The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. This project at Lincoln University LU-FIELDS will broaden participation in STEM through the implementation of an interdisciplinary sustainability minor rooted in food studies at the nation’s first HBCU. The local community as well as the broader sustainability community will be engaged through outreach activities, social media engagement, and a certificate course in food sustainability offered at Lincoln as a required course for sustainability minors.
The goal of LU-FIELDS (Lincoln University – Food Intersectional Education Linked to Diversify Sustainability) is to increase and broaden STEM engagement through the design and implementation of a state-of-the-art sustainability curriculum around interdisciplinary food studies and social media engagement with built-in assessment. The interdisciplinary approach to curriculum development will ensure an inclusive methodology that engages students across disciplines while fostering science thinking. Outcomes of the project will include a new sustainability minor at Lincoln University, a certificate course in Food Sustainability open to both Lincoln students and the greater community, student research projects in sustainable garden practices, food justice, intersectionality assessment, and app development, as well as community engagement around sustainable food production, food security and food justice. Students and faculty will present their research at local and national conferences and publish outcomes in peer reviewed journals. The project app will be used to engage students by utilizing the capabilities of gamification mixed with the accessibility of mobile technology and social media connection. The app will also be used to collect assessment data on student learning outcomes and sustainability engagement. Contributions to the fields of sustainability and intersectionality research will include new frameworks of methodologies and assessment pertaining to minority populations and community engagement in sustainability studies.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
