EQUIPPING A NEW GENERATION OF PLANT SCIENTISTS TO SOLVE GLOBAL FOOD INSECURITY: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SUMMER REEU PROGRAM

Our long-term goal is to molda generation of plant scientists with the needed interdisciplinary skills to secure our complex,global food supply. We will accomplish this through the objectives below.Objective. 1. Research: A Translational, Interdisciplinary Approach to Plant Health and FoodSecurity. Our research goals support those described by AmericanSociety for Plant Biology intheir Vision for 2015-2025 for increasing food security and sustainability. Fellows willengage in both basic research on Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus (weeks 1-5) and in appliedresearch at an AREC campus (weeks 6-10). Research topics focus on plant health and foodsecurity including: plant protection (managing biotic agents), soil health (improving soil qualityand resilience), and food safety and produce quality (managing pre-harvest risk factors).Objective. 2. Education: Providing Unique Training, Experiences and Professional Developmentto Undergraduate Students. Our overarching goal is to provide undergraduate students with anearly and sustained involvement in translational, interdisciplinary research to allow them to:Make formative connections between basic and applied researchFormulate questions, design experiments, analyze data, and draw logical conclusionsDevelop technical skills needed to address important problems in U.S. agricultureEffectively communicate scientific results across different audiencesGain exposure to interdisciplinary research, extension teams and 'Big data'Participate in peer-to-peer interactions within the larger undergraduate research communityDevelop local, regional, and global perspectives on agricultural challenges and opportunitiesUnderstand the social and regulatory impacts of agrobiotechnologies and organic agricultureDevelop ability to engage the public in meaningful dialog about complex agricultural issuesDevelop an awareness of diversity issues within science and agriculture