Grant Seeks Minority Students for Ag Studies
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Bobby Lane |
A Sam Houston State University professor was one of two area
educators who recently received a $350,000 grant to find ways
to attract minority students to the field of agriculture.
Bobby Lane, professor of agricultural
sciences, will work with Maya Durnovo, dean of workforce programs
at Houston Community College, to develop a model minority recruitment
and retention program in agriculture and related sciences.
"For the past several years, the
United States Department of Agriculture has had a goal of attracting
and supporting undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented
groups in order to prepare them for careers related to the food,
agriculture and natural resource systems of the U.S.," said
Lane.
"This grant addresses that goal
through bilingual recruitment and retention activities involving
minority students currently enrolled in our academic program
and by providing financial assistance to outstanding scholars
attending Houston Community College and Sam Houston State University."
Lane
said that additional faculty and staff at SHSU and at the Guthrie
Career Center of Spring Branch school district will be involved
in the 30-month program.
Lane
is also charged with designing and staffing a summer "Career Tracks" program
in which participating high school students will spend a week
on the SHSU campus, gaining hands-on, problem-solving experiences
in turf management, GIS/GPS applications in agriculture, agricultural
bio-security, agribusiness management, animal reproduction and
other topics.
"I will be putting together a
series of interactive experiences in which the students are actively
engaged with faculty and other students in solving problems or
making use of modern technology to address issues of agricultural
and environmental significance," says Lane.
"If we are to continue to feed
and clothe not only our population, but that of many other parts
of the world, we are going to need bright, energetic young thinkers
from all ethnic backgrounds that are excited about using and
developing science and technology to solve the myriad issues
confronting agricultural producers while ensuring that our natural
resources are not abused."
Lane said that many minority
groups, particularly young Hispanics, hold a negative view
of agriculture, or perhaps they are simply unaware of the professional
career opportunities available with the proper academic credentials.
"In the U.S. only six percent
of students pursuing a baccalaureate degree in one of the agriculture-related
disciplines is of Hispanic origin," he said. "Ironically,
that percentage is even lower in Texas, where Hispanics now comprise
around 40 percent of the state's population."
The grant was
awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture's Cooperative
State Research, Education and Extension Service.
—END—
SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Aug. 22, 2006
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