Joseph Donaldson

The Extension Summer Internship Program serves 40 college students each year. Interns work in County extension Centers, mentored by County Extension Professionals and others, to learn roles and responsibilities for Extension careers. The program has shown success for helping rural North Carolina students to gain career adaptability skills and increase their interest in working in a rural North Carolina county. The program includes a research component whereby interns are mentored by Plant Sciences Initiative faculty in local, applied research in cropping systems. This proposal seeks to augment state and federal funds to strengthen Extension Summer Internship Program by increasing stipends for all interns and providing a fall professional learning tour to North Carolina research stations.

Project is in support of PSI. Modern agriculture poses interesting and complex ecological problems and opportunities that require an educated workforce to pursue careers in this field. This project proposes a comprehensive weeklong teacher training program designed to immerse educators in the diverse agricultural landscape of North Carolina, enhancing their capacity to engage their students in understanding and cultivating an interest in agriculture. The program will take participants on an agricultural journey from the sandy soils of the coast across the rolling fields throughout the piedmont and ending with a visit to the mountain hills and hollers, providing a unique blend of field trips to farms, nurseries, research stations, and industry partners, with hands-on lessons and expert-led workshops. This immersive experience aims to prepare teachers with the knowledge and tools necessary to bring an agricultural lens into their classrooms, fostering a new generation of students who understand and appreciate the vital role it plays in their lives and communities.

The overall objective of this proposal to provide county-based, Extension internships with applied research components in cropping systems, climate smart agriculture, and communications.

The Animal Science Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (ASSURE) program is an experiential initiative that will provide Animal Science undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences, a detailed education on leadership and communication practices, and individualized mentorship and career guidance to strengthen US animal production. Our ASSURE program, which will target and recruit sophomore and junior baccalaureate students that are under-resourced (i.e., underrepresented, disabled, economically disadvantaged, rural and first generation college students), has three main objectives: (1) to create an intensive and extensive hands-on experience in applied and fundamental research, (2) to develop and refine essential workforce skills and enhance future employment, and (3) to strengthen and advance understanding of the opportunities available in food animal-related careers and graduate programs. Given that the theme of our ASSURE program is Research Advancing Sustainability in Animal Production, the cornerstone of this program is a 12-week Summer research experience that will include hands-on experience in applied and fundamental Animal Science research as well as Professional Development Fridays which will include instruction on leadership and communication practices, on-site tours of local animal agriculture industry facilities, and career guidance through mentoring meetings and career day panels from Animal Science experts in extension, industry, government, and academia professions. The intended impact of our ASSURE program is to educate and empower Animal Science undergraduates in order to enhance our ability to retain well qualified graduates in animal agriculture and strengthen the workforce in US food animal production.

PI Dr. Joseph Donaldson (NC State) will conduct program evaluation of a Clemson University program to enhance agricultural literacy in middle school social studies curriculum. [Clemson University PIs are Dr. K. Dale Layfield and Dr. Beatrice Naff Bailey.]

A survey of more than 2,000 agricultural and allied sciences employers found a need for new hires who had completed internships and practicums. College students need quality, in-depth practicums to build or refine skills in understanding career pathways and making career decisions. We propose a Food Animal Practicum, a capstone residency for NC State undergraduate and graduate students. The Food Animal Practicum will provide a transdisciplinary, systems-based approach to modern animal agriculture. Students will engage in experiential learning in multiple disciplines, supervised by faculty experts and other qualified professionals. Using the Forefront Farm, students will gain practical experiences in animal health, animal nutrition, financial management, problem-solving, and communicating with the public. We will establish a plan for the Food Animal Practicum reflective of current strengths and gaps in human resources, feasibility, funding, curriculum, and facilities. Our plan of work includes: (a) a comprehensive needs analysis, (b) engagement with experts and industry leaders, and (c) case studies to delineate student learning objectives and curriculum alignment. Our plan of action will capitalize extramural funding for the Food Animal Practicum. The ultimate goal is to produce a highly skilled workforce for optimizing North Carolina���s food animal systems and future proofing the food system.

Abstract: Because demand for bioinformatics capabilities throughout the food, agricultural, and natural resource sectors greatly outweighs supply, there is a critical need for a diverse, talented workforce well trained in Bioinformatics, Genetics, and Genomic Sciences (BiGGS). The overall goal of the BiGGS Fellows program is to holistically prepare talented, diverse women for graduate programs and careers in bioinformatics, genetics and genomics. This project, a powerful training combination of bioinformatics with genetics and genomic data training will provide students opportunities to develop the critical thinking, problem solving, and digital competency, and 2rst Century skills training will provide them with the communication/leadership skills needed for future employment and/or higher education. Research teams will be headed by faculty with ongoing active research program that focus on the plant and animals sectors of One Health and faculty with programs focused on analysis and interpretation of big data. Research training will be supported by compliance training. Moreover, students will participate in experiential learning activities to enhance desirable 21rst Century skills. We will implement a comprehensive evaluation plan to fully measure effectiveness of the independent research activities and gains in soft skills using UT������������������s Quality Enhancement Plan for Experience Learning. Expected outcomes include experiential learning opportunities as well as improved qualitative and quantitative understanding of undergraduate experiences among women undergraduates enrolled in agricultural science and allied sciences and those enrolled in computer science. We expect BiGG FACTS project to provide a framework for developing wider-reaching, self-sustaining programs that provide additional training and research opportunities.

Dr. Joseph Donaldson will serve as the project������������������s evaluation team leader and will be responsible for directing all evaluation data collection, analysis, and reporting. This includes acquiring and managing the psychometric instruments used, training of project staff in data collection methods, and supervision of all data collection and analysis. Formative evaluation data will be used to monitor project milestones, improve project elements, and inform programmatic decision-making. To further enhance the formative evaluation process, results of major data collection activities will be shared with project staff as they become available to promote a continuous improvement model of project management. In addition, Dr. Donaldson will meet regularly with project staff to assure that appropriate data and project records are maintained for evaluation purposes. After the project, Dr. Donaldson will contribute to the summative evaluation report with overall programmatic conclusions and specific recommendations for program elements that should be institutionalized (with or without modifications as needed).