-AC in the installation and training of users for new laboratory techniques. Opportunities will be identified for students and faculty members to participate in in-person scientific meetings, training sessions, and platforms for disseminating results. Three students will participate in the annual SACNAS meeting. Participation in virtual events will continue, given the ease of participation in unfavorable circumstances. Workshops for faculty and students will continue to expand knowledge and skills. The research experience for undergraduate students will continue to enhance their experiential learning skills. Specialized workshops on scientific communication skills for students will be organized. Students will present projects developed during their internship/research experiences at national/international meetings. Objective 4 The mobile laboratory will visit at least two schools each month, aiming to visit a total of 24 schools in the fourth year. Practical laboratory experiences in the mobile lab will continue to impact K-12 participants. Evaluation plans for student learning on both campuses will continue to improve and be implemented.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment of Personnel and collaboration: New staff have been hired for the project. An administrative assistant was brought on board to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of a project staff member. Additionally, the laboratory technician position became vacant, prompting a call for applicants and subsequent interviews. The candidate selected by the committee is expected to start in October 2024. Course creation: Associate degree in Precision Agriculture: In October 2023 (the third year of the project), the Board of Postsecondary Institutions authorized the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Barranquitas Campus, to offer the new academic program. Out of the eleven concentration courses in the program, around seven courses are being designed. During the period from November 2023 to January 2024, the new program was promoted through social media and school visits, among other methods. Internship for students: A total of twelve graduate and undergraduate students from UIPR-Barranquitas had the opportunity to assist or represent the campus at some of these conferences: USDA Annual 2501 Partnership Symposium and USDA HSI Stem Project Director Meeting, 12th Annual ACMAP Conference 2023, Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM (ERN), 2024 USDA HSI Stem Project Director's Meeting, and Plan Health 2024 Conference. Additionally, one student enrolled in the new associate degree program and registered in the degree courses received a cost difference in tuition fees for the 2025-10 term (August to December 2024). Furthermore, 10 graduate students and 14 undergraduates received training in experimental research. Student Experiential Learning: 24 undergraduates, and 6 MS students participating of this grant activities have completed their degree. They all have shown persistence in STEM. From IAUPR-Aguadilla, during the 2023-2024 academic year, 15 students attended and presented their research at international or local conferences and symposia, 13 participated in undergraduate agricultural research, and 8 took part in visits to local farms. To date, among the IAUPR-Aguadilla students trained under this grant, 26 have earned their degrees, with the majority now pursuing graduate degrees in STEM fields, demonstrating their persistence in this area. Scientific Equipment and Laboratory Upgrade: New scientific equipment was acquired for teaching and laboratory experiences at the Barranquitas Campus: two vertical hydroponic systems from the Canadian company Zip Grow, a DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral drone from Acosta Tech, and two horizontal growing systems from Finca Anacaguitas / Wildairy Bermudez. The latter is expected to be received in October 2024. Also, the funds were used to strengthen the laboratory skill sets of targeted students in the green house. Adventure Mobile Laboratory: During the second year the mobile agriculture adventure laboratory visited over 13 schools impacting more than 714 students. During the visit the K-12 students learnt about the techniques utilized in agricultural biotechnology and precision agriculture. They also learnt about the career opportunities and recent innovations in the field of digital agriculture besides receiving a hands-on training.
Publications
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Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:This ambitious collaborative project between two campuses of Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR), IAUPR Barranquitas (hereafter referred as IAUPR BC) and IAURP Aguadilla (hereafter referred as IAUPR AC) is committed to advancing the goals of USDA-HSI program by attracting and supporting undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for careers related to agricultural sciences and enhance the quality of university education. Also, during the second year of the project, our initiative reached a very diverse audience consisting of students, faculty, farmers, nonscience citizens, K-12 students and teachers, and unreserved community members from Puerto Rico and beyond. Most students (97.6%) from IAUPR-BC are from Barranquitas and the surrounding six low-income municipalities of Orocovis, Naranjito Corozal, Comerio, Aibonito and Coamo. These seven municipalities have a combined population of 203,421 and are the poorest areas in Puerto Rico. Although agriculture is the main source of income for the population of this rural area of Puerto Rico, a vast majority of the population has limited, or negligible knowledge of recent advances made in the field of agriculture. The average per capita income per municipality served by the campus varies from $8,500 to $11,000. In contrast, the average income for Puerto Rico is $27,000 (www. census.gov). In the target service area, only 19% of the populations hold college degrees and the unemployment rate has significantly increased during the last decade due to less agricultural outputs, partly due to the lack of educational opportunities in highly skilled areas of agriculture. Most of the undergraduate students (93%) attended the public school system and more than 90% receive financial aid. More than 66% of enrolled students are females. COVID-19 pandemic has further decreased the enrollment rate in the university since many students were directly affected by the economic losses. Therefore, our first effort was centered around engaging undergraduate and graduate students in academic programs including research experience, recruitment, participation in conferences and workshops and providing them course related orientation and counselling for retention. We also visited K- 12 schools and trained K-12 students and teachers through a hands-on experience in agricultural biotechnology approaches. We invited expert faculty from outside to deliver workshops and seminars to strengthen the knowledge skills of students as well faculty of various universities in Puerto Rico. Our collaborating institution IAUPR Aguadilla reached out to undergraduate students at IUPR- majoring in Biology, Toxicology, Microbiology and Biotechnology. The population served by IAUPR-Aguadilla is mostly from rural towns and villages in the vicinity of Aguadilla, with high levels of poverty and low educational attainment (Aguada, Anasco, Isabela, Moca, Rincon, San Sebastian, Quebradillas). IAUPR Aguadilla serves an economically distressed area. The median household income for Aguadilla residents is less than one third that of the U.S. ($16,821 vs. $57,652); more than half live in poverty (51.6%); and the unemployment rate is more than triple the U.S. rate (U.S. Census, ACS, 2013-2017; BLS, 2019). Furthermore, the students IAUPR Aguadilla serve are from low-income socioeconomic backgrounds, more than half (79.6%) report a household income of less than $10,000 (Student FAFSA Self-Report, 2019). Besides impacting university students, IAUPR AC impacted K-12 Students from their region thereby enhancing the scope of the project. We also involved participants of our industrial partner Corteva Agrisciences in developing industrial research internship plans for future years of the proposal. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the month of October 2022, graduate student in Plant Biotechnology Mr. Gerardo Laureano Rosario participated in a training on algae culture and cultivation at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, US. John Scott from Purdue University offered a workshop on Utilizing Drones for Precision Agriculture in Puerto Rico (Sep 2022) in our university campus impacting over 56 participants from various organizations in Puerto Rico. In January 2023 the Hybrid Mini Symposium on Recent Innovations in Agricultural Biotechnology was organized where expert researchers were invited to deliver the workshop. The invited speakers included Dr. James Giovannoni from USDA ARS, Cornell University, USA, Dr. Neelima R. Sinha from the University of California Davis, USA, Dr. Dominique Bergmann from the Stanford University, USA, Dr. Thierry Hance from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, Dr. Andreea Botezatu from the Texas A & M University, USA and Miss. Sol Rosado Arroyo from BASF Puerto Rico The symposium was attended by over 202 participants including students, faculty, and non-science citizens from Puerto Rico and abroad. The workshop provided the faculty and students with an opportunity to learn about the state-of-the art techniques and tools applied for agricultural biotechnology research in 21st century. The project PI was invited to deliver a talk in the Symposium on Food Security: "Plant and Planting for the Future" at the Andromeda Botanical Garden in Barbados (April 2023) where he highlighted the significant outcomes of the project. A total of 19 individual presentations on research project under this grant have been presented at National Scientifics Conferences Forums (SACNAS 2022, ACMAP 2023, Plant Biology 2023, Student Symposium 2023) in Puerto Rico and USA by both undergaduate and graduate students from both participating institutions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?An agricultural open house was organized by PI Dr. Alok Arun to disseminate the offerings and outcomes of the project (April 2023) which was attended by 91 participants. Dr. Padilla-Crespo co-PI from IAUPR gave a talk and workshop to 34 high school students on microbes important in agrobiotechnology and students. Following the lecture, a hands-on workshop followed where were exposed to Foldscope (paper microscope) to visualize insects and other organisms of environmental interest (June 2022). We also helped arrange a visit of 16 high school students to a fully Closed Environment Aquaponics farm in the nearby municipality of Mayaguez (June 2022). Dr. Padilla-Crespo co-PI from IAUPR gave a talk to approximately 34 high school on GMOs (July 2022). The results were disseminated through K-12 outreach activities, conferences, and social media handles. Additionally, the laboratory technicians went to several K-12 schools to demonstrate the techniques of precision agriculture to students. The project also participated in several college activities to promote the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: • The new academic program in Precision Agriculutre will be opened for registration once the authorization to offer the course is granted by Dept of Higher Education in Puerto Rico. • Promotional flyer for recruiting students for the academic program will be prepared and disseminated. • Update of syllabi of Agriculture courses will continue to be expanded to other courses. • Faculty will be identified and provided a basic training for teaching courses in the new program. • Outreach activities will be developed and organized in areas served by IAUPR-BC and IAUPR-AC to enhance STEM education and career awareness. • Evaluation plans for student learning at both campuses will be designed, assessed and implemented. Objective 2: • Five courses from the academic program of Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture will be converted into online module. • Faculty will be identified to create the online courses. Objective 3 • Fifteen students will be provided research internship positions, both at IAUPR-BC and IAUPR-AC, and the available research opportunities will be advertised more widely such that motivated students from other IAUPR campuses and other HSIs in Puerto Rico are benefited. • Students will be recruited for getting industrial training at Corteva Agrisciences. • Also, more professional development activities for faculty members will be organized to create awareness and expertise in various areas of STEM teaching and research. The 'Meet the Expert' series will continue and experts from diverse areas of academia and industry will be invited to share their ideas and work. IAUPR-BC will continue to support IAUPR-AC in the installation and user-training for new laboratory techniques. • Opportunities will be identified for students and faculty members to participate in-person in scientific meetings, training and platforms for dissemination of results. • Five students will be participating in the annual SACNAS meeting to be held in 2023. • Participation in virtual events will be continued in view of the ease of participation under less than favorable circumstances. • Workshops for faculty and students will be continued for expanding the knowledge skills sets. Research experience for undergraduate students will continue to enhance the experiential learning skills of the students. Specialized workshops on scientific communication skills will be organized for students. • Students will present at national/international meetings the projects developed during their internships/research experiences Objective 4 • Mobile laboratory will be visiting at least three schools every month, expecting to be visiting 22 schools in the third year. • Hands on laboratory experiences on the mobile lab will continue to impact the K-12 participants. • Evaluation plans for student learning at both campuses will continue to be improved upon and implemented
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment of Personnel and collaboration: There has been hiring of a new project personnel in the project. A new administrative assistant was hired due to a vacancy created by the resignation of a project personnel. Course creation: Associate Degree in Precision Agriculutre: During the second year of the project, the authorization of the new academic program was pending at the final stages with the Educational Department of Puerto Rico. Five online courses from the core courses of the associate degree were designed and evaluated for final offering. Internship for students: A total of four graduate and undergraduate students had the opportunity to travel to the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley for an experiential learning and collaborative research. This event helped to develop collaborations between the two Hispanic serving institutions and will contributed towards strengthening the skill set of these students and faculty. Additionally, two students travelled to Fort Valley State University as part of their professional development programs. Additionally, 8 MS students and 28 undergraduates received experiential research training. Student Experiential Learning: 24 undergraduates, and 5 M.S. students participating of this grant activities have completed their degree. They all have shown persistence in STEM. Scientific Equipment and Laboratory Upgrade: The new scientific equipments for teaching and laboratory experiences in classroom that were acquired for both participating campuses: Thermal Cycler and a Plant Growth Chamber. Additionally, arrangements were made to acquire two vertical hydroponic systems with the Canadian company Zip Grow. Also, the funds were used to strengthen the laboratory skill sets of targeted students in the green house. Adventure Mobile Laboratory: During the second year the mobile agriculture adventure laboratory visited over 16 schools impacting more than 859 students. During the visit the K-12 students learnt about the techniques utilized in agricultural biotechnology and precision agriculture. They also learnt about the career opportunities and recent innovations in the field of digital agriculture besides receiving a hands-on training.
Publications
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Progress 08/01/21 to 07/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:This ambitious collaborative project between two campuses of Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR), IAUPR Barranquitas (hereafter referred as IAUPR BC) and IAURP Aguadilla (hereafter referred as IAUPR AC) is committed to advancing the goals of USDA-HSI program by attracting and supporting undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for careers related to agricultural sciences and enhance the quality of university education. Also, during the first year of the project, our initiative reached a very diverse audience consisting of students, faculty, farmers, non-science citizens, K-12 students and teachers, and unreserved community members from Puerto Rico and beyond. Most students (97.6%) from IAUPR-BC are from Barranquitas and the surrounding six low-income municipalities of Orocovis, Naranjito Corozal, Comerio, Aibonito and Coamo. These seven municipalities have a combined population of 203,421 and are the poorest areas in Puerto Rico. Although agriculture is the main source of income for the population of this rural area of Puerto Rico, a vast majority of the population has limited, or negligible knowledge of recent advances made in the field of agriculture. The average per capita income per municipality served by the campus varies from $8,500 to $11,000. In contrast, the average income for Puerto Rico is $27,000 (www. census.gov). In the target service area, only 19% of the populations hold college degrees and the unemployment rate has significantly increased during the last decade due to less agricultural outputs, partly due to the lack of educational opportunities in highly skilled areas of agriculture. Most of the undergraduate students (93%) attended the public school system and more than 90% receive financial aid. More than 66% of enrolled students are females. COVID-19 pandemic has further decreased the enrollment rate in the university since many students were directly affected by the economic losses. Therefore, our first effort was centered around engaging undergraduate and graduate students in academic programs including research experience, recruitment, participation in conferences and workshops and providing them course related orientation and counselling for retention. We also visited K-12 schools and trained K-12 students and teachers through a hands-on experience in agricultural biotechnology approaches. We invited expert faculty from outside to deliver workshops and seminars to strengthen the knowledge skills of students as well faculty of various universities in Puerto Rico. Our collaborating institution IAUPR Aguadilla reached out to undergraduate students at IUPR- majoring in Biology, Toxicology, Microbiology and Biotechnology. The population served by IAUPR-Aguadilla is mostly from rural towns and villages in the vicinity of Aguadilla, with high levels of poverty and low educational attainment (Aguada, Anasco, Isabela, Moca, Rincon, San Sebastian, Quebradillas). IAUPR Aguadilla serves an economically distressed area. The median household income for Aguadilla residents is less than one third that of the U.S. ($16,821 vs. $57,652); more than half live in poverty (51.6%); and the unemployment rate is more than triple the U.S. rate (U.S. Census, ACS, 2013-2017; BLS, 2019). Furthermore, the students IAUPR Aguadilla serve are from low-income socioeconomic backgrounds, more than half (79.6%) report a household income of less than $10,000 (Student FAFSA Self-Report, 2019). Besides impacting university students, IAUPR AC impacted K-12 Students from their region thereby enhancing the scope of the project. We also involved participants of our industrial partner Corteva Agrisciences in developing industrial research internship plans for future years of the proposal. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Dr. Bruce Erickson from Purdue University visited IAUPR BC on August 6, 2021, and March 2-5, 2022, to foster the collaboration between the two universities. He also participated in developing the course components of the new academic offering i.e., Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture. Based on his recommendations and expertise, the name of the program was changed from Associate Degree in Controlled Environmental Agriculture to Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture. Principal Investigator Dr. Alok Arun visited Purdue University from April 16-18, 2022, to learn more about the unmanned aerial vehicles and to explore research areas of collaboration. The industrial partner of the project Corteva Agrisciences participated in the inaugural kick-off meeting of the project. Mr. Luis Colon, Communications manager of Corteva Agriscience participated in the meeting through zoom and provided his comments and suggestions. Principal Investigator Dr. Alok Arun, Administrative Assistant Mr. Joseph Ortiz visited Corteva Agrisciences in Salinas, Puerto Rico and met with Dr. Jaime Sanchez, Director of Corteva Agrisciences and Mr. Luis Colon on 03/30/2022 to develop a road map to provide experiential learning experience to students of both campuses. A total of 16 students received guidance in identifying scientific questions, designing experiments, field sample collection, analyzing data and interpreting the results. The students also received personalized coaching on critical writing and speaking skills to enable them to present results of their work in the form of a scientific report or oral presentation. As one of the objectives of the project is chiefly about creating a dynamic environment for research at the participating institutions, several workshops, and lectures, both on-campus and in hybrid mode, have been organized over the past few months. The activities have not only created a dynamic and exciting atmosphere of scientific research for students but are also very well received by the faculty. This project has provided training and professional development opportunities to various levels of participants (high school students, undergraduates, and faculty) and through various methods (attendance to workshop, to professional conference, and sponsored undergraduate research). Training professional development at the undergraduate level: Six IAUPR AC undergraduate students attended the USDA-sponsored international training on Bio Management of agricultural practices and pathogen control un crops in Puerto Rico (November 15-18, 2021, Barranquitas, PR), the students were: Maricarmen Rodriguez, Monica Jimenez, Christabel Valentin, Nicole Rivera, Kimberly Velez, Alondra Torres. The co-PI Elizabeth Padilla also attended the workshop. As a product, the students produced a report on the experiences (Exhibit 4). Eight students, and the co-PI attended the 11th Annual Conference for Medicinal Active Plants (organized by the American Council for Medicinally Active Plants), that took place in Barranquitas and Bayamon, PR (June 28- July 2nd). The students were: Maricarmen Rodriguez, Yolimar Sosa, Carolyn Ruiz, Paollette Rivera, Yarilys Bonilla, Yelaine Lopz, Axwel Deliz, and Genesis Nieves. This opportunity provided the students with a unique experience since for all eight students this was the first time they attended an international symposium from a professional society (Exhibit 5). Two students, Ana Arosemena and Yadiel Gonzalez who worked on the renovation and maintained of our hydroponic system gained training in the operation of the unfractured, and management and production of the system. This opportunity also provided them with a sense of ownership, teamwork, and leadership (Exhibit 6). Training professional development at the K-12 level: Dr. Padilla-Crespo Co-PI from IAUPR gave a talk and workshop to 34 high school students on microbes important in agrobiotechnology and students. Following the lecture, a hands-on workshop followed where were exposed to Foldscope (paper microscope) to visualize insects and other organisms of environmental interest (June 2022). We also helped arrange a visit of 16 high school students to a fully Closed Environment Aquaponics farm in the nearby municipality of Mayaguez. (June 2022). Finally, Dr. Padilla-Crespo co-PI from IAUPR gave a talk to approximately 34 high school students on GMOs (July 2022) ( Exhibit 7). On August 6, 2021, a Mini Symposium on Growing Energy on Farms using Precision Agriculture was organized. In this activity the research subject experts Dr. Bruce J. Erickson from Purdue University delivered a lecture on Adoption of Precision Agriculture in the U.S. and Around the World: Who is Doing What and Why? Followed by another seminar by Dr. Nirmal Joshee from Fort Valley State University, delivering a lecture on Paulownia: Multipurpose fast-growing tree for bioenergy and bioeconomy. The activity ended with the lecture from Dr. Juan A Negrón Berríos from the IAUPR BC who highlighted the issues of "Food Security and Bioenergy Crops in Puerto Rico's Economy". The activity was attended by faculty members, students, and farmers from Puerto Rico. The event was attended by a total of 70 participants from several universities in Puerto Rico and beyond. The project organized another international training from November 15 to November 18, 2022, a four-day intensive workshop on International Training in Bio-management of Agricultural Practices and Pathogen Control in Crops of Puerto Rico. Guest speakers were: Dr. Thierry Hance from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; Dr. Juan A. Negrón Berríos from the IAUPR, Barranquitas Campus; Dr. Claude Bragard from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; Dr. Miguel Altieri from the University of California Berkley, USA; Dr. Francois Renoz from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; Dr Consuelo Estévez de Jensen, Dr. Alok Arun from IAUPR, Barranquitas Campus and Dr. Johannie Rivera Zayas from the University of Hawaii, Hawaii. The activity was attended by faculty members, students, and farmers from Puerto Rico (Exhibit 2). The focused training selected forty participants from various universities of Puerto Rico for the event. Additionally, the resources were available through online streaming (Exhibit 2). On March 3rd, 2022, we held Revamping Crop Production Using Precision Agriculture in Puerto Rico. The guest speaker for the conference was Dr. Bruce J. Erickson from Purdue University, Indiana. Thirty-one participants for the conference included faculty members, students from different universities of Puerto Rico and local farmers (Exhibit 2). A mini symposium on Agricultural Innovations and Opportunities for Hispanic Community: United States Department of Agriculture Perspective was organized on July 28, 2022. The speakers consisted of members from the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement and were represented by Miss. Maribel Duran, Dr. Lisa Ramirez, Dr. Kenya Nicholas, Dr. Juan Alvarez, and Dr. Ruby De La Garza. The event was attended by over 65 participants consisting of farmers, students, faculty and other community members (Exhibit 2). The project director Dr. Alok Arun was selected for the USDA E Kika De La Garza Science Fellow Award. He participated in one-week intensive training at the Office of Partnership and Public Engagement at Washington DC which was followed by another week training at USDA ARS facility at Cornell University under the supervision of Dr. James Giovannoni. The exposure provided helped Dr. Arun to establish collaboration between USDA ARS at Cornell University with IAURP BC (Exhibit 2). Exhibits:https://brinter-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/alok_arun_br_inter_edu/EiHtqi0gxKxCnMLkFVA22CwBZSaTwSlPGrb1hzwVTlcPxQ?e=A8SF4U How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated through K-12 outreach activities, conferences and social media handles. The project director also discussed the project during his training at the USDA office of OPPE at Washinton DC and at Cornell University. Additionally, the laboratory technicians went to several K-12 schools to demonstrate the techniques of precision agriculutre to students. The project also participated in several colege activites to promote the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: The proposal for approval of the new academic offering in Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture will be submitted to the relevant authorities (Department of Education) in Puerto Rico once the Academic Council of the university approves it. Promotional flyer for recruiting students for the academic program will be prepared and disseminated. Update of syllabi of Agriculture courses will continue to be expanded to other courses. Faculty will be identified and provided a basic training for teaching courses in the new program. Outreach activities will be developed and organized in areas served by IAUPR-BC and IAUPR-AC to enhance STEM education and career awareness. Evaluation plans for student learning at both campuses will be designed, assessed and implemented. Objective 2: Three courses from the academic program of Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture will be converted into online module. Faculty will be identified to create the online courses. Objective 3 Fifteen students will be provided research internship positions, both at IAUPR-BC and IAUPR-AC, and the available research opportunities will be advertised more widely such that motivated students from other IAUPR campuses and other HSIs in Puerto Rico are benefited. Students will be recruited for getting industrial training at Corteva Agrisciences. Also, more professional development activities for faculty members will be organized to create awareness and expertise in various areas of STEM teaching and research. The 'Meet the Expert' series will continue and experts from diverse areas of academia and industry will be invited to share their ideas and work. IAUPR-BC will continue to support IAUPR-AC in the installation and user-training for new equipment to be purchased. Opportunities will be identified for students and faculty members to participate in-person in scientific meetings, training, and platforms for dissemination of results. Five students will be participating in the annual SACNAS meeting to be held in Puerto Rico in October 2022. Participation in virtual events will be continued in view of the ease of participation under less than favorable circumstances. The USDA HSI project webpage, which is presently under final stages of development, will be launched on the website of IAUPR. This webpage will be the key platform through which anyone interest in the activities of the project will be able to access information about research and training opportunities, upcoming events, research data and results and so on. Workshops for faculty and students will be continued for expanding the knowledge skills sets. Research experience for undergraduate students will continue to enhance the experiential learning skills of the students. Specialized workshops on scientific communication skills will be organized for students. Students will present at national/international meetings the projects developed during their internships/research experiences Objective 4 Mobile laboratory will be visiting at least three schools every month, expecting to be visiting 36 schools in the second year. Hands on laboratory experiences on the mobile lab will continue to impact the K-12 participants. Making upgrades to research facilities will continue with the purchase of scientific equipments to strengthen the STEM courses at both campuses. Evaluation plans for student learning at both campuses will continue to be improved upon and implemented.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Kick-off meeting: On August 6, 2021, the kick-off meeting of USDA HSI STEM Project was held in hybrid mode at IAUPR BC. Th meeting was attended by Dr. Juan Negron Berrios (Chancellor), Dr. Alok Arun (Project Director), Dr. Elizabeth Padilla Crespo (Project Co-Director), Dr. Filomena Cintron Serrano (Dean of Academic Affairs), Mr. Victor Santiago Rosado (Dean of Administration), Dr. Bruce Erickson (Collaborator from Purdue University), Miss. Mara M. Melendez Ortega (Co-Director), Miss Gabriel Haynes (External evaluator) and Mir. Luis Colon (Corteva Agrisciences). During the meeting, Dr. Arun delivered a presentation about the goals, objectives, methodology and potential outcome and impact of the project. Course creation: To achieve Objective 1 of introducing a new Associate Degree in Controlled Environmental Agriculture, faculty members with the relevant expertise were recruited for creating syllabi of the courses. The courses were selected after a two-day intensive session with a team led by our collaborator from Purdue University represented by Prof. Bruce Erickson who is an expert of precision agriculture. A total of 20 courses amounting to 60 credits were included for creating the two-year Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture (Exhibit 1). The collaborating team consisted of USDA project managers, Dr. Bruce Erickson from Purdue University, Dr. Elizabeth Padilla Crespo from Inter American University Aguadilla Campus, Dr. Juan A. Negrón from the Inter American University Barranquitas Campus and Dr. Alok Arun from the Inter American University Barranquitas Campus. During a 3-day meeting from March 2nd to March 4th, 2022, this team developed the plan for this new associate degree, the coordination for this Degree was throughout a three-day meeting from March 2nd to March 4th, 2022. Documentation for the degree was delivered to the Department of Academic Affairs in our Campus for the corresponding procedures on March 8th, 2022. To develop the new Associate Degree in Precision Agriculture, a curriculum was drafted by the project personnel in collaboration with the expert Dr. Bruce Erickson from Purdue University. During the program designing process the PI and co-PIs carefully thought about the types of agriculture careers or roles this program aims to train students. Introductory courses aimed at developing the necessary skills and foundations in agricultural technologies were selected. The program had clear focus on providing opportunities for students to develop hands on experiential experiences, courses (with laboratory components), projects (independent research), industry interaction opportunities (practicum), to support program objectives and thus training a competitive workforce. Eleven syllabi were completed by faculty and teaching assistants. Nine out of twenty courses had already an available syllabi since they form the core courses of the new academic program. The new program was discussed several times with project personnel. Following the suggestions and recommendations, the proposal was submitted and approved by the IAUPR's academic senate and is currently awaiting approval from Central Office and subsequently from PR Council of Higher Education. To equip and train the students from low-resource schools (without putting any financial burden on such schools) and low-income communities in Puerto Rico, we developed an Agriculture Adventure Mobile STEM Laboratory. IAUPR-BC generously bought a mini-bus and developed into a mobile laboratory contains an onboard system of scientific instruments in areas of agricultural biotechnology, plant tissue culture, microscopes, and molecular biology techniques. The laboratory is now equipped with a biosafety cabinet, compound microscopes, thermocycler and we are in the process of installing computers containing softwares for crop yield monitoring, field management, inventory management. The scientific instruments will be operated by the solar panels that have been temporarily placed on the roof of the bus. The laboratory technician of the project operated the bus and has already taken the lab to at least 12 different activities and provided orientation and outreach activities to 122 K-12 students and teachers (Exhibit 2). Objective 3 of the project was achieved by providing intensive research opportunities to students at both the campuses. The project PI supervised the research of 2 students in Hydroponics. Thus a total of 8 students availed of the opportunity to work on exciting scientific questions and their research experience included components such as sample collection, use of modern scientific equipment, data analysis and presentation of results. Within Objective 4, students were also made aware of scientific conferences and meetings and other such platforms where results of the research could be shared with the larger scientific community. With the training they receive, these interns not only develop hands-on laboratory skills, but they also become involved partners in every step of the process of generating new knowledge. They can access and assimilate knowledge from published literature and are able to formulate original scientific questions. As they continue with the process, they can design experiments, obtain data, troubleshoot, analyze data and draw logical inferences. In addition to this student training, the project component that deals with professional development of faculty is also extremely valuable to continue to maintain steady inflow of highly skilled and capable STEM graduates to the job market. Fourteen undergraduate students and two M.S. in Biotechnology students from IAUPR AC and BC Dr. Padilla-Crespo, co-PI on this grant and PI of the IAUPR-Ag subaward served as mentor for these students.Students directly impacted by this project through professional development activities (conferences, workshops, research activities) were accepted to graduate school (Ph.D. at Nebraska and M.S.at IAUPR-San German). Within Objective 3, students were also made aware of scientific conferences and meetings and other such platforms where results of the research could be shared with the larger scientific community. Furthermore 5 students were accepted to competitive summer internships at NAVY, University of California, University of Texas A & M, Univ of South Florida, IAUPR-San German. (Exhibit 3). Project personnel in the project were recruited in the first few months of the award of the proposal. Positions were advertised following university guidelines and shortlisted candidates were interviewed. Principal Investigator Dr. Alok Arun met with Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Elizabeth Padilla Crespo and Miss. Maria Margarita Melendez on August 6th, 2022, to design the work plan for the first year. Mr. Aramis Sandoval was hired on the position of laboratory technician after interviewing the shortlisted candidates. He continued the project until 03/16/2022. The position for the laboratory technician was re-advertised following university protocols for hiring, Mr. Abner Hernández was hired as the laboratory technician with effect from 05/16/2022. On another hand, Mr. Joseph Ortiz was selected for the post of administrative assistant, and he has been working on the project since 10/01/2021. Exhibits:https://brinter-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/alok_arun_br_inter_edu/EiHtqi0gxKxCnMLkFVA22CwBZSaTwSlPGrb1hzwVTlcPxQ?e=A8SF4U
Publications
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