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In recent years, fewer and fewer new graduates are leaving college with sufficient field-level experience in practical management of insect pests, plant diseases, and weed management. The fundamental focus of Entomology, Agronomy, Plant Pathology and Weed Science departments at land-grant and many other agricultural colleges has shifted. <P>Funding, publication success, prestige and promotion pressures have moved faculty away from practical IPM research and application. Increasingly, research and educational efforts emphasize ecological, biochemical, molecular and genetic areas of study. Fewer faculty members have practical experience in IPM or the ability to provide students with effective experience-based instruction in IPM. Opportunities for students to work with experienced professional people in practical situations on farms, in housing, urban and School IPM are increasingly rare. <P>In view of the decreased emphasis in applied IPM, who will teach the IPM professionals of the future Who will expose young people to the opportunities that are available in applied IPM<P> The Texas AgriLife IPM program employs 24 IPM Agents and Program Specialists who have practical training and experience working with clientele on farms, in urban situations and schools to help them learn effective IPM concepts and practices. <P>The program funded by this proposal will place IPM Interns with IPM Agents and Program Specialists for a few weeks during the summer. Funds will be available to support 9 interns each year for two years. <P>The interns will be trained by IPM Agents and Program Specialists and will work with them on educational and applied research projects. Each intern will be responsible for his or her own project (planning, initiation, data collection and data processing). The interns will have opportunities to interact with professionals in the local area. These may include farmers, consultants, County Agents, Extension Specialists, USDA NRCS, TDA, pest control professionals, School IPM Coordinators, Vocational Agriculture teachers and suppliers of agricultural and ornamental seed, fertilizer, and supplies. Students will receive college credit for their summer work and will have an opportunity to share their experiences with other students.<P> We expect the IPM Internship program will compliment each student's college education. Students will gain exposure to applied pest management, to people working in IPM and people who benefit from IPM programming. As a result of their summer internship program, we expect some students will choose to work in IPM related jobs. This will support the needs of agricultural producers, urban clientele and schools by exposing students to the field of applied IPM and giving them hands-on education on the art and science of IPM. We believe the program will result in some students choosing to spend a career working as an IPM professional.
Non-Technical Summary: IPM programming and education blossomed in the late 1960's and 1970's. Since that time the educational focus in colleges has moved from IPM to ecology, molecular biology and genetics. Fewer faculty members have applied backgrounds/experience and students have less exposure to IPM instruction and opportunities. Texas AgriLife Extension's IPM programs can help fill this void in a student's education through providing hands-on exposure to real world challenges in pest management. This can be accomplished with summer internship programs in which Sophomore, Junior and Senior level students work with IPM professionals, learning by doing. This program will support the education of nine summer interns per year for two years. It will educate the students, assess what they have learned and document whether they have developed greater interest and appreciation for working in the field of IPM. We expect that some of the students will pursue careers in IPM as a result of their summer internship work. <P> Approach: IPM Internship proposals will be solicited from IPM Agents and Program Specialists in the fall of the year. The IPM Coordinator will rank the proposals and work with colleges to recruit interns to fill the internship positions. Prospective IPM Interns will apply for the internship opportunities available. High quality intern candidates will be selected to participate in the program. The State-wide IPM Coordinator will assign interns to the IPM units which have qualified (through their proposals) to receive one. College Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors majoring in Agronomy, Horticulture, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Agricultural Economics or related disciplines will be recruited from colleges in Texas and surrounding states. The IPM Coordinator will establish college credit with the student's college or university. Pre-Internship surveys will be used to assess student knowledge of the subject matter and interest in the field. Monthly reports will be required from the IPM Interns to document their projects, progress and experiences. An end-of-season survey will assess changes in knowledge, how the program may have benefitted them and interest in further work in the field. Reports of the impact(s) of the program will be given at professional meetings and a paper will be published in a peer reviewed journal to communicate the impact(s) of the program.