For college students, the summer is a time to vacation, take summer classes or get work experience. For a select group of students, summer is the time

for an opportunity that can change their lives.

The University of Florida’s Insti-tute of Food and Agricultural Sci-ences offers research and Extension internships each summer, as part of a cooperative effort among the Col-lege of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station and the Florida Cooperative Extension Service.

Research internships are designed for students to discover, invent and develop applications for new knowl-edge in agriculture, human and natural resources. These internships are facilitated through the Experiment Station, the research arm of IFAS.

Students applying for research in-ternships submit a short description of their research interests and are paired with a UF faculty member who re-quested an intern. Students can work

Summer Internships Heat Things Up

with Experiment Station faculty in Gainesville or at research and educa-tion centers throughout Florida.

Mary Duryea, associate dean for research, said the internship program looks for a diverse group of students willing to explore their interests through science.

“Our research internships give students the science perspective in their chosen fi eld of study, see questions, use scientifi c methods for answering those questions and create excitement to ask more questions,” Duryea said.

Extension internships are organized with the Florida Cooperative Exten-sion Service. The focus of these intern-ships is to place students in county Extension offi ces to gain knowledge and understanding of the Extension

system and the role of an agent. “These internships give stu-

dents the opportunity to learn how the Exten-sion Service works and what that work is about,” said Dale McPherson, coor-dinator of admin-istrative services for IFAS Extension Administration.

Extension intern ap-plicants explain their interests and preferred counties of placement. Requests are sent to numerous counties to determine who is avail-able to host students, and a match is made to best fi t the desires of

both parties. “The Extension internships allow

you to be out of the school setting, but still remain safe within the

university,” said Courtney Davis, an agricultural

communication se-nior.

Davis completed an Extension intern-ship in the summer

of 2005 working with the Suwannee County

4-H Day Camp. “I did not have any experi-

ence with 4-H, but I worked with great people and learned a lot from my experience,” Davis said. “It was very challenging, but I enjoyed the chal-lenge.”

See “Internships” on Page 4.

Tyrell Kahan’s research internship research project examined removing phosphorus from cattle grazing areas by feeding plants nitrogen.

“Research and Extension internships are designed to provide students with an opportunity to take

knowledge gained in the classroom and apply it in

a real-life experience.”

Page 2 Pedreiro Press April 2006

Investors have an inherent inter-est in their investments. They want assurance that their money is properly used and those responsible are held accountable.

The federal government requires all units that receive funding to have a database system to report information. Unifas is the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ faculty reporting database, which connects IFAS faculty performance measures to its budget.

“Unifas was built around meet-ing federal reporting requirements and faculty needs,” said Glenn Israel,

Department of Agricultural Education and Communication professor and Unifas coordinator.

To continue receiving funds, federal legislators must approve a plan of work. Unifas is a multi-purpose tool that allows IFAS faculty to create a plan of work for the current year and review an annual report of previous years’ work.

Unifas, first implemented in 2004, is con-structed from information

pre-loaded for faculty members and information from faculty input.

“Unifas depends on faculty to do a good job of putting information into the system,” Israel said.

The goal of Unifas is to hold IFAS faculty accountable for their perfor-mance, and to input accurate infor-mation obtained from educational

research into the database for fast and easy retrieval.

“If you don’t demonstrate value, it’s as-sumed you do not have any, and in the absence of information, it is assumed you are not doing it,” said Bryan Terry, AEC

coordinator of statistical research.Tenure and promotion is another

report Unifas can easily calculate. Along with general faculty informa-tion, Unifas collects information vital in faculty tenure and promotion decisions, including job descriptions, intellectual property, awards and publications.

“Unifas identifies the things we should be held accountable for as an organization and as individuals in order to be promoted and tenured,” said Howard Ladewig, retired AEC professor and former Unifas coordi-nator.

“It is designed to meet individual and organizational accountability needs,” Ladewig said.

The electronic nature of Unifas makes the opportunity for inputting information readily available.

“Because it is a Web-based system, faculty can use it whenever and wher-ever they want,” Israel said. “Faculty can report information when it is fresh in their mind, making informa-tion more accurate.”

The Unifas interface provides a menu of options for IFAS faculty to view existing information, input new information and create reports.

The Tools to Understanding Unifas

Let’s Get Technical

The Update’s purpose was to allow teachers to share ideas in a social environment, while learning the latest technical information. More than 70 high school and middle school agri-cultural education teachers, as well as current student interns, attended the workshops.

Brian Myers, assistant professor and Update coordinator, said that after several years of not offering this type of workshop for agricultural education teachers, the FAAE asked the Agricultural Education and Com-munication Department to develop a weekend technical update.

“Teachers had so few opportunities to learn from other teachers,” Myers said. “We wanted to give them that opportunity, but also give them the technical information to keep them current.”

Participants at the Update attended workshops that featured a variety of topics, including new teaching meth-ods, career development event team preparation, new lessons plans and Web site design. Eleven AEC faculty

members and graduate students par-ticipated as workshop leaders.

Katy Groseta, graduate student in agricultural education and member of the planning committee, said the teachers enjoyed the opportunity to get together in a casual setting and learn how to apply the skills in their own classroom.

“Teachers need the specifics – here’s what’s new, and here’s how to use it,” she said.

Myers said he hopes the UF/FAAE Tech Update will become an annual event.

“It’s hard to find the perfect time to host it, but I think we’ve found the best time,” he said. “We had very good attendance for the first year. Our goal is to get 100 to 125 teachers to attend.”

Farrah Johnson, FAAE president and agricultural education teacher at Deltona High School, said the response from the teachers in atten-dance was very positive.

“I hope it continues to grow and become something teachers want to take part of,” Johnson said.

To help agricultural education teachers across the state improve their technical and teaching skills,

the University of Florida and the Florida Association of Agricultural Educators teamed up to host the UF/FAAE Tech Update in Gainesville Jan. 13 and 14.

Story by: Courtney Meyers

Page 3 Pedreiro Press April 2006

The tallest corn plant in a fi eld be-gins with the smallest seed. Its growth is the result of a farmer’s hard work and constant care. As simple as this concept may seem to some, the major-ity of the general public does not make the connection.

The Agriculture Awareness Initia-tive, a new Institute of Food and Ag-ricultural Sciences effort, is designed to help bridge this gap by educating the general public about how Florida’s agriculture and natural resources in-dustry impact their everyday life.

The man tapped to organize this initiative is Scott Emerson.

“I am excited to be in this role,” Emerson said. “I am glad to be a part of the AEC family and hope to make a difference.”

For Emerson, an opportunity to return to his alma mater and promote agriculture was an offer too good to pass up. Emerson, formerly editor and associate publisher for Citrus and Veg-etable Magazine, joined the Depart-ment of Agricultural Education and Communication staff for a one-year appointment.

The project’s goal is to help Exten-sion, media and the general public work together to improve the visibility of Florida agriculture. Emerson said the plan involves many components for success.

“There are several important aspects of the initiative, including an economic impact study, focus groups and Extension involvement,” Emer-son said. “The results from the focus groups and impact study will be es-sential in the development of key mes-sages on how agriculture and natural resources impact the public’s everyday life.”

Emerson said he plans to research and evaluate existing agricultural-awareness efforts to determine what is working and what needs improvement. He admits current awareness efforts will be essential in the development of the new project.

“My goal is to help formulate a plan and implement the great ideas and programs that are working currently in ongoing programs,” he said.

Emerson said the support and in-volvement of agriculturalists will add to the success of the effort.

“Everyone has to be involved,” Em-erson said. “If you have anything to do with agriculture, get involved and be an ambassador for your industry.”

AEC department chair Ed Osborne said he is excited about the future of the Ag Awareness project and pleased Emerson has joined the AEC staff.

“Scott’s efforts will help develop a clear, large-scale approach for the improvement of agriculture awareness in Florida,” Osborne said. “He is the seed for a bigger and long term effort in ag awareness.”

Emerson Hired to Lead Ag Awareness Effort

The Agricultural Awareness Initiative hopes to research current knowledge of Florida agriculture and natural resourc-es, assess that data and develop new ideas to increase public awareness.

College

Collage

The University of Florida provides scenic architecture at every turn and school spirit around every corner. Take some time to stop and smell Gator fever!

The real-life experience gained through an internship can generate future employment interest and op-portunities.

“Over the past four years, six intern-ship students have been picked up as agents upon graduation,” McPherson said.

Tyrell Kahan, a senior majoring in animal science, completed a research internship in the summer of 2003.

“My internship allowed me to see another side of my fi eld of interest that I may not have experienced any other way,” Kahan said.

Darren Holt, a junior majoring in food and resource economics with a minor in agricultural and natural resource law, completed a research internship in the summer of 2005 and studied consumer perceptions of organic products. His experience has persuaded him to implement new knowledge into his family’s business.

“Through my research, I know there is a place for niche markets and I intend to go back home and explore natural pork production on our family farm,” Holt said.

Research and Extension intern-ships are designed to provide students with an opportunity to take knowledge gained in the classroom and apply it in a real-life experience.

“If you have a passion to reach out and learn more, pursue the internship

opportunity,” Holt said.Intern applicants should be college

juniors or seniors and must maintain at least a 2.8 grade point average. Interns are paid $11 per hour and can choose to work full time for six weeks or part time for 12 weeks to accommo-date summer class schedules.

“This is a paid internship that al-lows you to explore your interests, even if you are not sure what career you want to pursue,” Kahan said. “My internship changed my life.”

Internships

Darren Holt will present the results from his 2005 summer research internship at the American Agricul-tural Economics Association annual meeting in June.

Continued from Page 1

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Pressing issues you need to know.

University of Florida408 Rolfs Hall

Gainesville, FL 32611

Carrie PedreiroEditor-in-Chiefpedreiro@ufl .edu(352) 392-0502

Contributing Editor:Courtney Meyers

“Reporting pressing is-sues that Agricultural

Education and Commu-nication students and faculty need to know.”

Go Gators!