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INVESTIGATOR: Jones, Y. K.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
ALCORN STATE, MISSISSIPPI 39096

ASU CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This project proposes to establish the Alcorn State University Center for Sustainability (ASUCS ). ASUCS will be a multidisciplinary center that embraces the three core pillars of the University--teaching, research, and community service and engagement with an coordinated emphasis on sustainability education, research, and outreach as a theme across science, technology, engineering, agriculture and applied sciences, and mathematics STE(A)M disciplines. The Center will strive to enhance knowledge in surrounding communities of sustainable practices, stimulate student interest in STE(A)M careers, improve student learning outcomes in STE(A)M, and produce globally competitive leaders in sustainability. It is anticipated that this will increase the number of graduates who work in Mississippi communities as innovators in the FANH sciences and serve as change agents in their communities. The foci of the pilot launch for the center are: 1) providing professional development and training for faculty and extension personnel, 2) creating and upgrading courses that incorporate high impact student centered learning practices, modern instructional delivery techniques, and sustainability themes, 3) upgrading technology and equipment for instruction, 4) implementing a student development program, 5) providing opportunities for K-12 teacher development in STE(A)M 6) conducting STE(A)M activities in K-12 schools, 7) engaging in coordinated student recruiting activities, and 8) engaging in community outreach activities.

OBJECTIVES: The overall goals of this proposed project are to improve the quality of instructional delivery to improve student learning and engage in outreach activities to broaden awareness of sustainability. This will be accomplished through establishing the multidisciplinary Center for Sustainability Education and Outreach. The center will implement faculty and staff development, curriculum and course upgrades, modernization of instructional delivery, student development, K-12 outreach, community outreach, and new strategies for student recruitment activities.The specific objectives are:Objective #1: Train a corps of faculty who are abreast of sustainability issues in context of their respective disciplines to deliver modern student centered pedagogy and instruction.Objective #2: Train a corps of extension specialists who are abreast of sustainability issues and modern avenues of information disseminationObjective #3: Upgrade courses in STE(A)M to integrate sustainability and high impact learning practices to improve mastery of course conceptsObjective #4: Upgrade instructional delivery technology for formal and informal training uses by faculty and extension specialistsObjective #5: Upgrade teaching equipment for STE(A)M coursesObjective #6: Provide service learning, experiential learning and undergraduate research, and leadership development opportunities for studentsObjective #7: Provide professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers in STE(A)MObjective #8: Dispatch mobile STE(A)M laboratory to stimulate K-12 and parent interest in STE(A)MObjective #9: Conduct Community engagement activities to broaden awareness of sustainability and practicesObjective #10: Enhance recruiting efforts targeted in Mississippi's top agriculture producing counties.Objective #11: Provide resources to seed sustainability themed research projects

APPROACH: Objective #1: Train a corps of faculty who are abreast of sustainability issues in context of their respective disciplines to deliver modern student centered pedagogy and instruction. At be beginning of the project key community partners and leaders will be identified and contacted in a effort to gain a deeper understanding of the true nature of the strengths and needs of our surrounding communities. A team of ten faculty members in STE(A)M disciplines who commit to participate in training and redesign at least one course to incorporate sustainability concepts will be selected at the onset of the project. A meeting with faculty, extension specialists and community partners will be coordinated. A series of training activities will be organized for faculty. The first activity will be a two day conference where sustainability professionals deliver presentations on sustainability topics. Workshops on integrative learning and high impact learning practices will be conducted for faculty. An expert symposium will be coordinated on campus where experts in the field will be invited to share their knowledge. A workshop will be organized for the faculty group where the will be trained on implementing integrative and high impact student learning practices across the disciplines. The workshop will also focus on the use of technology and modern modes of instructional delivery. The conference and workshop will be open to all faculty to participate. Faculty members will have access to a resource center and online knowledge portal. Through these resources, faculty across the disciplines will have the tools that they need to build sustainability-themed course content.Objective #2: Train a corps of extension specialists who are abreast of sustainability issues and modern avenues of information disseminationExtension staff will participate in the conference and meetings with community stakeholders. They will receive additional training on modern approaches to implementing sustainability activities in the community. They will also be trained on use of technology to expand outreach.Objective #3: Upgrade courses in STE(A)M to integrate sustainability and high impact learning practices to improve mastery of course conceptsThe faculty team will work together to select the most relevant courses where incorporation of sustainability themes will have the greatest impact. Faculty will either upgrade existing courses or create new courses. Faculty will be encouraged to develop a collaborative multidisciplinary common course.Objective #4: Upgrade instructional delivery technology for formal and informal training uses by faculty and extension specialistsTwo classrooms will be equipped with the technology and resources needed for students to fully engage in integrative, high impact learning. A resource center will be setup that includes technology for recording and delivering instruction.Objective #5: Upgrade teaching equipment for STE(A)M coursesShared equipment will be purchased that can be used in water, soil, and food safety testing. This equipment will be used across the disciplines to illustrate the flexibility of these technologies in multiple applications.Objective #6: Provide service learning, experiential learning and undergraduate research, and leadership development opportunities for studentsFaculty will be encouraged to incorporate experiential learning experiences in their courses. The partnership with local community organizations established at the beginning of the project will reveal areas where these activities may be conducted. Faculty will also be encouraged to incorporate service learning activities on campus to raise sustainability awareness at ASU. A group of students will also be given the opportunity to participate in a leadership training group Students will participate in training activities aimed at improving communication, teamwork, and leadership. The center will give student awards. A student competition will be created to encourage student involvement with cash scholarships or stipends. The faculty team will be encouraged to mentor an outstanding student in an undergraduate research project that has a sustainability emphasis. Enhance student learning by providing opportunities for experiential learning and internships either through external partners or researchers on campus.Provide core training for students to learn the basics of research as freshmen or sophomores. Students will then work with researchers on campus to work on a specific research project Recognize outstanding students who are avid advocates for sustainability. Student activism award. Provide incentives for student organizations on campus to become active in sustainability. Periodically sponsor activities and competitions that encourage participation and awareness of sustainability concepts and initiatives. Graduates who make an active commitment and sign a pledge to be advocates for sustainability will be recognized at commencement ceremonies and wear a green ribbon with their commencement regalia.Objective #7: Provide professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers in STE(A)M Teachers from local school districts will be invited to participate in the conference, workshops, and other training activities. Each member of the faculty group will work with selected teachers. Teachers will have access to resources and teaching materials and will learn new hands on activities that they may implement in the classroom. Engage in outreach with K-12 schools. Provide year-round support and access to resources for K-12 teachers to help them integrate sustainability concepts in their teaching. Host a summer sustainability institute for K-12 teachers.Objective #8: Dispatch mobile STE(A)M laboratory to stimulate K-12 and parent interest in STE(A)M A series of demonstrations and hands on activities will be organized for engaging with K-12 students. Faculty and students will travel to local schools and do the activities with them to stimulate their interest in science and FAHN.Objective #9: Conduct Community engagement activities to broaden awareness of sustainability and practicesA series of activities will be organized for the community. The extension staff, faculty, and students will work to organize and conduct these activities. Conduct seminars, workshops, lecture series, symposia, short courses, and other educational forums on campus and in the surrounding communities to infuse sustainability concepts on campus and in the community. Encourage local citizens to live more sustainably by providing fun and easy activities that promote sustainable living. This may include activities/projects such as creating backyard vegetable gardens, rain gardens, waste reduction, and resource conservation, partnering with community leaders to establish recycling programs or activities in the surrounding communities, or other activities that the faculty and students develop.Objective #10: Enhance recruiting efforts targeted in Mississippi's top agriculture producing counties.On visits to schools in the Mississippi Delta to conduct STE(A)M activities, students will be encouraged to pursue careers at ASU and provided guidance.

PROGRESS: 2018/04 TO 2019/03
Target Audience: Faculty in the natural and applied sciences were targeted forincorporating sustainability themes into course content. Natural and applied sciences student leaders were targeted to serve as ambassadors for sustainability with their peers The campus community was targeted to broaden their awareness and engagement in sustainable practices University operations staff were engaged to encourage decisions on sustainable campus practices Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the teaching faculty will participate in coordinated professional development activities to improve sustainability-themed course content.A STE(A)M expo will be held that engages members of the surrounding communities and K-12 schools.Student ambassadors will launch the outreach activities planned during year 1, including game-day recycling, sustainability week, health and wellness challenge, and K-12 school activities.Researchers will continue work on seed projects with student researchers and new seed projects will be initiated.The technology center will be completed and available for access by faculty and students.

IMPACT: 2018/04 TO 2019/03
What was accomplished under these goals? The project emphasizes the diversity of issues in sustainability in context of the interconnectedness STE(A)M disciplines.The overarching project goal is to broaden awareness of sustainability through the lenses of multiple disciplines by promoting sustainability in courses, research, and outreach projects and encouraging student leadership in sustainability initiatives. Six diverse sustainability-related seed research projects were initiated in the areas of health, nutrition, and obesity, alternative energy, environmental quality.The projects investigated molecular photo switches for organic solar power, hybrid nutraceutical nanomaterials for targeted cancer detection and therapy, computational methods toward developing CO2,nutritional analysis of a sweet potato based food product, bio-nanomaterials for sequestration of fat, and investigation of soil additives for removal of heavy metal contaminants.Students and faculty working on the projects presented research findings at one state conference (MAS) and three national conferences (ARD, ACS, and MANRS). A team of ten faculty members from chemistry, agriculture, biological sciences, biotechnology, human sciences, food and consumer science, and environmental were selected to develop sustainability modules for implementation in Fall 2019 courses.Four faculty members began implementation in the Spring 2019 semester.Faculty members have been engaged in knowledge sharing and training throughout the project period.High impact learning practices in Spring 2019 courses included sustainability-themed project based learning, flipped classroom, and service learning.Three courses in chemistry and biological sciences. Students are involved in all aspects of the project--in the classroom, working on research projects, and participating in/leading outreach efforts. Students sustainability ambassadors led outreach efforts, including earth week activities and have logistics for game-day recycling for the Fall 2019 athletic season.The team hosted an earth day symposium with guest speaker Dr. Isiah Warner.Students from attended earth day activities at Army Corp of Engineers experiment station. The project director worked with middle school teachers to assist with sustainability themed student projects.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2018/04 TO 2019/03
1. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Optimization of Gold Nanoparticle Assays for Targeted Detection and Destruction of SKBR3 Cancer Cells. K.Bridges*, A. Hairston, A. K. Singh, and Y. K. Jones Association of 1890 Research Directors 19th Biennial Research Symposium March 30-April 3, 2019
2. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Interdisciplinary Approaches for Increasing Sustainability Awareness in Underserved Communities. Y. Jones*, S. Barnes, M. Ravola Association of 1890 Research Directors 19th Biennial Research Symposium March 30-April 3, 2019
3. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Graphene Oxide Nanoencapsulates for Nutraceutical Encapsulation and Targeted Delivery. A. Smith*, K. Bukovec, M. Smith, A. K. Singh, and Y. K. Jones Association of 1890 Research Directors 19th Biennial Research Symposium March 30-April 3, 2019
4. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Nanotechnology in Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research. Y. K. Jones* and S. Barnes Association of 1890 Research Directors 19th Biennial Research Symposium March 30-April 3, 2019
5. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Interdisciplinary Approaches for Increasing Sustainability Awareness in Underserved Communities. Y. Jones*, S. Barnes, M. Ravola Association of 1890 Research Directors 19th Biennial Research Symposium March 30-April 3, 2019
6. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Optimization of Colloidal Gold Nanoparticle Assagys for SKBR3 Breast Cancer Theranostics; K. Bridges, T. Givens, A. Singh, Y. Jones Mississippi Academy of Sciences 83rd Annual Meeting February 21-22, 2019
7. Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Versatile Azohetereoarene Molecular Photoswitches âgoverning site-selectivity in synthesis and incorporation in novel organic photovoltaic and biomaterials; Z. Chimponda, C. A. Chapusha, M. Bajaj, and S. M. Cooper, Jr.* Mississippi Academy of Sciences 83rd Annual Meeting February 21-22, 2019