Winners of the inaugural PIE Center Program Enhancement Grants will expand PIE Center research partnerships across campus and inspire collaborations.
Independent reviewers selected four recipients from the 22 submitted proposals to receive approximately $5,000 each. The winners, who represent departments including animal science, horticulture and agricultural and biological engineering will allow PIE Center faculty and researchers to interact with new audiences.
Mobilizing community support and advocacy for urban forestry
To encourage urban residents to plant more trees in Tampa, researchers will measure the effects of a tree stewardship program and disseminate social marketing tools.
Paul Monaghan, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication and part of the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, submitted the proposal to expand on research started in 2012.
Few people participate in the City of Tampa’s tree-planting program, Tree-mendous Tampa. Monaghan identified a number of commonly perceived barriers in the previous research, such as the lack of information about the program, concerns about long-term maintenance and cost.
“Our research shows that urban residents generally place a high value on trees,” Monaghan wrote in the proposal. “However, translating this belief into active stewardship and planting efforts will require more from Extension.”
Hillsborough County Extension created a program called Friend of the Trees — Tampa to serve as an outlet for implementing research recommendations and promoting programs like Tree-mendous Tampa.
Hillsborough County Extension will host three tree stewardship workshops on the planting, pruning, care and ordinances of trees. Participants will receive trees to plant in their yards as well as surveys to measure their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors before and after the workshops.
The awarded grant allocates funding to tree stewardship workshops and supplies, including trees, and social marketing materials development
The Meat We Eat: Understanding the impact of education on consumer perceptions
With the average American at least three generations removed from agriculture and consumers’ growing interest in understanding where their food comes from, educating consumers on agricultural processes is increasingly important.
Animal Sciences Associate Professor Chad Carr will teach a class called The Meat We Eat to an online, global audience of more than 50,000 students and consumers. The Massive Open Online Course available on Coursera will cover all aspects of muscle food production, processing, preparation, cooking and storage, as well as the role of meat in a balanced diet.
Using surveys at the beginning and end of the course, Carr will measure the students’ knowledge and attitudes with regard to meat production, cooking, safety and sustainability. The PIE Center grant will support a graduate student assistant to work with Carr.
“This leads to the disconnection between how the public views agriculture and how scientists and producers view it, resulting in consumer distrust of science and commercial food production,” Carr wrote in the proposal. “It is this lack of trust that leads to consumer confusion and the urge to grasp at multiple solutions.”
Following the study, researchers hope to help agricultural and natural resource organizations communicate more effectively about agriculture and natural resource issues and assist agricultural and natural resource organizations strengthen and refine long-term plans so they are prepared to address the future impacts of projected issues and policies.
Catalyzing collaborative cover-crop conversations
Researchers hope to encourage North Florida farmers to use cover crops by creating a peer-to-peer network that will bring farmers together to exchange experiences and knowledge about cutting-edge practices.
The purpose of the project, submitted by Assistant Research Scientist Wendy-Lin Bartels, is to improve practices, reduce risk, and increase adoption of cover crops. Bartels is in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and will use the PIE Center funds to convene growers, Extension professionals and researchers into what she calls a “cover-crop learning network.” The money is allocated to workshop facilitation, materials and video production.
Farmers can grow cover crops such as grasses and legumes to manage or increase soil fertility, control weeds and prevent erosion.
The peer-to-peer network will improve stakeholders’ ability to communicate about complex agriculture and natural resource issues, according to Bartels. Researchers will also produce a series of educational videos sharing farmers’ experiences and advice with a broader agricultural audience.
“Our proposal will reduce the gap between research and practice by providing a venue to transfer research results and increase accessibility and usability of science,” Bartels wrote.
Going gluten-free: Understanding women’s perceptions of gluten and gluten-free diets
Although the gluten-free good market is growing, little research exists to help producers, manufacturers and health professionals understand the motivations, beliefs and behaviors of those who avoid gluten.
Family, Youth and Community Sciences Assistant Professor Karla Shelnutt will evaluate the diet quality, dietary knowledge and health behaviors of childbearing-aged women 16 to 45 years old who follow a gluten-free diet.
This study hopes to provide insight into perceptions, knowledge, and beliefs of individuals following a gluten-free diet. According to Shelnutt, approximately 1.6 million adults follow gluten-free diets and that number is expected to grow in the next 10 years.
“If we determine that these women are avoiding gluten based on unsubstantiated claims, we can develop messages to educate these consumers about the healthfulness of grains and the importance of consuming them,” Shelnutt wrote in the proposals.
The PIE Center grant will support two student workers who will help analyze the three-day food records of 300 participants.
