20237044040140

In the face of current and future social-ecological disturbance, long-term stewardship of natural resources requires innovative strategies focused on the nexus of water-energy-food systems and their intersection with justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Training the next generation of leaders must be embedded in the normative framework of sustainability and the interdisciplinary connections among the social-environmental-technological dimensions of agricultural and natural ecosystems. It must also engage people from distinct backgrounds and cultures to build a more diverse, stronger workforce.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Insular Area Institutions of Higher Education located in the U.S. territories, have the potential to play key roles in this transition. This project will establish the Institute for Innovation in Sustainability Training, Applications and Research in Agri-Environmental Sciences (IINSTAR-AS) at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus (UPRRP). The goal is to engage, early-recruit, retain, train, and support students from Puerto Rico in preparation for successful careers in food, agricultural, and natural resources sciences.

We will accomplish this by:

1) Providing 4-year undergraduate fellowships (academic year) complete with tuition, living stipends, and materials expenses for students to pursue a degree in Environmental Sciences (ES) with concentration studies in renewable energy and sustainability;

2) Providing and subsidizing the cost of mathematics immersion courses for fellows and other ES undergraduate students in their freshmen year to bolster core skills necessary to complete their degrees faster and embark on successful STEM careers;

3) Moving beyond a traditional disciplinary focus on biological and ecological concepts that form the background of studies in agricultural and environmental sciences to examine the interdisciplinary intersections that lie at the water-energy-food systems nexus and applications to agri-environmental sciences;

4) Providing considerable resources for visits to USDA agencies, capacity development workshops and related student services, and multiple in-depth experiential learning opportunities, such as apprenticeships and internships, with qualified mentors in Puerto Rico, Vermont, and Colorado, among other locations;

5) Conducting innovative design thinking workshops that engage students, UPR faculty, and USDA representatives in a collaborative process to co-develop novel research ideas that can lead to actionable solutions to pressing issues in the FANH sectors; and

6) Employing a unique multi-level faculty-graduate-undergraduate model to guide student training and incorporate academic and psychosocial mentoring which broadens learning perspectives and builds leadership capacity and social responsibility.

IINSTAR-AS fellows will play key mentorship roles in transferring acquired knowledge to K-12 schools and serving as spokespersons for the program, expanding awareness about the opportunities for study at UPRRP and careers in the agricultural sciences and natural resources to Puerto Rican youth.

The project leverages ES and UPRRP academic and student support services, multilevel psychosocial mentoring, collaborations with USDA agencies and other organizations in Puerto Rico and the United States, K-12 engagement and knowledge transfer, and a focus on transversal themes of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The activities will benefit 20 IINSTAR-AS fellows, up to 125 additional undergraduate students, and 250+ K-12 students.

The project is expected to augment retention and accelerate graduation of undergraduate ES students with increased awareness of career opportunities and contacts at USDA, training in leadership and employment skills, skills in agri-environmental science and renewable energy research/management/technology, knowledge of actionable solutions to agri-environmental problems, cultural sensitivity and advocacy of diversity principles, affiliation with professional agri-environmental science societies, and a sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and identity as agri-environmental scientists. It is also expected to increase K-12 student awareness of agri-environmental problems and solutions, sustainability, renewable energy, and climate change concepts, and environmental career opportunities.

These efforts will, in turn, contribute to preparing the next generation of scientists and leaders with the skills necessary to develop innovative, resilient, and equitable solutions to global resource management challenges.

University Of Puerto Rico

10.237 - From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals

Institute of Youth, Family, and Community (IYFC) [USDA - NIFA]

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931 United States

Single Zip Code

From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (USDA-NIFA-ARPAED-009362)