Encouraging Careers in Food Security and Safety: A Multi-institutional Collaborative Approach in Puerto Rico

The goals of this multi-institutional collaborative project are:a) Strengthen capacities of four HSI's to develop and enhance faculty, curriculum, instruction methodology, and scientific instrumentation to serve underrepresented students in Puerto Rico in areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.b) Recruit, retain, and support Hispanics undergraduate and graduate students from Puerto Rico and prepare them for careers in areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.c) Encourage collaborative initiatives among four HSI's, public and private organizations and agencies in Puerto Rico, to potentiate the development and use of resources and to improve food security, food safety teaching programs.d) Sustain activities and consolidate interactions and collaborations among four HSI's to enhance educational equity for underrepresented students of Puerto Rico in areas of food security, food safety and related disciplines.Objectives:Three project
objectives are emphasized:1) Train middle and high school students of the PR's public education system in disciplines related to food security, food safety, agricultural biotechnology and natural resources, through hands-on activities and learning workshop experiences.2) Strengthen ties and capacities of collaborating Puerto Rican HSIs to develop and enhance faculty, improve curriculum, introduce new methods of instruction, and acquire equipment to improve infrastructure; to better serve undergraduate and graduate students in areas of (but not limited to) food security and food safety.3) Increase by 20% the number of students pursuing careers in food security and safety from all collaborating HSIs after their participation in practical learning experiences such as research mentoring and internships in USDA agencies and private sector.