Recipient Organization
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
BOONE,NC 28608
Performing Department
Chemistry & Fermentation Scien
Non Technical Summary
The aim of this project is to develop experiential based fermentation sciences curriculum for upper high school, vocational and junior college school women and minorities in rural North to stimulate them with hands-on food fermentation research and classroom learning activities. In addition, participants will be continually engaged in their rural communities and supported to travel to a local university or college for STEM activities, engaged with online STEM programs and be provided with STEM materials that will be delivered through local youth and women food association (4 H club) and libraries. This curriculum will educate them about the importance of fermentation in bio-economies as it relates to rural development, food availability, safety, and nutritional enhancement. This exposure will help to increase their curiosity and prompt them to pursue courses in agriculture, food science, fermentation sciences and other STEM-related subjects. FY 2022Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields Program (WAMS) Educational Need Areas 1e (Student Experiential Learning), 1a, 1b, and 1f will be addressed. The long-term objective of this project is to use a fermentation curriculum to provide an educational experience by encouraging and motivating rural school women and underrepresented minorities to STEM educations and careers that can facilitate human capital development, professionalism and leadership. Sixty students will learn about principles of fermentation sciences, and continually encouraged to participate in STEM programs and monitored for their career projection to STEM fields. Overall, it is expected that women and minorities from rural communities will be motivated and encouraged throughout the three years lifespan of the project and beyond to enter and participate in STEM fields and impact positively on rural economy.
Animal Health Component
90%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
90%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The following goals and objectives were set for the project:Each year recruit a total of 20 diverse women and minority students from upper high school students, vocational, junior, or community college students in rural North Carolina.This will give the program a total of 60 participants for the three years.Develop and refine a curriculum to enhance diverse participants' understanding of the roles of fermentation microorganisms in bio-economies, food fermentation technology, and its relevance to small business activity.Each year at least 70% of participants will report an increased understanding of the processes of research and related STEM educational and occupational opportunities.At least 60% of participants will continue their engagement in STEM-related activities through participation in their rural communities, travel to a local university or college for STEM preparatory programs, or engagement with online STEM activities, STEM webinars and provision ofSTEM materials that will be delivered through local community partners, youth and women food association and libraries.Increase partnerships with other educational institutions to provide fermentation sciences investigations to other high school and post-secondary students.
Project Methods
Recruitment: The recruitment plan will target students in upper high school, vocational, junior and community colleges. Our target will be to recruit female, minority and underrepresented students and use fermentation to engage and integrate them into STEM-related subjects. We will develop a project website, brochures and notices for advertising through social media, Appalachian radio, and presentations in class, meetings and conferences, as well as targeted advertisement and communication at the Watauga High School, Avery and Ashe High Schools, West Caldwell High School, Wilkes Community College, Caldwell Community College, and Surrey Community College. The program will be integrated into the Appalachian State University office of admission program where the PI will be actively involved in the annual admissions events that focus on students of color such as (Appalachian Popular Programming Society) APPS, Dia Latino Event, , and at Appalachian State University Next Stepsdiversity events that foster community and opportunities at Appalachian. In addition, the annual STEAM Expo provides direct opportunities to share the project with visiting potential recruits and their teachers. The PI will attend conferences of the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, North Carolina International Association of Food Protection (IAFP), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), and North Carolina American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to disseminate information about the program and encourage other faculty to disseminate the information about the program and adopt the program in their university. The PI will create social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) to provide information and will use Appalachian Classified and the Fermentation Sciences Club to publicize the program. This recruitment process will also reach out to faculty and students through the following organizations: North Carolina Association for Middle-Level Education (NCMLE), North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA), University of North Carolina System, and Minority Faculty and Staff Association (MFSA). The Watauga NC Cooperative Extension Service and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (see attached letter), community, vocational and junior colleges will encourage mobilization of minority and underrepresented students to apply for the program.Student selection: All applications submitted will be reviewed and twenty upper high school, vocational, and community college students) will be selected each year to participate in the project for 2 weeks duration each summer for the three-year period of the grant. A significant fraction of the student participants at this WAMS will come from rural communities and at least half of the student participants will be recruited from academic institutions where research opportunities in STEM are limited. Students to be considered for the project will be required to submit a web application form or paper form, statement of interest or telephone discussion with PI and contact information of persons that can be contacted for a reference. Applicants must show evidence of academic records for at least upper high school, vocational and community colleges education or beyond; food preparation or gardening experience will be considered as an additional advantage. Only candidates that are US permanent residents or citizens will be considered. Candidate selection will be made based on a rubric that will follow these criteria: (1) academic record, community service, food and agriculture experience; (2) telephone interaction/short statement of interest in summer program; 3) content of reference letter and recommendation. After selection, all candidates will be contacted with a request to complete the acceptance form and project information material.Logistics: The PI will leverage on the experiences gained from previous Brewing Science summer workshops at Appalachian and fermentation microbiome studies conducted in Ghana and South Africa to have a successful summer experience. Appalachian hosts numerous summer camps and has ample infrastructure for managing logistics. The Office of Conferences and Camps provides access for campus housing, lodger chaperones, and food as well as support in providing entertainment or other evening activities. The Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences provides lecture rooms, fermentation workshop and laboratory space for summer programs.Contact of Nominated Candidates: We shall contact selected applicants three to four months before the commencement of summer activities at Appalachian. Information about travel plans, medical requirements and vaccination will be provided, At that time, general information about Appalachian, mentors, schedules and projects will be made available to students.Events: There will be classroom activities, food fermentation research, laboratory practicals and visits to industries and North Carolina rural agricultural areas. In-class activities will be centered on active learning, such that a student's ideas can be developed into fermentation research projects or the basis for small fermented food businesses including food canning and packaging. These activities will help the students to enjoy the program, feel comfortable doing science, and encourage them to investigate STEM-related education and careers without the pressures of graded assignments.There will be yearlong plans for engagement beyond the two weeks will include.Quarterly online engagement with fermentation sciences topics using real-world issues and original research.Engagement with topics that teaches STEM opportunity within the community, and how to lend themselves towards creativity, collaboration and task management.Invitation for task within their community college or rural library to address authentic needsSharing of worthy literature text through women society and youth groups to encourage participants to appreciate importance of STEM in world knowledge, master specific standards, learn about STEM topics and concepts.Publicity:We will use the Fermentations Sciences website, social media, and YouTube channel to provide information about the course to the general public.Evaluation and dissemination will include the full scope of the project reporting on both short and long-term outcomes after three years. The evaluation will indicate activities amenable for replication by other institutions and those sustainable by Appalachian.