NIFA Update, Oct. 4, 2017, 4-H Youth Making a Difference

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The NIFA Update is a weekly compendium of news and information that may be of interest to Land-Grant and non-Land-Grant Universities, NIFA stakeholders, and other subscribers.

Oct. 4, 2014

Making a Difference

STEM Graphic

National 4-H Week:

4-H Ambassadors Sparking Student Interest in STEM Careers

In 2016, with the support of the University of Maine (UMaine) System Chancellor and Board of Trustees, the 4-H STEM Ambassadors program expanded to six of the seven UMaine campuses. Ambassadors are trained college students who act as mentors to youth and facilitate STEM activities and help them learn about college and career options. In 2015-2016, 121 ambassadors reached over 1,200 youth with at least six hours of hands-on STEM activities. The program often engages in underserved communities.

Ambassadors reported increases in their knowledge of STEM and comfort facilitating STEM activities. Youth participant surveys suggested they want to learn more about science, feel they are good at science, and feel college could be right for them. Youth were excited that UMaine students came to share STEM activities. 

Teachers are encouraged by the program’s success. One remarked, “The program has really added value to what we are trying to accomplish. Kids are able to see someone closer to their own age doing science and math and making it fun.” 

NIFA News

Want to hear from you

Deadline Approaching to RSVP for NIFA’s In-person Stakeholder Listening Sessions  

NIFA wants to hear from you about priorities and opportunities in agricultural! There are two ways to share your thoughts and ideas: a series of four in-person listening sessions hosted in different regions across the country, and submission of written comments. You must submit an RSVP no later than Oct, 12 if you wish to attend an in-person listening session.

Locations and Dates:

  • Kansas City, Missouri (Oct. 19) at Marriott Kansas City Overland Park
  • Atlanta, Georgia (Oct. 26) at Atlanta Marriott Marquis
  • Sacramento, California (Nov. 2) at Westin Sacramento
  • Greenbelt, Maryland (Nov. 8) at Greenbelt Marriott 

Regardless of attendance at in-person events, submissions of written comments will be accepted via the input form through Dec. 1.

Visit NIFA website for more information.

Li

NIFA Grantee Gets Gold Goose Award

In September, Kaichang Li received a 2017 Golden Goose Award for creating a safer glue for plywood. The Golden Goose Award honors scientists whose federally funded work may have been considered odd or obscure when first conducted, but has resulted in significant benefits to society.

In 2001, Li received a NIFA grant to develop a soy-based wood glue that could mimic the marine adhesive proteins found in the tenacious shellfish, such as mussels.  

Li filed a patent for his mussel-inspired wood adhesive. Around the same time, Columbia Forest Products (CFP) was looking for an alternative to formaldehyde-based wood adhesives which are hazardous to human health. In 2003, CFP approached Li to develop a glue that was commercially viable. Within two years, the company planned to convert all of its plants to use the soy-based glue. CFP had been formaldehyde-free for more than a decade and much of the industry has followed its lead.

Read more about Li's Golden Goose Award on the OSU website.

Leadership Changes

Dr. Ann Bartuska, acting USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Economics, and Education, retired Sept. 23 after 27 years of federal service. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue on Sept. 25 assigned Agricultural Research Service Director Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young to serve in that capacity.

NIFA’s Office of Information Technology Deputy Director, Michel Desbois retired Sept. 30 after 30 years in federal service. Jason Hitchcock and Dan Knight will assume administrative responsibilities in OIT for the next 224 days.

Beginning Oct. 1, Jason Hitchcock will serve as OIT's Interim Deputy Director for 112 days. Hitchcock currently serves as the Division Director of Information of OIT's Policy, Planning, and Training Division. Prior to joining OIT, he was a program specialist in the National Research Initiative's competitive grants program. 

Dan Knight will begin OIT administrative duties Jan. 21, 2018. Knight currently serves as the Chief Information Officer and IT Business Director for USDA’s Grain Inspections, Packers, and Stockyards Administration.  

Healthy Living Webinar

NIFA's Division of Youth and 4-H hosted a webinar to explore the impact of opioids on drug and alcohol abuse in youth, and to provide resources and strategies for addressing this critical community issue. Brian Marquis, public liaison at National Institute on Drug Abuse, presented information on how to bring National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week and the science behind the consequences of drug and alcohol use on the brain, body, and behavior to youth in your communities. 

News for You

WVU Center

WVU Launches Nation's First Center to Study Land Grants 

It’s been 155 years since land-grant higher education was born in the throes of the Civil War. While the institution is as strong as ever, education itself has changed, prompting West Virginia University to create the Center for the Future of Land-Grant Education

The Center, the nation’s first devoted to the study of land-grant institutions (LGIs), launched Sept. 28 with a panel of higher education experts. WVU President Gordon Gee introduced the panel that included: Steven Gavazzi, dean and director of Ohio State-Mansfield; Roger L. Geiger, professor emeritus and head of the higher education program at Pennsylvania State University; and William Doyle, associate professor of public policy and higher education at Vanderbilt University. 

WVU's College of Education and Human Services will house the center and serve as a hub for researchers who will address the challenge of providing accessible public higher education in the wake of decreased public funding and disconnect between higher education and the people.

Learn more about the center read the full article.

Events

Northeastern IPM Center Online Conference

The Northeastern IPM Center (NEIPMC) will host the third annual Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Online Conference Oct. 23 at 9:30 a.m. The conference will feature updates from active IPM projects funded by NEIPMC Partnership Grants Program, the Northeastern Sustainable Agriculture and Education Program, and NIFA’s Applied Research and Development Program and Extension Implementation Program.

Visit the NEIPMC website to register for the approximately 2 1/2-hour event.

Webinar: Alternatives to Petroleum (SOAP)-Jet, Oct. 13 

Join in a webinar Oct. 13 as the leaders of two new NIFA-funded projects discuss the development of alternative jet fuel, biobased products, and biomaterials from renewable sources. 

NIFA recently announced six awards totaling $21.6 million through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to support the development of alternative jet fuel, biobased products, and biomaterials from renewable sources. Two of these grants were awarded to consortia-based Coordinated Agriculture Projects (CAP) led by Dr. Kimberly Ogden (University of Arizona) and Dr. David Wright (University of Florida), and each is anticipated to receive up to $15 million five-years. Both projects have distinct linkage to jet fuel and with Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative engagement. 

Read the full article on Advanced Biofuels USA.

Grants & RFA Announcements

Specialty Crop Research Initiative 

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) program awards grants that support research and extension projects to address key challenges of national, regional, and multistate importance in all components of food and agriculture.

Requests for Pre-Applications 
Apply for Grant

Pre-application Closing Date: Dec. 8, 2017
Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-SCRI-006394
Estimated Total Program Funding: $48,100,000