UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded funding to six faculty members across three teams to support the development of innovative curricula through the college's Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.
The program was created by a gift from Penn State alumnus Earl Harbaugh and his wife, Kay. Income from the endowment is combined with funding from the college's Office for Undergraduate Education to help faculty develop innovative teaching and learning methods.
Tracy Hoover, associate dean for undergraduate education, said faculty members selected for the Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program are committed to creativity and wish to cultivate new, innovative curricula.
“Thanks to the support of Earl and Kay Harbaugh, the program has been providing faculty in the college with the opportunity to create new and innovative curricula for more than two decades,” Hoover said. “The work done by the newest cohort of scholars will continue to extend the program's impact.”
Exploring Pennsylvania agriculture
Melanie Miller Foster, associate teaching professor of international agriculture, and Elsa Sánchez, professor of horticultural systems management, received funding for their project “CAS Unbound: Pennsylvania Roots Tour.”
The project will give students enrolled in "HORT 433: Vegetable Crops and HORT 451: Hydroponics and Aquaponics" the opportunity to attend a two-day trip to eastern Pennsylvania to visit various agricultural sites, including mushroom and vegetable farms, a wholesale produce market, and an urban agriculture initiative.
The experience, the researchers said, will deepen students’ agricultural knowledge while fostering cultural awareness and boosting personal and professional growth.
Studying Brazilian beef production
Tara Felix, associate professor of animal science and beef extension specialist, and Ketja Lingenfelter, assistant director for student global engagement, received funding for their project “Embedded Student Experience in Beef Cattle Production to Brazil.”
The project will enable students to attend a study-abroad trip to learn more about beef production in Brazil, which exports more beef than any other country.
By the end of the trip, the researchers said, the students will be able to assess a variety of production systems relevant to beef production, including the impacts of supply and demand and global trade on import and export markets.
Diving into the “microbverse”
Veronica Roman-Reyna, assistant professor of plant pathology, and Purnima Neogi, assistant teaching professor of biology at Penn State Harrisburg, received funding for their project, “Into the Microbverse: In-House Whole Genome Sequencing to Enhance Student’s Learning in Microbial Genomics.”
The project will enable the team to develop a new course that will guide undergraduate students through real plant disease diagnostic challenges, from microbial isolation to sequencing and genomic data analysis.
This hands-on approach, the researchers said, will help students develop research questions, apply diverse techniques, develop troubleshooting skills and interpret results to gain biological insights.
"Without the support of generous donors like the Harbaughs, matched with funding from the college," Hoover said, "students may not have such opportunities for enriched learning experiences."
Gifts to the College of Agricultural Sciences advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.
