Creating Awareness in the Plant Sciences/Plant Breeding Among MSI Students.

Creating Awareness in the Plant Sciences/Plant Breeding Among MSI Students

 

 

Like in other STEM fields, students in minority populations are underrepresented in agriculture-related degree programs. However a recent report by FAEIS documents an increase enrolment by minority students in agriculture-related degree professions, with the least increase in the plant sciences. The lack of participation of minorities in plant sciences is cause for concern. It occurs at the same time there is growing recognition of the need for a diverse workforce in agriculture-related professions. We therefore set out to increase awareness of   plant sciences and plant breeding among students at minority serving institutions (MSI). The center piece of our efforts consisted of creating and supporting collaborative research between university faculty participants in the Triticeae Coordinated Agriculture Project (TCAP) and faculty at minority serving institutions. Activities organized to create awareness of plant breeding included:  home institution research, summer internships, guest speakers of plant breeding, and an online undergraduate community. By the third year of the project, 68 MSI students were mentored in plant science career opportunities. We recorded number of students participating in TCAP activities, conducted surveys and interviews of students and advisors. We found that negative perceptions, lack of funding, interests in other science fields, lack of familiarity, and familial social factors, were barriers to increasing the number of undergraduate minority students in the plant sciences/plant breeding. In interview and evaluation responses we found the following as a result of TCAP efforts: increased interest to study plant sciences in graduate school, increased confidence to succeed in graduate school, a changed positive perception towards the plant sciences, and the majority of MSI PIs feeling that the TCAP project was successful in addressing and overcoming negative perspectives towards the plant sciences, through their various activities.