Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project addresses two…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project addresses two persistent programs in the fanh-related agricultural sciences: 1) equity gaps in the participation and persistence of underrepresented students pursuing undergraduate and graduate programs and related careers in fanh sciences, and (2) lack of experiential activities to prepare students to enter graduate school and join the workforce. California state university, monterey (csumb) will partner with the university of california, santa cruz (ucsc) in this project to promote broadening participation in sustainable agriculture education by working collaboratively to support recruitment, retention, and job placement for underrepresented students through partnerships with community colleges, community organizations, and the regional agriculture industry. At csumb, undergraduates majoring in a new fanh-related sciences degree will participate in a two-year scholars program aimed at bolstering self-confidence, self-efficacy, and exposure to authentic research activities. The project will also support faculty in developing fanh-related course-based research experiences at csumb. The project will forge strong ties between csumb undergraduate students and ucsc graduate programs with an emphasis on fanh-related sciences, facilitating curricular articulation between the two institutions. At ucsc, graduate students and faculty will mentor undergraduates from csumb entering into graduate training, while also providing for mentoring and research support. Overall, the project will attract and support undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups in order to prepare them for careers related to the food, agriculture, natural resources and human (fanh) sciences in the united states, aligning the efforts of two hsis and other non-profit organizations to support academic development and career attainment of underrepresented groups.