This year, NC State University and NC A&T University will offer 48 Extension internships across the state of North Carolina! Of these 48 internships, 10 will be federally-funded and offered in partnership with the Plant Science Initiative.
Developing Future Research and Extension Professionals to Advance the Essential Cs: Cropping Systems, Climate Smart Agriculture, and Communication is a dynamic project to create 50 internships over the next five years. These internships will advance cropping systems, science communication, and climate-smart agriculture. This work has been designated as USDA NIFA Center of Excellence, the National Center of Excellence for Career Pathways in Agricultural Research and Extension.
The next generation of agricultural research and extension professionals face immense, interrelated challenges. Cropping systems innovation is needed to provide greater food security for a growing world populaiton (Tripathi et al., 2019). Climate smart agriculture is crucial for addressing climate variability and change which compromises the stability of food and agricultural systems (Kamruzzaman et al., 2020). The need for enhanced science communication is driven by lowered trust, particularly among rural Americans, in science and scientists (Krause, 2023). We refer to these challenges as the essential Cs because they are imperative workforce needs for food and agricultural sciences. Our project addresses the critical need for providing undergraduates with experiential learning in the essential Cs to prepare for research and extension careers. Notably, a survey of more than 2,000 agricultural and allied sciences employers found that internships were one of the top college activities they seek in new hires (Crawford & Fink, 2020). Therefore, the Extension/PSI Internships will empower undergraduates with valuable, practical experiences to strengthen plant health, production, and products.
The project director and PI is Dr. Joseph L. Donaldson, and Co-PIs are Dr. Rafael Landaverde, Texas A&M University, Dr. Catherine Sanders, NC State University, Dr. Gregory Goins, North Carolina A&T State University, Dr. Rachel Vann, NC State University, and Dr. Terri A. Long, NC State University. Our team works closely with Dr. David Suchoff and Ms. Sarah Dinger who both provide expertise and coordination to the statewide effort.
