Source: VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
STUDENT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING-INTERNSHIPS, PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN ANIMAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030723
Grant No.
2023-38821-40135
Cumulative Award Amt.
$299,773.00
Proposal No.
2022-10137
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jun 1, 2023
Project End Date
May 31, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[EP]- Teaching Project
Recipient Organization
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
PETERSBURG,VA 23803
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Virginia State University (VSU Lead), Delaware State University (DSU), and North Carolina State University (NCSU-1890 University) prepared this teaching proposal to provide 1) student experiential learning by paid internships in animal/Pre-Vet, environmental science, and climate change, 2) professional development skills by structured workshops offered by the participating faculty team, and 3) faculty development workshops. The program priorities are strongly aligned with USDA NIFA program priorities in sustainable agricultureand environmental sciences. The outcomes of students' experiential learning program include students with skillsets in techniques and knowledge that are important for success in academic advancements and their preparation for workforce in our proposal. Faculty development workshops will allow instructors to integrate climate change and environmental contents in animal science/Pre-Vet concentration. The academic internship program on VSU and DSU campuses will provide research experience in Microbiology and Food Safety, Animal Health, Small Ruminants, Environmental Science, Climate Change, Water Quality Monitoring, and integration of geospatial technologies. The academic internship will be followed by Summer Internships at NCSU, Tuskegee University, and USDA ARS Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory and Aerial Application Technology Research Unit will contribute to students' learning use of scientific instrumentation. The Professional Skills Development will create awareness of needful skills for professional opportunities, develop students' leadership for communicating their outcomes of research, and workforce for USDA and other agencies. The faculty development will enhance faculty's expertise in teaching of the courses in the above-mentioned disciplines (curriculum enrichment), mentoring, and retention of students until their graduation with B.S. degree in Agriculture.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
3073999302035%
1320430302035%
1020210302030%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 132 - Weather and Climate; 307 - Animal Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
3999 - Animal research, general; 0430 - Climate; 0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
- Prepare students for academic excellence with student experiential learning and leadership development experiences- Allow students to gain cultural experience and knowledge about the academic climate and communication at DSU, VSU, TU, NCSU, and UMES- Plan hands-on activities and student experiential learning during the academic year- Provide internship opportunities for students at different institutions in the areas of their expertise (Animal and Environmental Sciences)- Plan professional skills development workshops/activities for students- Provide resources and funding for students' projects- Train students in applied and/or basic research, monitoring, data collection, and analysis- Posters and presentations for meetings and workshops- Peer reviewed journal articles and factsheets- Prepare workshops for faculty development
Project Methods
The student experiential will include Academic Year Internships at VSU and DSU campuses and Summer Internships at NCSU, Tuskegee University, USDA ARS Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland and USDA ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit, College Station, Texas. The academic internships will include participation in research on VSU and DSU campuses during fall and spring of year 1 and year 2 of the project.The Summer Research Internship will engage students from VSU and DSU to gain hands-on experiences in research-intensive laboratories of NCSU, Tuskegee University, USDA ARS Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, in Beltsville, Maryland, and USDA Aerial Application Technology Research Unit in College Station, Texas.The professional skills development activities in this proposal will prepare student participants of this project to develop communication skills to present the outcomes of their research during internships at student conferences (oral and poster presentations), interactions with invited professionals in FARNH sciences. The workshops will be open to students in the School of Engineering and Science. The student participants will gain skills in preparation of power points slides, make the oral and poster presentations, guidance on attire at the conferences, interactions with peers in FARNH conferences, and communications with professionals at job opportunities booths. The participants in this project will be required to become members of Campus MANRRS student organization which meets on regular basis on VSU campus, learn skills to develop oral and poster presentations at student conferences (NSF ERN in FARNH, HBCU Climate Change, Animal Science/Pre-Vet Student Conferences at NCSU and Tuskegee University, EPA' Environmental Initiative).To enhance the capabilities of PI, Co-PIs and participating faculty members, workshops will be hosted on: (i) suggestions to workshopparticipants on mentoring students for retention in their concentration as a result of academic year internships, (ii) communication with the students to continue aptitude in research in FANRH sciences, and (iii) learning how to integrate GIS technology in environmental science and climate change. Workshops will be hosted at VSU campus only. Virtual workshops will be set for speakers from NCSU, Tuskegee University, USDA ARS Laboratories in Beltsville, Maryland and College Station, Texas. The Cooperative Extension Specialists at VSU and DSU will speak about activities at VSU's Randolph Farm and DSU's Hickory Hill Farm, community outreach.The project will be monitored and evaluated continuously to ensure that the objectives are accomplished at each step in the life of the project. The evaluation process will include several measures to evaluate the quality and success of activities. The outcomes of this project will be monitored by the PI and Co-PIs at VSU and DSU. In addition, the Co-PI at NCSU and mentors at Tuskegee University, and USDA ARS Laboratories will provide the feedback on students' summer internship activities. The following indicators will be used to monitor and evaluate progress towards outcomes. The accomplishments in the specific program objectives will be assessed through regular meetingsorganized by the PI and Co-PIs at VSU and DSU who will develop evaluation instruments according to the project objectives. These evaluation forms will be distributed to the participants (in academic and summer internships and professional skills development workshops), faculty in development workshops, The Internal evaluator from Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (VSU and DSU) will analyze and interpret evaluations and produce summative reports. The following methods will be used: (1) Assessment by students' research internship experiences in academic year (on campuses), and summer (at NCSU, Tuskegee University, USDA ARS laboratories), (2) Survey of student participation in professional skills development workshops in FARNH areas, (3) Communication with participants at faculty development workshops on their success in updating the concentration in animal science/Pre-Vet and integration of technology inenvironmental science, (4) PI and Co-PIs will meet regularly to discuss the evaluation progress and instruments used, update the pre- and post-evaluation surveys, and analyze and interpret data, prepare progress reports to the funding agency, (5) Monitoring the number of publications and presentations by the participating students in internships at conferences.

Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes a cross-section of students currently registered in the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University (VSU) in addition to future applicants (K - 16 students from schools within our region) and the K- 16 teachers. To this point, the project has focused on reaching the VSU college student audience through several methods: faculty engagement through courses, flyers, student club leadership. Faculty engagement in courses - Professors are promoting opportunities for students in their classes to get involved in project activities, and integrating the opportunities into course work. Flyers - Physical and digital flyers are developed and distributed to raise awareness among student body. Student club leadership - The project is working directly with the leadership of student organizations in the College including MANRRS, the horticulture club and the pre-vet club. Dr Neil Brown, the grant coordinator, has been able to facilitate this engagement, as he serves as a co-advisor for both MANRRS and the Pre-Vet club. Changes/Problems:Virginia State University has a significant population of first-generation students and developing experiential learning opportunities that are appropriate for our students that do not assume a certain level of prior knowledge, experiences of interest, requires attention to the factors that motivate students. It has been a challenge therefore to get large numbers of student participation as each student requires a level of attention that does not align with a mass marketing approach. We continue to work through academic advisors and instructors to identify interested students and to be pro-active in reaching out to them early in their academic journey. In addition, we have also had some challenge in finding appropriate leaders for our hack-a-thons and plan to reach out to other 1890s who have had more success in this area to determine if a collaboration may be feasible. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training has taken various forms based on the target group. Undergraduate students have gained training via preparation for various MANRRS competitions. All 14 students that attended the MANRRS regional conference in 2024 participated in various competitions. This was an opportunity for Chapter advisors and other faculty to train students in communication, presentation and various topical areas. Two of our students placed first and second in the Elevator Pitch competition, One placed second in the Impromptu competition. This training continued as six students participated in the MANRRS National Conference competitions. Training for undergrads also took the form of hands-on skills during the Grazing School that also allowed students to develop their systems thinking skills and integrate social, environmental, animal welfare and wellness and ethical topics into various decision-making processes. Teacher training workshop allowed teachers to be trained in the use of educational technologies the incorporation of these technologies into their classroom. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?So far, we have not focused on disseminating results, however, Dr Brown is currently working on an article to be published in the Small Farms Outreach Newsletter regarding one of the field experiences for students and will continue to assess this approach as a mechanism for sharing results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan on repeating all the activities that were conducted in the current reporting period in the next reporting period. In addition, we plan on developing competitions and other mechanisms for engaging students and providing financial support. We are also exploring ways to partner with other 1890s to host a Hack-a-thon and to increase the experiential learning opportunities for our students. There are other grants that have been used to support internship opportunities and non-formal educational activities that are ending. The programs have helped to establish relationships with corporate as well as academic institutions and as we move into the next reporting period, there are opportunities to build upon these successes as part of the NextGen set of deliverables.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Artificial Insemination certification: Students acquired artificial insemination certification that can be used to enhance their resume and make them competitive for internships and the workforce Grazing School: Responses below are a sample from a survey provided to students about the grazing school, in response to the question "Would you recommend this grazing school to other students? If so, explain why." • "Yes, I would highly recommend grazing school to other students because it was such a valuable, rewarding learning experience with interactive hands on experiences and activities that made learning so exciting!" • "Yes. It's a good way to see your major/concentration in action." • "I think this grazing school is beneficial to other students because it gives them the proper opportunity and skills and knowledge to understand about the soil, forage, and animal welfare and how they roles benefit each." Women in hospitality leadership conference: This opportunity led to a number of internship opportunities for students including an internship with the Dallas Cowboys working alongside a well-known chef in the industry. Teacher training workshop: The teacher training workshop has continued to strengthen relationships with schools surrounding the Virginia State University (VSU) campus and has allowed for a mechanism for teachers to be more actively involved in the planning process for future workshops as the learn more about the resources, opportunities and various ways of partnering with VSU.

Publications


    Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Students and faculty Changes/Problems:This grant has experienced two major challenges leading to delays and a request for a no-cost extension. One of the co-PIs who was integral in maintaining the relationships with the internship providers passed away. In addition, the grant PI left the University and a new PI (Dr Neil Brown) needed time to get acquainted with the grant and engage students. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities for students to develop professional development at the MANRRS national meeting. The project also provided opportunities for faculty to be trained in a curriculum development training program hosted by faculty at Bentley University as part of a National Science Foundation grant. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The experiential learning coordinator has been engaging students in a variety of ways including via flyers, by directly engaging with student organizations and list serves What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Assuming we are granted the no-cost extension, the next grant period we plan on supporting students to conduct summer internships at North Carolina State University and to host students from Delaware State University. We are also building relationships new internship providers to introduce students to emerging career opportunities.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? This funding is intended to provide training and internship opportunities for students, professional and leadership opportunities for students and professional development opportunities for faculty. Due to delays mentioned later in this report, summer internships have been delayed and documentation for a no-cost extension is currently being submitted. An Experiential learning coordinator was hired in a part-time role. This coordinator has been essential in supporting students for semester long internships, developing and maintaining relationships. The experiential learning coordinator will also support students during the summer internships. Funding is being used to support student and faculty travel to the 2025 MANRRS National meeting. Attending students will be competing in national competitions. Funding was used to cover stipends and research supplies including soil analyses for 5 interns during summer, fall and spring semesters. Approximately 50 students were taken to Virginia Tech to explore career opportunities in animal sciences as well as a tour of the Veterinary School.

    Publications