Governor Sanders Joins AEDC’s Rural Services Division to Award $334K to 33 Arkansas Communities

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.– Governor Sanders, along with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Division of Rural Services, awarded $344,728.69 in grants to 33 Arkansas cities and counties. 

“These grants go a long way toward making sure that every corner of Arkansas – not just a few big cities – is taken care of,” said Governor Sanders.“These 33 recipients come from across our state, from Yellville to Mulberry. Each one of these grants provides their communities with the tools they need to make Arkansas the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

“Rural communities play a major role in the economic success of our state,” said Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Clint O’Neal.“The grants awarded by AEDC’s Division of Rural Services will help rural communities throughout the state improve their infrastructure and quality of life amenities to benefit Arkansans.”

“We are committed to working with and supporting rural communities in Arkansas to help them succeed,” said Director of the Division of Rural Services Becca Caldwell. “With the latest Rural Community Grant Program awards, thirty-three Arkansas cities and counties have additional resources and funding for important projects that will increase quality of life in their communities.”

The Rural Community Grant Program is one of the Division of Rural Services’ programs, which is used to fund projects such as fire trucks, fire protection equipment, community centers, storm sirens, community parks, walking trails, and baseball fields. Applicants from incorporated towns of less than 3,000 in population and unincorporated rural areas are eligible for up to $15,000 in matching funds under the program.

The grants are part of the Division of Rural Services’ second cycle of Fiscal Year 2024 grants. AEDC previously awarded $806,125 in grants to 29 Arkansas cities and counties during the 2024 Rural Development Conference in May. 

These are the Arkansas communities receiving grants:

• Center Hill Fire Department, $15,000

• City of Foreman, $15,000

• City of Lakeview, $1,946.78

• City of McNeil, $6,160.36

• City of Mulberry, $3,847.84

• City of Strong, $15,000

• City of Sulphur Springs, $8,588.60

• City of Winthrop, $15,000

• City of Yellville, $6,098.75

• Cord Volunteer Fire Department, $15,000

• Cotter-Gassville Rural Fire Protection District, $14,433.08

• Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, $14,801.93

• Etowah Volunteer Fire Department, $3,002

• Grayson Fire Department, $15,000

• Highfill Volunteer Fire Department, $14,915.92

• Highway 250 Volunteer Fire Department, $5,718.31

• Huntsville Fire Department, $6,562.50

• Keo Fire Department, $13,244

• Lake City Fire Department, $7,169.97

• Leslie Volunteer Fire Department, $13,724.85

• Lincoln Fire Department, $15,000

• Lutherville-Holman Community, $11,162

• Luton-Pelsor Volunteer Fire Department, $9,750

• Norfork Fire Department, $14,406.04

• Oakland Promise Land Fire Protection District, $15,000

• Pangburn Volunteer Fire Department, $7,124.25

• Pike County, $4,041.52

• Prim Fire Department, $14,630

• Stone County, $15,000

• Town of Franklin, $8,347.80

• Tyronza Volunteer Fire Department, $3,832.20

• Waldron Rural Fire Protection District, $1,250

• Washington Volunteer Fire Department, $15,000

Feds award $25 million grant for I-49 segment in the Fort Smith metro

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

The almost 14-mile segment of Interstate 49 to be built in Crawford and Sebastian counties between I-40 in Alma and Highway 22 in Barling has received a $25 million federal grant and is in the running for another $250 million federal grant.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) said Thursday (June 27) that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant for use on the I-49 segment. The money comes from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. No members of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation voted for the legislation.

“After decades of underinvestment, the condition of America’s infrastructure is now finally getting better instead of worse – and today we proudly announce our support for 148 more projects in communities of every size across the country,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re funding projects across the country to make roads safer, make it easier for people to move around their community, make transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, and improve supply chains to keep costs down for consumers.”

Feds award $25 million grant for I-49 segment in the Fort Smith metro

Researchers receive $550,000 USDA-NIFA grant to develop farmers market food safety game

By Brittaney Mann
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Food safety education for small producers will take on an interactive gaming form with the help of a collaborative $550,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

FOOD SAFETY GAME — Kristen Gibson is serving as the lead investigator on a new $550,000 grant from USDA-NIFA. Gibson and her collaborators will evaluate current food safety training practices and develop a multimedia game to help teach farmers market vendors food safety best practices.

Kristen Gibson, department of food science professor of food safety for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and director of the Center for Food Safety, will serve as lead investigator on this grant, aimed at providing easy-to-access educational resources about safe food production directed at small- and medium-sized farmers getting started with their market endeavors.

Citing research that indicates interactive multimedia learning tools can help audiences understand concepts better than traditional education practices can, Gibson said the research team decided a multimedia game format may help producers retain the information better. The multi-institution project is titled “GLEAN (game learning to educate and advance knowledge): Transformative food safety training for farmers market vendors.”

“We want to be sure that they’re providing safe food to their customers,” Gibson said. “And so, in order to implement best practices related to the production and the handling of fresh produce, you have to have that knowledge base to understand why that is important.”

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Farmers markets and food safety

Farmers market vendors do not sell a large volume of produce, and therefore are not covered by the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act, Gibson said. Food safety requirements may vary in each market, even within the same state, because farmers market managers can set their own regulations.

Farmers market vendors have varying levels of food safety knowledge and training, Gibson said. Additionally, farmers market managers may not have access to farmers market specific training that can be distributed to the local producers.

The Arkansas Department of Health does not require farmers markets vendors to obtain permits to sell uncut fruit and vegetables or temperature-stable cottage foods.

The researchers want to be sure that everyone has access to resources to aid in the adoption of food safety best practices, and to make it easier to receive them.

“The idea is to be sure you’re capturing those people who may be falling through the cracks,” Gibson said.

The game

The development of this food safety training game will take place over three years. The researchers will collect data from a sample of local food producers to understand what information is most relevant, assess the effectiveness of the game in knowledge retention and eventually release it to the public.

Vendors can find multiple answers to their questions on different media, like Google searches or YouTube, and by directing the necessary information into a game format, it may help growers feel confident in the validity of the information they consume, Gibson said.

The researchers want the game to be realistic to the growers’ specific situations so that food safety awareness can transfer into their practices. The game will include different risks and related regulations, allow the producers to get help from in-game organizations that mirror real-life support structures and allow them to understand the varying rules of different markets, Gibson said. The strategies will also center on how to gain entry to local and regional food systems.

Collaboration

Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food safety and microbiology at the experiment station, will also participate in the project.

“I am very excited to work on the GLEAN project,” Acuff said. “With farmers markets continuing to grow in size and types of products sold, we want to make sure all the vendors are provided with as much knowledge as possible about relevant regulations and are empowered to employ best practices to prioritize the safety of their consumers.”

Acuff’s research focuses on reducing pathogens from foods at the post-harvest level through prevention and intervention. She received a $200,000 grant earlier this year from USDA-NIFA to investigate moisture levels that lead to bacterial survival in low-moisture foods.

“We will be collaborating with colleagues from around the nation to address local and regional knowledge gaps by employing creative learning tools, such as educational gaming,” Acuff said.

That nationwide team of researchers includes Barbara Chamberlin, Matheus Cezarotto and Pamela Martinez from New Mexico State University, and Sujata Sirsat from the University of Houston. New Mexico State University will develop the game through its Learning Games Lab, which has developed many educational games.

Gibson has received many grants that feed into her work on food safety knowledge. Many of her projects aim to characterize food safety risks for small producers. Earlier this year, she characterized the pathogen vulnerability of two popular microgreen varieties and their growing media.

She was also recently awarded a $27,739 grant from the Center for Produce Safety to evaluate current food safety knowledge for indoor leafy green production, with the goal of presenting evidence-based best practices and identifying knowledge gaps on microbial risks.

Gibson is excited to use a game approach to relay food safety information. She hopes to see an increase in confidence, knowledge and the implementation of best practices outside the game.

“To do the practice, you have to have the knowledge first,” Gibson said.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

UAM forestry program expands recruitment efforts with summer camp, grant funding

By Lon Tegels
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

The forestry program at University of Arkansas at Monticello is recruiting to expand the forestry workforce, powered in part by federal grant funding.

RECRUITMENT — Dr. Pipiet Larasatie (left) and her graduate student Kamala Chamlagain (right), who are working on the projects together.  (Division of Agriculture photo by Lon Tegels.)

Pipiet Larasatie, assistant professor of forestry for UAM, has received two federal grants to address recruitment in forestry. The first grant is part of an outreach project that will match eleven students from rural Arkansas high schools, vocational-technical institutions, or community colleges with eleven students from the UAM in a mentoring program. The program is designed to increase participation of underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering, and math, commonly referred to as STEM, especially as they relate to forestry.

The $107,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant provides funding for students to attend summer camp at UAM’s campus and eventually prepare a project for a science competition in 4-H, Future Farmers of America or science fairs. The camp will be held June 3-6, and its application period is open through April 1. Interested individuals can apply at https://www.competitive-forest.com/wamsfor or email larasatie@uamont.edu for more information. Most Arkansas residents are eligible to apply.

Michael Blazier, dean of the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, supports the mission.

“I think the action of doing these camps in and of themselves is important because even if these students that go through the program don't necessarily go right into forestry, it may open their eyes to similar opportunities,” Blazier said.

“It unlocks new potential in them,” he said. “That is the win that we at UAM get immediately from this. These students may be attracted to us sooner because they get quality time with our faculty, staff, and students while on campus. The longer-term benefit I’m hopeful for is that what we learn from these students will help our recruiting efforts by not only being better at reaching students geographically but culturally. That will be vital to our long-term success as a college and providing a workforce for the forestry profession.”

The program will pay participants a $1,000 stipend for their time at the summer camp and science project development.

“We have launched an open call,” Larasatie said. “We will initially interview 15 high school students, and depending on what motivates them, we will match the high school mentees with college mentors so that they can help them with their science journey and prepare for the science competitions. Once on the UAM campus, the mentee and mentor will spend time bonding to determine the student's science interests.

“They can choose their science project with the end goal that they will go to competitions such as 4-H, FFA, and Science Fair,” she said. After the UAM camp, the mentee and mentor will continue working on the science project online until the actual presentations.

The mentors will also receive mentorship training before the camp, Larasatie said.

“The project is twofold,” she said. “The first goal is to give them more exposure and opportunities to be involved in STEM-based forestry science projects and then be able to compete in the science competition.”

A second long-term goal is to encourage these young talents to enter forest sector workforce, Larasatie said.

Forest Grant to Research Attitudes of Workforce

The second grant that Larasatie is involved in focuses on identifying the existing workforce and exploring issues and opinions around recruitment and retention. The Forest and Wood Products Sector Inclusion Council funds the grant, led by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.

Larasatie said she was particularly pleased about receiving this grant.

“This is an honor for us because this opportunity recognizes that we are doing the right thing,” she said. “This research is targeting all actors in the forestry and wood products workforce including students, employees, and recruiters. It includes participants along forest chains who manage forest ecosystem services across the United States' urban and rural landscapes.”

Larasatie is joined by graduate student Kamana Chamlagain, who completed her undergraduate degree in forestry study in Nepal and then worked as a conservationist with tigers and red pandas. For Chamlagain, her master's thesis will investigate the patterns of entry into the forestry workforce and the value of seeking natural resources careers.

“To sustain the forestry workforce, we want to make sure that we're recruiting students from a broad array of backgrounds, and we want to make sure that we're placing them in good jobs and continuing to be a resource for them,” Blazier said.

If you are in the forestry and natural resource sector, please fill the survey here: https://uark.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NVKtClRXIG4SlE

About the Arkansas Center for Forest Business

Established in 2021, the Arkansas Center for Forest Business is part of the University of Arkansas, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Center provides technical assistance for market-based solutions to forest resource challenges, programs for degree and post-baccalaureate education, and information on timber supply, forest products markets and operational efficiency. The Center for Forest Business will provide market-based economic solutions to forest resource issues, improving business practices for forest enterprises, and enhancing economic competitiveness.

About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center

The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.

Arkansas nonprofit receives grant to help immigrants apply for citizenship

KUAR | By Maggie Ryan

A nonprofit in Northwest Arkansas has won a grant to help people apply for U.S. citizenship.

Arkansas United supports individuals seeking citizenship in Arkansas. The organization recently received $250,000 dollars from the federal government to improve their outreach efforts.

To use these funds, Arkansas United is forming a new program to help people navigate the path to citizenship. The program, called Together Towards Citizenship, will match those seeking citizenship with resources and materials to help them in their application.

Arkansas nonprofit receives grant to help immigrants apply for citizenship

Wilfredo Lee/AP

Ericka Ames, center, of Nicaragua recites the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Miami.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield announces $5.9 million for youth behavioral health

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas is donating more than $5.9 million to five Arkansas organizations to address child and adolescent mental health, suicide and substance abuse issues.

Two of those donations will go to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. One, a $1,610,477 grant over four years, will go to UAMS’ Pathways to Wellness Program. It will fund two programs previously funded by the foundation. The grant will expand the Trauma Resource Initiative for Schools, which helps school personnel recognize and respond to trauma suffered by students. It also will expand services offered through AR ConnectNow, a youth and school-focused marketing campaign. The grant will create a virtual wellness welcome center offering mental health resources.

Another grant going to UAMS, this one totaling $714,809 over two years, will go to the Adolescent and Young Adult Addiction Treatment Program. It will help the program offer treatment and prevention programs for young people and engage parents during recovery.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield announces $5.9 million for youth behavioral health

Arkansas Attorney General provides $250,000 grant to U.S. Marshals Museum

by Tina Alvey Dale (tdale@talkbusiness.net)

The Arkansas Attorney General’s office has committed to a $250,000 grant to the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, the USMM Foundation announced Tuesday (Sept. 19). The money brings the capital campaign to just under $2 million of the initial $50 million goal.

The grant will go toward funding the campaign of the museum exhibits, said Susan Neyman, chief development officer and president of the foundation.

“Whether it’s through a literary icon like Rooster Cogburn or a real-life hero like Bass Reeves, Fort Smith will always be connected with the U.S. Marshals,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said. “I am delighted to approve this grant for the U.S. Marshals Museum, and I urge all Arkansans to visit this important collection of our state’s and nation’s history.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/09/arkansas-attorney-general-provides-250000-grant-to-u-s-marshals-museum/

Steven Barger, Ph.D., Receives $1.9 Million Grant to Study Role of Glucose Transport in Alzheimer’s Progression

By Chris Carmody

LITTLE ROCK — Steven Barger, Ph.D., professor of geriatrics in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, has received a five-year federal grant to support his research on the role of glucose transport in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The project will receive $382,500 in funding for the current grant year and a projected total of $1,912,500 over the five-year term. The grant was awarded by the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Barger, a faculty member at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, said the goal of his research is to test — and potentially treat — a newly discovered element of energy usage in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/08/08/steven-barger-ph-d-receives-1-9-million-grant-to-study-role-of-glucose-transport-in-alzheimers-progression/

Steven Barger, Ph.D., professor of geriatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine and faculty member at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging

UA Cossatot Chosen To Receive US Department Of Labor Grant Of Nearly $1.6 Million

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2023

CONTACT: Loren Hinton, Community Relations Coordinator

UA Cossatot Chosen To Receive US Department Of Labor Grant Of Nearly $1.6 Million

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $50 million in grants to help 15 community colleges in 14 states expand access to education and training for good-paying jobs and equitably meet employers’ and workers’ skill development needs.

The funding announced today – together with the $45 million awarded in September 2022 – is a combined investment of $95 million since 2022 in the community college system from the Department of Labor under the Biden-Harris administration, allowing 28 community colleges in 24 states to provide career pathways for participants to train in healthcare, teaching, clean energy and other key industries.

In January 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that full-time college graduates earn almost twice as much each week as workers with high school diplomas. For people in marginalized and underserved communities, a lack of access to education and training hinders career pathways and often worsens their economic disparities.

“Community colleges offer accessibility and affordability that make them great options for people in marginalized and underrepresented communities to learn the skills needed to succeed in the workforce,” said Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “Combined with our September 2022 funding, today’s award will put $95 million to work to help community colleges in 24 states tailor their curriculum to respond to regional labor market needs, continue the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to investing in education programs that connect people to quality jobs, and create a more inclusive and equitable workforce.”

Upon the announcement of the grant, UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole said, "This grant will mean 1.6 million dollars to our college to aid us in our ongoing effort to help hard-to-reach students succeed in certain education and medical programs. This is fantastic news for our college and our area!"

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the third round of Strengthening Community Colleges training grants will enable recipients to increase educational and economic opportunities for people in underrepresented communities. Grants will provide opportunities to design and align education and training to respond to regional and state labor market needs through accelerated learning pathways.

In March 2022, the department announced funding availability for the second round of Strengthening Community College Training grants. A subsequent announcement – in June 2022 – made $50 million available for the round of funding awarded today.

Grant recipients include:

Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas

De Queen, AR $1,597,031

Los Angeles Community College District

Sylmar, CA$ 1,600,000

Arapahoe Community College

Littleton, CO $4,989,434

College of Central Florida

Ocala, FL $4,732,384

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL $1,599,842

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, IA $4,999,094

Minnesota State Community and Technical College

Fergus Falls, MN $4,201,050

County College of Morris

Randolph, NJ $1,600,000

Lorain County Community College District

Elyria, OH $5,000,000

Tulsa Community College

Tulsa, OK $1,600,000

Northeastern Technical College

Cheraw, SC $4,900,636

Piedmont Technical College

Greenwood, SC $4,987,461

Brazosport College

Lake Jackson, TX $1,598,762

Southside Virginia Community College

Alberta, VA $1,599,530

Chippewa Valley Technical College

Eau Claire, WI $4,994,776

Division of Agriculture part of grant-funded effort to bridge small farms, regional food supply chains through data-driven agriculture

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture 

LITTLE ROCK — The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to the University of Arkansas’ Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research. The institute, referred to as I³R, is a cross-disciplinary team of consultants, startup companies and university researchers, including those with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

CONVERGED — The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to the University of Arkansas’ Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research. The institute, referred to as I³R, is a cross-disciplinary team of consultants, startup companies and university researchers, including those with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. (Graphic courtesy National Science Foundation.)

The National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator grant will fund a project designed to connect regional farmers with institutional buyers and ultimately expand access to healthy and nutritious food.

The project, “Data-driven Agriculture to Bridge Small Farms to Regional Food Supply Chains,” brings Division of Agriculture researchers together with colleagues from the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and University of Florida. The team also includes two startups, Cureate and Junction AI Inc., as well as several consultants. The project’s stated goal is to tackle challenges such as food insecurity while offering novel business solutions. 

NSF’s Convergence Accelerator was launched in 2019 to build upon basic research and accelerate solutions toward societal impact through convergence — the integration of ideas and approaches across research sectors. I³R is one of 16 multidisciplinary teams awarded under the NSF Convergence Accelerator’s Track J: Food & Nutrition Security.

Meredith Adkins, director of the University of Arkansas’ NWA Industry and Community Engagement within the Division of Economic Development, said the project will help open markets and resources to both producers and consumers.

“We’re excited to bring this team of experts and innovators together to empower regional food producers with data insights that could enable access to new markets,” Adkins said. “By leveraging our collective expertise and engaging in an extensive planning and user discovery process to deeply understand the needs of producers, buyers and other stakeholders, we have the opportunity to make both a positive societal and economic impact, particularly here in Arkansas.”

Adkins will be transitioning from her current role within the university to become an assistant research professor at I³R.

The overall objective of this project is to empower regional food producers to understand the economic value of specialty crop assortment and food animals on their farms in comparison to market demand for institutional sales and intervening factors such as food safety considerations.

The project team ultimately will create a scalable technology platform that provides market insights to small farmers via the convergence of multiple scientific research fields and modern technological innovations such as robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

Deacue Fields, University of Arkansas Vice President for Agriculture, said the project falls directly in line with much of the Division of Agriculture’s ongoing mission.

“It is encouraging to see this partnership with the Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas and University of Arkansas Pine Bluff,” Fields said. “This project speaks to our mission of strengthening agriculture, communities and families.” 

The project will engage students, including those underrepresented in fields such as food science and computer engineering, in convergence research and in human-centered design across the three Arkansas land-grant institutions.

The investigators will lead outreach with small farmers in Northwest Arkansas, as well as the underserved regions of the central Arkansas Delta and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma through the U of A School of Law’s Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, a grant collaborator. 

Erin Parker, executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, said the project will help work to make meeting food production and availability needs on tribal lands a more regularly considered part of the overall market equation.

“IFAI is excited to collaborate on this cross-disciplinary effort to support our region’s Indigenous food producers,” Parker said. “Supporting economic development through tribally-led agricultural investment in Indian Country is a key part of our mission, and we look forward to the opportunities this work will open up for Tribal producers.”

The grant totals $743,651 and will support market research, hiring of graduate assistants, development of the technology platform and other initiatives. Co-investigators include Chase Rainwater, professor of industrial engineering, U of A; Kristen Gibson, professor of food science, U of A System Division of Agriculture and U of A; Thi Hoang Ngan Le, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering, U of A; and Yasser Sanad, assistant professor of food safety, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. Multiple distinguished faculty and consultants serve as senior personnel and will advise on the project. 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. 

Researchers receive $550,000 USDA-NIFA grant to develop farmers market food safety game

By Brittaney Mann
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Food safety education for small producers will take on an interactive gaming form with the help of a collaborative $550,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

FOOD SAFETY GAME — Kristen Gibson is serving as the lead investigator on a new $550,000 grant from USDA-NIFA. Gibson and her collaborators will evaluate current food safety training practices and develop a multimedia game to help teach farmers market vendors food safety best practices.

Kristen Gibson, department of food science professor of food safety for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and director of the Center for Food Safety, will serve as lead investigator on this grant, aimed at providing easy-to-access educational resources about safe food production directed at small- and medium-sized farmers getting started with their market endeavors.

Citing research that indicates interactive multimedia learning tools can help audiences understand concepts better than traditional education practices can, Gibson said the research team decided a multimedia game format may help producers retain the information better. The multi-institution project is titled “GLEAN (game learning to educate and advance knowledge): Transformative food safety training for farmers market vendors.”

“We want to be sure that they’re providing safe food to their customers,” Gibson said. “And so, in order to implement best practices related to the production and the handling of fresh produce, you have to have that knowledge base to understand why that is important.”

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Farmers markets and food safety

Farmers market vendors do not sell a large volume of produce, and therefore are not covered by the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act, Gibson said. Food safety requirements may vary in each market, even within the same state, because farmers market managers can set their own regulations.

Farmers market vendors have varying levels of food safety knowledge and training, Gibson said. Additionally, farmers market managers may not have access to farmers market specific training that can be distributed to the local producers.

The Arkansas Department of Health does not require farmers markets vendors to obtain permits to sell uncut fruit and vegetables or temperature-stable cottage foods.

The researchers want to be sure that everyone has access to resources to aid in the adoption of food safety best practices, and to make it easier to receive them.

“The idea is to be sure you’re capturing those people who may be falling through the cracks,” Gibson said.

The game

The development of this food safety training game will take place over three years. The researchers will collect data from a sample of local food producers to understand what information is most relevant, assess the effectiveness of the game in knowledge retention and eventually release it to the public.

Vendors can find multiple answers to their questions on different media, like Google searches or YouTube, and by directing the necessary information into a game format, it may help growers feel confident in the validity of the information they consume, Gibson said.

The researchers want the game to be realistic to the growers’ specific situations so that food safety awareness can transfer into their practices. The game will include different risks and related regulations, allow the producers to get help from in-game organizations that mirror real-life support structures and allow them to understand the varying rules of different markets, Gibson said. The strategies will also center on how to gain entry to local and regional food systems.

Collaboration

Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food safety and microbiology at the experiment station, will also participate in the project.

“I am very excited to work on the GLEAN project,” Acuff said. “With farmers markets continuing to grow in size and types of products sold, we want to make sure all the vendors are provided with as much knowledge as possible about relevant regulations and are empowered to employ best practices to prioritize the safety of their consumers.”

Acuff’s research focuses on reducing pathogens from foods at the post-harvest level through prevention and intervention. She received a $200,000 grant earlier this year from USDA-NIFA to investigate moisture levels that lead to bacterial survival in low-moisture foods.

“We will be collaborating with colleagues from around the nation to address local and regional knowledge gaps by employing creative learning tools, such as educational gaming,” Acuff said.

That nationwide team of researchers includes Barbara Chamberlin, Matheus Cezarotto and Pamela Martinez from New Mexico State University, and Sujata Sirsat from the University of Houston. New Mexico State University will develop the game through its Learning Games Lab, which has developed many educational games.

Gibson has received many grants that feed into her work on food safety knowledge. Many of her projects aim to characterize food safety risks for small producers. Earlier this year, she characterized the pathogen vulnerability of two popular microgreen varieties and their growing media.

She was also recently awarded a $27,739 grant from the Center for Produce Safety to evaluate current food safety knowledge for indoor leafy green production, with the goal of presenting evidence-based best practices and identifying knowledge gaps on microbial risks.

Gibson is excited to use a game approach to relay food safety information. She hopes to see an increase in confidence, knowledge and the implementation of best practices outside the game.

“To do the practice, you have to have the knowledge first,” Gibson said.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

NIH Awards UAMS $7.9 Million to Create More Space for Pandemic Response, Infectious Disease Research

By David Robinson

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will use a $7.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to expand its infectious disease research capacity and establish a Pandemic Response and Public Health Laboratory by renovating existing research space.

The renovation will create about 9,900 square feet of additional research space on the first floor of Biomedical Research Center Building One. The extra space will be realized through a redesign that repurposes an atrium, large diagonal hallways, and converts offices to laboratories.

UAMS’ Daniel Voth, Ph.D., who is leading the project, said the renovation is expected to begin in mid-2024 and be completed in 2025. It will include new Biosafety Level-3 space, which is equipped to handle highly infectious pathogens transmitted by air. It will better prepare UAMS for future pandemic responses, create new opportunities for collaboration and help UAMS recruit new infectious disease researchers, he said.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/10/25/nih-awards-uams-7-9-million-to-create-more-space-for-pandemic-response-infectious-disease-research/

UAMS’ Daniel Voth, Ph.D., is leading the NIH grant supporting renovations to increase infectious disease research space in Biomedical Research Center Building One.

Conservation education grant funding open for Arkansas schools

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

The state of Arkansas is allocating over three-quarters of a million dollars to help expand conservation education in schools. The $808,146 grant program is a partnership between the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

AEDC Director of Rural Services Becca Caldwell says enhancing education about the state’s natural resources is key to their goal of economic development, particularly in rural areas.

“We also manage other grant programs that focus on the infrastructure of these rural communities, but when it comes to the wildlife grants themselves, improving quality of life for the community is a big economic driver,” Caldwell said.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-08-18/conservation-education-grant-funding-open-for-arkansas-schools

USDA/McKeand

A grant program from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will make over $800,000 available to schools for conservation education.

Broadband CEO: Arkansas far ahead of other states with expansion investments

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Alan Morse, CEO of Jonesboro-based Ritter Communications, a regional telecom and broadband provider, said Arkansas is well ahead of surrounding states when it comes to investing in high-speed Internet fiber expansion.

Ritter has operations in over 100 communities across a four-state footprint, including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. Morse said The Natural State has been smart in investing federal money into broadband deployment across rural Arkansas since the COVID-19 pandemic first brought a tranche of funding to the state.

“I give kudos to Governor Hutchinson and his team, and also the Arkansas legislature for the speed with which they jumped on the availability of those funds and got them deployed. Arkansas was really one of the first states in the country to make use of the CARES Act funds that came out in 2020, and then subsequently the funds that came out in 2021.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/06/broadband-ceo-arkansas-far-ahead-of-other-states-with-expansion-investments/

NCI Funds UAMS Study of Possible Links between Gammaherpesvirus Infections and Lymphomas

By Seth Hooker

A possible link between gammaherpesviruses and lymphomas will receive further study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant.

The five-year, $1.25 million grant renewal will mostly support ongoing work to better understand how gammaherpesvirus promotes mutations (chromosomal translocations) that lead to lymphomas. In addition, the grant will allow UAMS’ Craig Forrest, Ph.D., to study the possible link between combined malaria and gammaherpesvirus infections in the development of lymphoma.

The funding will also help further Forrest’s work on earlier discoveries related to the tumor-suppressor protein, p53. The protein, his lab found, is critical for preventing chronic infection from gammaherpesviruses.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/06/22/nci-funds-uams-study-of-possible-links-between-gammaherpesvirus-infections-and-lymphomas/

Craig Forrest, Ph.D., is leading research to better understand how gammaherpesvirus promotes mutations that lead to lymphomas.

UAMS Testing New Noninvasive Device for Diagnosing Fetal Heart Conditions

By David Robinson

Three grants in six months from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are helping University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researcher Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., explore promising noninvasive methods for diagnosing serious fetal health conditions.

The grants total $4.4 million and support his pioneering work with sensor arrays that can reveal important functional details of fetal development in the later stages of pregnancy. The NIH grants are just part of Eswaran’s externally supported research, which totals $12.8 million in active funding.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/04/27/uams-testing-new-noninvasive-device-for-diagnosing-fetal-heart-conditions/

UAMS researcher Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., first will test the new optically-pumped magnetometer's effectiveness detecting fetal heart conditions. The noninvasive imaging technology will be tested in the future for its ability to reveal other important functional details of fetal development.

UA Cossatot Awarded $1.96 Million Workforce Development Grant To Support A Regional Cyber Learning Network

UA Cossatot has received a $1.96 million workforce development grant to fund further development of the CyberLearning Network (CyberLearN) – a regional cyber-learning partnership with six other schools in the University of Arkansas System to address Arkansas’s talent gap in cybersecurity.

The CyberLearN partners include UA Cossatot, UA Little Rock, UA Pine Bluff, UA – Pulaski Technical College, UA Hope-Texarkana, UACC Batesville, and UACC Morrilton. The Forge Institute, the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences, and SmartResume are also collaborating on the initiative.

Governor Asa Hutchinson awarded a total of $7.9 million in Large-Scale Workforce Development Grants to UA Cossatot and eight other organizations during a March 15 press conference at the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce. The grants were funded by the Arkansas Office of Skills Development, a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce.

“We don’t have an unlimited source of funds in Arkansas for workforce training, so we want to invest it wisely,” Governor Hutchinson said. “And you do that by partnering with industry to guide our training, our funding so that it results in jobs.”

CyberLearN leverages shared resources for the purposes of expanding and diversifying cyber workforce education in Arkansas. The consortium will provide more equitable access to cybersecurity education for Arkansas learners, aligning freshman and sophomore cybersecurity curriculum with ABET, a national accreditation board, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Standards. CyberLearN partners will share instruction and create a common learning experience through standardized, hybrid-flexible learning spaces. “UA Little Rock is proud to lead in creating the CyberLearning Network, which will put Arkansas on the map for cybersecurity workforce education,” said Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. “This new consortium among academic and nonprofit partners will serve as a model to provide collaborative education and training opportunities across the state. We thank Gov. Hutchinson and the Office of Skills Development for this investment in Arkansas’s economic security and for providing our state with cyber talent for many years to come.”

CyberLearN will drive economic development opportunities by providing robust talent pathways and creating opportunities to spur creative innovations. Arkansas currently has more than 3,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions listed on LinkedIn, and that number is expected to continue to grow. Now that Arkansas’s broadband initiatives have provided more internet access across the state, there are more opportunities for cybersecurity professionals to work remotely, which can provide a boost for rural communities.

The workforce development grant builds on the commitment and spirit of last year’s UA System announcement of a $900,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to boost the state’s statewide workforce recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19 growth through the creation of the UA System Workforce Response and Training Center. That grant included nine UA System institutions, led by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) at UA Little Rock, to collect and analyze statewide workforce data and use outcomes to provide existing and bolstered education and training efforts through all seven of the UA System’s two-year colleges, along with two colleges of technology at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM).

“This is a shining example of the synergy that’s possible by harnessing UA System resources in a collaborative and innovative fashion to continue bolstering the growth of a world-class, highly skilled workforce in Arkansas,” said Chris Thomason, vice president for planning and development for the UA System. “When we’re able to pool the resources and talent within the UA System close to Arkansas citizens and in our communities, the momentum that’s created can have a much larger impact on the state’s economic growth and within Arkansas families.”

In order to support this economic and workforce development potential, UA Cossatot and its academic partners are providing stackable certificates, which are a set of professional credentials that can be stacked into more advanced certificate and degree programs or may be earned by Arkansas workers wishing to upskill or reskill. Stackable certificates are an innovative way for institutions of higher education to serve working students by providing them with distinct skillsets and manageable motivators on their way to a two-year or four-year degree. “COVID has changed a lot of how we operate in higher education, and this program shows a positive adaptation in meeting the needs of today’s learners,” said Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity at UA Little Rock. “The workforce needed in cybersecurity is so great right now, and we can’t simply tell the industry to wait four more years for us to provide you with a pipeline of talent when they need it yesterday. These stackable certificates address the immediate need, and also open up new academic paths if a student chooses to continue their education.”

The certificate programs, the first of which is pending approval for the Fall 2022 semester, include two certificates of proficiency in cybersecurity fundamentals that “stack” into a technical certificate and associate degree. By completing these foundational certificates, learners will be ready to enroll in upper-level specialized certificates in areas like data security, digital forensics, cybersecurity operations, and software security. These certificates are designed to provide college students and workers with a road to lifelong learning with personalized pathways to learn skills that meet both learner and employer needs. “Higher education should seize every viable opportunity to increase efficiency in the delivery of educational services contributing to workforce education. CyberLearN is exactly this kind of opportunity,” Dr. Albert Baker, chair of the Department of Computer Science at UA Little Rock. “It has been, and continues to be, energizing to collaborate on this opportunity to build efficiencies in the development of the Arkansas workforce in the emerging and evermore critically important cybersecurity industry.”

Dr. Steve Cole, UA Cossatot Chancellor, said one of his biggest worries is how to combat the cyber-attacks that are happening all around the world. This new partnership with CyberLearN will bring education and training opportunities directly to UA Cossatot and other two-year colleges across the state. Having a skilled workforce that can respond to cyber threats will ensure a resilient economy in Arkansas.

“Cybercrime just doesn’t touch large corporations, it even touches the small business owner with one employee,” Cole said. “To combat cybercrime, we must build a workforce of cybersecurity experts, and CyberLearN seeks to address this huge skills gap. Community colleges like ours find it extremely difficult sometimes to start new, technology-rich programs due to the high costs involved and the lack of available instruction, but a collaborative effort like CyberLearN allows us to tap into the talent at UA Little Rock and the Forge Institute to offer cybersecurity programming in our rural area. I am confident that, without this effort, it would be difficult to offer a world-class program like this to many rural parts of the state like ours.”

University of Arkansas announces founding director of ‘I3R’ research facility

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

Ranu Jung, professor and chair of the Florida International University Department of Biomedical Engineering in Miami, is the founding director of the University of Arkansas’ $89 million Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I3R). UA officials announced the hire in a news release Wednesday (Oct. 13). Jung will begin in December.

UA officials in July 2020 announced a $194.7 million grant from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, one of the most significant single private gifts ever given to a university for advancing research and economic development. The funding is supporting several initiatives, one of which is the I3R. It will be built at the southeast corner of Dickson and Duncan streets on the southeast side of the UA campus. The building’s projected size is between 125,000 and 130,000 square feet. Groundbreaking is likely for January 2022.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/university-of-arkansas-announces-founding-director-of-i3r-research-facility/

Photo courtesy of the University of Arkansas.

Arkansas researchers receive part of $10 million federal agriculture grant

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Two Arkansas researchers will be gauging consumer sentiment as well as evaluating any health and economic benefits of meat products from livestock raised on perennial forage systems. The goal is to significantly increase food production in the coming decades.

The $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will focus on studying and promoting perennial forage systems. The grant is part of USDA’s efforts to increase U.S. farm production by 50% while reducing the environmental footprint for production by 40% by 2050. Arkansas was awarded just over $500,000 of the grant for its work.

The project is led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and involves a team of more than 50 researchers and stakeholders from 23 universities, two USDA-Agricultural Research Service centers, as well as 12 farmer organizations, industry groups, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/arkansas-researchers-receive-part-of-10-million-federal-agriculture-grant/

UA researchers receive nearly $18 million to build semiconductor fabrication facility

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

University of Arkansas engineering researchers led by distinguished professor Alan Mantooth will use a $17.87 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility on campus, according to a Monday (Oct. 4) news release.

“The national impact of having a fabrication facility such as this is enormous,” Mantooth said. “The country that leads the world in advancing silicon carbide semiconductor design and fabrication will also lead the race to market nearly all game-changing technologies, including those used by the military, as well as general electronic devices that are essential to our economy.”

According to the release, the new facility will be the only openly accessible fabrication facility of its kind in the United States, meaning its facilities and services will be available to external researchers. All existing silicon carbide fabrication facilities in the United States are for internal use only, and U.S. research and development of silicon carbide integrated circuits rely on international fabrication. The new UA facility will provide domestic opportunities for prototyping, proof-of-principle demonstrations and device design.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/ua-researchers-receive-nearly-18-million-to-build-semiconductor-fabrication-facility/

Dr. Alan Mantooth, a distinguished professor in the University of Arkansas' electrical engineering department, said the electric power program's collaborative research has added more than $1 billion to the state's economy.