(upbeat instrumental music)
Lecture halls aren't the only setting
where the University of Nebraska is working to prepare
students for the changing landscape of agriculture.
Led by Weaver Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture,
Dr. Martha Mamo, the goal of the Applied Plant Systems
Experiential Learning Program, or APS, was to not only
provide a summer research experience, but also improve
undergraduate student system thinking, decision making,
and ability to communicate their science to diverse
audiences.
2017 APS mentees and mentors were Bodie Fletcher
from Virginia Tech, mentored by Jess Spotanski,
Phoebe Hartvigsen from the State University of New York,
Genesco, mentored by Dirac Twidwell,
Katja Duerig from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln,
mentored by Virginia Jin,
Alyssa Converse from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln,
mentored by Keenan Amundsen,
Marlynn Cadena from the University of Texas El Paso,
mentored by Lisa Durso,
and Jackson Stansell, a student from Harvard University,
mentored by Richard Ferguson and Laura Thompson.
APS improved undergraduate student system thinking,
decision making, and ability to communicate their science
to diverse audiences through coupled training.
The first component of this coupled training model
was their internship experience.
Their research ranged across diverse systems.
For example, Marlynn Cadena used PCR to profile
antibiotic resistant genes in Nebraskan organic farms,
and Jackson used drones to study the impact of rye
as a cover crop on nitrogen efficiency
in a no-till corn cropping system.
To enhance their internship experience and connect
their summer research to future challenges in Agronomy,
we held weekly Think Tank Sessions.
So Think Tank Session themes included team building
and decision making, science communication and science
literacy, systems thinking, and entrepreneurship.
The team building science communication systems thinking
and entrepreneurship Think Tank Sessions occurred
in classroom settings led by qualified mentors.
Two of the Think Tank Sessions occurred as trips.
One, a tour of industry operations in Nebraska,
and the second, a tour of USDA academic and extension
research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
On this tour, APS mentees toured the Eastern Nebraska
Research and Extension Center, where they met with
Extension Specialist Justin McMechan
who discussed the history and importance of extension.
Virginia Jin, research soil scientist with the USDA,
who discussed the role of the USDA in ag research,
and me, Salvador Ramirez, who discussed academic research
as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Finally, to train APS mentees to communicate their
internship experience to diverse audiences,
we designed a science and literary extension component
led by Leah Sandall and Jennifer Keshwani.
APS mentees were asked to develop extension materials
to communicate their summer research.
Here's a clip from Jackson Stansell's extension video.
(upbeat instrumental music)
It is clear that our APS mentees grew from the summer
research experience.
Based from my experiences in the Applied Plant Systems
Experiential Learning Program, I've been exposed to various
research opportunities that I've really enjoyed.
In the future, I'll definitely be looking into grad school
at the University of Nebraska.
And that Nebraska benefited from their time
here as well.
And welcome back to Pure Nebraska, a hands-on learning
experience helping prepare students to address
the ongoing challenges of food production.
This project is bringing 24 students from across
the country to Nebraska to conduct summer internships,
I should say, related to their career interests and goals.
So joining us now with more on this is Marlynn Cadena
and Jackson Stansell.
Thank you both for being here today.
We appreciate it.
Good morning, you guys.
Good morning, thanks for having us.
Tell us more about the internships that you were
doing, Marilynn.
Marlynn, I should say.
(laughs)
So, I'm working with a doctor at UNL and we're working
with soil samples, so what we're looking for
is antibiotic resistance in the organic soils.
So we're trying to create a baseline of information
to kind of compare what organic soil looks like,
which should have no antibiotic resistance,
to be able to compare to, like, a standard.
We look forward to repeating the success
of APS during the summer of 2018 and 2019.
APS is made possible by USDA NIFA funding.
We'd like to thank the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Office of Graduate Studies, especially Casey Coleman
and Alisha Hanshaw.
And we would like to thank all of those who served
as APS mentors over the summer of 2017.