Source: California State University, Los Angeles submitted to
TRAINING DIVERSE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN EXPERIENTIAL RESEARCH: THE NEXUS BETWEEN URBAN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND URBAN AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030168
Grant No.
2023-68018-40322
Cumulative Award Amt.
$749,749.00
Proposal No.
2022-09055
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2028
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[A7401]- Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates
Project Director
Hibbs, B.
Recipient Organization
California State University, Los Angeles
ORSP/GE 3rd floor
Los Angeles,CA 90032
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This 9-week summer REEU experience at Cal State LA will support and attract 9 motivated, diverse students each year for five years to investigate urban natural resources and urban agricultural problems through a nested series of events. Component activities include research activities, training activities, mentoring activities, social activities, a research and training field activity, and post-REEU activities. Research activities include investigations in 7 topical areas; (1) natural and amended soil microsystem development in urban agriculture, (2) competitive water availability for urban agriculture and urban greenspace, (3) fire ecohydrology in LA Basin, (4) heat island effect related to urban green-space and urban agriculture, (5) hydrochemical imprint of mircoplastics on urban water, (6) biodiversity and people in urban gardens and farms, and (7) environmental justice and tree canopy cover in the inner city. All of the projects were selected as they allow tangible STEM accomplishments, including refereed publications. The pool (local and national) of underrepresented students and the institution's longstanding commitment and success in their recruitment behooves us to focus on talented students that would gain substantially by this REEU, and consider advanced degrees related to urban natural resources management and sustainable urban agriculture. The research will contribute to understanding of climate and anthropogenic-forced change in urban environments and systems that require additional study and long-term monitoring. This project also will focus substantially on recruiting and retaining diverse students. As a result, this effort aims to expand diversity representation in urban natural resources decision making, urban agriculture, and urban food production.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
60%
Developmental
10%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
9037299310040%
1120399205015%
1240330107015%
1330210205010%
1360530106010%
9030530310010%
Knowledge Area
133 - Pollution Prevention and Mitigation; 136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity; 112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery; 124 - Urban Forestry;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources; 0399 - Watersheds and river basins, general; 0530 - Parks and urban green space; 7299 - Research equipment and methods, general/other; 0330 - Wetland and riparian systems;

Field Of Science
2050 - Hydrology; 1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1070 - Ecology; 3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
This 9-week summer USDA REEU program at Cal State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) will enable new training research and opportunities for students from across the nation to compete for technical and policy-oriented positions in urban natural resource management and urban agriculture in academia, government, and consulting industry. The project aims to provide an optimal experience for those continuing to graduate school. The objectives of this REEU program are to: 1) Provide students an enriching and cultural experience under the guidance and mentorship of a core group of faculty with research interests in the fields of urban agriculture and related natural resources issues of urban agricultural growth and sustainability, including; urban green space renewal and ecology, urban water sustainability, heat island effect, environmental chemistry, environmental citizen science applications, and environmental justice issues related to urban green space and agriculture. 2) Increase the number of students pursuing advanced degrees in fields related to urban agriculture, such as urban natural resources management, the policy of urban food production and water use, and modeling and technology applications in urban natural resource management. Strong emphasis will be placed on recruiting diverse students at an early stage in their academic careers. 3) Increase the number of underrepresented students and especially those that do not have access to research opportunities and/or professional development, providing exposure/training in research and opportunities for these students to pursue graduate degrees or employment. 4) Strengthen faculty collaborations in urban natural resources and urban agriculture to ensure that multidisciplinary research opportunities for undergrads continue beyond the life of the REEU.As part of our REEU program we will recruit 9 students per year for 5 years with undergraduate majors in agriculture, geology, biology, environmental science, geography, and chemistry. At least 50% of the students will come from campuses with limited research capacity, such as community colleges. We currently maintain excellent student and faculty exchange programs with many local and out-of-state community colleges. No less than 60% will be from underrepresented groups, reflecting our institution's demographics. We will strive to recruit 50% of students from outside the LA Basin, and/or outside of California, focusing recruitment on rising sophomores, juniors, and early seniors.Our REEU program will prepare students for careers in agriculture and related fields or graduate studythrough a nested series of undergraduate research opportunities, supporting mentoring workshops, and social events during the 9-week summer REEU experience at our campus.Lab research activities include investigations in 7 complementary topical areas that embody the critical connections between disciplinary topics that are highly relevant to developing urban agriculture in diverse, semi-arid regions such as Southern California. Mentoring activities include Friday afternoon meetings between all REEU students, REEU faculty, and graduate students. Faculty and graduate students will lead informal discussions related to career and professional development and challenges (e.g., why a professional discipline was selected for a career; how graduate school was selected). Social actitivities include three-weekend social events that aim to create bonds between REEU students and faculty peers. In addition, we will host Friday afternoon volleyball and basketball events, social events critical to the bonding that is integral to this project.We anticipate our program will create a high degree of academic and professional enrichment for 45 undergraduate students who will be steered toward careers in agriculture, natural resources evaluation and management, biodiversity, and climate change analysis and mitigation. A greater emphasis will be placed on urban agriculture and urban natural resources evaluation and management.
Project Methods
Diverse undergraduate students will be recruited nationally for summer research experiences at our REEU site. We will recruit 9 students per year for 5 years with undergraduate majors in agriculture, geosciences, biology, environmental science, geography, chemistry, and related fields of human sciences. At least 50% of the students will come from campuses with limited research capacity, such as local and distant community colleges. We already maintain excellent student and faculty exchange programs with many of the local community colleges in Los Angeles. With respect to our targeted goals, at least 60%, from underrepresented groups. We will recruit part of our student base locally from surrounding campuses and community colleges. We will strive to recruit 50% of students from outside the LA Basin, and/or outside of California, focusing recruitment on rising sophomores, juniors, and early seniors in about equal percentages. During the interview process, students and mentors will determine placement in a principal lab before they arrive at Cal State LA where they will carry out research during a 9-week period.Student applicants will be evaluated on academic performance, research interests, and personal motivation through an online application, personal essay, unofficial academic transcript, letters of recommendation, and faculty mentor interview. Students will be evaluated first based on their online application, essay, and LOR. ZOOM interviews will then be conducted with students scoring in the top 25 of all applicants. Student demographics and home institutions will be used to ensure maximum diversity amongst the participants.A chronicle of REEU site activities will be developed (e.g., Facebook) to help recruit future students, highlight REEU Site accomplishments, and track the post-program activities of participants. All summer undergraduate researchers will receive $5500 for the 9-week experience requiring a minimum of 35 hours of work per week. Funds will cover student travel to campus from outside of the Los Angeles Basin. All students will receive a research budget, under the direction of faculty mentors, to augment research funding already available in mentor labs.Once students are recruited and arrive at our campus, we will engage these students in seven topical research areas included in the REEU program covering a full spectrum of technical disciplines in FAHN analysis with emphasis on urban areas. Research thrust areas include seven subprojects for student research covering a spectrum of technical disciplines in urban natural resources analysis and urban agriculture. Some projects include significant technological and modeling components, such as GIS and remote sensing, and hydrological modeling. The multiple research projects coordinated across areas of mutual interest and natural connection include: 1. Natural and Amended Soil Microsystem Development in Urban Agriculture for Better Nutrition and Enhanced Water Quality Improvement and Infiltration; 2. Competitive Water Availability for Urban Agriculture and Urban Greenspace; 3. Fire Ecohydrology in LA Basin; 4. Heat Island Effect Related to Urban Greenspace and Urban Agriculture; 5. Chemical Imprint of Microplastics on Urban Water; 6. Biodiversity and People in Urban Gardens and Farms; and 7. Environmental Justice and Tree Canopy Cover in the Inner City - Remedy of Historical Redlining of Urban Communities. Students will be trained in data statistics, field and laboratory methodology, and modeling with a focus on applications directly connected to the development and knowledge of urban agriculture and urban greenspace. Research is the main thrust of the REEU but we also have several other professional growth activities built into the program, including additional workshop training activities, special mentoring activities, and social activities.We also have a special research and training activities at the midpoint of the grant program each summer, when all students will participate in a four-day field trip. The trip will leave starting Monday morning and will end Thursday night. A focus of part of this trip will be to demonstrate ecohydrology field methods for all students in the REEU Cohort. This trip will serve to continue to develop the bonding and collegiality between students and faculty and it will provide the regional context and oversight on the urban natural resource issues and dwindling water supply that are pertinent in agriculture in the southwest, and to student learning. Students will visit successful urban farms, urban forested areas, US national forests, wetlands, and water infrastructure firsthand and learning about operations of water delivery systems has been part of a long tradition in agricultural and environmental science education. Students will also research assigned topics and perform 15-minute roadside talks on pertinent components of agricultural and environmental systems that are visited.Finally, to assess and improve the program each year, we will perform the REEU evaluation. In collaboration with the project senior personnel, our contract external evaluator will develop measures that are tied to the REEU project's goals and content. These will include a set of questionnaires, scales and concept inventories that measure student content and research knowledge, faculty satisfaction, and faculty-student engagement with the REEU program. Student retention, graduation, graduate school, and career data will be collected and analyzed annually.The main project evaluation questions are to what degree this effort affects the recruitment of high-caliber undergraduate students into agriculture and related STEM careers and how the summer research affects students' academic and career pathways. Summer Research Experience Growth, Undergraduate Attitudes, Publications, and Career Decisions and Pathways will be assessed to facilitate evaluation and reporting. The role and effectiveness of the various summer research experiences will be assessed annually to make sure that this component of the program is accomplishing its various motivational, mentoring and cohort-melding goals.We will follow up with students to determine their actual career pathways. We expect at least 70% of participating undergraduate students to enroll in MS or Ph.D. programs upon finishing their degrees. For those students not pursuing higher degrees, we expect 75% to find employment in agriculture and STEM-related public/private sector jobs. The PI will have responsibility for maintaining contact with participating students for three years after each summer REEU program.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:This project focuses on experiential undergraduate research addressing critical issues in food production and natural resource management, particularly in urban, predominantly low-income areas. It emphasizes mentoring and training high-achieving undergraduate students in natural resource management as it pertains to urban agricultural plots and food gardens, at both small and city-wide scales. The project provides an in-depth exploration of the science and technology underlying sustainable and economical management of urban food farms, environmental landscapes, and ecosystems. Additionally, it addresses challenges related to limited water resources, land use, and environmental issues necessary for developing and managing urban agriculture and greenspaces, with a primary focus on the rapidly evolving Southern California region and occasional applications in other semi-arid areas. In the first year of this five-year initiative, we selected nine undergraduate students for a fully funded, nine-week Research and Extension Experiential Learning for Undergraduates program hosted on our campus. The cohort included one high-achieving student from Cal State LA, three students from other four-year institutions (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cal State Long Beach, and Seattle University), and five students from community colleges (two from Cerritos Community College, one from Rio Hondo Community College, one from Los Angeles City College, and one from Phoenix College in Arizona). Our program aims to ensure that at least one-third of our students come from community colleges or institutions with limited research opportunities, and that at least two-thirds represent historically underrepresented demographics, including first-generation college students. We surpassed these goals, successfully recruiting 5 Latinx students, 2 Asian American students, and 2 Caucasian students, with 5 of the total recruits being female. Other customers include public agencies, stakeholders, and the general scientific community. The studentresearch contributes to the study of climate change and human-driven impacts on urban natural resource systems, which require further investigation and long-term monitoring. Additionally, the project seeks to foster a high level of collaboration between participating faculty, student researchers, and stakeholders engaged in the project. Accordinly, raw and published data is being shared with relevant agencies and stakeholders and made accessible. Progress in these interactions, already ongoing just after summer 1 of the grant, is growing. For example, we recently participated ina ZOOM information meeting with City of Los Angeles official discussing our project findings in project subareas of mutual interest. The project already includesfollow-up conference presentations to synthesize findings and share discoveries with both the scientific community and the public. We expect that these efforts will culminate in publications in natural resources and educational journals, with REEU students contributing and, in some cases, leading as co-authors. It is early now, but even before the start of summer 2, we expect to have 1 or 2 journal papers accepted or in print. Several conference presentations are listedin theproducts section of this annual report. Changes/Problems:Classes were scheduled to remain remote for an entire week and university events scheduled were canceled for a full week. For faculty mentor labs that carried out field work, this setback was not particularly difficult to navigate, as students were picked up and taken to the field in the regular manner. Official campus approval had to be obtained to enter labs on campus to pickup field equipment for field work so that was a hurdle. Some of the labs carrying out research with chemistry or biological applications hadmore difficulty and had to adjust with alternative assignments and training. Fortunately this setback lasted only one week. One of our nine REEU students left in the 4th weekof the 9 week REEU, after completing a significant amount of work. The student had some personal issues that needed to be attended to. The student, apparently having high moral character, didn't cash the first stipend check, but should have. We are trying to recall this student for the summer of 2025 so the student can complete their REEU experience. However, if the student does not return, we will fill 10 stipends in 2025 and maintain our quota with or without the 2024 student who did not finish the experience. The stipend and research funding is intact for the 2024 student who left due to a personal crisis, or for another student. Eight (8) students completed all tasks in the first year of our REEU grant, and we plan to fill 10 positions in 2025 and stay up to datein our grantschedule. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We hosted three summer-long workshop categories as part of the USDA REEU Experience: NSF-Sponsored Professional Development and Career-Focused Workshops Internal Career Seminars offered by Cal State LA faculty, including USDA REEU mentors General Workshops aligned with the REEU Grant Objectives for our REEU Site REEU student attendance was mandatory for these events. Most workshops, along with mentoring lunches and social activities like movie nights and athletic events, were held as full-day events on Tuesdays or Thursdays. A summary of the topics and their dates is provided below. NSF-Sponsored Workshops - Summer 2024 June 20: Leadership Skills, Cultural Competence, and Belonging June 27: Career Journeys in the Ocean, Atmosphere, and Earth System Sciences (Panel Discussion) July 2: Writing a Winning Cover Letter and Resume July 11: Bringing Your Identities and Voices to the Research and Science Community July 18: Graduate School Panel: Finding and Selecting a Graduate School July 23: Maximizing Your Time in College: Make Your Undergraduate Degree Work for You July 30: How to Get into Graduate School (Presentation and Q&A) Mentoring Career Workshops - Summer 2024 June 20: Dr. Jessica Bremner - Careers in Social Geography and Environmental Equity June 27: Ms. Yoshie Hagaiwara - Careers in Environmental Consulting July 2: Dr. Evelyn Alvarez - Careers in Public Health July 18: Dr. Brenda Andrade Rounds - Careers in Environmental Chemistry July 23: Dr. Steve LaDochy - Careers in Meteorology and Geospatial Analysis July 30: Ms. Monica Maynard - Careers in K-16 Teaching Internal and External Workshops - Summer 2024 June 24: Engaging Poster Presentation Tips, led by Dr. Sonya Lopez June 28: Off-Campus Metabolic Studio Tour and Discussion July 2: Organic Chemistry Lab Tour and Instrumentation Discussion, led by Dr. Petr Vozka July 23: Tour of the Cal State LA Hydrogen Energy Station, led by Dr. David Blakeman July 30: Urban Food Garden Tour and Exercise, led by Dr. Barry Hibbs July 30: Inorganic Water Quality Analysis of Multi-Day Field Trip Samples, led by Dr. Barry Hibbs Project Director and PI, Barry Hibbs attendiedthe two day Project Director's meeting in Kansas City in October 2024 and participated in the various activities during this beneficial meeting and workshop. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Several conference presentations have been highlighted in the "Products" section, showcasing work presented by students or co-authored by them. A comprehensive list of these presentations, including their topics and citations, is provided. The Project Director (PD), Barry Hibbs, shared the first-year accomplishments of the Cal-State LA REEU Site during the 2024 USDA REEU Project Director's Meeting in Kansas City. Additionally, on November 6, 2024, Dr. Hibbs met with Cal-State LA colleagues and City of Los Angeles personnel involved in stream restoration and urban retrofit projects. During this meeting, Dr. Hibbsdiscussed hiswork in the Los Angeles River Watershed and presented data generated through projects led by USDA REEU students who collaborated with Dr. Hibbs in his lab. On November 15, 2024, two of our REEU undergraduate students presented their research at the REEU Science Influencers Conference sponsored by Texas A&M University. In the next reporting cycle, we expect to have many more presentations and at least one or two supporting journal papers accepted or in print. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We feel the first year was successful overall. We regret thatone student had to leave the summer program early due to personal reasons and we hope to have that student back next summer, 2025. We plan to offer 10 REEU stipends next summer 2025 to get to our two year program goal of 18 students completing the USDA REEU program.We are satisfied with meeting our diversity and cohort professional development goals in our first year and we will continue to strive to meet or exceed those goals in forthcoming summers. We also expect our publication record to grow and expand into journal publication categories. We look forward to continued successin our 5-year USDA REEU grant and we very much appreciate USDA NIFA support.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Summarizing the topics listed above, data are provided for each abbreviated goal. 1. Provide students with an enriching and culturally diverse experience under the guidance and mentorship of a dedicated group of faculty Of the nine REEU students, eight successfully completed the nine-week program. The ninth student, who could not finish due to serious personal matters unrelated to the REEU, is discussed in the "Problems Encountered" section. This student will be invited to participate in summer 2025. To accommodate students from outside the Los Angeles Basin, three of the nine students, who attended from campuses beyond the LA Basin, resided in campus apartment dorms for eight weeks. Workshops and Mentorship Activities As part of the USDA REEU Experience, we hosted three categories of summer-long workshops: a) NSF-Sponsored Professional Development and Career-Focused Workshops;b) Internal Career Seminars led by Cal State LA faculty, including USDA REEU mentors; c) General Workshops aligned with the REEU Grant Objectives for our site.All of these mentoring activities were completed, and their titles are listed in the "Professional Development" section in the next reporting portal. With rare exceptions due to illness, all students participated in these activities. Mentoring was conducted by individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Student Research and Symposium All eight students successfully completed their core research projects and presented their findings during the ninth week at the full-day REEU Research Symposium. The presentations ranged from good to excellent, with project titles as follows: Yesenia Garza (Dr. Alvarez, mentor): Leveraging Community Science Applications for Environmental Research Marc Villa (Dr. Scoffoni, mentor): Combined Effect of Light and Heat on Leaf Function Ariana Kosmicky (Dr. Scoffoni, mentor): Stomatal Diversity of Succulent CAM Species and Link to Heat Tolerance Christopher Cristales (Dr. Hibbs, mentor): Reconnaissance Inspection of the Hydrochemistry of the Downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach Reach of the Los Angeles River Luke Sprecker (Dr. Hibbs, mentor): Hydrogeologic Study of the Mimbres Basin Aquifer System - A Transboundary Multi-Use Aquifer Minh Nguyen (Dr. LaDochy, mentor): Evaluating Socioeconomic Disparities in Tree Canopy Coverage within the Los Angeles Basin Alyce Antonio-Ulloa (Dr. Vellanoweth, mentor): Arabidopsis Thaliana: Gene Expression in Rosette and Cauline Leaves in LTP3/4 Mutated Plants Emily Kuramura (Dr. Vozka, mentor): Comparative Analysis of Organic Compounds Adsorbed onto Microplastics in the LA Basin In addition to their presentations, all students submitted a four-page summative research report. These reports included a statement of purpose, methods, data analysis results, and discussion, as well as the inclusion of raw data. Group Field Activities A four-day mid-summer field activity, led by Dr. Hibbs, involved visits to several key locations: The Kern River system and agricultural systems in the Central Valley near Bakersfield;Los Angeles and California Aqueducts, Castaic Lake, and Pyramid Lake, as part of the California State Water Project;The Los Angeles River, urban wetlands, and urban farms along the LA River; The Arroyo Seco Watershed, including visits at urban wetlands, groundwater recharge areas, urban farms, and green space retrofits in low-income areas. While visiting these areas, students collected water, soil samples, and refuse plastic bottles collected from urban streams for chemical analysis. These samples were later tested during internal laboratory workshops, where all students gained hands-on experience with laboratory methods. 2) Increase the number of students pursuing advanced degrees in fields related to urban agriculture...... At the conclusion of the grant, the Project Director (PD), Barry Hibbs, conducted a survey asking students who completed the 2024 REEU experience, "How do you feel about attending graduate school at this time?" with the following response options: A) Definitely plan to apply to graduate school; B) Undecided at this time; C) Unlikely to apply to graduate school after completing my Bachelor's degree. Seven of eight students responded "Definitely plan to apply to graduate school," while one student answered "Undecided at this time." We believe the REEU experience positively influenced their academic and career aspirations. 3) Increase the number of underrepresented students and especially those that do not have access to research opportunities and/or professional development, providing exposure/training in research and opportunities for these students to pursue graduate degrees or employment............ In the inaugural year of the grant, the first summer cohort comprised one student from Cal State LA, three students from other four-year institutions (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cal State Long Beach, and Seattle University), and five students from community colleges (two from Cerritos Community College, one from Rio Hondo Community College, one from Los Angeles City College, and one from Phoenix College in Arizona). Exceeding our community college and demographic goals, we successfully recruited five Latinx students, two Asian American students, and two Caucasian students, with five of the total participants being female. This fairly closely matches the campusdemographic of Cal-State LA. We hope to recruit African American students and Pacific Islander students in the future. 4) Strengthen faculty collaborations in urban natural resources and urban agriculture to ensure that multidisciplinary research opportunities for undergrads continue beyond the life of the REEU Our grant includes mentors at both the assistant and full professor levels. As we continue to deepen our understanding of each other's research, we aim to pursue more integrative activities and foster cross-laboratory collaborations, aligning with the strategic goals outlined in our grant plan.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sprecker, Luke. November 2024. Hydrogeologic study of the Mimbres Basin aquifer system- Related to urban areas, agriculture, and open space. Texas A&M REEU Science Influencers Research Symposium. November 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Garza, Michelle. November 2024. A multifaceted approach to leveraging community science applications for REEU summer environmental research. Texas A&M REEU Science Influencers Research Symposium. November 2024. (Due to an emergency personal matter this student was not able to present; but the abstract and presentation are listed on the REEU Science Influencer's Research Symposium Website)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Marc, Villa. 2024. Combined effect of light and heat on leaf function. Texas A&M REEU Science Influencers Research Symposium. November 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ruelas, C., Hibbs, B., Cristales, C., Sprecker, L., and Newcomer, M. Forthcoming December 2024. Hydrochemical Analysis of the LA River between downtown Los Angeles and the outlet at the Pacific Ocean. Annual Meeting of National Groundwater Association, Abs with Programs, Abstract Set N101/N103.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2025 Citation: Morales, K., Vozka, P. (March, 2025). Microplastic pollution on California Beaches: An Emerging Environmental Concern. Poster presentation at the ACS Spring 2025, San Diego, CA  abstract submitted
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2025 Citation: Garza, Y.M, Alvarez, E.N., (submitted abstract, awaiting acceptance). Using community science applications to highlight environmental waste and air pollution on the Cal State LA campus: An REEU summer environmental research project. The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), Pittsburgh, April 2025