USDA supports training of underrepresented students in cattle research Drs. Jennifer Earing and Justin Rickard, of the Department of Agriculture, have received $29,399 as part of a five-year, $749,497 grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for the Illinois Beef Experiential Learning and Industry Exposure (I-BELIEF) program.
The Illinois State faculty are working with researchers from Western Illinois University and the University of Illinois to annually train 10 economically disadvantaged and female undergraduate students through experiential learning in beef cattle research. Two of those students will be placed at the University Farm at Lexington and will be mentored by a faculty member.
Professor to educate students on cotton through grant Last year, Dr. Ui-Jeen Yu, professor of fashion design and merchandising, garnered a one-year, $25,530 Cotton in the Curriculum Grant from Cotton Inc.
The purpose of the project is to enhance students’ knowledge and experience with cotton-branded products and markets through cotton market and trend analysis, textile testing, research-based projects, and development of business plans for new cotton markets.
Grant supports experiments on farms Dr. Maria Boerngen, an associate professor in the Department of Agriculture, has received $87,741 as part of a three-year, $4 million grant awarded by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to a multi-institutional research team.
Boerngen is collaborating with researchers from universities across the country, including project director Dr. David S. Bullock, of the University of Illinois, to create an infrastructure that encourages farmers to implement on-farm precision experiments as a routine part of their farming operations.
Source: illinoisstate.edu
Categories: Illinois, General