Researcher(s)
- Iyanna Register, Communication, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Mark Parcells, Department of Agriculture, University of Delaware
Abstract
UD Envision is a NIFA-sponsored undergraduate research program that offers students the opportunity to gain hands-on lab or field experience in agricultural research. The UD Envision program gets its name as participants are encouraged to “Envision” themselves as scientists and take personal responsibility for their projects. The program has been hosted for seven years, and its main objective is to encourage students to enter the world of agricultural research. The research areas represented span the Animal and Food Sciences, Plant and Soil Sciences, and Entomology and Wildlife Ecology departments in UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For 2024, 16 faculty mentors participated in hosting 18 UD Envision participants. Throughout these seven years, a communication scholar has been sponsored to document the program. Communication scholars are tasked with taking pictures of participants as they conduct research, videotape training, and bonding activities, and conduct interviews with the participants. Previous research has relied heavily on videotaping and photographing participants interacting with one another and speaking with participants personally. The methods used for this research are no different than previous research, however, participants were interviewed about their research and their experiences in UD Envision. Questions included: “How did you find out about your research?” “What do you find most rewarding about your research?” and “How is it working with your mentor?” As the communications scholar for the 2024 Cohort of UD Envision, I had weekly meetings with the program director to share my results and receive feedback and guidance on the next steps. Our findings indicate that undergraduate research programs benefit participants immensely because of the opportunities programs such as UD Envision can offer them. These opportunities include introducing participants to lab research, creating connections with seasoned professors, and equipping them with a plethora of useful skills they can transfer to a professional setting.