Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:There wheretwo major objectives to this project: Objective 1: To provide underrepresented Hispanic students with foundational and applied coursework integrating UAS technology with agriculture and the biological sciences. Existing GIS based (and planned UAS) coursework at DMC and TSTC will be used to introduce students to UAS and its use in agriculture and serve as a pathway into 4-yr institutions. Students at the Bachelors and Masters levels will take courses at TAMUCC in UAS principles (foundational, on-line), ethics (on-line) and UAS applications to agriculture (hands-on/field based, hybrid). Objective 2: To provide summer undergraduate internship experiences to underrepresented Hispanic students at the Associate and Bachelors levels and research stipends at the Master's degree level to increase student experience with respect to application of UAS technology to various ag applications (e.g., plant science/precision farming). Collaboration among partner academic institutions will recruit students for summer research internships at TAMUCC, TAMUK, UTRGV, Texas A&M AgriLife, USDA (ARS) and private sector facilities, facilitating opportunities to explore various research areas available to them in agricultural- and natural resources-related sciences at higher academic levels. Mentored research experiences will be provided over the project period to at least 48 Associate, 28 Bachelor, and 11 Masters students from the underserved Hispanic population in south Texas. Changes/Problems:Objective 1: Curricula and Coursework Early in the project, our biggest challenge was developing access to coursework to partner institutions that where outside of our university system. Nonetheless, we were successful in obtaining access to the coursework after the first year. The next challenge with the coursework was recruitment. One of our partner institutions could not add the courses to their available systems, therefore they were listed generically.We were able to come up with a system to announce the courses to all the campuses around the time that students could enroll in coursework. The next challenge was that our primary instructor for two of the classes moved to another institution. This put a damper on the availability of courses until a new instructor could be identified and trained. Lastly, COVID further inhibited the ability to fully offer the courses as classes had to be limited to accoummadte instructors taking on heavier course loads. Objective 2: Research/Experiential Training Accomplishments In regards to experiential activites, due to COVID19 cancelations and limitations, we were severely limited on providing summer undergraduate research experiences. Further, graduate students research activities were significantly slowed down due to limited access to laboratories and equipment. In the final summer, we ended up creating our own summer research program to help students complete their final summer projects. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) The project allowed for experiential training at TAMUCC and partner sites. 2) Project funding allowed students from TAMUCC, TAMUK, and UTRGV to attend 3 of theannual USDA-HSI Project Directors' Meetings, four of the SACNAS meetings (this included virtual during COVID) and two of the Soil Science in America meetings. 3) Training: A total of 116USDA-HSI-funded graduate research stipends, summer internships, or experiential training. Students were engaged in projects, which all involve in-depth training at a variety of facilities: Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Centers (Robstown and Weslaco, TX), the Citrus Center (TAMUK), USDA-ARS, and UTRGV. 4) We completed twoUSAjobs.gov workshops. 5) We maintained asummer outreach program for K-12 in conjunction with local libraries in person and virtual during COVID limitations. 6.) We completed a summer research program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?1) UAS coursework: our coursework was advertised on our web site as well as on electronic class schedules at TAMUCC and partner institutions. The scheduling of coursework is an academic issue for which academic departments are largely responsible (time of course, number of class sections, maximum enrollment). 2) Field Event outcomes and achievements are posted on the project web site. 3) Various undergraduate and graduate research efforts are available on the project web site as well as TAMUCC and partner institution web sites via marketing and communication offices. Our Campus Outreach Program handles posting to the various web sites. In addition to the already functioning web site, we have created a Facebook page to inform partner institutions, students, collaborators, etc. of area, regional, and national-level activities related to UAS in Ag as well as provide a mechanism of social interaction amongst the students. Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011532250105 4) There have been over 15 publications generated from student efforts (undergrad and grad level). There is still work that is pending to be distributed inrelevant journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Curricula and Coursework Online courses were developed and executed to students at TAMUCC and our other 4-yr partner institutions (TAMUK, UTRGV). In year four, we had a total of 27students for Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and 14 students forUAS Applications in Agriculture. Over the life of the grant, we had a total of 264 students that participated in the developed coursework. Objective 2: Research/Experiential Training Accomplishments Upon completion of this project, we provided mentoring research/experiential training for a TOTAL of 18master's level students and 44undergraduate students at TAMUCC and our 4-yr partner institutions. Further, we provided summer activites and research opportunites for 54 students at our 2-yer partner institutions.Based on these values, we have exceededour target project goals of providing experiential opportunities for students. Due to continued COVID 19 challenges, we had to develop our own summer research program. The program was designed for students at TAMUCC and our 2-yr partner institution. The following is information regarding the summer program. XINACHTLI (Sheen-ach-tlee) Summer Program Summary: Experiential training and Extension experiences for students at TAMUCC and local 2-yr partner institutions for graduate and undergraduate students to be exposed to the use of UAS technology in agriculture in various areas of agriculture and plant/biological sciences. XINACHTLI Summer Program Purpose: There is a significant talent gap in agricultural fields needed to drive innovation and to sustain the U.S. global technical superiority. There is also a significant under-representation of minorities in agricultural workforce, especially Hispanics and women. Employers are now seeking talents with a broader skillset including leadership, teamwork, problem solving, digital competency, communication, and critical thinking. The goal of this project is to develop and implement a model environment for multidisciplinary collaborative efforts where research and extension are tightly integrated around the different facets of UAS technology and the plant/biological sciences in agricultural fields. The objectives are: 1) providing research experiences in a broad spectrum project related to agriculture disciplines to undergraduate and graduate students, especially Hispanic and women; 2) increasing the number of underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students who participate in graduate education in agriculture disciplines; 3) integrating extension experience and professional development to train undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional skills for agricultural workforce. The program is structured as collaborative research groups to teach students how to conduct research with their mentors' guidance. Students will learn to work independently and collaboratively. Three undergraduate students and one graduate student from various engineering and science departments will be recruited. The XINACHTLI program has four key program areas: 1) UAS Technology, 2) Nutrition, 3) Peer Development, & 4) Extension. The XINACHTLI program builds on a vision of grooming budding researchers from underrepresented students to embrace the challenge of exploring agricultural needs and building future leaders who proactively contribute to the nation's agricultural goals. Program Structure and Outcomes: Xinachtli is a Nahuatl (Aztec) word describing the moment a seed germinates, reaching its "bursting" and "in between" point when it is no longer a seed and not yet the plant it will transform into. The Xinachtli program is designed to allow for collaborative work that engages participants to develop a broad understanding of UAS technology in various aspects of agriculture and relationships and plant/biological science in order to meet USDA Extension goals. Students with non-agricultural backgrounds are highly encouraged to participate to allow for exposure to alternative career paths. Students will be exposed to use of UAS technology and plant/biological research as it applies to Extension Activities. Extension provides non-formal education and learning activities to people throughout the country -- to farmers and other residents of rural communities as well as to people living in urban areas. It emphasizes taking knowledge gained through research and education and bringing it directly to the people to create positive changes in the following areas: Translate science for practical application; Identify emerging research questions, find answers and encourage application of science and technology to improve agricultural, economic, and social conditions; Prepare people to break the cycle of poverty, encourage healthful lifestyles, and prepare youth for responsible adulthood; Provide rapid response regarding disasters and emergencies. Upon Completion of the XINACHTLI Summer Program Students will: Understand the various areas of USDA extension programs. Be familiar with broad range of research areas in USDA. Know the molecular aspects of plant/biological research in nutrition as it applies to health. Be comfortable in utilizing research equipment and technology used in plant/biological research. Know the types of drones used in agriculture and extension. Understand the components used to adapt drones to agriculture and extension. Developed research skills in types of projects pursued by USDA. Improve communication in writing and oral presentations. Highlights of the summer program: Nine-week summer undergraduate research program; Program Dates: June 7, 2021 to August 9, 2021 $4,000 stipends Extension experiences, Peer Mentoring, and weekly seminars about various research disciplines, technical writing, presentation skills, graduate school preparation, etc.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
L. Martinez, et al. 2020. Impact Of Cover Crops On Insect Community Dynamics In Organic Farming. Agriculture 2020, 10(6), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10060209
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
J. Chavana, et al. (2021) Local adaptation to continuous mowing makes the noxious weed Solanum elaeagnifolium a superweed candidate by improving fitness and defense traits. Scientific Reports 11: 6634. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85789-z
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kasper S, Chavana J*, et al. 2021. Exploring the role of soil types on defense and fitness traits of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium), a worldwide invasive species through a field survey in the native range. Plant Signal Behav.16(11):1964163. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2021.1964163
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
M. Kutugata et. al (2021) Automatic Camera Trap Classification Using Wildlife-Specific Deep Learning in Nilgai Management. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management. https://doi.org/10.3996/JFWM-20-076
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
M. Arias et al (2021) Do early-successional weeds facilitate or compete with seedlings in forest restoration? Disentangling abiotic versus biotic factors, Ecol Solut Evid. 2:e12095. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12095
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:There are two major objectives to this project: Objective 1: To provide underrepresented Hispanic students with foundational and applied coursework integrating UAS technology with agriculture and the biological sciences. Existing GIS based (and planned UAS) coursework at DMC and TSTC will be used to introduce students to UAS and its use in agriculture and serve as a pathway into 4-yr institutions. Students at the Bachelors and Masters levels will take courses at TAMUCC in UAS principles (foundational, on-line), ethics (on-line) and UAS applications to agriculture (hands-on/field based, hybrid). Objective 2: To provide summer undergraduate internship experiences to underrepresented Hispanic students at the Associate and Bachelors levels and research stipends at the Master's degree level to increase student experience with respect to application of UAS technology to various ag applications (e.g., plant science/precision farming). Collaboration among partner academic institutions will recruit students for summer research internships at TAMUCC, TAMUK, UTRGV, Texas A&M AgriLife, USDA (ARS) and private sector facilities, facilitating opportunities to explore various research areas available to them in agricultural- and natural resources-related sciences at higher academic levels. Mentored research experiences will be provided over the project period to at least 48 Associate, 28 Bachelor, and 11 Masters students from the underserved Hispanic population in south Texas. Changes/Problems: In regards to coursework delivery, one of our instructors moved to a new university. There was not enough time to prepare a new instructor to provide the online course delivery in the spring semester. Due to COVID19, the summer course instructor had to focus their efforts in other matters and could no longer provide the summer ethics course. In regards to experiential activites, due to COVID19 cancelations and limitations, we were unable to follow through with summer undergraduate research experiences. Further, graduate students research activities were canceled. We will be requesting a no-cost extension to allow us to complete these activites prior to August 31st 2021. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) During the fiscal year 2019-2020, we had to cancel ag-related field events that were to be held in Weslaco and in Corpus Christi. 2) Project funding allowed students from TAMUCC, TAMUK, and UTRGV to attend the annual USDA-HSI Project Directors' Meeting in Orange County, California, SACNAS in Honolulu HI, and Soil Science of Amarica (SSSA) in San Antonio, TX. 3) Training: Prior to March 2020, we had 7 students involved in either USDA-HSI-funded graduate research stipends, summer internships, or experiential training. Students were engaged in projects, which all involve in-depth training at a variety of facilities: Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Centers (Robstown and Weslaco, TX), the Citrus Center (TAMUK), USDA-ARS, and UTRGV. We had six more students programed to do research during the summer 2020. All activites were cancled due to COVID19. 4) We had a USAjobs.gov workshop programed for students at TAMUCC and 2- & 4-yr partner institutes that will be presented in Corpus Christi and Weslaco the summer of 2020. 5) The summer outreach program for K-12 in conjunction with local libraries was rescheduled for when activites due to COVID 19 permit. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?1) UAS coursework: our coursework is advertised on our web site as well as on electronic class schedules at TAMUCC and partner institutions. The scheduling of coursework is an academic issue for which academic departments are largely responsible (time of course, number of class sections, maximum enrollment). 2) Field Event outcomes and achievements are posted on the project web site. 3) Various undergraduate and graduate research efforts are available on the project web site as well as TAMUCC and partner institution web sites via marketing and communication offices. Our Campus Outreach Program handles posting to the various web sites. In addition to the already functioning web site, we have created a Facebook page to inform partner institutions, students, collaborators, etc. of area, regional, and national-level activities related to UAS in Ag as well as provide a mechanism of social interaction amongst the students. Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011532250105 4) As results are generated from student efforts (undergrad and grad level) we will seek to have these synthesized into articles for distribution to relevant journals (e.g., NACTA, JAE, Hispanic Engineer Magazine, etc.). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the fourth year of the grant which should be the end of the grant. However, we were limited on continuing with the grant objectives due to COVID 19. We will be requesting a no-cost extension to allow us to do the following 1. Survey the courses to collect data on how to improve the courses. 2. Continue research experiences for those students that had their participation canceled. 3. We will complete Field Events/Workshops that were postponed. : 4. Conferences Attendance: We will fund students, when possible, to attend UAS and Ag-related workshops or conferences at the state, regional, and national level. The emphasis will be on those students whose conference trip became virtual or were canceled .
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Curricula and Coursework Online courses were developed and executed to students at TAMUCC and our other 4-yr partner institutions (TAMUK, UTRGV). In year four, we had a total of 51 students for Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Specifically, for Intro to UAS, 11 students from UTRGV and 40 students from TAMUCC took the course. The instructor for UAS Applications in Agriculture took a new position at a new university and we were unable to have a new instructor available to develop the online course. Typically, online course development requires that the instructor be certified in online instruction and the course design be certified prior to delivery. Objective 2: Research/Experiential Training Accomplishments In year four of this project, we have provided mentoring research/experiential training for a TOTAL of 13 master's level students and 28 undergraduate students at TAMUCC and our 4-yr partner institutions. At this point we have exceeded our proposed goals on the number of students receiving financial benefits to provide them with experiences in agriculture science. Prior to COVID-19, we were projected to provide summer research experiences for a total of nine undergraduate students. Six of the nine students would have been spending there first summer as part of the program. Three of the students were scheduled to go to Beltsville MD. We will be attempting to send these students in the summer of 2021. A few highlights regarding graduate students, we had three MS level students graduate. All three have expressed interest in moving on to a PhD program. We had two undergraduate student decide to continue their studies at the MS level. We have another student that moved on to NRCS-Iowa. After four years of this project, we have provided research experiences and experiential training to 55 associates level students (29 male & 26 female). Based on these values, we have met our target four-year goals of providing experiential opportunities for students. From September 1, 2019 - March 6, 2020, students were provided with opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, and field events. After March 6th many events were canceled due to COVID19. During the four months prior to COVID19, we had eight students attend at least one or all of the following: SACNAS, Soil Science of Amarica (SSSA), American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), and the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments. The following are publications in which participant students contributed: R. Kariyat, C. E. Raya, J. Chavana, J. Cantu, G. Guzman, and L. Sasidharan. (2019) "Glandular and non-glandular leaf trichomes negatively affects growth and development in tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) caterpillars". APIS. M. Tayal, J. Chavana, R. Kariyat. (2020) Efficiency of using electric toothbrush as an alternative to a tuning fork for artificial buzz pollination is independent of instrument buzzing frequency. BMC Ecology. Jasleen Kaur 1, Jesus Chavana1, Pushpa Soti1, Alexis Racelis2 & Rupesh Kariyat 1 ."Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) influences growth and insect community dynamics in Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum x drummondii)". APIS. Accepted February 2020. Published February 2020. Martinez, L. P. Soti, J. Kaur, A. Racelis, R. Kariyat (under review). Impact Of Cover Crops On Insect Community Dynamics In Organic Farming. Submitted to the Journal of Agriculture.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Jasleen Kaur 1, Jesus Chavana1, Pushpa Soti1, Alexis Racelis2 & Rupesh Kariyat 1 . Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) influences growth and insect community dynamics in Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum x drummondii) . APIS
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
R. Kariyat, C. E. Raya, J. Chavana, J. Cantu, G. Guzman, and L. Sasidharan. (2019) Glandular and non-glandular leaf trichomes negatively affects growth and development in tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) caterpillars . APIS.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
M. Tayal, J. Chavana, R. Kariyat. (2020) Efficiency of using electric toothbrush as an alternative to a tuning fork for artificial buzz pollination is independent of instrument buzzing frequency. BMC Ecology.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Martinez, L. P. Soti, J. Kaur, A. Racelis, R. Kariyat (under review). Impact Of Cover Crops On Insect Community Dynamics In Organic Farming. Submitted to the Journal of Agriculture.
|
Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:There are two major objectives to this project: Objective 1: To provide underrepresented Hispanic students with foundational and applied coursework integrating UAS technology with agriculture and the biological sciences. Existing GIS based (and planned UAS) coursework at DMC and TSTC will be used to introduce students to UAS and its use in agriculture and serve as a pathway into 4-yr institutions. Students at the Bachelors and Masters levels will take courses at TAMUCC in UAS principles (foundational, on-line), ethics (on-line) and UAS applications to agriculture (hands-on/field based, hybrid). Objective 2: To provide summer undergraduate internship experiences to underrepresented Hispanic students at the Associate and Bachelors levels and research stipends at the Master's degree level to increase student experience with respect to application of UAS technology to various ag applications (e.g., plant science/precision farming). Collaboration among partner academic institutions will recruit students for summer research internships at TAMUCC, TAMUK, UTRGV, Texas A&M AgriLife, USDA (ARS) and private sector facilities, facilitating opportunities to explore various research areas available to them in agricultural- and natural resources-related sciences at higher academic levels. Mentored research experiences will be provided over the project period to at least 48 Associate, 28 Bachelor, and 11 Masters students from the underserved Hispanic population in south Texas. Therefore, our target audience is students at 2yr and 4yr universities with an interested in the use of technology for solving challenges faced by various components of agriculture science. Further, we want to increase awareness of technology in agriculture through outreach at the K-12 level. Changes/Problems:Year 3 was the first full year Dr. Xavier Gonzales had an opportunity to take control of administrative responsibility for the grant program. The fiveareas of the grant program that he has been assessing are: On-line Course Process Management: This entails coordinating with our TAMU system course exchange program to make courses available to our partner institutes, interacting with our TAMUCC distance education coordinators to make sure students are trained in taking on-line courses, TAMUCC registrar office to make sure that students our registered and that grades are provided to partner school registrars, and as a liaison to partner school students for directing them to the appropriate office for trouble shooting course matters. Research Opportunity and Experiential Training Development: this entails identifying research opportunities and organizing experiential training activities. Stipend Management: this involves working with TAMUCC grants management to make sure that students are receiving their stipends and that students are fulfilling their obligations for receiving stipends. Data Collection: Due to challenges in obtaining complete results from collaborators, we will be devising a means to improve data collection throughout the year. K-12 Outreach to include collaborations with local libraries to offer experiential opportunities. We had two changes in Co-PIs, at TSTC Norberto Mendoza left his position at the institution and was replaced by Dr. Sheren Farag. Further, Dr. Jinha Jung at TAMUCC left his position at the institution to take on a new position at an institution out of state. There has been a problem with UTRGV in student retention in the program. We will be working with them on developing a means to improve the retention rate. TSTC has informed us that their Agriculture Program as it currently is will dissolve at the end of the spring 2020 semester. We will be working with them on how to target students to participate in the program before the summer 2020 semester. Plans to address problems/challenges that have been encountered: 1. Course Work Availability: The major challenge has been working through various issues involved with providing course work to partner institutes. The course exchange program was originally designed only for schools in the TAMU system. UTRGV is not part of the TAMU system however we were successful in providing them access to the course exchange. The TAMUCC Distance Education Office has a new director with experience in working with course exchange. We have devised a plan to develop an assurance review of the course work to work through challenges 2. Course Instructors: Another major challenge that we have recently faced has been in obtaining course instructors. There has been turnover due to excellent faculty in this booming field being recruited to other institutions. This has left a gap in available instructors. We are working with our collaborators and distance education team to devise a sustainability plan when instructors leave. 3. Collaborator Communication, Faculty Turnover, Student Retention A new challenge with collaborators communicating results, student activities and data. Further, there has been turnover in grants offices and faculty at other institutions. One foreseeable challenge for year 4 will be with TSTC, we have been informed that the Agriculture program as it currently is will be suspended in Spring of 2020. We will be working with the faculty and staff to provide experiential training in the regular semester as well as target workshops that will allow them to market themselves on USAjobs.gov. UTRGV has had a challenge in keeping students involved with the program. We are in communication with them in perhaps expanding the faculty involved in the program to help support student retention within the program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) During the fiscal year 2018-2019, one ag-related field event was held in which graduate and undergraduate students participated: a) 3rd Annual UAS in Ag Field Event at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen, Texas. A total of 28 students attended. Students attending this activity participated in UAS training program designed to prepare students for the FAA's Small UAS Rule (Part 107) certification. Participants attending this field day were derived from Project partner institutions, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as well as regional institutes. 2) Project funding allowed students from TAMUCC, TAMUK, and UTRGV to attend the annual USDA-HSI Project Directors' Meeting in Orange County, California, SACNAS in San Antonio, Texas, and InfoAg in St. Louis, Missouri 3) Training: In terms of training, there are currently 19 students involved in either USDA-HSI-funded graduate research stipends, summer internships, or experiential training. Students are engaged in projects, which all involve in-depth training at a variety of facilities: Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Centers (Robstown and Weslaco, TX), the Citrus Center (TAMUK), USDA-ARS, and UTRGV. 4) We have developed a USAjobs.gov workshop for students at TAMUCC and 2- & 4-yr partner institutes that will be presented in Harlingen the summer of 2019. 5) We have developed our outreach program for K-12 by working with local libraries. https://pixel.facebook.com/events/559220557888784/?active_tab=about How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination of results: 1) UAS coursework: our coursework is advertised on our web site as well as on electronic class schedules at TAMUCC and partner institutions. The scheduling of coursework is an academic issue for which academic departments are largely responsible (time of course, number of class sections, maximum enrollment). 2) Field Event outcomes and achievements are posted on the project web site. 3) Various undergraduate and graduate research efforts are available on the project web site as well as TAMUCC and partner institution web sites via marketing and communication offices. Our Campus Outreach Program handles posting to the various web sites. In addition to the already functioning web site, we have created a Facebook page to inform partner institutions, students, collaborators, etc. of area, regional, and national-level activities related to UAS in Ag as well as provide a mechanism of social interaction amongst the students. Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011532250105 4) We have developed a year book style information pamphlet that will be made available electronically 5) As results are generated from student efforts (undergrad and grad level) we will seek to have these synthesized into articles for distribution to relevant journals (e.g., NACTA, JAE, Hispanic Engineer Magazine, etc.). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. Focus Efforts on Course Work: In an effort to improve the course work availability and quality for students at the 4-yr institutions. We are currently in progress of setting up quality assurance reviews for the courses. Further, we a developing a student resource and review incorporation of VR and AR to the student learning. 2. Expand research experiences: Provide graduate and undergraduate students at 4-yr institutions with research stipends and internships. We have established a permanent cycle for stipends and internships. Graduate students are able to apply for awards in September and undergraduates for internships in March. We will continue to identify internship programs to USDA opportunities (e.g., ARS, APHIS, etc.) through the help of Ruby de la Garza (USDA-HSI National Office for Advocacy and Outreach). 3. Field Events/Workshops: We are making are field events more focused to program needs at various institution sites. The smaller size will allow for increased one-on-one attention with students. Further, we are teaching students the process of developing their marketability for jobs in agriculture technology. 4. Conferences Attendance: We will fund students, when possible, to attend UAS and Ag-related workshops or conferences at the state, regional, and national level. 5. Marketing of Program: We will devise a method to market internships and graduate research as well as field day events to a broader audience (broader than "on-campus").
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As stated in the project proposal, the anticipated outcomes of this project are to support at least 28 Bachelor of Science and 11 Masters of Science students toward completion of their degree programs. Experiential activities in UAS/Ag will also be extended to approximately 48 students in two-year academic institutions. It is anticipated that a high percentage of these students will matriculate and be prepared for working in food, agriculture, and natural resources related fields. This project will include formal and "hands-on" educational and field (research)-based development of underrepresented Hispanic students towards their career objectives in agriculture or the biological sciences, a key function of the program. It is anticipated that knowledge and familiarity with bench and field-based UAS concepts and applications towards plant science/precision farming will be in high demand by the USDA, research institutions and the private sector in the near future. Because UAS applications will be highly diverse, students having completed this educational training will United States Department of Agriculture contribute strongly to the workforce. This project will also strongly enhance student opportunities for public speaking, technical writing, and professional growth and development through attendance and participation at research symposiums and/or regional/national professional conferences. The completion of this project will lead to the following: 1) a continued internship program with the USDA-ARS, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and/or private sector companies with collaboration among five HSI institutions; 2) permanent coursework on UAS in agriculture for south Texas students and beyond; 3) continued recruitment and retention of underrepresented Hispanic students in agriculture/biological sciences; 4) a competitive skill set for these students seeking jobs with the USDA, research institutions, the private sector or those intending to seek higher academic degrees (e.g., PhD); and 5) improvement and nurturing of faculty professional/ student relationships and professional development via collaboration in summer internships, attendance of symposia/conferences and generation of research publications. Objective 1: Curricula and Coursework Online courses were developed and executed to students at TAMUCC and our other 4-yr partner institutions (TAMUK,UTRGV). We had a total of 83 students participated for Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Introduction to UAS for Agricultural Applications. Eighteen students from partner institutes and 65 students from TAMUCC. The course shell for Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Ethical Issues has been developed. A quality assurance review has been programed for this course prior to it being taught. Further, retrospective quality assurance reviews will be done on Introduction to UAV and UAV-agriculture applications. We are under continued discussions with Del Mar College (DMC; 2-yr institution) on creation of a certificate program. This will improve the pathway for students between 2- and 4-year institutions. Objective 2: Research/Experiential Training Accomplishments In year three of this project, we have provided mentoring research/experiential training for a TOTAL of 10 graduate students and 28 undergraduate students at TAMUCC and our 4-yr partner institutions. We are on target for exceeding our proposed goals. In year three of the project, we have provided research experiences to 4 new graduate students (3 male & 1 female). Of the four graduate students provided support, one graduated in May of 2019 and will be working with NRCS in Soil Conservation. Another highlight is that one of last year's graduates is currently doing a PhD at TAMUCC in UAS. Of the bachelor level students, four have expressed continued graduate education in agricultural sciences. After three years of this project, we have provided research experiences and experiential training to 54 associates level students (28 male & 26 female). Based on these values, we are on target of meeting our four-year goals of providing experiential opportunities for students. Further from September 1, 2018 - August 31, 2019, students were provided with opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, and field events. At TAMUCC, we had six students attend at least one or all of the following: SACNAS, AGU (American Geospatial Union), Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference, Latinos in Ag Conference and InfoAg. Students presented either oral or poster presentations. The following is a highlight of selected presentations made by TAMUCC students: Deleon, L., M.J. Brewer, "Using NDVI Imagery Collected with UAS to Asses Sugarcane Aphid on Sorghum Plants," SACNAS, San Antonio, Texas, October 2018 (poster presentation) Garcia, I., M.J. Starek, and M.J. Brewer, "Assessing Separability of UAS-Derived Vegetation Indices for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis," American Geophysical Union (AGU), Washington, DC, December 2018 (oral presentation). Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J. Brewer, "UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Deficiencies in Grain Sorghum," Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC), Pasadena, California, October 2018 (poster presentation).
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Overview: The program prepares underrepresented future graduates from five South Texas Hispanic Serving Institutes (HSI) for careers related to agriculture (plant science) and natural resource systems. The economic impact of agriculture in Texas is $100 billion annually and 14% of working Texans are in agriculture-related jobs[1] , but few Latinos choose careers in agriculture. South Texas is a geographically, socio-economically and educationally isolated region. Engaging underrepresented students with emerging innovative UAS technologies that impact precision agriculture expands their knowledge of career options while encouraging them to pursue advanced degrees in agricultural-related degrees. It further enhances academic and research prominence among Hispanics and diversifies the human capital available in South Texas for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to select its future workforce Outline: I. Underrepresented students in Master's programs related to Agriculture and UAS II. Underrepresented students in Undergraduate programs related to Agriculture and UAS III. K-12 underrepresented students and teachers interested in Agriculutre and UAS Changes/Problems:Changes At the start of the second year of this project Dr. Xavier Gonzales was assigned increased administrative responsibility for the grant program. The three areas of the grant program that he now primarily deals with are: On-line Course Process Management: This entails coordinating with our TAMU system course exchange program to make courses available to our partner institutes, interacting with our TAMUCC distance education coordinators to make sure students are trained in taking on-line courses, TAMUCC registrar office to make sure that students our registered and that grades are provided to partner school registrars, and as a liaison to partner school students for directing them to the appropriate office for trouble shooting course matters. Research Opportunity and Experiential Training Development: this entails identifying research opportunities and organizing experiential training activities. Stipend Management: this involves working with TAMUCC grants management to make sure that students are receiving their stipends and that students are fulfilling their obligations for receiving stipends. Budget funds were reallocated from faculty salaries in order to provide time for Dr. Gonzales to accomplish his responsibilities. Another change that was made was allocating funds for students to work as technical assistants for the grant program. Students experienced with UAS will assist in training operations further they will assist in data collection and processing for grant management. Problems/Challenges The following problems/challenges have been encountered: The major challenge has been working through various issues involved with providing course work to partner institutes. The course exchange program was originally designed only for schools in the TAMU system. UTRGV is not part of the TAMU system however we were successful in providing them access to the course exchange. Nonetheless, there still remains the challenge of UTRGV having to have a ghost course that creates confusion with their students as to the instructor responsible for questions. Another issue with the on-line courses is students at partner institutes were not used to taking fully on-line courses and where not sure how to deal with technical issues and learning challenges. We have reached out to the TAMUCC Distance Education Office to now offer tutorials to students at our partner institutes. Problems also developed in regards to registration and grades. Partner institutes were unable to identify who was registered in the Course Exchange program nor where they able to have access to student grades at the end of the semester. We have reached out to the TAMUCC Registrar office to coordinate providing grades and course rosters to partner institutes. Dr. Gonzales is now responsible for coordinating all these activities throughout the semester Another major challenge that we faced was that we were not provided approval for year 2 funds until November of 2017. This halted several activities at TAMUCC and our partner institutes. It also created tension with our partner institutes who had pending stipends. This challenge was addressed by Dr. Gonzales having to travel to D.C. to identify what was the reasoning for the delay and how we can assist that such a delay does not occur in the future. Further, we had increased meetings with our partner institutes to help alleviate their concerns. Apart from the funds not being received, we still have not been able to fully implement our budgeting changes to help cover Dr. Gonzales' efforts to this grant program. We are still awaiting budget approval as we head toward the end of fiscal year 2017-2018. A manageable challenge was providing assistance with incorporating UAS to graduate student's projects at partner institutes. Since students at TAMUCC and Del Mar have had increased exposure to UAS through both of our programs. We have now offered trained UAS students opportunities to assist graduate students at our partner institutes in overcoming challenges in incorporating UAS into their agriculture projects. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) During the fiscal year 2017-2018, one ag-related field event was held in which graduate and undergraduate students participated: 2nd Annual UAS in Ag Field Event at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Weslaco, Texas. A total of 80 students attended. Students attending this activity participated in scientific and discipline related presentations, hands-on field-based UAS activities, poster presentations, and field trips to USDA laboratories. Participants attending this field day were derived from Project partner institutions, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as well as regional institutes. The UAS in Ag Field Event was attended by USDA and discussions were continued on expanding USDA involvement in the program. The field event was also attended by several private sector agriculture representatives with whom students were able to interact. 2) Project funding allowed students from TAMUCC, TAMUK, and UTRGV to attend the annual USDA-HSI Project Directors' Meeting in Washington D.C., SACNAS in Salt Lake City, Utah, and ASPRS in Denver, Colorado. 3) Training: In terms of training, there are currently 28 students involved in either USDA-HSI-funded graduate research stipends, summer internships, or experiential training. Students are engaged in the following projects, which all involve in-depth training at a variety of facilities: Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Centers (Robstown and Weslaco, TX), TAMUCC Lone Star UAS Center for Excellence (Corpus Christi, TX), the Citrus Center (TAMUK), USDA-ARS, and UTRGV. 4) We have developed a USAjobs.gov workshop for students at TAMUCC and 2- & 4-yr partner institutes that is planned to be rolled in August 2018. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination of results: 1) UAS coursework: our coursework is advertised on our web site as well as on electronic class schedules at TAMUCC and partner institutions. The scheduling of coursework is an academic issue for which academic departments are largely responsible (time of course, number of class sections, maximum enrollment). 2) Field Event outcomes and achievements are posted on the project web site. 3) Various undergraduate and graduate research efforts are available on the project web site as well as TAMUCC and partner institution web sites via marketing and communication offices. Our Campus Outreach Program handles posting to the various web sites. In addition to the already functioning web site, we have created a Facebook page to inform partner institutions, students, collaborators, etc. of area, regional, and national-level activities related to UAS in Ag as well as provide a mechanism of social interaction amongst the students. Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011532250105 4) As results are generated from student efforts (undergrad and grad level) we will seek to have these synthesized into articles for distribution to relevant journals (e.g., NACTA, JAE, Hispanic Engineer Magazine, etc.). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1) Be able to offer all courses to students at the three 4-yr institutions. We were successful in offering two of the three courses. However, the instructor for the summer course took a position elsewhere. We have identified a new instructor for summer 2019. 2) Continue to provide graduate and undergraduate students at 4-yr institutions with research stipends and internships. We have established a permanent cycle for stipends and internships. Graduate students are able to apply for awards in September and undergraduates for internships in March. We will continue to identify internship programs to USDA opportunities (e.g., ARS, APHIS, etc.) through the help of Ruby de la Garza (USDA-HSI National Office for Advocacy and Outreach). 3) We will continue to offer two large-scale field events in Year 3: in Weslaco, TX (March) and in Robstown, TX (September) to correspond with Fall and Spring academic semester schedules. 4) We will fund students, when possible, to attend UAS and Ag-related workshops or conferences at the state, regional, and national level. 5) As mentioned in the previous section, we will look to advertise results of internships and graduate research as well as field day events expand to a broader audience (broader than "on-campus").
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Overview There are two major objectives to this project: Objective 1: To provide underrepresented Hispanic students with foundational and applied coursework integrating UAS technology with agriculture and the biological sciences. Existing GIS based (and planned UAS) coursework at DMC and TSTC will be used to introduce students to UAS and its use in agriculture and serve as a pathway into 4-yr institutions. Students at the Bachelors and Masters levels will take courses at TAMUCC in UAS principles (foundational, on-line), ethics (on-line) and UAS applications to agriculture (hands-on/field based, hybrid). Objective 2: To provide summer undergraduate internship experiences to underrepresented Hispanic students at the Associate and Bachelors levels and research stipends at the Master's degree level to increase student experience with respect to application of UAS technology to various ag applications (e.g., plant science/precision farming). Collaboration among partner academic institutions will recruit students for summer research internships at TAMUCC, TAMUK, UTRGV, Texas A&M AgriLife, USDA (ARS) and private sector facilities, facilitating opportunities to explore various research areas available to them in agricultural- and natural resources-related sciences at higher academic levels. Mentored research experiences will be provided over the project period to at least 48 Associate, 28 Bachelor, and 11 Masters students from the underserved Hispanic population in south Texas. Projected Outcomes As stated in the project proposal, the anticipated outcomes of this project are to support at least 28 Bachelor of Science and 11 Masters of Science students toward completion of their degree programs. Experiential activities in UAS/Ag will also be extended to approximately 48 students in two-year academic institutions. It is anticipated that a high percentage of these students will matriculate and be prepared for working in food, agriculture, and natural resources related fields. This project will include formal and "hands-on" educational and field (research)-based development of underrepresented Hispanic students towards their career objectives in agriculture or the biological sciences, a key function of the program. It is anticipated that knowledge and familiarity with bench and field-based UAS concepts and applications towards plant science/precision farming will be in high demand by the USDA, research institutions and the private sector in the near future. Because UAS applications will be highly diverse, students having completed this educational training will contribute strongly to the workforce. This project will also strongly enhance student opportunities for public speaking, technical writing, and professional growth and development through attendance and participation at research symposiums and/or regional/national professional conferences. The completion of this project will lead to the following: 1) a continued internship program with the USDA-ARS, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and/or private sector companies with collaboration among five HSI institutions; 2) permanent coursework on UAS in agriculture for south Texas students and beyond; 3) continued recruitment and retention of underrepresented Hispanic students in agriculture/biological sciences; 4) a competitive skill set for these students seeking jobs with the USDA, research institutions, the private sector or those intending to seek higher academic degrees (e.g., PhD); and 5) improvement and nurturing of faculty-professional/student relationships and professional development via collaboration in summer internships, attendance of symposia/conferences and generation of research publications. Objective 1: Curricula and Coursework Online courses were developed and executed to students at TAMUCC and our other 4-yr partner institutions (TAMUK, UTRGV). We had a total of 90 students for Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Introduction to UAS for Agricultural Applications. We had a total of 90 students for Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Introduction to UAS for Agricultural Applications. Specifically, for Intro to UAS, 3 students from TAMUK, 5 students from UTRGV and 40 students from TAMUCC took the course. For Intro to Agricultural Applications in UAS, 4 students from TAMUK, 13 students from UTRGV, and 25 students from TAMUCC. The course shell for Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Ethical Issues has been developed and will be taught in summer 2019. The policy oversight committee meets in July 2018 to discuss the first year of courses available to partner 4-yr institutes. Further, we will be discussing development of a certificate program that will coincide with the Del Mar College (DMC; 2-yr institution) certificate program. This will improve the pathway for students between 2- and 4-year institutions. Objective 2: Research/Experiential Training Accomplishments In year two of this project, we have provided mentoring research/experiential training for a TOTALof five graduate students and 23 undergraduate students at TAMUCC and our 2- & 4-yr partner institutions. We are on target for exceeding our proposed goals. After two years of this project, we have provided research experiences to 7 graduate students (3 male & 4 female). Of the seven graduate students provided support, two are projected to graduate in August 2018 and two in Fall 2018. As for undergraduates (associates and bachelors), we are also well on target of exceeding our goals. After two years of this project, we have provided research experiences and experiential training to 47 associates level students (22 male & 25 female) and 21 bachelor level students (17 male & 4 female). Of the 21 bachelor students, six have graduated of which two have continued on to graduate programs. Based on these values, we are at 98% of projected associate level students, 75% projected bachelor level students, and 64% projected master level students. Further in 2018, students were provided with opportunities to attend conferences. At TAMUCC, we had four students attend at least one or all of the following: SACNAS, ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing), or USDA PD meeting. Students presented either oral or poster presentations. The following is a list of presentations made by TAMUCC students: Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J.Brewer. UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) and International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) Conference. Feb. 5-7, 2018, Denver Colorado (oral presentation) Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J.Brewer. UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum. Society for the advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Conference. Oct. 19-21, 2017, Salt Lake City, Utah (oral presentation) Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J.Brewer. UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) PD Meeting. March 19-21, 2018, Washington D.C. (poster presentation) Y. Cohen and M.J. Starek, "Assessing Impacts of radiometric CalibrationMethods on NDVI Maps Derived from UAS Based Multispectral Imagery", ASPRS Annual Conference and International Lidar Mapping Forum, Denver, CO, Feb 5 - 7, 2018. Y. Cohen and M.J. Starek and J. Berryhill, "Workflow of Creating NDVI Maps Derived from UAS Based Multispectral Imagery", Texas A&M Agrilife Field Day, Corpus Christi, TX, June 13, 2017.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
The program website is located at the following link: http://research.tamucc.edu/UAS-HSIAG/index.html. The website was updated to include program information, consent documentation, course work description, and access to program manager.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J. Brewer. UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) and International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) Conference. Feb. 5-7, 2018, Denver Colorado (oral presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J. Brewer. UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum. Society for the advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Conference. Oct. 19-21, 2017, Salt Lake City, Utah (oral presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Garcia, I., M. J. Starek, and M. J. Brewer. UAS-Based Multispectral Imaging for Detecting Plant Stress Due to Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) PD Meeting. March 19-21, 2018, Washington D.C. (poster presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Y. Cohen and M.J. Starek and J. Berryhill, Workflow of Creating NDVI Maps Derived from UAS Based Multispectral Imagery , Texas A&M Agrilife Field Day, Corpus Christi, TX, June 13, 2017. (oral presentation)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Y. Cohen and M.J. Starek, Assessing Impacts of radiometric Calibration Methods on NDVI Maps Derived from UAS Based Multispectral Imagery , ASPRS Annual Conference and International Lidar Mapping Forum, Denver, CO, Feb 5 7, 2018. (oral presentation)
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The program prepares underrepresented future graduates from five South Texas Hispanic Serving Institutes (HSI) for careers related to agriculture (plant science) and natural resource systems. The economic impact of agriculture in Texas is $100 billion annually and 14% of working Texans are in agriculture-related jobs[1], but few Latinos choose careers in agriculture. South Texas is a geographically, socio-economically and educationally isolated region. Engaging underrepresented students with emerging innovative UAS technologies that impact precision agriculture expands their knowledge of career options while encouraging them to pursue advanced degrees in agricultural-related degrees. It further enhances academic and research prominence among Hispanics and diversifies the human capital available in South Texas for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to select its future workforce. Changes/Problems:Changes In the course of the first year of this project we have made two major changes: 1) TAMUCC has added Dr. Xavier Gonzalez as a Co-PI to the project; and 2) Dr. Randy Stanko has replaced Dr. Shad Nelson as project Co-PI at TAMUK. There have been no other changes. Problems/Challenges The following problems/challenges have been encountered: 1) In order to share common coursework across the three 4-yr institution campuses (TAMUCC, TAMUK, UTRGV), it was necessary to develop an MOU describing the method allowing this interaction. This involved agreement at the provost level and involvement of representatives of the Texas A&M System. This was eventually achieved, requiring formation of a "council" populated with representatives from each of the major institutions. The purpose of this council is to review the MOU as policy whenever questions might arise regarding its implementation. This has not been a major delay in terms of initiating enrollment in coursework, as all proposed coursework wasproposed to be activated in Year 2. It is now a matter of promoting these courses at participant institutions (TAMUK and UTRGV). 2) Another major challenge has been achieving approval of our IRB proposal involving conducting student surveys and publication of "research" resultsderived from surveys. During the process of applying for IRB approval, the Compliance Officer at TAMUCC resigned and was replaced by another individual, who, at this time, is in the process of retiring. At this point, the proposal is awaiting approval and we foresee nofurther delays. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) During the fiscal year 2016-2017, two ag-related field days were held in which graduate and undergraduate students participated: a) the Vegetable Field Day at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center (Weslaco, Texas) and the 1st Annual UAS in Ag Field Day at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Robstown, Texas. A total of 20 students attended the former activity and 60, the latter.Students attending this activityparticipated in scientific and discipline-related presentations,followed by hands-on field-based UAS activities. Participants attending these field days were derived from Project partner institutions as well as Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. TheUAS in Ag Field Day was attended by USDA and discussions were held to expand USDA involvement in the program. The field day in Weslaco was attended by several private sector agriculture representatives with whom students were able to interact. In an anonymous survey regarding the UAS in Ag Field Day, 94% of participants learned more about UAS in Ag than prior to attending and 86% were completely satisfied with the program (14% were mostly satisfied). 2) Project funding allowed students from TAMUCC, TAMUK, and UTRGV to attend the annual USDA-HSI Project Directors' Meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. At this meeting, one of the TAMUCC graduate students, Laura Carbajal, won topgraduate poster. 3) Training: In terms of training,there are currently 15 students involved in either USDA-HSI-funded graduate research stipends orsummer internships. Students are engaged in the following projects, which all involve in-depth training at a variety of facilities: Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Centers (Robstown and Weslaco, TX), TAMUCC Lone Star UAS Center for Excellence (Corpus Christi, TX), the Citrus Center (TAMUK), USDA-ARS, and UTRGV. 4) One student, Yeoshua Cohen, presented at the UAS in Ag Field Day to other students, research scientists, and instructors, methodology regarding development of UAS imagery and software as part of a hands-on field experience. This student is an undergraduate and he served as an example to other 4- and 2-yr students as well as graduate students what he was learning and what could be done with UAS to improve sorghum yields. Other students participated in the field day practical exercises as part of their professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination of results: 1) UAS coursework: our coursework is advertised on our web site as well as on electronic class schedules at TAMUCC and partner institutions. The scheduling of coursework is an academic issue for which academic departments are largely responsible (time of course, number of class sections, maximum enrollment). Partner institutions have signed an MOU with TAMUCC to offer these courses and we anticipate full enrollment. 2) Field days are at present being evaluated (last one was June 13) and the results will be posted on the project web site. 3) We intend to post our various undergraduate and graduate research efforts on the project web site as well as TAMUCC and partner institution web sites via marketing and communication offices.In order to do thiswe typically go through our Campus Outreach Program for posting to the various web sites.For this coming year, in addition to the already functioning web site, we will be developing a list serve to inform partner institutions, students, collaborators, etc. ofarea, regional, and national-level activities related to UAS in Ag. 4) As results are generatedfrom student efforts (undergrad and gradlevel) we will seek to have these synthesized into articles for distribution to relevant journals (e.g., NACTA, JAE, Hispanic Engineer Magazine, etc.). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the next reporting period, we will: 1) Be able to offer all courses to students at the three 4-yr institutions. We have completed an MOU among the academic partners and all courses will be in place. As mentioned, only students at TAMUCCwere able to take two out of the three courses. This was due to complications associated with establishing formal academic relationships among the three 4-yr partner institutions, culminating in an MOU that was finalized in May. Next year, all three courses will be on-line and will be available to all students at the 4-yr institutions atgraduate and undergraduate levels. 2) Continue to providegraduateand undergraduate students at 4-yr institutions with research stipends and internships. We will start the application processin the next couple of weeks for graduate stipends and in February for undergraduate internships. This coming year we will expand internship programs to USDA opportunities (e.g., ARS, APHIS, etc.) through the help of Ruby de la Garza (USDA-HSI National Office for Advocacy and Outreach). 3) We will continue to offer two large-scale field day activities in Year 2:in Weslaco, TX(Fall) and in Robstown, TX (Spring) to correspond with Fall and Spring academic semester schedules. 4) We will fund students, when possible, to attend UAS and Ag-related workshops or conferencesat thestate, regional, and national level. If funding allows, we would like to hold a field day in Corpus Christi focusing only on USDA-Ag-UAS job opportunities and will invite speakers/representatives from major employment-oriented industries. 5) As mentioned in the previous section, we will look to advertise results of internships and graduate research as well as field day activities to a broader audience (broader than "on-campus").
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objectives There are two major objectives to this project: Objective 1: To provide underrepresented Hispanic students with foundational and applied coursework integrating UAS technology with agriculture and the biological sciences. Existing GIS-based (and planned UAS) coursework at DMC and TSTC will be used to introduce students to UAS and its use in agriculture and serve as a pathway into 4-yr institutions. Students at the Bachelors and Masters levels will take courses at TAMUCC in UAS principles (foundational, on-line), ethics (on-line) and UAS applications to agriculture (hands-on/field based, hybrid).Objective 2: To provide summer undergraduate internship experiences to underrepresented Hispanic students at the Associate and Bachelors levels and research stipends at the Masters degree level to increasestudent experience with respect to application of UAS technology to various ag applications (e.g., plant science/precision farming). Collaboration among partner academic institutions will recruit students for summer research internships at TAMUCC, TAMUK, UTRGV, Texas A&M AgriLife, USDA (ARS) and private sector facilities, facilitating opportunities to explore various research areas available to them in agricultural- and natural resources-related sciences at higher academic levels. Mentored research experiences will be provided over the project period to at least 48 Associate, 28 Bachelor, and 11 Masters students from the underserved Hispanic population in south Texas. Projected Outcomes As stated in the project proposal, the anticipated outcomes of this project are to support at least 28 Bachelor of Science and 11 Masters of Science students toward completion of their degree programs. Experiential activities in UAS/Ag will also be extended to approximately 48 students in two-year academic institutions. It is anticipated that a high percentage of these students will matriculate and be prepared for working in food, agriculture, and natural resources-related fields. This project will include formal and "hands-on" educational and field (research)-based development of underrepresented Hispanic students towards their career objectives in agriculture or the biological sciences, a key function of the program. It is anticipated that knowledge and familiarity with bench and field-based UAS concepts and applications towards plant science/precision farming will be in high demand by the USDA, research institutions and the private sector in the near future. Because UAS applications will be highly diverse, students having completed this educational training will contribute strongly to the workforce. This project will also strongly enhance student opportunities for public speaking, technical writing, and professional growth and development through attendance and participation at research symposiums and/or regional/national professional conferences.The completion of this project will lead to the following: 1) a continued internship program with the USDA-ARS, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and/or private sector companies with collaboration among five HSI institutions; 2) permanent coursework on UAS in agriculture for south Texas students and beyond; 3) continued recruitment and retention of underrepresented Hispanic students in agriculture/biological sciences; 4) a competitive skill set for these students seeking jobs with the USDA, research institutions, the private sector or those intending to seek higher academic degrees (e.g., PhD); and 5) improvement and nurturing of faculty-professional/student relationships and professional development via collaboration in summer internships, attendance of symposia/conferences and generation of research publications. Objective 1: Curricula and Coursework We have developed curricula to offer three UAS-oriented courses to undergraduate and graduate students at TAMUCC, TAMUK, and UTRGV. These courses are Introduction to UAV, UAV Ethics, and UAS Applications to Precision Farming. In order to offer these courses to students, an MOU was developed between TAMUCC, UTRGV, and TAMUK. The MOU addresses issues such as how to register for the courses, assigning credit on transcripts, notification of students, etc. The MOU requires development of a policy oversight committee with one representative at each academic institution. In order to advertise the courses, we have started a campaign that reaches out to partner institutions and their students. It is likely these courses will be very popular. Pathway between 2- and 4-year institutions: At present, we have 6 undergraduate students from Del MarCollege (DMC; 2-yr institution) and6 students from Texas State Technical College (TSTC; 2-year institution)receiving funding as part of the Program. We have also made good in-roads into creating a pathway from DMC to TAMUCC. It is our understanding that two of the students from DMC will be registering at TAMUCC to continue their education in the UAS/Geospatial area. At present, DMC has developed a UAS Program with five dedicated classes oriented towards UAS (but not necessarily focusing on Ag). This creates a great opportunity for the students there to transition into a 4-yr program at TAMUCC. Objective 2: Research/Experiential TrainingAccomplishments In the first year of this project, we currently have a total of 3 graduate students registered in the Program, placed with faculty researchers and receiving annual stipends. Two of these students are at TAMUCC and1 is atUTRGV. We haveone additional graduate students starting at TAMUK in Year 2 (not counting new students from TAMUCC and UTRGV who will enter the Program).We also have a total of 12 undergraduate students from 4-yr institutions enrolled in the Program in summer internships at Texas A&M AgriLife Research (7), Lone Star UAS Center forExcellence/TAMUCC (2), TAMUK-Citrus Center (1), USDA-ARS (1),and UTRGV (2). Their research experiences are diverse and include topics such as high throughput phenotyping using UAS, crop management, rangeland management, and development of UAS technology. We also have provided experiential learning activities related to UAS/Ag to 47 undergraduate students at 2-yr institutions (40 from Texas State Technical College in Harlingen, TX, and 7 from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, TX). There are12 students from 2-yr institutions receiving various stipends to engage in internships and/or other Ag-related experiential activities. Students and mentors at all five partner institutions in the Program attended two UAS/Ag oriented field days this first fiscal year. The first was the Vegetable Field Day that took place at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco, Texas. This event wasattended by some 120 participants from academia, various ag-related agencies, and the private sector. Participantsattended presentationsby AgriLifehorticulturists and economists and were involved in practical hands-on demonstrations of UAS in Ag. Approximately 20 students attended this activity.On June 13th, our Program held its"1st UAS in Ag Field Day" at Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Robstown, Texas. This event was attended byapproximately 60 students frompartner institutions and involved informativeand scientific presentations on the basics of UAs, precision farming, and high-throughput phenotyping by scientists actively pursuing research in the disciplines. Included in the morning's activities was a poster session during lunch. This was followedby a full afternoon of hands-on, comprehensivefield-based activities focusing on use of UAS in precision farming. Of theparticipants, 94% left with a better appreciation and understanding of UAS in precision farming and 86% registered their complete satisfaction with the day's program.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
http://research.tamucc.edu/UAS-HSIAG/index.html
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