Land-grant faculty, staff earn honors at annual Ag Awards

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Outstanding land-grant faculty and staff were honored Friday during the annual Agriculture Awards, held at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences.

AG AWARDS — Amanda McWhirt, associate professor and extension specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture,  spoke on behalf of the Expanding the Fresh-Market Blackberry Industry Team, which won the John W. White Outstanding Team Award. (U of A System Division of Ag photo.)

The event recognizes the achievements of those from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, representing the extension, research and teaching missions of the nation’s land-grant system in Arkansas.

“These awards do more than recognize the excellence in our ranks. Since our winners are nominated by their colleagues, these awards are an acknowledgement of the esteem in which their peers hold them,” said Deacue Fields, vice president-agriculture for the University of Arkansas System. “Nothing could be more gratifying for our professionals and our organization.” 

The following were honored with John W. White Awards, which commemorate the first head of the Division of Agriculture.

• John W. White Outstanding Research Award – Kristen Gibson, professor of food safety and microbiology, who joined the Division of Agriculture in 2010 as a postdoctoral research associate in the Center for Food Safety.

• John W. White Outstanding Teaching Award – Nathan Kemper, an associate professor of community and rural economic development and the director of undergraduate and online programs in the department of agricultural economics and agribusiness.

• John W. White Outstanding Extension State Faculty Award – Laura Hendrix, professor, department of family and consumer sciences.

• John W. White Outstanding County Extension Educator Award – Brad McGinley, Grant County extension staff chair.

• John W. White Outstanding Team Award – Expanding the Fresh-Market Blackberry Industry Team: Aaron Cato, extension specialist-horticulture integrated pest management; Amanda McWhirt, extension specialist-horticulture crops, Jackie Lee, director of the Fruit Research Station, and Margaret Worthington, fruit breeder, all of the department of horticulture; and Renee Threlfall, associate professor, department of food science.

The following were honored with Outstanding Support Personnel Awards.

Program Area Awards

• Daniel McCarty – Rice breeding program associate based at the Rice Research and Extension Center.

• Julian Abram – Program technician in the biological and agricultural engineering department.

 Support Function Awards

• Dwain Ober – Farm foreman, Fruit Research Station.

• Karen DiCicco – Assistant director of information technology, Cooperative Extension Service.

Support Staff Awards 

• Genean Butler – Associate for administration for agriculture and natural resources.

• Tonya Foster – Administrative manager for the department of agricultural economics and agribusiness

EXTENSION — John Anderson, director of the Cooperative Extension Service and senior associate vice president-extension for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, speaks at the 2024 Agriculture Awards. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)

John Anderson, head of the Cooperative Extension Service, said that “our Agriculture Awards give us an annual reminder of the exceptional work being done in the Division of Agriculture and in Bumpers College across all or our land-grant mission areas. 

“This year’s awardees are all highly deserving of recognition for the quality and the impact of their work. Our Extension winners – both individually and in their contribution to interdisciplinary teams – have clearly earned the respect of their colleagues,” he said. “Their work in linking the UA System directly to our stakeholders with practical, relevant, and impactful programming deserves to be recognized and celebrated. These awards give us an opportunity to do just that.”

“The faculty and staff we recognize this year are a testament to the level of achievement we aim for as an institution. They reflect our values and our mission to innovate and improve people’s lives,” said Jean-François Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “I am grateful for how these awardees set the standard for excellence with their impactful work.”

The following were honored with Bumpers College Awards:

• Outstanding Honors Thesis Mentor Award – Gisela Erf, an immunologist and holder of the Tyson Endowed Professorship in Avian Immunology in the department of poultry science and with the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science.

• Alumni Society Outstanding Advising – Stephanie Hubert, a senior instructor of apparel merchandising and product development in Bumpers College’s School of Human Environmental Sciences.

• Jack G. Justus Teaching – Christopher Estepp, associate professor in the department of agricultural education, communications and technology.

• Dean’s Award of Excellence for Professional Staff – Kristin Seals, associate director of facilities and special events with the Bumpers College dean’s office.

• Spitze Land Grant University Faculty Award for Excellence – Walter Bottje, professor in the department of poultry science.

BUMPERS COLLEGE — Jeff Edwards, dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, speaks at the 2024 Agriculture Awards. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)

Jeff Edwards, dean of Bumpers College, offered his “congratulations to everyone who is receiving an award. It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge members of the college faculty and staff who are being honored.

“We have the best faculty and staff on campus and these awards are a small way of recognizing all that they do,” Edwards said. “Their dedication to serving students, and others, stands out and I’m proud to have them representing Bumpers College as recipients of their respective awards.”

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

Arkansas food safety expert tackles produce packing with new grant

By Nick Kordsmeier
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Federal regulations say growers and packers must keep their produce packing areas clean and sanitary but don’t offer specific guidelines on how to do it. That’s where Arkansas food science professor Kristen Gibson comes in.

FOOD SAFETY — Kristen Gibson, associate professor of food safety and microbiology, is working on a new project to improve sanitation in produce packinghouses. (U of A System Division of Agriculture)

The Center for Produce Safety has awarded Gibson a $206,108 grant to develop new food safety guidance for producer growers.

The industry-supported nonprofit selected Gibson, director of the Arkansas Center for Food Safety and researcher for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, to identify and address potential gaps in sanitation protocols within produce packinghouses, where recently harvested fruits and vegetables are handled and packed for distribution. The experiment station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Gibson said the research seeks to provide produce growers with best practices for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces in packinghouses.

“A lot of times, we assume that things are safe to eat,” Gibson said. “For consumers, you want to be sure that your growers are using the best practices available based on science.”

The three-year grant will focus on porous food-contact surfaces typical of produce packinghouses, like unfinished wood and vinyl fabric.

“In the produce industry, people are very innovative, and they like to use different surfaces to protect the quality of their produce,” Gibson said.

Recognizing that produce growers use a wide variety of surfaces throughout the process of packing produce, Gibson said the research will validate cleaning and sanitation processes for common, hard-to-clean, porous food-contact surfaces and develop best practices.

A new era for produce food safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Produce Safety Rule became effective in 2016, establishing “for the first time, regulatory requirements for on-farm growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce.”

Gibson said that cleaning and sanitizing are major components of the rule, with specific recordkeeping requirements. However, the rule lacks specific protocols that growers must follow.

“There’s not a ton of guidance on cleaning and sanitizing,” she said. “It tells you the steps: you have to clean to get the dirt off the surface, and then you have to rinse, and then you have to sanitize. But it doesn’t tell you how exactly to do that. As a grower, you have to develop your own sanitation protocols, and this can be really hard for some growers.”

This is particularly true for produce packinghouses, where there is a need for more guidance on cleaning and sanitizing porous food-contact surfaces, she added.

“Produce packinghouses can be lots of different things,” Gibson said. “It can be a totally enclosed structure with brick and mortar and very environmentally controlled. And it can be a shed where you have an awning and some tables outside.”

Gibson said the potential food safety risk of porous surfaces in these facilities stems from the difficulty of drying them.

“Most microorganisms thrive in higher moisture environments compared to low moisture environments,” Gibson said. “In addition, these surfaces can be difficult to adequately clean and sanitize due to both the porous nature and the potential adverse effects some sanitizers may have on the materials.

“With all of that said, the actual risk associated with porous surfaces is unknown. For example, although microorganisms may thrive on these surfaces, they may also become trapped and thus not able to transfer to the produce via cross-contamination,” she said.

Finding answers

Gibson’s research team will conduct two phases of research to address these questions. First, they will interview small to medium-sized growers from around the country to understand how different surfaces are used in the industry.

“Using this approach enables us to have more in-depth discussions with those industry members we are trying to serve,” Gibson said. “We let the overall results of these interviews drive the direction of the research.”

Next, using information gathered during the first phase, the team will evaluate the ability of microorganisms to survive and grow on the most common porous food-contact surfaces subjected to different conditions relevant to produce packinghouses. The goal, Gibson said, is to provide data-backed information to produce growers to help them validate their food safety practices.

“This work will correct deficiencies and improve the performance of cleaning and sanitation practices which will be broadly adaptable,” she said. “This work will build a foundation for further exploration of microbial risks associated with specific packing practices.”

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Researchers awarded $5M to develop AI platform strengthening regional food systems

By University of Arkansas System

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Artificial intelligence and machine learning are being explored with several aspects of agriculture, including streamlining regional food systems.

Two Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers have joined a collaborative effort led by the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research, or I3R, to develop Cultivate IQ, an AI-driven platform that seeks to integrate sales and production data from across the farm-to-market supply chain to help plan and manage regional food supplies.

CULTIVATE IQ — Improving farm-to-market supply chains on a regional level is the goal of Cultivate IQ, a platform under development by the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research at the University of Arkansas. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The Cultivate IQ project’s development team was recently awarded a $5 million National Science Foundation Phase II investment. The additional funding from the NSF Convergence Accelerator brings the total federal investment in the University of Arkansas-led project to nearly $6 million.

Safe and productive

Kristen Gibson, professor and director of the Center for Food Safety, and Trey Malone, assistant professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness, are part of the multi-state team of researchers and regional industry partners that are continuing to develop Cultivate IQ with the funding. The experiment station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“Regional food systems can’t work unless they’re safe,” Gibson said. “There are regulatory aspects to meet, and barriers growers may face when connecting to certain groups.”

Gibson is also offering guidance on quality assurance management goals that will be used for vetting growers.

On the economics side of things, Malone is working with the group to evaluate the agri-food supply chains and identify unique datasets that are largely in the specialty crop space for small and medium-sized farms.

“This project represents a unique opportunity for us to integrate the on-campus technology into the land grant mission,” Malone said. “I’m really excited to get started and I am intrigued by the potential that AI presents in helping farmers make their planting and pricing decisions.”

The Cultivate IQ project aims to integrate sales and production data from across the farm-to-market supply chain to help plan and manage regional food supplies. Local food buyers, including aggregators and distributors, will host their growers on the platform, extending access to market insights, production planning tools and purchase orders.

Agriculture is Arkansas’ top industry, and the Arkansas Delta is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the country, Malone noted. Northwest Arkansas also has one of the highest concentrations of small-scale farmers in the state, he said. According to the latest Arkansas Agriculture Profile, the state consistently ranks in the top one-third in the nation for agricultural cash farm receipts.

Avoiding both overproduction and underproduction can minimize food loss and can have a positive economic impact on smaller farms by opening up new market channels, says Meredith Adkins, assistant research professor with I3R and the project’s principal investigator.

“Our global food system is fragile, and disruption in the system is a national security concern,” Adkins said. “Small and mid-sized farms and mission-driven local food distributors, such as food hubs, play an important role in strengthening our regional food systems, but they face real barriers including access to real-time marketplace insights such as pricing, supply and demand. Cultivate IQ aims to enable these end users to compete more effectively by making regionally relevant data insights more accessible.”  

Collaboration leads to solutions

Adkins’ team is composed of researchers from across the University of Arkansas System, as well as the University of Florida, University of Wisconsin-Madison, local industry partners Cureate and Junction AI. The team is one of seven multidisciplinary teams from the NSF Convergence Accelerator’s Track J: Food and Nutrition Security selected to advance from Phase 1, which focused on developing proof of concept, to Phase 2, in which the concept will be fully developed and deployed.  

Ranu Jung, associate vice chancellor and I³R founding executive director, said the Cultivate IQ project advanced through the competitive process because it “will make a societal impact” and is an example of partnership and collaboration. Jung is also a senior adviser on the project.

“A collaborative approach between academic researchers, industry, government, nonprofits and other communities is important to optimize the production of food and connections between farmers and consumers, researchers and other stakeholders,” said Douglas Maughan, head of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program. “A lot of great work was accomplished by all teams in Phase 1, but there is still more to be done. The teams selected for Phase 2 are expected to build innovative, tangible solutions and strong partnerships to address food scarcity, irrigation issues, supply chain inequalities and inefficiencies, and more.”

The U.S. National Science Foundation launched the Convergence Accelerator program in 2019. It is aligned with the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, or TIP.

In addition to Adkins, Gibson and Malone, the Arkansas-based core team includes:

Thi Hoang Ngan Le, Ph.D., assistant professor, department of electrical engineering and computer science

Chase Rainwater, Ph.D., chair, department of industrial engineering

Kim Bryden, CEO, Cureate

Vance Reavie, CEO, Junction AI

Philip Sambol, project manager, I³R

Support staff at I³R, multiple undergraduate interns and graduate assistants are also working on the project under the mentorship of the co-investigators, including Benjamin Sapaning Sr., graduate assistant at I³R.

An interdisciplinary group of researchers will collaborate with the core team to support the success of the project. At the U of A, this includes the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, directed by Jack Cothren, Ph.D., who will support the project’s geospatial data models for regional crop supply, as well as the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the School of Law, represented by Associate Director Carly Griffith Hotvedt, J.D./MPA, who advises the project on engagement with indigenous communities. Marty Matlock, Ph.D., a food systems expert and ecological engineer who recently served as senior adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, also serves as an adviser to the team. Yasser Sanad, DVM, MVSC, Ph.D., leads University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s engagement with the project in the Central Arkansas Delta. 

Two land-grant institutions outside of the state are also collaborating, including the University of Florida, represented by agricultural economist Di Fang, Ph.D., and two team members from the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Erin Silva, Ph.D. and John Hendrickson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are experts on farm viability and cost of production analysis by market channel.

Watch the team’s Phase 1 video and learn more about how the team is “Unlocking the Power of Convergence Research for Societal Impact.”

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Division of Agriculture’s 2024 Future of Food fellowship open for application

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The 2024 Future of Food: Opportunities and Careers for Undergraduate Students session is open for application through Feb. 2.

F2OCUS FELLOWSHIP — 2023 F2OCUS fellowship members take part in a team-building exercise at the Vines Center near Little Rock. Application for the 2024 F2OCUS program is open through Feb. 2. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

Dubbed F2OCUS for short, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture program offers undergraduates opportunities to develop scientific research experience, team building, leadership and communications skills over 10 weeks in the summer.

Interested students can apply at the F2OCUS program website. Room and board are provided on the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville campus, along with a $5,150 stipend and travel support. Eight undergraduate students will be chosen by Feb. 16, and the program begins in June.

F2OCUS is directed by Kristen Gibson, professor of food safety and microbiology and director of the Center for Food Safety for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.

“Each year, we are getting more applicants,” Gibson said. “We’re bringing in people from other areas of the country and universities that are really high performers and exposing them to food science and the food industry in Arkansas.”

The program is supported by a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Gibson said a goal of the program is to provide underserved students and institutions the opportunity to experience various aspects of food science and the food industry, including minority-serving institutions.

In addition to scientific research with Division of Agriculture faculty, F2OCUS fellows also receive leadership development and communications coaching with support from the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the Division of Agriculture.

F2OCUS fellow experiences include the ExCEL course at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center near Little Rock, which features a high-ropes course and zipline, as well as visits to the Tyson Discovery Center and the annual Blackberry Field Day in June at the experiment station’s Fruit Research Station near Clarksville.

F2OCUS co-directors include Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food microbiology and safety; Jamie Baum, associate professor of nutrition for the experiment station; and Jill Rucker, associate professor of agricultural education, communications and technology for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

The program partners with 12 collaborating mentors who have extensive experience in food science. Industry professionals, many of whom are University of Arkansas graduates and serve as adjunct faculty, also participate in the fellowship program.

Gibson, who also serves as a mentor, matches students with a research mentor based on the students' interests, such as food chemistry, food engineering or food safety. Available projects set for 2024 can be found on the website’s Research Projects page.

Fellowship testimonial

Nick Stall, a 2023 F2OCUS fellow from Louisiana State University, said the program offered professional and personal development and guidance on his career path. Networking with food industry professionals, he said, helped him change his focus in a way that he thinks will help him reach his dream job someday.

“Some of the most important experiences I had were meeting individuals in the food industry, discussing with them what they do daily and building networking skills,” Stall said. “I was not considering a master’s degree before I started the program. However, I have changed my mind after talking and working alongside other graduate students and mentors. I am working to find the exact master’s program that matches what I want to do for a career.”

Stall said the fellowship’s research component was challenging but improved the experience. He also found it helpful to see firsthand all the different majors working in the food industry.

“This industry, like every other one, is growing and realizing the amount of value and innovation other majors can bring to the table,” Stall said. “I know from personal experience. I started out in engineering, but I have always had a passion and love for food, and I know I can find a home in the industry that combines both of my passions.”

The F2OCUS program is supported by USDA-NIFA grant number 2022-68018-36612.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Applications now open for 2023 F2OCUS: Future of Food undergrad summer program

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Opening the realms of possibility in food science is the goal behind the Future of Food: Opportunities and Careers for Undergraduate Students (F2OCUS) Fellowship Program. 

FIRST FELLOWS — The inaugural class of the Future of Food: Opportunities and Careers for Undergraduate Students (F2OCUS) Fellowship Program in 2022 included Maya Henderson, left, Amanda Stuber, Natalie Blake, Derek Mullins, Luke Norman, Sarkis Kalajyan and Addie Gerstner. Application deadline for the 2023 summer fellowship program is Jan. 13, 2023. (U of A System Division of Ag photo)

Applications will be accepted until Jan. 13, 2023, for the paid, summer program, which is open to undergraduates in degree programs that can be complementary to food science, like physics, biology, chemistry, animal science, consumer sciences, psychology and agricultural studies like horticulture.

Kristen Gibson, professor of food safety and microbiology for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is the F2OCUS Fellowship Program director. The program was created in 2022 with a $730,000 Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to increase understanding of food supply safety, quality and security. The grant supports the program for five years. 

“We are looking forward to having the second cohort of F2OCUS Fellows on campus in summer 2023,” Gibson said. “We are hoping to select from another great pool of applicants.”

Gibson, who is also director of the Center for Food Safety, is joined by food science faculty members Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food microbiology and safety, and Jamie Baum, associate professor of nutrition, as fellowship project directors. Jill Rucker, associate professor of agricultural education, communications and technology for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, is also a project director and fellowship mentor.

In addition to the four project directors, 10 collaborating mentors with extensive mentoring experience have been chosen to assist with the fellowship program. Industry partners, many of whom are University of Arkansas graduates and serve as adjunct faculty, will also participate in the fellowship program.

F2OCUS Fellow experiences include the 4-H ExCEL Leadership Program at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock, which features a high-ropes course and zipline. Gibson said there will also be numerous food industry visits in northwest Arkansas, such as the Tyson Discovery Center and Newly Weds Foods, as well as a visit to the annual Blackberry Field Day at the experiment station’s Fruit Research Station near Clarksville.

Hands-on learning activities with professors as mentors are expected to result in the development of technical skills in food science research. Participants will take part in the creation of a novel food product with a team of F2OCUS Fellows and engage in externships with food industry and cooperative extension partners. 

 While scientific research is a significant part of the fellowship, there is also a heavy emphasis on team building, leadership development, and communications skills, Gibson said.

The 2023 summer F2OCUS fellowship program runs for 10 weeks from May 22 through July 28. Each student awarded a fellowship will receive a $5,000 stipend, in addition to room and board. Additional financial support for necessary travel is also possible. 

Eight undergraduates who are not enrolled in a food science program will be chosen to spend the summer in Fayetteville, Gibson said.

For more information and to apply, please visit the F2OCUS Program website at https://future-food-reeu.uada.edu.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

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.