High water users’ opinions of quantity & quality
To understand the differences in public opinions between large-volume water users in the Orlando area and the general state population, the PIE Center will team up with the UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology to survey a targeted group of homeowners. Researchers will target respondents who have an income greater than $50,000 per year and employ a lawn management company to care for the landscape.
The survey mirrors earlier PIE Center public opinion surveys that determine Floridians’ perceptions attitudes and behaviors when it comes to water quantity and quality. Researchers with this project will identify reasons for homeowners’ high water use and their attitudes toward conservation.
Ensuring effective branding of school & community gardens partnership
In advance of launching a school and community gardening program in the fall, UF/IFAS Extension and Bok Tower Gardens asked the PIE Center to conduct focus groups with teachers and community leaders interested in the garden program. The research will guide the new program development by helping leaders understand how potential stakeholders view the activities and name. PIE Center researchers will test messages and other branding components needed to successfully promote the Florida Gardens for Life program.
Don’t Pack a Pest: Impacts of program deterring transportation of agricultural items
The Travelers Don’t Pack a Pest program, a partnership among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, seeks to educate the traveling public about the risks associated with transporting plants, food and other agricultural items that can contain harmful pests and diseases.
PIE Center researchers will help program leaders revise and develop tools to measure the impacts program by analyzing passenger interviews conducted at the Miami International Airport, examining the usefulness of a toolkit distributed to 23 Caribbean countries and conducting a survey to review the program’s website.
Nutrition education program evaluation & impacts
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program teaches limited-income people about the importance of a nutritiously balanced diet and how they might adopt one. UF/IFAS Extension professionals provide trainings that foster skills in food production, preparation, storage and safety.
In collaboration with the Family, Youth and Community Sciences Department, PIE Center researchers will conduct focus groups with participants of the program to evaluate its impact. The researchers will measure participants’ perceived quality of life after joining the program, along with their satisfaction and recommendations for improving the program.
