Great Plains Portal to Food Safety: Educating Tomorrow's Leaders

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:<br/> There is a national need for those trained at the graduate level in Food Safety. This need is especially strong in North Dakota where rural agricultural processing facilities have promise to maintain and grow communities; communities vital to those involved in production agriculture. For this project, we intend to attract and actively recruit students from the Northern Plains who would be likely to use their education to address Food Safety needs within the region and promote rural development, while having a global perspective on the world food supply.
<p>APPROACH: The M.S. fellows will be recruited from within the region. This geographic area is targeted as these populations are the most likely to remain in the region upon graduation. The M.S. degree prepares students for supervisory roles in the food industry, with regulatory agencies, or in healthcare.
<p>PROGRESS: 2006/11 TO 2011/11<br/>OUTPUTS: A national need for professionals with graduate-level food safety training prompted the implementation of this program. The need for food safety professionals is especially strong in North Dakota where rural agricultural processing facilities have promise to maintain and grow communities -- communities vital to those involved in production agriculture. The M.S. fellows for this award were recruited from within the region. This geographic area is targeted as these populations are the most likely to remain in the region upon graduation. We have awarded all four fellowships for students in the NDSU Food Safety M.S. program. Student applications were evaluated by a review committee. Efforts for recruitment have mainly been through word of mouth, items posted on our GPIFS website and newsletters handed out at recruitment events.
During the reporting period our project received a second grant from the NNF program to support three IRTA. Two of these were utilized to fund international educational experiences for two of the fellows in summer 2009 and the third was utilized in the summer of 2010. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
<p>PROGRESS: 2009/11/15 TO 2010/11/14<br/>A national need for professionals with graduate-level food safety training prompted the implementation of this program. The need for food safety professionals is especially strong in North Dakota where rural agricultural processing facilities have promise to maintain and grow communities -- communities vital to those involved in production agriculture. The M.S. fellows for this award have been and will be recruited from within the region. This geographic area is targeted as these populations are the most likely to remain in the region upon graduation. We have awarded all four fellowships for students in the NDSU Food Safety M.S. program. Student applications were evaluated by a review committee. Efforts for recruitment have mainly been through word of mouth, items posted on our GPIFS website and newsletters handed out at
recruitment events. Assessments of student progress and success are ongoing. During the reporting period our project received a second grant from the NNF program to support three IRTA. Two of these were utilized to fund international educational experiences for two of the fellows in summer 2009 and the third was utilized in the summer of 2010. PRODUCTS: Recruitment materials have been developed as a result of this project. This includes a poster that was presented at the project directors' meeting, special sections of the GPIFS newsletter, lesson plans for high school workshops and brochures. OUTCOMES: Three of the four fellows have successfully graduated, and the fourth is on track for a spring 2011 graduation. One of those graduated is employed with a pest control company, another with a food company and the third has continued her education towards a doctoral degree. The advertising
of the fellowships and the recruitment efforts have brought increased attention to food safety education at NDSU. The focus on recruitment has increased awareness of food safety and potential career opportunities for students within the state and region. The program coordinator has fielded increasing numbers of phone calls and email inquires about the program, with consistent growth trends since the implementation year of the project. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The fellowship opportunities have been communicated through our Great Plains Institute of Food Safety (GPIFS) website (www.ndsu.edu/foodsafety), our promotional materials taken to various meetings and recruitment events, and within NDSU. Recruitment events include the Sunday Academies through the Nurturing American Tribal Undergraduate Research and Education (NATURE) program (http://www.ndsu.edu/epscor/NATURE/index.html) which
targets Native American high school students. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Recruitment efforts will continue. Additional funding sources will be pursued to help fund assistantships for recruited students. Serious efforts to recruit from underserved populations will continue, including partnerships with NDSU Extension and other NDSU education outreach programs including NATURE.
<p>PROGRESS: 2008/11/15 TO 2009/11/14<br/>A national need for professionals with graduate-level food safety training prompted the implementation of this program. The need for food safety professionals is especially strong in North Dakota where rural agricultural processing facilities have promise to maintain and grow communities -- communities vital to those involved in production agriculture. The M.S. fellows for this award have been and will be recruited from within the region. This geographic area is targeted as these populations are the most likely to remain in the region upon graduation. We have awarded all four fellowships for students in the NDSU Food Safety M.S. program. Student applications were evaluated by a review committee. Efforts for recruitment have mainly been through word of mouth, items posted on our GPIFS website and newsletters handed out at
recruitment events. Assessments of student progress and success are ongoing. During the reporting period our project received a second grant from the NNF program to support three IRTA. Two of these were utilized to fund international educational experiences for two of the fellows in summer 2009. The third IRTA was delayed and is on track for a summer 2010 international experience. PRODUCTS: Recruitment materials have been developed as a result of this project. This includes a poster that was presented at the project directors' meeting, special sections of the GPIFS newsletter, lesson plans for high school workshops and brochures. OUTCOMES: The advertising of the fellowships and the recruitment efforts have brought increased attention to food safety education at NDSU. The focus on recruitment has increased awareness of food safety and potential career opportunities for students within the
state and region. The program coordinator has fielded increasing numbers of phone calls and email inquires about the program, with consistent growth trends since the implementation year of the project. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The fellowship opportunities have been communicated through our Great Plains Institute of Food Safety (GPIFS) website (www.ndsu.edu/foodsafety), our promotional materials taken to various meetings and recruitment events, and within NDSU. Recruitment events include the Sunday Academies through the Nurturing American Tribal Undergraduate Research and Education (NATURE) program (http://www.ndsu.edu/epscor/NATURE/index.html) which targets Native American high school students. The success stories of our fellows are included in our GPIFS newsletter, which distributes 2 issues per year to our constituents and through the GPIFS website. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Recruitment
efforts will continue. Additional funding sources will be pursued to help fund assistantships for recruited students. Serious efforts to recruit from underserved populations will continue, including partnerships with NDSU Extension and other NDSU education outreach programs including NATURE.
<p>PROGRESS: 2007/11/15 TO 2008/11/14<br/>A national need for professionals with graduate-level food safety training prompted the implementation of this program. The need for food safety professionals is especially strong in North Dakota where rural agricultural processing facilities have promise to maintain and grow communities -- communities vital to those involved in production agriculture. The M.S. fellows for this award have been and will be recruited from within the region. This geographic area is targeted as these populations are the most likely to remain in the region upon graduation. We have awarded all four fellowships for students in the NDSU Food Safety M.S. program. Student applications were evaluated by a steering committee of the Great Plains Institute of Food Safety. Efforts for recruitment have primarily been through word of mouth, items posted on our
GPIFS website, www.ndsu.edu/foodsafety, and newsletters handed out at recruitment events, including Regional FFA events. Formative assessments of student progress and success are ongoing. During the reporting period our project received a second grant from the NNF program to support three Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances. These will be utilized to fund international educational experiences for three of the fellows for an international studies course in collaboration with Makerere University in Uganda. The objectives of recruiting and retaining four fellows has been met thus far for the fellowship awards. PRODUCTS: Recruitment materials have been developed as a result of this project. This includes a poster that was presented at the project directors' meeting, special sections of the GPIFS newsletter and brochures. These are distributed broadly
to audiences including alumni, current students within the NDSU system, industry partners and our extension personnel in the state who work with target populations. OUTCOMES: The advertising of the fellowships and the recruitment efforts have brought increased attention to food safety education at NDSU. The focus on recruitment has increased awareness of food safety and potential career opportunities for students within the state and region. The program coordinator has fielded increasing numbers of phone calls and email inquires about the program. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The fellowship opportunities have been communicated through our Great Plains Institute of Food Safety (GPIFS) website, our promotional materials taken to various professional and outreach meetings and recruitment events, and within NDSU. The success stories of our fellows are included in our GPIFS newsletter, which
distributes 2 issues per year to GPIFS participants, alumni, industry partners and through the GPIFS website. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Recruitment efforts will continue. Additional funding sources, including research grants and other sources of fellowships will be pursued to help fund recruited students. Serious efforts to recruit from underserved populations will continue, including partnerships with NDSU Extension and other NDSU education outreach programs including Nurturing American Tribal Undergraduate Research and Education (NATURE).
<p>PROGRESS: 2006/11/15 TO 2007/11/14<br/>A national need for professionals with graduate-level food safety training prompted the implementation of this program. The need for food safety professionals is especially strong in North Dakota where rural agricultural processing facilities have promise to maintain and grow communities -- communities vital to those involved in production agriculture. The M.S. fellows for this award have been and will be recruited from within the region. This geographic area is targeted as these populations are the most likely to remain in the region upon graduation. We have awarded three fellowships so far for students in the NDSU Food Safety M.S. program. We anticipate a fourth award during spring 2008. Student applications are evaluated by a review committee. Initial efforts for recruitment have mainly been through word of mouth, items posted
on our GPIFS website and newsletters handed out at recruitment events such as North Dakota Market Place and the FFA Little International state conference held at NDSU. Additional efforts to recruit from underserved populations will continue, including partnerships with NDSU Extension and other NDSU education outreach programs. Placement of fellows in internship experiences is being organized. Assessments of student progress and success are ongoing.
PRODUCTS: Recruitment materials have been developed as a result of this project. This includes a poster that was presented at the project directors' meeting.
OUTCOMES: The advertising of the fellowships and the recruitment efforts have brought increased attention to food safety education at NDSU. The focus on recruitment has increased awareness of food safety and potential career opportunities for students within the state and region. The program coordinator has fielded increasing numbers of phone calls and email inquires about the program.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The fellowship opportunities have been communicated through our Great Plains Institute of Food Safety (GPIFS) website, our promotional materials taken to various meetings and recruitment events, and within NDSU. The success stories of our fellows will be included in our GPIFS newsletter, which distributes 2 issues per year to our constituents and through the GPIFS website.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: Initial efforts for recruitment have mainly been through word of mouth, items posted on our GPIFS website and newsletters handed out at recruitment events such as North Dakota Market Place and the FFA Little International state conference held at NDSU. Additional efforts to recruit from underserved populations will continue, including partnerships with NDSU Extension and other NDSU education outreach programs. Placement of fellows in internship experiences is being organized. Assessments of student progress and success are ongoing.