Progress 01/03/24 to 01/02/25
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience(s): During this reporting period, the CD-Skills in Agri-Food REEU program reached undergraduate students, research mentors, and affiliated academic and professional communities through a structured 10-week research and training program focused on circularity and digitalization in agri-food systems. Undergraduate students were the primary audience reached. We recruited nine students representing seven universities across seven U.S. states. These students came from diverse academic disciplines, including agricultural and biological engineering, biosystems engineering, mechanical engineering, food science and human nutrition, sustainable biomaterials, and packaging.The program intentionally prioritized field and geographic variability to support interdisciplinary collaboration and to bring a variety of regional food system perspectives to the research experience. Students participated in classroom instruction, laboratory research, field trips, creative problem-solving workshops, community-based hands-on activities to measure household food waste,and professional development activities aligned with real-world agri-food challenges. Faculty research mentors formed another key audience. Mentors represented four departments within the University of Florida and contributed expertise across the food system value chain, including postharvest biology, mathematical modeling,packaging sustainability, anaerobic digestion, crop modeling, agriculture-social sciences interaction, and plant genetics. Faculty were selected for their ongoing research aligned with REEU objectives and their willingness to host undergraduate researchers. Mentors also participated in the REEU Mentor Academy developed by our team specific to the REEU, which provided training to support effective and responsive mentoring practices within research settings. Graduate and postdoctoral researchers were also reached through their involvement as near-peer mentors. These individuals supported student research activities, guided skill development, and participated in weekly program discussions. Their role helped strengthen mentorship capacity and supported their own development in research supervision and science communication. In addition, the program reached broader academic and professional audiences through the dissemination of student research and program activities. Research outcomes and presentations were shared during the culmination event and uploaded to the program website. TheProgram outputs were also featured in presentations and abstract submissions to national and international conferences including ASABE, NACTA, IFT, AAAS, etc. Overall, the target audiences reached this year were: (1) Undergraduate students from multiple states and disciplines with interest in agri-food systems, (2) Faculty mentors with active research spanning the agri-food value chain, (3) Graduate and postdoctoral researchers involved in mentoring and collaborative research, and (4) Broader agri-food professionals and academic stakeholders who engaged with the program through dissemination and outreach activities. These audiences were reached through integrated efforts including personalized mentor-student matching, interdisciplinary research engagement, targeted recruitment, professional development programming, and multi-platform dissemination of results. Changes/Problems:The primary change encountered during this reporting period was the unexpected discontinuation of the University of Florida's Summer Undergraduate Research at Florida (SURF) program in 2024. The SURF program had previously served as a valuable platform for professional development, networking, and community-building for our REEU students, alongside participants from other NSF REU programs and summer research initiatives. This change required the CD-Skills in Agri-Food REEU team to adapt quickly. We filledthis gap through internal workshops, expanded coffee-hour seminars, and additional cohort-building activities. Although these adjustments allowed us to maintain core learning outcomes, the loss of centralized SURF programming temporarily limited opportunities for broader peer networking and exposure to university-wide research initiatives. We are pleased to report that the SURF program will resume in the upcoming reporting period. Moving forward, we will reintegrate our students into SURF to ensure continued access to its established professional development seminars, social programming, and cross-disciplinary exposure. No other major deviations or protocol changes occurred during this reporting period. Research progress and mentoring activities proceeded according to schedule, and we remained aligned with our project objectives, data management plan, and approved activities. No additional reporting requirements or issues with animal, human, or biohazard protocols were encountered. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The CD-Skills in Agri-Food Systems REEU program offered a comprehensive and immersive professional development experience for undergraduate students, combining approximately 80-90 hours of structured instruction, research training, mentoring, fieldwork, and career-building activities over 10 weeks. These experiences equipped students with the skills, knowledge, and networks to address real-world challenges in sustainability, circularity, and digitalization across agri-food systems. Weekly Classroom Instruction (~25 hours) took place every Monday morning and introduced core concepts in sustainability science, circular economy, systems thinking, lifecycle analysis, digital agriculture, packaging innovation, and waste-to-value strategies. Sessions were led by the PI team (Dr. Ziynet Boz, Dr. Ana Martin-Ryals, Dr. Grady Roberts) and invited UF faculty, incorporating activities such as product teardown, lifecycle mapping, and system modeling. Students completed individual and group assignments, reflection exercises, and discussions to internalize these concepts. Instruction was structured to build week-by-week, scaffolding knowledge and fostering deep engagement with interdisciplinary topics. Coffee Hour Seminars and in-classroom talks(~9 hours) were held every Thursday morning and featured mentors and invited speakers who shared their ongoing research, insights on research, leadership, and career pathways. Speakers included but were not limited to: Dr. Ziynet Boz - Systems thinking and range Dr. Grady Roberts -Social Science in Agricultural Research Dr. Greg Kiker - Mathematical Modeling Helen Haase - Agent-Based Modeling on Household Food Waste Dr. Ana Martin-Ryals - Circular Bioeconomy in Waste Systems Dr. Melanie Correll - Environmental Sensing and Smart Farming Dr. Daniel Yeh - Water Reuse and Circularity for Global and Space Applications Dr. Bruce Welt - Packaging and Robust Waste Management Systems Thesesessions supported professional identity development and exposed students to a broad range of scientific and career paths. Students reported high satisfaction, with 63% rating the seminars as moderately or very positive in the final program survey. Field Trips and Experiential Learning (~18-20 hours) gave students direct exposure to sustainability practices across the agri-food value chain. Destinations included: Swamp Head Brewery - illustrating water-energy-food nexus and reuse systems in beverage production Alachua County Waste Transfer Station - showcasing recycling, landfill, and e-waste stream handling Alliance Dairy Farm - demonstrating anaerobic digestion, nutrient recovery, and livestock integration These trips were repeatedly mentioned in mid- and post-program reflections as highly impactful in helping students envision real-world sustainability solutions. Mentored Research Experiences (~30+ hours per student) enabled students to work on active faculty-led projects in areas such as postharvest biology, food waste systems, consumer perception of food tech, packaging life cycles, etc. Students were supported daily by graduate and postdoctoral mentors, receiving training in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and communication. All students indicated they had developed new research skills by the midpoint of the program, and 100% reported enjoying their lab experience. Five of six students working with near-peer mentors agreed or strongly agreed that the mentorship improved their research experience. As part of their mentored research experience, each student in the CD-Skills REEU program completed an individual research project under the supervision of a faculty advisor and graduate/postdoctoral mentor. The following projects were presented at the program's final symposium: Allison Donald (Mentor: Dr. Ana Martin-Ryals) Developed an Arduino-based sensor system to monitor plant growth conditions and applied machine vision tools (RoboFlow, ImageJ) to measure canopy cover in controlled chambers. Meila Hamm (Mentor: Dr. Nargiza Ludgate):Studied environmental impacts of small-scale mining in Uganda through 25 interviews and transect walks; identified policy gaps and community challenges. Lybah Haque (Mentor: Dr. Ziynet Boz):Conducted a household food waste audit with 20 homes as part of the FFAR IFWASTE project; compared survey, diary, and physical audit methods; contributed to citizen science engagement. Ella Hubbard (Mentor: Dr. Melanie Correll):Evaluated salt stress tolerance in mustard greens using hydroponics, spectral analysis, and YOLOv8 image modeling; identified genotypes for breeding. Cameron Levin (Mentor: Dr. Tie Liu):Used hyperspectral imaging and deep learning to assess artichoke quality during storage; supported development of shelf-life prediction tools. Audrey Ryan (Mentor: Dr. Esteban Rios):Analyzed 388 cowpea accessions for protein content using NIRS and GWAS; identified SNPs linked to high-protein traits to support crop breeding. Mary Serviss (Mentor: Dr. Andrew MacIntosh):Assessed nutrients in tropical pumpkin using green chemistry methods; found that color metrics can serve as proxies for bioactive content in breeding programs. Drew Streckwald (Mentor: Dr. Greg Kiker):Built an agent-based model simulating consumer shopping behavior and retail promotions; used food waste data to explore impacts on household decisions. Milana Tatum (Mentor: Dr. Ziynet Boz):Analyzed packaging waste from household food audits; found plastic most common; linked packaging type and preservation to cooking habits and waste patterns. Capstone Bootcamp and Final Symposium (~15 hours):Focused on a community-based household food and packaging waste audit, conducted in partnership with the FFAR-funded IFWASTE Food Waste Challenge Project. Students helped recruit local citizen scientists, conducted physical waste audits in Gainesville households, and evaluated different measurement methods. These real-world research tasks were paired with a systems-thinking design sprint, where students developed and presented innovative solutions to reduce household food waste. Their proposals included behavioral interventions, smart packaging concepts, and educational outreach strategies. Students delivered their team-based solutions during the final symposium alongside individual research presentations. This culminating experience was cited as one of the most engaging and meaningful program elements, with recommendations from students to integrate the bootcamp earlier and throughout the program for added impact. Pre- and Post-Program Assessment and Reflection (~3-4 hours):Students completed the REU Preflection and SURE III surveys developed by Grinnell College, along with a locally developed midterm survey. These tools provided a framework for goal-setting, reflection, and program improvement. 100% of students reported they learned new, applicable skills. 87.5% of students increased confidence in succeeding in science courses (vs. 62.5% pre-program). All students agreed with statements affirming the value of scientific thinking, creativity, and communication in science. These assessments revealed meaningful gains in research self-efficacy, systems thinking, and motivation to pursue future educational or career paths in agri-food and sustainability. Networking and Community-Building Opportunities: Students engaged with a broad network of faculty, postdoctoral mentors, graduate students, guest speakers, and fellow REU participants throughout the program. Faculty and Near-Peer Mentor Development (~6 hours): Faculty mentors completed the USDA CD-Skills REEU Mentor Academy, including four modules on inclusive mentorship, student engagement, and research-based guidance. Graduate and postdoctoral mentors gained supervisory and communication experience through daily interactions with students, supporting their professional development as emerging academic leaders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The of the CD-Skills in Agri-Food REEU program have been actively shared with a broad range of communities, including academic peers, industry professionals, and the general public, with a focus on increasing awareness of circular economy, sustainability, and digitalization in food systems.? At the conclusion of the program, students presented their individual research and group bootcamp projects during a formal final research symposium, attended by faculty mentors, graduate students, and invited guests from the University of Florida research community. These presentations communicated both technical findings and broader takeaways from their experiential learning. Students also produced posters, slides, and professional media assets, which are being prepared for broader sharing via digital platforms. The CD-Skills REEU website (www.cdskillsreeu.com) continues to serve as the central hub for dissemination. It houses program overviews, student profiles, and project summaries, and will soon feature selected final presentations and short videos to make student work accessible to other students, educators, and stakeholders. Beyond the university, one student (Ella Hubbard) had the opportunity to present her REEU research at the 2024 Joint National Workshop on Sustainable Development of Controlled Environment Agriculture, co-hosted by USDA ARS, alongside her mentor, Dr. Melanie Correll. This national-level engagement allowed the student to share research on hydroponics and image-based phenotyping with scientists, federal agency staff, and industry partners working on cutting-edge agri-tech and sustainability solutions. Students also played an active role in disseminating results informally through their home institutions. Many plan to present their REEU work at future undergraduate research symposia, academic seminars, or regional conferences. In addition, data collected through projects such as the FFAR-funded IFWASTE Food Waste Challenge are being integrated into ongoing research by faculty mentors and will contribute to forthcoming journal publications and conference presentations. In place of SURF, students engaged in a variety of alternative professional development and networking activities, including nine Coffee Hour seminars, guest lectures, and field trips to operational sites such as a brewery, waste facility, and anaerobic dairy. These experiences supported two-way learning and fostered connections between students and local practitioners implementing circular economy strategies. The REEU team is also disseminating program outcomes to academic audiences through conference presentations and scholarship on undergraduate research mentorship, sustainability education, and systems thinking. Planned outlets include presentations at NACTA, ASABE, and IFT, as well as forthcoming manuscripts. 2024 CD-Skills REEU program continued to effectively communicate its student-generated results and program-level impacts to a wide array of communities--ranging from federal agencies and academic peers to local industry and citizen scientists--despite the absence of the centralized SURF platform. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the CD-Skills in Agri-Food REEU program will continue to build on its successful foundation while expanding and refining its activities to further strengthen student training and mentor engagement. The core 10-week curriculum on circular economy and digitalization will be updated to incorporate more interactive, hands-on components, including distributing the bootcamps activities on real-world case studies from an ongoing household food loss and waste audit project led by the PI across the entire program duration. This will allow students to continue to engage directly in data collection, systems mapping, and solution development, culminating in an enhanced Value Chain Focused Bootcamp experience. This updated boot camp will emphasize systems thinking and behavioral design, with student outcomes assessed through pre- and post-surveys and focus group discussions. We will continue to offer mentored research experiences across multiple departments, engaging returning and new faculty mentors with expertise spanning sustainability, digital agriculture, bioresource recovery, and packaging innovation. Mentor-mentee alignment will be prioritized early in the process to support more cohesive and impactful research engagement. The USDA CD-Skills Mentor Academy will be delivered again, incorporating mentor feedback and new examples of interdisciplinary and inclusive mentoring practices. This year, The UF SURF program is being reinstated and will continue to bean integral partner, providing our students with access to broader professional development opportunities, peer networking, social events, and excursions. We are continuing toexpandrecruitment efforts in collaboration with other USDA-NIFA-funded research projects, which will allow us to bring in additional undergraduate participants and increase the program's reach and impact. We plan to maintain and potentially expand our field trip offerings, as students consistently cite these experiences as highly influential. Potential new site visits may include food recovery and redistribution centers, advanced packaging firms, and other organizations practicing circular economy principles in real-world settings. We will also continue to disseminate program outcomes through scholarly presentations, publications, and public-facing platforms such as our program website and YouTube channel. These actions will support the ongoing achievement of our goals to prepare a skilled, systems-literate, and sustainability-minded agri-food workforce.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The CD-Skills in Agri-Food REEU program made significant progress this reporting period toward achieving its core objectives: equipping undergraduate students with hands-on research experience, expanding their understanding of circular economy and digitalization in agri-food systems, and strengthening their scientific and professional skills through experiential learning and mentorship. A total of nine students from five different institutions participated in the 10-week program. Most students (75%) had no prior research experience, and their majors represented a mix of engineering (50%), natural sciences (38%), and other disciplines (12%). Through weekly instruction, mentored research, field visits, and professional development sessions, the program delivered targeted experiences aligned with each objective. Across their diverse research projects, students developed a wide range of scientific, technical, and professional skills. They learned how to formulate research questions, conduct literature reviews, design and implement experiments, collect and analyze data, and communicate findings to diverse audiences. Many gained new skills in digital tools such as hyperspectral imaging, machine vision, geographic mapping, Arduino programming, YOLOv8 for object detection, and statistical/genetic analysis using R and Python. Students also reported growth in practical lab techniques including compost and waste handling, plant physiology assays, sensor calibration, and food packaging analysis. They deepened their understanding of circular economy and sustainability principles by applying them to real-world challenges such as household food waste, packaging design, and climate-resilient crop development. Several students emphasized improved confidence in scientific thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and their ability to contribute to interdisciplinary, systems-level research. Many noted that their experience broadened their awareness of career pathways in food systems, environmental science, and research, while also increasing motivation to pursue graduate school or public-impact careers. Objective 1: To expand students' understanding of circular economy concepts, the program delivered a multi-week curriculum using real-world examples, systems mapping, and circularity-focused site visits. Students visited a brewery, a dairy farm with anaerobic digestion, and a waste transfer and recycling facility,each offering exposure to closed-loop or regenerative practices. Survey data showed strong alignment with program goals: 100% of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "Even if I forget the facts, I'll still be able to use the thinking skills I learn in science." 100% disagreed or strongly disagreed with outdated views such as "Creativity does not play a role in science." These findings suggest students gained not only technical content knowledge but also a deeper appreciation for systems thinking and the nature of science. Objective 2: To improve student familiarity with Industry 4.0 tools, the curriculum included hands-on demonstrations of smart agriculture platforms and digital tools like Microsoft FarmBeats. Students explored applications of sensors, data tracking, and artificial intelligence in agriculture. Although quantitative data for this specific objective were not isolated, all seven midterm survey respondents (100%) reported learning knowledge and skills they could apply at their home institutions. These outcomes indicate that digital literacy was successfully integrated across student learning experiences. Objective 3: The program successfully placed all students with research mentors aligned with their interests. Six of the eight participants worked in teams, and five reported that their graduate or postdoctoral mentor had a significant positive impact on their experience. 100% of midterm respondents said they enjoyed the lab experience. 100% reported learning useful knowledge and new skills by the midpoint of the program. These indicators reflect the strength of the research experiences and the effectiveness of mentor-mentee engagement. In terms of faculty mentorship, one student rated their faculty supervisor as "outstanding," four as "above average," one as "average," and one as "not a good mentor." This feedback is informing targeted improvements to our mentor onboarding process and expectations for mentor engagement. Objective 4: Field trips, seminars, and non-lab activities provided additional exposure to real-world systems and professionals in the field. Students responded positively to these enrichment opportunities: 81% of students rated the seminars by local or visiting scientists as moderately or very positive. 67% rated the final symposium experience as moderately or very positive. Student feedback confirmed that these experiences helped them connect their research to broader career paths and applications. Several midterm survey comments reflected the practical lessons learned, such as, "My research experience has given me a better view of the realm of work I can pursue in my field," and, "I've learned the importance of documentation in research." Objective 5: The program culminated in a value-chain redesign bootcamp that challenged students to apply both circular economy and digitalization principles to a real-world system. The experience was designed to build creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. While we did not isolate survey data specific to this bootcamp, the final symposium ratings and student reflections suggest the experience was meaningful and helped synthesize the program's core learning goals. In terms of broader impacts, the program also supported shifts in student beliefs and educational aspirations: 87.5% of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I can do well in science classes," compared to 62.5% on the preflection survey Student comments indicated increased confidence in communication, problem-solving, and career planning, and one student rated the program as "much better than expected." There were a few areas for improvement noted. Three students requested clearer communication about their projects before arrival, and four students gave neutral to negative feedback regarding housing and social activities. These suggestions have already informed planning for the next cycle, including pre-arrival onboarding improvements and adjustments to social programming. In summary, the program met its goals by fostering significant gains in student knowledge, confidence, and exposure to real-world research in sustainable agri-food systems. Evaluation data demonstrate that students left the program with stronger research skills, deeper systems thinking, and a clearer vision of how they can contribute to sustainability and innovation in their future careers.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Montealegre, J., Roberts, T. G., Martin-Ryals , A. ., & Boz, Z. (2024). Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students: The Role of Mentorship in Transferring Circularity and Digitalization Skills, Attitudes, and Knowledge in Food Systems. NACTA Journal, 68(1). https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v68i1.220
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Kinsman, M. E., Serviss, M. T., Meru, G., Chase, C. A., Sargent, S. A., Simonne, A., & MacIntosh, A. J. (2024). A greener approach to assess bioactive compounds in tropical pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) using colorimetry. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1480964.
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Progress 01/03/23 to 01/02/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience: The integration of Circularity and Digitalization Skills (CD-Skills) REEU project brought together students passionate about sustainable and digitally oriented agri-food systems. Foused on those with strong interests in agri-food research, from underrepresented groups, with academic and leadership prowess, and eager for interdisciplinary work, especially in sustainability and tech innovation. Research mentors, experts in sustainability and tech within agri-food systems, from the University of Florida's Global Food Systems Institute, were enlisted to guide these diverse students. Our goal was to deepen understanding and skills in sustainable and tech-driven agri-food systems, spreading knowledge among researchers, educators, and policymakers. We aimed toreach student participants who (i) showed strong interest in agri-food systems research, education, and development activities, (ii) represent minority and disadvantaged groups primarily, (iii) demonstrated previous academic and leadership skills, (iv) are willing to engage in convergence science and research activities, (v) are interested in the circular economy, bioeconomy, and digitalization topics in agri-food systems. In addition, we aim to bring together a set of research mentors representing various specializations in agri-food systems who (i) have actively conducted research in sustainability, circular economy, and digitalization topics, (ii) are members of the University of Florida (UF) Global Food Systems Institute (GFSI previously UF Food Systems Institute - FSI ) (iii) willing to mentor student participants representing diverse cultural, educational, and skill representations (iv) are interested in receiving a mentor training, (v) are available to participate in weekly discussions, field trips, and presentations, as well as to engage participants in their research and laboratory activities. By targeting the key student participants and research mentors in agri-food systems, our goal was to contribute to advancing the fundamental understanding and skills in circular bioeconomy and digitalization in agri-food systems while disseminating the research and activities for general agri-food systems researchers, instructors, decision-makers, and audiences. 2. Efforts:Efforts included advertising through brochures, social media, and partnerships with minority-serving institutions and professional organizations. Our efforts to reach the target audience above by advertising the program and application materials (flyer, website, application questionnaire, and surveys) to the minority-serving institutes through undergraduate coordinators, other departmental representatives of the computer science, data science, food science, agri-food business, dairy science, and agricultural and biologicalengineering departments across the United States, professional organizations that are representing agri-food systems, such as Institute of Food Technologists, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and the Global Food Systems Institute, as well as professional networks of the research mentors and project personnel. We also utilized social media platforms (E.g., Twitter, LinkedIn), which successfully reached several participants and expanded our reach. In addition, the mentors were selected and contacted through the Global Food Systems Institute as well as the UF Agricultural and Biological Engineering department faculty members based on the criteria of the target audience. We also gave in-department talks to visiting honors students from other universities.The PIs, Dr. Boz, Dr. Roberts,and Dr. Martin, included the program information and application materials in their scientific presentations at conferences and in-class teaching. Changes/Problems:This year, our partner program at UF (SURF program)will not be held due to a decision by the UF College of Engineering. This has been unexpected as students learn professional development subjects, network and socialize, and travel to different excursions in Florida. Hence, this year we will be teaming up with other NSF REU and summer program PIs to design a professional development curriculum as well as excursion activities hosted by different projects. We are hoping that the UF will reinstate the SURF program in the upcoming years. If not, we will continue to collaborate with other REU sites to provide the critical professional development activities our students need. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Convergence science approaches are desired, especially when the problem is complex, multi-dimensional, and involves several sub-systems, such as food systems. Hence, bringing perspectives from different sub-systems can bring additional benefits, creativity, and problem-solving in tackling the grand challenges of the 21st century. The CD-Skills REEU site focuses on not only providing students across the nation with the fundamental research skills for graduate studies and beyond, but also demonstrating the critical circular economy and digitalization concepts while engaging them in multi-field summer programs, curricula, and professional development activities. The 2023training activities we organized can be summarized into eight distinct categories: (i) research experiences with mentors and labs across the agri-food systems (>30h), (ii) a novel 10-week circular economy in agri-food systems curriculum (4-5h), (iii) weekly coffee talks on current issues on sustainability (1-2h) (iv) two guest keynote lectures on circularity and digitalization applications, (v) four technical field trips to circular economy businesses, (vi) Professional development training with lunch hours and bi-weekly cultural visits in Florida with SURF program and other NSF REEU programs on campus, (vii) at three-hour mentor academy training for research mentors specifically designed for the CD-Skills REEU, and (viii) a final week-long value-chain focused on "coffee value chain". The CD-Skills REEU Mentoring Academy: The project led to the development of a special USDA-NIFA CD-Skills REEU Mentor Academy, specifically designed for research mentors. Participants were also mentored on graduate school preparations, applications, CV preparation, and other professional development topics as part of the UF SURF program. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's (2019) program "The Science and Effective Mentorship in STEMM" served as the inspiration for the Mentor Academy curriculum. Module 1 was on "Facilitating Successful Research Internships", Module 2 involved "Being an Effective Mentor," Module 3 was focused on "Culturally Responsive Mentoring",and finally, Module 4 summarized the "Specifics for Circularity REEU Experience" with a face-to-face session. All research mentors were required to participate. Student research and mentorship: The REEU students were mentored by faculty as well as a cohort of graduate students in respective labs to enable near-peer mentoring. The program required students to meet at least once a week with their research mentors to be trained in laboratory and research skills, literature review, and data analysis in their respective fields. The mentorship model enabled the matching of faculty research with the backgrounds of undergraduates from various fields. The overall schedule of the REEU technical program with classroom and training activities is given below: Week Date / Time Activities / Place Schedule 1 May 30 CD-Skills REEU Program Kick-Off Frazier Rogers Hall Room 122 CD-SKILLS REEU PROGRAM KICK-OFF Walk to ABE Department (Frazier Rogers Hall) Overview of the CD-Skills REEU Program Overview of the 2023 Schedule Icebreaker Games" June 1 Coffee Hour 1 Pre-program activities 2 June 5 CD-Skills REEU Program Grand Challenges and Food Systems Overview Anne Donnelly from the CUR Decide on the Screening Date of the Documentary "Breaking Boundaries June 8 Coffee Hour 2 Guest Lecturer: Dr. Tie Liu 3 June 12 CD-Skills REEU Program Sustainability and Life-cycle Activity 1: Self Perceptions of Systems, Sustainability and Circular Economy Activity 2: Lifecycle Mapping Activity 3: Sustainable Development Goals June 15 Coffee Hour 3 Dr. Daniel Lee 4 June 19 CD-Skills REEU Program Juneteenth UF Holiday June 22 Coffee Hour 4 Dr. Melanie Correll June 23 Field Trip 1 Brewery Field Trip 5 June 26 CD-Skills REEU Program Systems Thinking, Circular Economy and Bioeconomy Systems Theory An Overview on the Economic Models Principles of Circular Economy Activity 1: Product Teardown Circular Economy and Bioeconomy in Packaging Materials Fundamentals of Packaging Packaging Sourcing and Packaging Waste Circular Packaging Guest Lecture: Packaging Waste Treatment with Robust Plasma Gasification, Dr. Bruce A. Welt (Director of the UF Packaging Program) June 29 Coffee Hour 5 Dr. Esteban Rios 6 July 5 (Wednesday) CD-Skills REEU Program Circular Economy and Bioeconomy in the Agri-Food Industry Natural, Social, and Economic Capital Operationalizing Circular Economy Food Loss and Waste How Digitalization Can Facilitate Circular Economy in Agri-Food Systems Activity 1: Creative Brainstorming Activity 2: How to Digitize and Digitalize? Activity 3: Case Studies July 6 Coffee Hour 6 Dr. Ana Martin Ryals July 6 Field Trip 2 Alachua County Waste Transfer Station 7 July 10 Monday CD-Skills REEU Program Digitalization Fundamentals Guest Lectuers: Mert Canatan, Lauren Lindow, Spencer Serrano July 13 Thursday Coffee Hour 7 Dr. Greg Kiker July 13 Field Trip 3 Alliance Dairy 8 July 17 CD-Skills REEU Program Circular Bioeconomy: Waste to Value (Ana Martin) Organic Waste Management Anaerobic Digestion Bioprocessing Activity 1: (TBD) July 20 Coffee Hour 8 Dr. Grady Roberts 9 July 21 (Friday) CD-Skills REEU Program: Value-Chain Focused bootcamp introduction 1 -hour Overview on Value Chains and Creative Solutions What is a Value Chain? Value Chain Analysis Circular Economy Value Chains Activity: Bootcamp Theme Reveal July 24 (Monday) CD-Skills REEU Program Circular Bioeconomy: Water and Wastewater (Ana) Guest lecturer: Dr. Daniel Yeh, USF Water-Energy-Food Nexus Water and Wastewater Treatment Water Reuse Activity 1: (TBD) July 25 (Tuesday) Field Trip 4 Field Trip to Tampa Water DistrictUniversity of South Florida waste treatment and Tampa Advanced Wastewater Treatment facilities tour with the host Dr. Daniel Yeh July 27 Coffee Hour 9 Dr. Adam Watson July 28 REEU Program Value Chain Focused Bootcamp Presentations Presentation of the Value Chain Results 10 July 31 CD-Skills REEU Program Bringing it all together: The future of Circular Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, and Digitalization Aug 2 Final Presentations Aug 3 Coffee Hour 10 Reflections and Program Discussions 2023 UF SURF Program Schedule: Week Schedule 1 7:00 am - 7:00 pm - St. Augustine Beach Trip SURF & REU Opening Ceremony NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - SURF Luncheon Seminar: Learning from the Work of Others, Getting Started with Scientific Literature - Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos 2 Wednesday, June 7th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center - SURF Luncheon Seminar: Safety in Research - James Fleetwood Lake Wauburg (picnic, swim, kayak, etc.) 3 Dr URF Luncheon Seminar: NSF Fellowship Award Preparation Workshop - Whitney Stoppel Ice Cream Social @ Hume Resident Hall SURF Luncheon Seminar: Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration or Innovation in Engineering - Ziynet Boz 8:00 am - 3:00 pm, World Equestrian Center, Ocala, FL 5 Wednesday, June 28th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - SURF Luncheon Seminar: Graduate Student Experience - Current Ph.D., SURF/REU Alumni, EGSC Ice Cream Social @ Hume Resident Hall 6 UF Bandshell @ Flavet Field Fanfares & Fireworks (Live Music & Fireworks beginning at 9:40pm) 7 SURF Luncheon Seminar: Professional Development, Time Management, Steps to Success - Talline Martins Springs Tubing Event 8 SURF Luncheon Seminar: Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship - Michele Leonard TBD Time, Ice Cream Social @ Hume Resident Hall 9 Monday, July 24th SURF Luncheon Seminar: Graduate Student Health and Well Being - Dr. Philip Daniels (COP) 6:00 am - 8:00 pm - Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 10 SURF Luncheon Seminar:? Graduate Admissions & Fellowship - Mike Nazareth Friday, August 4th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr 9:00 am - 10:30 am, SURF & REU Closing Ceremony How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As part of the REEU program, the students conducted research with nine different researchers and laboratories across four departments at the University of Florida. This year, we had four new faculty mentors, along with their postdoctoral and graduate students, who all benefited from the research conducted. Website: The REEU participants presented their research projects and outcomes in the culmination week to the group of mentors, faculty, and Global Food Systems Institute Members. Research presentations and student profiles are also available at the CD-Skills REEU website, along with the application materials at the www.cdkilssREEU.com. Value-chain focused bootcamp: The students also presented their Value Chain solutions as a result of the week-long bootcamp activity. The product selected was wholesale coffee from Brazil and students worked together over a period of seven days to first analyze the value chain, issues, and practices, and come up with research ideas and solutions to the problems. Peer-reviewed publications: Individual research proposals, peer-reviewed articles, grants and fellowships, conference talks, and manuscripts were also submitted. The publication of the findings will disseminate the program activities and information on a broad food systems topic as the researchers represent different research domains. The learning outcomes, changes in knowledge, and attitudes of the participants in the sustainability and food systems topics, program activities, and long-term impacts will continue to be monitored across the program duration of five years. As part of our programmatic evaluation, One Scholarship of Teaching and Learning publication is submitted to NACTA, and one international conference abstract is submitted to Global food systems conference in Belgium for 2024. UF SURF Program: Students also presented their research and experiences as part of the UF SURF Program, involving more than 80 students, when combined with the other NSF REU programs. The USDA CD-Skills REEU students presented their research as YouTube videos and uploaded them on the program website https://www.eng.ufl.edu/surf/ and on the official YouTube page of the program What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Based on mentor academy feedback, we are making minor changes to the mentoring program. Last year's suggestions were implemented immediately in the 2023 program (e.g., rotation of presentations by faculty mentors at their own departments). The mentors were pleased with these changes. We will continue to run the Value Chain Focused Bootcamp. But this time, in 2024, we will not only draw our case studies from the literature but also from PI's ongoing community-focused research projects. For the 2024 bootcamp, we will provide a household food loss and waste audit study to solve this issue with student activities, brainstorming, and measurement improvements. Hence, two projects will benefit from this activity, while students' perceptions of food loss and waste, and sustainability will be evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively in focus group discussions. New research mentors will be selected from the Global Food Systems Institute faculty members with active research in related fields. Mentors are rotated to maximize our topical reach and impact. However, PI Dr. Boz, Co-PI Dr. Martin, and previous mentors Dr.Kiker, Dr. Liu, Dr. Rios will continue to serve as research mentors this year. We will continue to publish Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) manuscripts on the circular economy curriculum as well as the mentoring academy. We will keep the field trips in this year's program as students rate those events the highest for their learning and knowledge development.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Issues and Needs: The societal challenges coupled with the growing need for more nutritious food continue to pressure the planetary boundaries. Enabling tools such as digitalization and circular economy have been identified as solutions to the urgentproblems associated with food production, supply, and consumption. Future transformative trends in societal development can address the agri-food challenges.Hence, the USDA NIFA Circularity and Digitalization Skills (CDSkills) in Agri-Food Workforce REEU site aim to target the translational workforce gap by providing dedication, training, hands-on learning, and research-focused experience in sustainability, digitalization, and circular economy concepts to students from diverse social, cultural, and educational backgrounds across the US. 2. Objectives, Activities, and Results Objectives 1 and 2: To extend student understanding and learning on circularity and digitalization, we developed a new circular economy curriculum supported by digitalization reinforcing the concept through training modules, demonstrations, and case studies. Activities were: Two kick-off events (SURF and REEU Program) Weekly classes (Mondays 9 AM - 1 PM). A novel curriculum on the circular economy was developed, which was not available in the literature. "Team Collaborative Events" with creative brainstorming techniques and discussions enabling students to engage in thought-provoking discussions. Internet of Things (IoT) system development and demonstration with Microsoft FarmBeats Keynote lectures on SmartAg by Prof. Lee, and circular plastic waste management by Prof Welt. Objective 3: Each student was matched with a faculty member distributed across four departments. Students represented horticultural science, plant breeding, crop modeling, biosystems engineering, agricultural economics, and ABE departments. Research topics and data involved bioengineering, postharvest biology, food loss and waste modeling, systems modeling, bioprocess engineering, crop modeling, consumer science of technology solutions, and plant breeding,which are presented in the other products section. Publications, presentations, and abstracts are currently under preparation. One of the USDA-NIFA research projects provided additional funding for two additional students per year, increasing our reach and impact in collaboration with research. Objective 4: We proposed two, however, organized three half, and one full day field trips; local brewery, waste management, water treament, and, and dairy farm, which were then discussed during our weekly lectures and coffee hours. Objective 5: A final 2-week long value chain-focused Bootcamp was organized. The final research presentations and Bootcamp ideas were presented on Aug 2nd. Students first were introduced to the concept of "value chains," then developed a summary assessment of the coffee value chain by working on the subject every day. The instructors managedthe use of creative brainstorming techniques. The final ideas and proposals were presented during the culmination event of the project. Results: We recruited nine undergraduate students, the majority of whom belonged to the minority and underrepresented groups (>70%). Students were representing six universities from five different states in the U.S. 2023 Formal programmatic evaluation: Seven students reported that the REEU experience has met or exceeded their expectations and that their lab experience was enjoyable. When asked "What is the most important thing you have learned so far from your research experience?" They mentioned "literature review", "systems thinking and data analysis applications", "time management", research skills", "collaborating effectively in the lab space". Students also mentioned expectations about logisitical changes. As the housing avaialbility changes ever year, our groups rotate across different units. As the PIs, we will share the details of the housing infrastructure (E.g. distance from the department, availability of kitchens, etc.) ahead of the program. 3. Broader Impacts The REEU site is inherently a multi-disciplinary program, which included seven research topics and laboratories across four departments at UF. The REEU research presentations and posters from 2023cohort are available at the SURF program website and YouTube channel (https://www.eng.ufl.edu/surf/) l and the REEU website (www.cdskillsREEU.com)/. 2023SURF program involved more than 80 students and various fields in STEM, which were exposed to the CD-Skills REEU research and students. The REEU program activities are allowing us to collaborate with other grant proposals. For example, a team of UF and Clemson University scientists were awarded a multi-institute NSF grant and included our program as an educational component. As a result, we will increase our capacity from 9students to 12students for the next three years in collaboration with the NSF project team. One additional student funding will be available to fund research in water resources while participating in our REEU program. Additional grant proposals and collaborations stemming from the REEU program are ongoing. We will continue to disseminate the learnings to the professional communities. Examples from the 2023term are the NACTA, IFT, and ASABE conferences in 2023, which represent various fields to expand our impact.
Publications
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Progress 01/03/22 to 01/02/23
Outputs
Target Audience:1. Target Audiences: The Circularity and Digitalization Skills (CD-Skills) REEU project aims to bring together a diverse group of student participants whose studies focus not only on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics but also on social sciences pertaining to the general agri-food systems research. Our aim is to reach student participants who (i) showed strong interest in agri-food systems research, education, and development activities, (ii) represent minority and disadvantaged groups primarily, (iii) demonstrated previous academic and leadership skills, (iv) are willing to engage in convergence science and research activities, (v) are interested in the circular economy, bioeconomy, and digitalization topics in agri-food systems. In addition, we aim to bring together a set of research mentors representing various specializations in agri-food systems who (i) have actively conducted research in sustainability, circular economy, and digitalization topics, (ii) are members of the University of Florida (UF) Global Food Systems Institute (GFSI previously UF Food Systems Institute - FSI ) (iii) willing to mentor student participants representing diverse cultural, educational, and skill representations (iv) are interested in receiving a mentor training, (v) are available to participate in weekly discussions, field trips, and presentations as well as to engage participants in their research and laboratory activities. By targeting the key student participants and research mentors in agri-food systems, our goal was to contribute to advancing the fundamental understanding and skills in circular bioeconomy and digitalization in agri-food systems while disseminating the research and activities to the general agri-food systems researchers, instructors, decision-makers, and audiences. 2. Efforts: Our efforts to reach the target audience above by advertising the program and application materials (flyer, website, application questionnaire, and surveys) to the minority-serving institutes through undergraduate coordinators, other departmental representatives of the food science, agri-food business, dairy science, agricultural engineering departments across the United States, professional organizations who are representing agri-food systems such as Institute of Food Technologists, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Global Food Systems Institute, as well as professional networks of the research mentors and project personnel. We also utilized social media platforms (E.g., Twitter, LinkedIn), which successfully reached several participants and expanded our reach. In addition, the mentors were selected and contacted through the Global Food Systems Institute as well as the UF Agricultural and Biological Engineering department faculty members based on the criteria of the target audience. The PI Dr. Boz and Dr. Martin included the program information and application materials in their scientific presentations at conferences and in-class teaching. One such example is the annual conference held at the University of Florida, "Future of Food Forum" in March 2022. During this presentation, Dr. Boz gave a talk as an invited speaker entitled "Harmonizing Sustainability Approaches in the Food Industry: Processing, Packaging, and Industry 4.0" where she dedicated a slide on the "Future of Agri-Food workforce" with the REEU project flyer displayed and the audience were urged to contact qualifying individuals to apply for the program. Several of these presentations with the same information were delivered through invited departmental seminars. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The convergence science approaches are desired especially when the problem is complex, multi-dimensional, and involves several sub-systems such as food systems. Hence, bringing perspectives from different sub-systems can bring additional benefits and creativity, and problem-solving in tackling the grand challenges of the 21st century. The CD-Skills REEU site focuses on not only providing students across the nation with the fundamental research skills for graduate studies and beyond, but also demonstrating the critical circular economy and digitalization concepts while engaging them in multi-field summer programs, curricula, and professional development activities. The 2022 trainingactivities we organized can be summarized into eight distinct categories: (i) research experiences with mentors and labs across the agri-food systems (>30h), (ii) a novel 10-week circular economy in agri-food systems curriculum (4-5h), (iii) weekly coffee talks on current issues on sustainability (1-2h) (iv) two guest keynote lectures on circularity and digitalization applications, (v) three technical field trips to circular economy businesses, (vi) Professional development training with lunch hours and bi-weekly cultural visits in Florida with SURF program and other NSF REEU programs on campus, (vii) at three-hour mentor academy training for research mentors specifically designed for the CD-Skills REEU, and (viii) a final week-long value-chain focused Bootcamp to identify creative solutions. The CD-Skills REEU Mentoring Academy: The project led to the development of a special USDA-NIFA CD-Skills REEU Mentor Academy, specifically designed for research mentors. Participants were also mentored on graduate school preparations, applications, CV preparation, and other professional development topics as part of the UF SURF program. The Mentor Academy curriculum was developed by taking the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine program "The Science and Effective Mentorship in STEMM" (2019). Module 1 was on "Facilitating Successful Research Internships", Module 2 involved "Being an Effective Mentor", Module 3 was focused on "Culturally Responsive Mentoring", and finally Module 4 summarized the "Specifics for Circularity REEU Experience" with a face-to-face session. All research mentors were required to participate. Student research and mentorship: The REEU students were mentored by faculty as well as a cohort of graduate students in respective labs to enable near-peer mentoring. The program required students to meet at least once a week with their research mentors to be trained in laboratory and research skills, literature review, and data analysis in their respective fields. The mentorship model enabled the matching of faculty research with the backgrounds of undergraduates from various fields. The overall schedule of the REEU program with classroom and training activities is given below: Week Schedule 1 · CD-Skills REEU in Agri-Food Project Orientation · Welcome messages · Ice-breaker games · Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Overview · Databases, conducting a literature review · Discussing Grand Challenges in Food Systems 2 · Introduction to Sustainability · Introduction to the Circular Economy · Systems and Systems Thinking · Agri-Food Systems · Activity: Systems-Thinking in Agri-Food and Circularity Coffee Talks: Discuss a specific environmental problem Documentary on planetary boundaries "Breaking boundaries (2021)" 3 · Dr. Elaine Turner (CALS Dean) on our graduate programs · Technical and Biological Cycles · Circular Business Models, Circular Cities, Circular Designs · Circular Food Systems · Activity: Natural Systems Identification and Everyday foods Comparisons Coffee Talks: Discuss how to motivate stakeholders to create change 4 · Dr. Kati Migliaccio (ABE Department Chair) on our ABE Research and Initiatives on Circular Economy and Digitalization · Introduction to Digitalization, Digital Tools to Enable Circular Economy, Demonstrations · Robotics and SmartAg · CASE STUDY: Tackling Food Waste Coffee Talks: Discuss how digitalization affects our communities and food systems Field Trip Activities: First Magnitude Gainesville Brewing Process Tour 5 · Digitalization Active Learning Activity · CASE STUDY: Circular Packaging and Plastics for Food Industry "Robust Regenerative Gasification", Prof. Bruce A. Welt Coffee Talks: Discuss Circular Economy Legislations across the US 6 Field Trip and Activities: Alachua County Waste Transfer Station and the Environmental Park 7 · Digitalization Active Learning Activity with keynote speaker Dr. Daniel Lee. · CASE STUDY: Circular Bioeconomy Solutions Coffee Talks: Discuss Climate Change impacts on food systems and mitigation strategies 8 Field Trip and Activities: Alliance Dairy Coffee Talks: Discuss Favorite Scientist and Interesting Facts 9 BootCamp focusing on Food Value Chains: Problem statement, Brainstorming, Challenging Ideas Coffee Talks: Discuss Favorite Environmental Startups and Their Creative Ideas 10 Research and Bootcamp Ideation Presentations Presentation at the SURF Program Final Day of the program: Farewell! Post-REEU Post-REEU activities: Mentorship training, LinkedIn discussions UF SURF Program: We collaborated with the UF SURF program to include the USDA CD-Skills REEU students a part of the professional development and cultural enrichment training. A schedule of the SURF program is presented below: Week Social and Professional Development Activities 1 Monday, May 30th (Memorial Day) 7:00 am - 7:00 pm - St. Augustine Beach Trip Wednesday, June 1st, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - SURF Luncheon Seminar:Safety in Research with James Fleetwood 2 Wednesday, June 8th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - SURF Luncheon Seminar: Conducting a Literature Review with Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos Saturday, June 11thLake Wauburg (picnic, swim, kayak, etc.) 3 Wednesday, June 15th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - SURF Luncheon Seminar: NSF Fellowship Preparation Workshop with Regina Rodriguez Saturday, June 18th TBD Time, Ice Cream Social @ Lakeside Apartments 4 Tuesday, June 21st SURF Stipend Pay Date #2 Wednesday, June 22nd, NEB 100 SURF Luncheon Seminar: Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship with Michele Leonard Saturday, June 25thWorld Equestrian Center, Ocala, FL 5 Wednesday, June 29th, NEB 100 SURF Luncheon Seminar: Professional Development, Time Management, Steps to Success with Talline Martins Sunday, July 3rd, UF Bandshell @ Flavet FieldFanfares & Fireworks (Live Music & Fireworks beginning at 9:40pm) 6 Monday, July 4th, UF Holiday UF Closed, No SURF Required Wednesday, July 6th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center SURF Luncheon Seminar: Mentoring with Jeremy Magruder-Waisome Saturday, July 9thIce Cream Social @ Lakeside Apartments 7 Wednesday, July 13th, Engineering Building off Center SURF Luncheon Seminar: Graduate Student Experience with Current Ph.D., SURF/REU Alumni, EGSC Saturday, July 16thRainbow Springs Tubing Trip, Dunnellon, FL 8 Wednesday, July 20th, NEB 100 SURF Luncheon Seminar: Giving a Scientific Presentation with Desika Narayanan, Paul Torrey Saturday, July 23rdIce Cream Social @ Lakeside Apartments 9 Wednesday, July 27th, Engineering Building SURF Luncheon Seminar: Ethical Considerations with Karen Ehlers Saturday, July 30thKennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 10 Monday, August 1st Pictures Deadline (5 pictures per student) Tuesday, August 2nd YouTube Video Deadline (upload video file to website) Wednesday, Aug. 3rdSURF Luncheon Seminar: Graduate Admissions & Fellowship with Mike Nazareth Friday, August 5th, NEB 100, Engineering Building off Center Dr. SURF & REU Closing Ceremony How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As part of this study, students have conducted research with seven different researchers and laboratories across four departments at the University of Florida. Website: The REEU participants presented their research projects and outcomes in the culmination week to the group of mentors, faculty, and Global Food Systems Institute Members. Research presentations and student profiles are also available at the CD-Skills REEU website along with the application materials at the www.cdkilssREEU.com. Value-chain focused bootcamp: The students also presented their Value Chain solutions as a result of the week-long bootcamp activity. The product selected was wholesale coffee from Brazil and students worked together over a period of seven days to first analyze the value chain, issues, practices, and came up with the research ideas and solutions to the problems. Peer-reviewed publications: Four months have passed since the culmination of the 2022 program as of the write-up of this progress report. Hence, we are expecting the peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations within 2023 from individual research areas. Individual research proposals, grants, conference talks and manuscripts were also submitted. The publication of the findings will disseminate the program activities and information to a broad food systems topic as the researchers represent different research domains. The learning outcomes, changes in knowledge, and attitudes of the participants for the sustainability and food systems topics, program activities, and the long-term impacts will continue to be monitored across the program duration of five years. UF SURF Program: Students also presented their research and experiences as part of the UF SURF Program involving more than80 students,when combined with the other NSF REU programs. The USDA CD-Skills REEU students presented their research as YouTube videos and uploaded them on the program website https://www.eng.ufl.edu/surf/ and on the official YouTube page of the program What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Based on the programmatic feedback and experiences during the summer of 2022, we are making a few minor changes to achieve the project's objectives. We will continue to run thecircular economy curriculum supported by brainstorming and Value Chain focused Bootcamp activities. The curriculum will be improved with more hands-on learning activities. Depending on the mix of the students, skills, and backgrounds, training students on digitalization concepts can be challenging. This year, we are addressing this by integrating one more hands-on learning activity with sensors, with additional keynote presentations. Research mentors will be selected from the Global Food Systems Institute faculty members with active research in related fields. Mentors are rotated to maximize our topical reach and impact. However, PI Dr. Boz, Co-PI Dr. Martin, and previous mentor Prof. Kiker will continue to serve as research mentors this year. We will also continue to improve the mentor academy program and collect insightful data and comments on the benefits of mentor training in undergraduate research programs. We will place a special emphasis on bringing mentors and students together in weekly meetings and lab tours for the participants involved. Students enjoyed learning about other faculty mentors' and students' research during the program. Call for applications survey, website and other application materials will be available in January 202. The notification for acceptance will be sent out in February. During February-May students will be oriented to the program. Mentors and students will be introduced to students and research mentors to prepare for the study. The 2022 term did not allow this due to the short timeline of the award availability. We will also post the research project abstracts with objectives and expected outcomes in the application materials so the students can rank their preferred studies and skills based on the projects available in the 2023 term. This was suggested by many participants in the post-program evaluation survey. We are also inviting the 2022 participants for a panel before the kick-off of the program to share their experiences with the 2023 participants. A new document focusing on "What to bring to Gainesville" and "Best practices" will be communicated before arrival for students to better prepare themselves. In this year's survey, students mentioned hardship regarding what to expect in the first week of the program. By organizing two panels, we are expecting to overcome this issue. We will publish Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) manuscripts on the circular economy curriculum as well as the mentoring academy. This year we will also increase the number of field trips and add one more field trip to Tampa water and waste management with Dr. Daniel Yeh, who is working on water treatment and filtration systems. We are also planning to open the final project presentations to the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) to disseminate the learnings and results to communities of interest.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1.Issues and Needs: The societal challenges coupled with the growing need for more nutritious food continue to pressure the planetary boundaries. Enabling tools such as digitalization andcircular economy have been identified as solutions to the urgent problems associated with food production, supply, and consumption. The future agri-food challenges can be tackled by forthcoming transformative trends in societal development. Hence, the USDA NIFA Circularity and Digitalization Skills (CD-Skills) in Agri-Food Workforce REEU site aim to target the translational workforce gap by providing dedication, training, hands-on learning, and research-focused experience in sustainability, digitalization, and circular economy concepts to students from diverse social, cultural, and educational backgrounds across the US. 2. Objectives, Activities, and Results Objectives 1 and 2: To extend student understanding and learning on circularity and digitalization, we developed a new circular economy curriculum supported by digitalization reinforcing the concept through training modules, demonstrations, and case studies. Activities were Two kick-off events (SURF and REEU Program) Weekly classes (Mondays 9 AM - 1 PM). A novel curriculum on the circular economy was developed, which was not available in the literature. "Team Collaborative Events" with creative brainstorming techniques and discussions enabling students to engage in thought-provoking discussions. Internet of Things (IoT) system development and demonstration with Microsoft FarmBeats Keynote lectures on SmartAg by Prof. Lee, and circular plastic waste management by Prof Welt. Objective 3: Each student was matched with a faculty distributed across four departments. Students represented food science, culinary sciences, food systems, and ABE departments. Faculty mentors represented horticultural sciences, food science, agronomy, and agricultural and biological engineering. Research topics and data involved fermentation, bioengineering, postharvest biology, food lossand waste modeling, and systems modeling, which are presented in the other products section. Publications, presentations, and abstracts are currently under preparation. Objective 4: We proposed two, however, organized three half-day field trips; local brewery, waste management, and sorting facility, and dairy farm, which were then discussed during our weekly lectures and coffee hours. Objective 5: A final 1-week long value chain-focused Bootcamp was organized. The final research presentations and Bootcamp ideas were presented on Aug 4th. Students first were introduced to the concept of "value chains", then developed a summary assessment of the coffee value chain by working on the subject every day. Creative brainstorming techniques were moderated by the instructors. The final ideas and proposals were presented during the culmination event of the project. Results: We recruited seven undergraduate students, the majority of which belonged to the minority and underrepresented groups (>70%). Two women, three Asian or Pacific Islanders, and two non-binary students participated in the program. Students were representing seven universities from six different states in the U.S. Formal programmatic evaluation: Six out of seven students reported that the REEU experience has met or exceeded their expectations and four said that the experience was "much better than I expected"; and seven students were either "mildly" (2) or "very" (5) satisfied with their experience. Similarly, six students said that their mentors were above average as a teacher and mentors. The CD-Skills REEU experience also motivated students to have another research experience as an undergraduate with all seven of them stating "I am 'likely' or 'very likely' to choose another research experience". Overall, the students stated that the most important thing they have learned in their research was gaining different perspectives. The highest rated components were social activities, instruction and discussions on ethics, seminars on safety in the laboratory, guest seminars, and the final research symposium, with mean values of 4.43, 4, 4.17, 3.86, and 4.67 on a 5-point scale, respectively. The lowest score was on preparing a presentation and writing a research paper with a mean score of 3.57. Also, the waste management field trip, dairy field trip, brewery field trip, research conducted throughout the program, mentors themselves and in-class activities were rated the highest, while brainstorming activities during the in-class activities were rated the lowest (3.5). Change of knowledge: Student knowledge ratings increased an average of 99.6% (±43) across 16 different topics in food systems (i.e., food systems, circular economy, value chain, etc.) as a result of the REEU program. The topics that had the highest average increase for individual students were value chain (194%), circular economy (181%), natural resource management (131%), bioprocess engineering (118%), biosystems (105%), environmental ecology, biomimicry, and industrial symbiosis (105%), respectively. In addition, the student interest in these individual sustainability-related topics increased by an average of 0.36 points (±0.44) on a 5-point scale. The highest average increase in importance ratings occurred in environmental ecology, biosystems, and natural resource management. Among 16 different topics, only two topics had an average decrease of 0.2 and 0.4 points in packaging reuse and recycling and food loss and waste, respectively. "I gained different perspectives on topics such as circularity, sustainability, and digitalization" "I learned specifics regarding what graduate school opportunities are available." "Over time, I learned how to outline my thoughts, and organize my articles for future reference. I was also exposed to new information that I hadn't been exposed to in the field I'm working in" "I learned how my work fits into the bigger picture. Working with such a diverse group has given me perspective on what I do and why I do it." "I am learning to sift through literature, and I think being able to identify relevant information from the variety of articles available is an invaluable and transferrable skill." 3. Broader Impacts The REEU site is inherently a multi-disciplinary program, which included seven research topics and laboratories across four departments at UF. The REEU research presentations and posters from 2022 cohort are available at the SURF program website and YouTube channel (https://www.eng.ufl.edu/surf/) l and the REEU website (www.cdskillsREEU.com)/. 2022 SURF program involved more than 80 students and various fields in STEM, which were exposed to the CD-Skills REEU research and students. The REEU program activities are allowing us to collaborate with other grant proposals. For example, a team of UF and Clemson University scientists were awarded a multi-institute NSF grant and included our program as an educational component. As a result, we will increase our capacity from 8 students to 9 students for the next three years in collaboration with the NSF project team. One additional student funding will be available to fund research in water resources while participating in our REEU program. Additional grant proposals and collaborations stemming from the REEU program are ongoing. We will continue to disseminate the learnings to the professional communities. Examples from the 2022 term are the NACTA, IFT, and ASABE conferences in 2023,which represent various fields to expand our impact.
Publications
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