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

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the goal of this project is to increase the participation of women and minorities in stem disciplines through the development of community and professional development programs at community colleges that focus on technical stem skills along with leadership development and science communication. To accomplish this goal, this project aims to (1) establish community college chapters (CCC) of the student organization minorities in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences (manrrs) and (2) develop the science, engagement, and leadership academy (sela). The sela program will be open to CCC-manrrs members who will apply to become fellows, and priority will be given to applicants from rural areas. Fellows are paired with a faculty mentor at the university of tennessee or texas tech university to complete a summer research experience and will also complete a series of workshops about leadership development and science communication. Two community colleges in tennessee and texas willparticipate in this program, which will involve approximately 62 underserved minority students across both states. Expected outcomes include participants' increased knowledge of and motivation to pursue stem career/academic opportunities, increased sense of belonging in stem disciplines, increased leadership and science communication skills, and strengthened perceptions of science identity. Additionally, all material developed will be made publicly available for replication. This program will help to increase student recruitment, retention, mentoring, and educational equity by providing student experiential learning opportunities to women and underserved minority students while also developing their leadership potential, thus preparing them to lead the future of food and agricultural sciences.