Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Building on past successes, the Applied Plant Systems 2 program (APS.2) will implement and evaluate an undergraduate internship program aimed at enhancing students' abilities to apply knowledge and utilize research and professional skills gained in the program to address agricultural and natural resources challenges. During the summer, students will engage in internship research and/or extension activities aligned with their career interests. They will have the opportunity to choose from a range of options provided by a network of research and extension mentors.Moreover, the APS.2 program will incorporate several key components:Integration of a structured team-building workshop.Facilitation of cognitive engagement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).Preparation of participants to lead a half-day experiential session at a Youth Agricultural Camp.Guiding of participants to develop agricultural and natural resources learning/teaching tools for high school science teachers.We anticipate that participating interns will develop exceptional skills in science efficacy, systems thinking, effective and inclusive teamwork, and a strong interest in agricultural and natural resources outreach and extension.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The goal of APS.2 is to implement and evaluate an internship/professional development program for undergraduate students (both non-agricultural/non-natural resources and agricultural/natural resources) that is designed to achieve specific improvements in students' abilities to translate the knowledge and skills learned in the program to address real-world agricultural and natural resources challenges while also contributing to local learning communities.This project's education objective is to improve the following skill sets: 1) growth in teamwork, decision-making, and efficacy in the process of science skills from reported baselines at program start; 2) ability to demonstrate how the research or application of knowledge connects to agricultural and natural resources challenges and to community well-being; 3) ability to demonstrate how the decision-making process evolved through the learning experience; 4) storytelling skills for sharing the science through videos and lesson plans; and 5) ability to understand how integrating DEI empowers us to solve agricultural and natural resources challenges more effectively. We postulate that a highly skilled agricultural and natural resources workforce professional will require the following attributes and efficacies:System-level thinking to understand how experiential learning connects to challenges faced in the agriculture and natural resources fields.Effective decision-making through systems understanding and critical thinking.An entrepreneurial mindset to amplify diffusion of science and technology.Effective communication of scientific outcomes to diverse audiences through development of effective outreach, extension, and education materials or resources.An inclusive leadership mindset to create an effective, dynamic team of problem-solvers.
Project Methods
Participating students will be selected by co-PIs. Students will be in sophomore or junior standing. Academic performance (e.g., GPA) will be a criterion; however, much more emphasis will be placed on the student's desire and potential to develop the skill sets being targeted in the program, and alignment of their short- and long-term professional goals with the program and the specific internship opportunities available. Students selected for participation will be notified and connected to their mentor following their acceptance. Our retention plan includes meeting students virtually in the spring before they arrive, distributing student stipends in several installments, creating student cohorts based on interest and internship linkages, and our Think Tank sessions. We will use regular communication between interns and the APS team through a virtual communication platform (e.g., Microsoft Teams) and email.A unique aspect of the proposed program will be a wide range of diverse topics and types of experiential learning available to participating students through a network of mentors. These experiential learning opportunities will include not only traditional research track experiences but also extension internships to create diverse experiences that are still focused on the outlined educational outcomes/objectives.We will host an online onboarding conference with all mentors and interns in late spring before the summer internship and Think Tank Sessions begin. These conferences will be organized and led by co-PIs Mamo and Sandall and will feature an overview of the program and of UNL and Lincoln Community, followed by breakout meetings for mentors and selected intern pairs.Synergistic experiences.Think Tank Sessions: The APS. 2 team will organize weekly sessions to help students connect, build professional networks, share the work they are doing, discuss ways their work contributes to the whole (system-level thinking), and learn about their communitiesYouth Ag Camp and Lunch-and-Learn with Minority Farmers: The APS.2 team will partner with KSU to co-host a component of the Switzer Nicodemus/Jr MANRRS Educational Camp - a week-long grade 5-12 summer youth residential camp established in 2007 in honor of Veryl Switzer, a Nicodemus, KS, descendent. This well-established camp coordinated by co-PI Wiley provides a variety of age-appropriate learning activities for 20-25 students. REEU interns to lead half-day hands-on experiential STEAM activities as camp week begins the last week in June. The APS.2 project leaders and graduate student will support planning and organizing activities. After these activities, REEU interns will have lunch with and learn from Nicodemus area minority farmers to understand successes and challenges of underrepresented farmers.Supporting Science Education: Each intern will meet with co-PIs for guided conversations with the goal of having students start conceptualizing plans for a professional, peer-reviewed outreach product to meet the needs of high school science teachers. Students will be guided on the best way to assemble the creative work. By Week 8, each intern will have created an action plan for the development of the outreach/extension materials. The APS.2 team will set a completion timeline for fall semester. In the fall, students will organize time to meet and work with their team while at their respective institutions. Co-PIs Keshwani and Sandall will lead two video conferencing sessions with the cohort to support the intern teams. The teams will submit drafts of their science literacy projects during the semester, and the APS.2 team will review drafts and provide feedback before final products are submitted in mid-November. Primary distribution platforms will be the Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary, an open access lesson repository, and through CASNR LINKS and our Career Pathway Coordinator.