Graduate Training to Meet Current and Future Challenges in Post-harvest Protection & Biosecurity

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: <br/>This program targets education, fundamental and applied research, and training programs in the areas of postharvest protection and biosecurity, specifically with respect to biology, ecology, behavior, and management of insects in the postharvest system. Food safety and biosecurity represent increasingly critical areas of scientific national need. Despite of the significance of postharvest related losses, the number of stored-product entomologists and graduate students in the US has been declining steadily, as a result of the closing of research institutions, and a shift from commodity-oriented positions to discipline-oriented positions. The specific objective of this program is to recruit, train, and mentor one MS and two PhD students for a career in the designated area. Quality course curriculum and research projects will be provided to ensure
success in the national needs fellowship program in agricultural biosecurity with an emphasis on stored product protection. Upon completion of the program requirements, Fellows will be well prepared to address complex issues in the targeted expertise shortage area and take leadership roles in public and private institutions in research and policy, actively participating in the decision-making process on issues related to stored product protection and management. The proposed effort will be used as a model to sustain this effort to train a new crop of students who can fill faculty positions at universities, research positions at private and federal institutions, and positions in the various industries involved in food production and protection.
<p>APPROACH: <br/>In order to recruit students, we will contact appropriate Kansas State University undergraduate programs and also contact other universities with high populations of students traditionally underrepresented in the field. We will canvass societies that serve traditionally underrepresented student populations. A special recruiting packet for this program will be developed for sharing with these various constituents and students. Plans for recruitment include soliciting numerous stakeholder communities for potential applicants. The selection process will follow more traditional departmental guidelines, which are rigorous. The Department of Grain Science and Industry at Kansas State University has committed financial resources to aid in recruiting efforts. Fellows will be assigned a mentoring committee, which will meet on a quarterly basis and will conduct an
annual review of student progress. The department has a cadre of good and very qualified faculty as well as close cooperative ties with faculty in other departments as well as governmental and private sector stakeholder communities. These individuals are also available for mentoring and advising. Significant and quality course offerings are available. A number of research topics have been identified for students to embark on projects of interest. Fellows will have the opportunity for summer internships. The academic and research programs are well established in the department. Student progress as well as that of the program will be evaluated on a continuing basis. Upon graduation students, with the aid of faculty, will develop professional materials which will be circulated to industry, and posted to a website in order to help students obtain employment. Personal contacts as well as
professional society avenues will be used to publicize students. Contact with fellows who have graduated will be maintained through email, phone, and mail means. The department will solicit input on the program and how to develop and refine it to sustain the program after three years. A list of future students interested in the program will be maintained to channel students into this program. The lessons learned in implementation of the program will be used to fine-tune the proposed program.
<p>PROGRESS: 2012/02 TO 2013/01<br/>Target Audience: Potential employers of the national needs fellows: Academia, industry, federal/state agencies. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Through recruitment activities associated with the program, associated faculty have raised awareness of postharvest protection and biosecurity training opportunities at Kansas State University and other institutions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? National Needs Fellows research and training results will be reported (oral and poster presentations) at upcoming meetings of K-State Research Forum (KRF, March 2014), the annual meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE, June 2014), and the annual meeting of the Institute of Food
Technologists (IFT, June 2014). They will attend the Entomological Society of America (ESA) -North Central Meeting, March 10-12, 2014, Des Moines, IA. Two PhD Students will serve as moderators at the Student Competition Presentation that takes place at the ESA meeting. Letters of supports were written to nominate the fellows to participate in the U.S. Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security, Purdue University, West Lafayette, June 8-21, 2014. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The fellows are only in their second semester. They will be making total of five oral and poster presentations at the IFT, ESA and KRF meeting as mentioned above, which will lead to research articles in near future.