Progress 05/15/23 to 05/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience: Underrepresented minorities were targeted from Huntsville City Schools in Madison County, AL (northern section of state), underrepresented minorities from the impoverished Black Belt area of Alabama, which includes Sumter, Greene, Choctaw, Marengo Counties, and others (central section of state) as well as other high schools throughout the state and country and community college transfers. This will make long-range progress in natural resources and environmental education at AAMU and enhance institutional capability to increase the flow of under-represented ethnic minorities in these STEM careers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?*Information session on how to apply for a USDA Job using USAJOBs presented by Mr. Anthony Hudson, USDA Liasion, and Cedric Williams withNatural Resources Conservation Service Career Weeks Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 Virtual Career Fair Environmental Protection Agency January 2024 In February, many attended the Urban Planning Conference held here at AAMU, and participated in the environmental Justice roundtable entitle " Environmental Justice Conversation on Flooding in Elba, AL and Strain Rd (Athens, AL) Students had the opportunity to attend the annual AAMU STEM Day in Aprilto learn about ongoing research at AAMU and observe how to eventually presenttheir research to their peers, faculty, and judges. Several scholars also attended a resume writing workshop sponsored by MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences). Also, the students who haveinternships this summer will havethe opportunity to train and become more proficient in their given duties.These experiences will translateinto their studies here at AAMU andalso translate into future endeavors that will undoubtedly lead to additional research opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The information about the scholarship was posted via facebook and twitte, the departmental website as well as the Univeristy website as all of the scholarships were not awarded. Faculty continued to virtually visitscience classes to speak with students about the current programs and opportunities at AAMU. We also participated in AAMU's high school senior day in the fall and Open House in the spring. Interested students were provided applications per the recruitment fairs, classroom visits or other brochures which were developed specifically for the NRES Scholars Additionally, scholarship information was sent to all students who applied to AAMU and indicated environmental science, foresty, plant science or soil science as a major What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the fall, we plan to award the remaining scholarships to incoming Freshmen We also plan to implement more professional development workshops as well as social activities to provide a sense of communtiy among students entering the Department and to ensure their successful matriculation here at AAMU.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This is the first year of implementation of student activities through thegrant. The actual first year of funding, was set aside for recruitment of Natural Resource and Environmental Science (NRES) Scholars. Underrepresented minorities were targeted from Huntsville City Schools in Madison County, AL (northern section of state), underrepresented minorities from the impoverished Black Belt area of Alabama, which includes Sumter, Greene, Choctaw, Marengo Counties, and others (central section of state) as well as other high schools throughout the state and country and community college transfers. The goal was tomake long-range progress in natural resources and environmental education at AAMU and enhance institutional capability to increase the flow of under-represented ethnic minorities in these STEM careers. It will also enhance the partnership between AAMU, and the key high schools involved. We identified students with interest in complex environmental problems and addressing them requires multi-disciplinary training. Proper mentoring and course work assignment at AAMU will require exposure to research, mitigation, demonstration, or regulatory policy related training. The principal investigator (PI) and the co-PIs worked with representatives from the various schools to help identify students, with interest in natural resource and environmental science disciplines to be recognized as NRES Scholars. We will partner with the Office of Admissions for recruitment through career fairs in person or virtually. Within the past year, faculty continued to virtually visitscience classes to speak with students about the current programs and opportunities at AAMU. Theyalso participated in AAMU's high school senior day in the fall and Open House in the spring. Interested students were provided applications per the recruitment fairs, classroom visits or through the website or other brochures which were developed specifically for the NRES Scholars. The application had the following requirements: target students with high scholastic aspirations who have a GPA of 2.8 or better; ACT score; academic transcript; a 250-word essay describing their interest in natural resources and environmental sciences career goals; two letters of recommendations; and be willing to participate in various mentoring and support activities offered by the program. Fall 2023, AAMU recorded its largest ever Freshmen enrollment and our Department greatly benefited. We also saw a substanial increase in enrolment and were thus able to award scholarships The PI and Co-PIs reviewed applications and haveselected six (6) students as NRES Scholars@AAMU Males 4 Females 2 Environmental Science major 5 Forestry major 1 Upon arrival on campus, the students were registered and received advising from Freshmen Academy as well as partiipateed in Welcome Week as part of their onboarding activities. The department also hosted a Pizza and UNO night at the beginning of the semester Additionally, AAMU implemented Learning Communities so our students withmajors within our department wereregistered for at least four of the same classes which mostly included classes fromlist of general education courses but also Plant Science and/or Forestry during the fall and Environmental Science in the spring. Many of the students joined and actively participated in te Environmental Science/Forestry Clubs One student was accepted into the AAMU Honors Program and also made the Freshman Dean's List. They participated in a Breast Cancer Awareness Forum, which was a collaborationwith the AAMU Environmental Science Club and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The panel discussed genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors related to Breast Cancer. The students also had the opportunity to get genetic testing done. As part of the Service-Learning Communities and Volunteerism unit at AAMU, Scholars participated in Campus Clean-up and Voter Registration several times during the semester. In November, they participated in the Mayor's Annual Tree Planting Day and High School Senior Day and volunteered at the concession at the AAMU Football game to raise money for the Environmental Science Club In the spring during Earth Week, they participated i activities that include a hike/clean up of Burritt Mountain, Painting flower pots and distributingseeds and soil to AAMU student community, "Dark Waters" movie night and finally culminating on Arbor Day with the planting of a tree in front of Carver Complex, where the department is housed.
Publications
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Progress 05/15/22 to 05/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Underrepresented minorities were targetedfrom Huntsville City Schools in Madison County, AL (northern section of state), underrepresented minorities from the impoverished Black Belt area of Alabama, which includes Sumter, Greene, Choctaw, Marengo Counties, and others (central section of state) as well as other high schools throughout the state and country and community college transfers.This will make long-range progress in natural resources and environmental education at AAMU and enhance institutional capability to increase the flow of under-represented ethnic minorities in these STEM careers. Changes/Problems:If we are not successful in identifying all 10 students this year, we will continue our recruitment efforts in both the fall and the spring. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Theinformation about the scholarship was posted via facebook and twitte, the departmental website as well as the Univeristy website. Within the past year, faculty virtually visited science classes to speak with students about the current programs and opportunities at AAMU.We also participated in AAMU's high school senior day in the fall and Open House in the spring.Interested students were provided applications per the recruitment fairs, classroom visits or other brochures which were developed specifically for the NRES Scholars What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next year we will facilitate the activities outlined in the goals of the grant. The fall semester will be the first semester that the NRES Scholars will be on campus. We will hold workshops and activities to ensure their successful matriculation here at AAMU. If we are not successful in identifying all 10 students this year, we will continue our recruitment efforts in both the fall and the spring.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As this is the first year of the grant, we proposed this year would be for recruitment of Natural Resource and Environmental Science (NRES) Scholars. Underrepresented minorities were targetedfrom Huntsville City Schools in Madison County, AL (northern section of state), underrepresented minorities from the impoverished Black Belt area of Alabama, which includes Sumter, Greene, Choctaw, Marengo Counties, and others (central section of state) as well as other high schools throughout the state and country and community college transfers.This will make long-range progress in natural resources and environmental education at AAMU and enhance institutional capability to increase the flow of under-represented ethnic minorities in these STEM careers.It will also enhance the partnership between AAMU, and the key high schools involved. Identification of students with interest in complex environmental problems and addressing them requires multi-disciplinary training. Proper mentoring and course work assignment will require exposure to research, mitigation, demonstration, or regulatory policy related training. The principal investigator (PI) and the co-PIs worked with representatives from the various schools to help identifystudents, with interest in natural resource and environmental science disciplines to be recognized as NRES Scholars.We will partner with the Office of Admissions for recruitment through career fairs in person or virtually.Within the past year, faculty virtually visited science classes to speak with students about the current programs and opportunities at AAMU.We also participated in AAMU's high school senior day in the fall and Open House in the spring.Interested students were provided applications per the recruitment fairs, classroom visits or through the website or other brochures which were developed specifically for the NRES Scholars. The application had the following requirements:target students with high scholastic aspirations who have aGPA of 2.8 or better;ACT score;academic transcript; a250-word essaydescribing their interest in natural resources and environmental sciences career goals;two letters of recommendations; and be willing to participate in various mentoring and support activities offered by the program.The PI and Co-PIs reviewed applications and have so far selected five (5)incoming freshmen asNRES Scholars@AAMU.
Publications
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