Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
Insect Science and Plant Science (ISPS) continue to face an alarming decline in students' enrollments in minority serving institutions. Minority students are underrepresented in most undergraduate ISPS programs, professional societies, and the USDA workforce. Unfortunately, most Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and MSIs do not offer degrees in ISPS nor certification programs. In addition, existing academic programs rarely include elements of experiential learning opportunities for university and secondary school students, nor do they provide in-depth discussions and analyses of issues and challenges related to Crop Production and Crop Protection, including food security, food safety, safeguarding U.S. agriculture, and threats posed by pests and diseases. Thus, to address this shortfall we assemble two HBCUs [Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Fort Valley State University (FVSU)], one 1862 institution [University of Florida (UF)] and collaborators (USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA-Animal Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and the Pest Control Industry to work collaboratively on these issues. The critical problems of low enrollment in Agricultural Sciences (ISPS) are perhaps due to the continued apathy for agriculture among minorities. Major reasons include the students' lack of exposure and knowledge of available employment, the perception of a lack of careers in agricultural sciences and a lack of appropriate role models. The proposed project will design innovative ways to create interest and attract college and secondary school students in the discipline of Pest Management. It will provide a new perspective and an open-minded understanding of the field of insect and plant sciences, its importance, and professional opportunities available to graduates. It will create a student-centered learning environment which integrated interactive and digital learning tools while incorporating peer support mentorships, apprenticeships, experiential learning opportunities and faculty and student mentorships. It will also interlink and establish professional development and leadership skills, and pathways for future pest management professionals at an early age. The overall goal of the project is to establish novel recruitment, retention and experiential learning programs designed to increase the number of minority pest management professionals while ensuring the production of well-trained leaders for professional careers and establish employment pathways leading to equity and diversity for the USDA workforce.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of the project is to increase the number of minorities in Insect Science and Plant Science (ISPS) and establish innovative pathways to develop highly skilled professionals in food and agriculture. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives:1). a). recruit minority students in pest management for ISPS programs, and b) retain, mentor, provide scholarships, professional development, and leadership skills to students.2). provide experiential learning opportunities and foster an interest in Pest Management.
Project Methods
Objective 1a). Recruitment and Reach of Minority Students in Pest Management Programs (ISPS). i) Recruitment Strategies. Our recruitment strategies will incorporate the experience and activities that have previously been successful at FAMU. Our partner institutions will also participate in recruitment and retention of minority students. Our recruitment efforts will include the following a) invitation letters to prospective students, b) brochures and flyers for distribution to prospective students, c) online student information management systems and networking for recruitment, d) articulation agreements with other universities and high schools, and e) recruitment at professional meetings and other additional outlets.Objective 1b). Student Retention, Professional Development Leadership and Employment Pathways. i. Student Retention Strategies. Our retention strategies will include a) mentoring and support services, b) network of peer support and information, and c) financial assistance (scholarships, assistantships, and fellowships). ii. Professional Development, Leadership Skills, and Career Pathways will include a) professional development, b) leadership Skills and c) career pathways.Objective 2. Development of Experiential Learning for Students, Workshops, Summer Camps and Hands-on Training for Students and Other Stakeholders E-learning Certification. The project will develop a certification program using an e-learning platform coupled with experiential and hands-on training for students, farmers, and other stakeholders.Summer Camps for Middle School and High School StudentsWe will structure Insect Science and Plant Science summer camps for secondary school (grades 7-12) students.On-campus Apprenticeships for College Students. We will offer the course, ENY 4907 Special Research Problems each semester where each student will be required to develop and carry out a mini-research project on a topic of interest in Pest Management.Hands-on Training for Students Recruited for This Project. The undergraduate and graduate students recruited under this project will follow the Insect Science and Plant Science curricula with emphasis on Crop Protection (Pest Management) at FAMU. These students will also be involved in the activities described below. The students will attend three weeks of experiential learning opportunities at the partner institutions on a rotational basis for continuous mentoring and enrichment in Pest Management. The topics of the experiential learning for each partner institution and collaborators are described below.Experiential Learning and Hands-on Training at Florida A&M UniversityMini-Objective #1: Integrated Management of Key Pests Affecting Honeybees and Beekeeping Apprenticeship (Investigator: Dr. Lambert Kanga). At the conclusion of these experiential learning activities on IPM on beekeeping, the participants will be able to(a) demonstrate knowledge, skills, and confidence in pest control strategies for honeybees, and (b) demonstrate the ability to start beekeeping enterprises for increased rural income opportunities.Mini Objective #2: Capacity Building of 10 High School Biology Teachers Each Year.At the conclusion of these experiential learning activities on Pest Management, the participants will be able to demonstrate knowledge by high school teachers in ISPS and build a pool of future young agricultural scientists.Mini Objective #3: Management of Urban and Medical Insect Pests to Improve Public Health (Investigator: Dr. Anamika Sharma). At the conclusion of these hands-on training activities, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrate research-based skills, and (b) establish networking with pest control professionals.Mini Objective # 4: Automation of Insect Identification and Monitoring in Specialty Crops (vegetables, fruits, and tree nuts) (Investigator: Dr. Muhammad Haseeb). At the conclusion of these experiential learning activities on digital pest identification, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrated knowledge and skills in computer-based pest management tools, and (b) demonstrate the ability to digitally identify pest species.Mini Objective # 5: Development of Future Minority Leaders in the Production of Blueberries and Grapes (Investigator: Dr. Oghenekome Onokpise). At the conculiosn of these experientiallearning activities on crop prodcution, the particiapnts will be able to (a) demonstrate skills and knowledge in the production of specialty crops, and (b) understand pest management tools in crop production (seed to harvest).Mini Objective # 6: Mentor Students in Pest Management of Fruit and Vegetable Production (Investigator: Dr. Alejandro Bolques). At the conclusion of these hands-on training activities on hydroponic crop production, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrate knowledge of conventional plant breeding, plant biotechnology and crop protection, crop production and environmental sustainability, and (b) understand and demonstrate the ability to use Climate Smart IPM Production Practices.Experiential Learning and Hands-on Training at the University of Florida Mini-Objective # 7: Develop Minority Leaders in Pest Management in Citrus and Vegetable Production (Investigator: Dr. Jawwad Qureshi). At the conclusion of these experiential learning activities on IPM on fruit and vegetable crop production, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrate knowledge and skills in IPM strategies in citrus and vegetable production, and (b) understand the principles of multiple cropping systems and pest management strategies.Experiential Learning and Hands-on Training at Fort Valley State University Mini Objective #8: Mentor Students in Postharvest Pest Management of Cereals, Grain Legumes and Fruits in the Era of Climate Change and in Plant Biotechnology (Investigator: Dr. George Mbata). At the conclusion of these experiential learning activities on postharvest IPM on cereals and vegetable production, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrate knowledge and skills in managing pests using biotechnology techniques, and (b) identify post-harvest issues and develop IPM strategies for stored products.Experiential Learning and Hands-on Training at USDA-ARS-CMAVE, FDACS, and Industry Mini Objective #9: Hands-on Training of Participants in Pest Management of Citrus and Vegetable Crops Using Acoustic Detection Methods (Investigator: Dr. Richard Mankin). At the conclusion of these hands-on training activities on acoustic pest detection, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrate knowledge and skills using sound to distinguish among invasive species hidden in palm trees and crops, and b) effectively communicate results from data collected.Mini Objective # 10: To Provide Experiential Learning in IPM Research and Implementation at USDA ARS, FDACS and Entrepreneurship with Industry (Investigator: Dr. Jesusa C. Legaspi). At the conclusion of these hands-on training activities, the participants will be able to (a) demonstrate knowledge of research conducted at USDA-ARS-CMAVE, FDACS, and career opportunities, and (b) understand and discuss IPM strategies implemented at CMAVE and FDACS and entrepreneurship skills in Pest Management.Mini objective # 11: Development of a Pest Management Program for Argentine Cactus Moth in Commercial Opuntia Production (Investigator: Dr. Alexander Gaffke). At the conclusion of these experiential learning activities on pest management of cactus moth, the participants will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills in managing an invasive species Argentine moth.Overall, the training of participants in interdisciplinary fields will provide knowledge and skills needed for these future leaders to address complex agricultural issues (public health, invasive pest species, crop protection, crop production, and entrepreneurship) in a changing climate in the 21st century.