2018 Vice Provost Awards for Excellence | Extension and Engagement

The Vice Provost Awards for Excellence celebration showcases exceptional outreach and engagement projects. The Vice Provost Awards for Excellence were created in 2007 by Scott Reed, Vice Provost of University Outreach and Engagement, to encourage and reward efforts to create and nurture healthy communities, a healthy planet, and a healthy economy. These awards celebrate the co-creation of problem-solving action that addresses the needs and priorities of a specific community, county, region, state, or beyond.

2018 Award-winning Outreach and Engagement Projects

Drone STEM/STEAM Education, Outreach, and Engagement

Project Leader:

Victor Villegas, Technology and Media Support Coordinator, OSU Extension Service, Extension Computing Technology Unit

Community Partners:

USDA/NIFA
eXtension UAS in Agriculture Learning Network
Oregon Department of Education
OSU Research Office
OSU Professional and Continuing Education
Oregon 4-H Foundation
OSU Extension Service – Benton County

Project Description:

Introduction of economical “prosumer” drones in the last three years created a high interest in drone technology and applications. Their affordability and ease of use made them extremely attractive to researchers, educators, students, and commercial-end users. At the same time, the speed of drone development left regulators and lawmakers scrambling to address issues such as safety and privacy concerns, creating public confusion and concern about drone use.

This grassroots project started as an experiment in outreach and engagement via social media, providing drone education using a creative mix of music, digital media, and humor to “edutain” and bring attention to drone issues, while encouraging safe and responsible flying.

Initial interest led to collaboration with eXtension in co-creating and co-leading the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Agriculture Learning Network and facilitating drone education among several land grant universities and the public. Knowledge sharing was done through webinars, social media, and in-person workshops and presentations.

A “Drones in Agriculture for Youth STEM/STEAM Education” subproject created under the learning network led to the development of a 4-H drone workshop, which then expanded to provide general K-12 STEM/STEAM youth education and increased public outreach. These efforts included a collaboration with the OSU Research Office, OSU researchers, OSU PACE, Oregon Department of Education, SOAR Oregon, and UAS industry leaders from Insitu, Parrot, and Drone Complier to present a series of webinars, online training, and resources via Canvas, modules, and a three-day workshop for Oregon K-12 educators.

Since 2016, the project has provided over 50 in-person presentations, workshops, exhibits, and demos, and webinars and video conference sessions, reaching students in Oregon, Florida, Tennessee, and Australia, as well as 4-H youth at the 2018 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, and attendees of the 2016 USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C.

Engaging Latino Families: Program Experience and Educational Equity

Project Leader:

Ana Gomez, Juntos Statewide Coordinator, OSU Open Campus, Division of University Outreach and Engagement

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Jeff Sherman, Assistant Director, OSU Extension Service, Strategic Innovation and OSU Open Campus Leader
Amy Young, Faculty Research Assistant, OSU Open Campus
José Garcia, Juntos and Education Coordinator, OSU Open Campus
Daniel Lopez-Cevallos, Assistant Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Ethnic and Latino/a Studies

Student Involvement:

Yuridia Reyes, Juntos Outreach Assistant, undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Community Partner:

The Ford Family Foundation

Project Description:

For six years, Juntos has engaged local community partners to provide culturally relevant resources for Latino 6-12th graders and their parents. Oregon has some of the lowest high school graduation rates and persistent disparities among Latinos. Such a gap may have a major community impact, as 22% of K-12 students are Latino and this population is growing faster than the national average.

Juntos is designed to empower families with knowledge, skills, and resources to promote high school completion and post-secondary access. The work is leading OSU’s outreach and engagement mission to equitably serve diverse learners and provide transformative experiences by engaging families and community partners towards innovative solutions to the challenges of educational inequity.

The 2016-2017 program evaluation showed that issues such as structural bias and lack of culturally responsive resources are inhibiting academic motivation and parent involvement. Participants and stakeholders highlighted Juntos’ value in strengthening family and community ties and promoting bi-directional engagement with schools. Juntos is uncovering systematic discrimination in school and community climates for Latinos, signaling the need for broader institutional change, including in higher education.

Juntos evaluation is a collaborative, multidisciplinary process. All Juntos personnel informed survey and methodology design and evaluation is undertaken with the goal of engaging in scholarship. Juntos seeks opportunities to disseminate work in a variety of fields including Extension, migrant education, and community health.

These findings are informing curriculum updates and helping coordinators amplify their voice within their networks. Coordinators are also in dialogue with partner schools to elevate results to address issues related to institutional and interpersonal bias. The future of Juntos will be one of transformational change and continuing growth through partner school investments, community foundations, and private donations, building upon the more than $300,000 invested in 2017.

Fishermen-led Injury Prevention Program

Project Leader:

Laurel Kincl, Associate Professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Environmental and Occupational Health Program

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Viktor Bovbjerg, Professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Epidemiology Program
Amelia Vaughan, Project Coordinator, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Environmental and Occupational Health Program
Kaety Jacobson, Marine Fisheries Extension Faculty and County Leader, Oregon Sea Grant, OSU Extension Service - Lincoln County

Student Involvement:

Vanesse Chew, undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Sabrina Pillai, Ph.D. student, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Hayley Strenke, MPH student, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Georgeann Booth, former undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Kendall Dunlap, former undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Sheridan Long, former undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Mara Nery, former Ph.D. student, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Colton Stegner, former undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Laura Syron, former Ph.D. student, College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Community Partners:

Community researchers (members of the fishing industry that were trained to be researchers)
- Lori French (Morro Bay, CA)
- Melissa Boyd (Moss Landing, CA)
- Cynthia LeDoux-Bloom (Fort Bragg, CA)
- Tristan Britt (Astoria, OR)
- Jody Pope (Westport, WA)
- Sarah Fisken (Washington Sea Grant)
Newport Fishermen’s Wives
Charleston Fishing Families
Servco Pacific
Many commercial fishing vessels, captains, and deckhands

Project Description:

While previous research had shown the West Coast commercial Dungeness crab fishery to be one of the most deadly fisheries in the United States, no research had been done to both access and prevent non-fatal injuries in this fishery.

The OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences partnered with Oregon Sea Grant for a four-year research-to-action project funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The project had a unique approach: using members of the commercial fishing community—community researchers (CR’s)—from Oregon, Washington, and California who were trained in data collection, IRB protocols, and outreach and engagement tactics.

CRs hosted focus groups in each of their communities, getting fishermen to help design a survey to understand nonfatal injuries in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery. Four hundred thirty-six fishermen participated in the survey, which was done face-to-face by the CR’s and the project team.

We learned that the majority of limiting injuries (88%) occur with deckhands. The most common injuries are sprains and strains (36%) and most are associated with handling, hauling, and setting gear (72%).

The second phase of the project was to take the results back to the industry and to solicit ideas on ways to prevent those injuries. Suggested resources developed based on fishermen input that included Extension publications include:

A fishermen-specific first aid, safety and CPR class, which was developed by wilderness medicine
specialists and uses actual injury scenarios reported by fishermen;
Information on and draft crew agreements;
Information for new fishermen on how to assess if a vessel and captain are safe; and
A detailed list and building guide for commercial fishing first aid kits. Using this guide, we have hosted a kit-building party with Newport Fishermen’s Wives.

Facebook surveys were also conducted on the use of anti-slip mats, davit chains, and banger bars for potential future interventions.

All of these resources are posted on FLIPPresources.org and a postcard has been mailed to all crab pot license holders to point fishermen to these resources. Each were also disseminated through Sea Grant’s social media and mailed.

Food Hero Social Marketing Campaign

Project Leaders:

Lauren Tobey, Assistant Professor of Practice, Social Marketing Coordinator, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Family and Community Health Extension
Elaine Schrumpf, Extension Specialist, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Family and Community Health Extension

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Sally Bowman, Associate Program Leader, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Family and Community Health Extension
144 OSU Extension Educators covering all Oregon counties

Student Involvement:

Alexa Munsee, undergraduate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences (CPHHS), Public Health
Erika Peterson, undergraduate, CPHHS, Dietetics
Jarrett Knodel, undergraduate, CPHHS, Dietetics
Lisa Evanoff, undergraduate, CPHHS, Dietetics
Mika Ingram, undergraduate, CPHHS, Public Health
Zednia Linares, undergraduate, CPHHS, Dietetics

Community Partners:

Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council
Oregon Department of Education, Child Nutrition Services
Oregon Department of Human Services, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Women, Infants and Children Program

Localized Partnerships in Oregon:

Central Oregon Community College
Churches (4)
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
Farmers market (1)
Food pantries (99)
Grocery Outlet
Head Start programs (4)
Health care sites (10)
Primary and secondary schools (143)
Public housing sites (4)
Sandy Senior Center
Sherm’s Thunderbird Market Inc.

Project Description:

Based on 2017 data, one out of seven Oregonians does not have access to an adequate amount of affordable, nutritious food. Oregon statewide nutrition partners identified increased fruit and vegetable (FV) intake as a state priority to provide key nutrients, reduce chronic disease risk, and help lower obesity costs. In 2008, the governor supported this priority by providing OSU start-up matching funds to build upon existing USDA SNAP-Ed funds and develop a social marketing campaign to increase FV intake among low-income Oregonians.

The Food Hero (FH) social marketing campaign was developed through formative feedback (i.e., phone/paper surveys, focus groups, interviews, individual conversations) with the target audiences, which continues today, allowing for constant campaign refinement and testing. Food Hero, which targets mothers and their families/communities, works through partnerships between Extension educators (n=~150) and community partners to promote low-cost recipes, cooking/meal-planning skills, and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change efforts.

FH uses multiple communication channels including digital, paid/earned media, public relations, and an online community toolkit for easy replication of campaign components (in English and Spanish). Participants and foodservice partners are eating/cooking FH recipes.

Stakeholder engagement and local, state, and national partnerships, collective impact, and diffusion have allowed FH to reach additional 10th anniversary goals: (1) high replication and (2) high numbers of PSE activities in targeted Oregon locations. FH is integrated into every Oregon County, for example, making 530,000+ contacts with Oregon schoolchildren in 2017. FH’s digital arm reaches approximately 2 million people per year, covering all U.S. states and United Nations recognized countries, including daily social media. FH is included in the USDA SNAP-Ed Toolkit of evidence-based interventions, multiple peer-reviewed publications, and within 42 other states’ nutrition programs.

Generating Rural Options for Weight Healthy Kids and Communities

Project Leaders and Principal Researchers:

Deborah H. John, Associate Professor, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences and Public Health Extension Specialist, OSU Extension Service
Kathy Gunter, Associate Professor, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences and Public Health Extension Specialist, OSU Extension Service

Faculty and Staff Involved:

CO-INVESTIGATORS

Lena Etuk, OSU Extension Social Demographer, College of Public Health and Human Sciences (2011-2014)
Perry Hystad, Assistant Professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences (2014-2016)
Gail Langellotto, Associate Professor, College of Agricultural Sciences (2011-2016)
Melinda Manore, Professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences (2011-2016)

CAMPUS FACULTY RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Sara Caldwell-Kan (2014-2015)
Leah Gramlow (2015-2016)
Brendan Klein (2012-2014)
Tammy Winfield (2014-2017)

COUNTY EXTENSION FACULTY AND FACULTY RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Patty Case (2011-2016)
Erin Devlin (2014-2016)
Beret Halverson (2011-2016)
Allison O’Sullivan (2012-2013)
Janet Rojina (2014-2016)
Jenny Rudolph (2011-2016)
Kelsey Sterrett (2012-2013)
Laurie Waynen (2012-2014)

PROECT COORDINATORS

Amanda Armington, MPH Administrative Director, College of Public Health and Human Sciences (2013-2016)
Kristin Trost (2012-2013)

Student Involvement:

For a list of the many doctoral, masters and undergraduate students, research awards program apprentices, interns, and mentees involved in the project, visit extension.oregonstate.edu/growhkc/about/team.

Community Partners:

A complete list of community partners and reports are available at extension.oregonstate.edu/growhkc/outputs/reports.

Community Champions:

Christina Boothe, Columbia County (2014-2015)
Nikki Elbert, Klamath County (2014-2015)
Shilo Wittrock-Laccino, Clackamas County (2014-2015)

Project Description:

Launched in 2011 as the first project in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences’ (CPHHS) Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families, Generating Rural Options for Weight (GROW) Healthy Kids and Communities was supported (Feb. 2011 - Jan. 2017) by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

GROW, an integrated research, education, and Extension program, exemplifies how OSU Extension draws upon the larger CPHHS discipline expertise in addressing rural community health. The interdisciplinary investigative team included CPHHS kinesiology and nutrition, human development and family science, environmental geographic epidemiology, and College of Agricultural Sciences horticulture and community food systems scientists. Between 2011 and 2017, GROW involved and supported CPHHS doctoral and master students, MPH interns, and URAP (undergraduate research assistant program) students (n=40) engaged in research, learning, and community outreach. The project team reflects the breadth of scholarship and experience required of a comprehensive, integrated approach, with particular expertise in rural community-engaged participatory research, learning and Extension, in the promotion of healthy community places that support obesity-preventing nutrition, physical activity, and gardening behaviors, and weight-healthy lifestyle development among school-aged youth and families.

GROW actively enables Extension to inspire rural communities, schools, and families to optimize children’s microenvironments that enable healthy dietary and physical activity choices and habitual behavioral patterns in places where kids live and grow up, learn, and play. The ongoing community health impact goal of this work is to prevent a rise in overweight and obesity prevalence in rural youth as they progress in school from kindergarten through 12th grade.

GROW uses academic-community health partnerships enabled via place-based Extension personnel, community engagement methods and tools (HEAL MAPPS™), and participatory action research, to establish and contribute to a rural-specific, evidence-based research and education model for childhood obesity prevention. The program uses innovative technologies, including community mapping and geographic information systems data, to explore the obesogenic context in rural landscapes. Communities generate and utilize data to develop health equitable policy, systems, and environmental strategies for obesity prevention to help rural families with children cultivate and maintain weight healthy lifestyle patterns across the life span.

Mariachi STEAM Camp

Project Leader:

Romanna Flores, Mariachi STEAM Camp Director and 4-H Youth Development volunteer in Washington County

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Patrick Willis, Associate Professor, OSU Extension Service, 4-H Youth Development OSU Precollege Programs

Project Description:

The United States faces a significant challenge: Young people are not prepared with the necessary STEM workforce skills to compete in the 21st century. In addition, Hispanic students, the largest minority group in the public-school system, score lower than national averages on math and science standardized tests. In response, OSU Extension has developed the Mariachi STEAM Camp.

The camp has engaged 49 high school students over the last two years in six-day residential programs that combine the passion of music with the curiosity of science. These experiences on campus, combined with the focus of music, give students an authentic taste of collegiate life. College interns from previous Mariachi Camps revisit to assist the music teachers and lead team-building activities.

The creation of a digital musical card “from scratch” by assembling electronic components, digitizing and editing their music, and transferring it to a sound module offers transformative learning. In another exercise, students prototyped a digital music player using an Arduino 101 development board and learned to convert notes from their favorite Mariachi song to frequency. Students also focus honing their music performance, music comprehension, and ensemble performance. The week’s intense concentration on music culminates in a concert on the Corvallis campus that is open to the public.

Program evaluations indicate increased openness to challenge and discovery, positive development of pro-social awareness, positive emotionality, and intentional self-regulation. In the long-term, the Mariachi STEAM Camp is a conduit that provides youth access and awareness of STEAM fields to broaden participation of Hispanics and underserved youth along all segments of the science and engineering career pathway.

Mitigation of Lane Departure Crashes in The Pacific Northwest Through Coordinated Outreach

Project Leader:

David Hurwitz, Associate Professor, OSU College of Engineering, School of Civil and Construction Engineering

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Linda Boyle, Professor & Chair, University of Washington, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Leila Hajibabai, Assistant Professor, Washington State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ahmed Abdel-Rahim, Professor and Director of NIATT, University of Idaho, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Nathan Belz, Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Students Involved:

Kayla Fleskes, Graduate Research Assistant, OSU College of Engineering, School of Civil and Construction Engineering
Zachary Barlow, Graduate Research Assistant, OSU College of Engineering, School of Civil and Construction Engineering
Huizhong (Edith) Guo, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Washington, Industrial and Systems Engineering,
Xingwei Wu, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Washington, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Project Description:

Approximately 17,000 fatalities occur annually in the U.S. because of roadway departure crashes. An analysis of crash data and conversations with state Departments of Transportation in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho confirmed that this crash type is heavily overrepresented in the Pacific Northwest. To engage the public about lane departure crashes, two activities took place: (1) a high school and college student competition to develop public service announcements (PSAs) related to lane departure crashes was organized and (2) a heavily interactive transportation safety presentation was developed and administered to elementary and middle school students.

The PSA competition involved PNW high school and college students creating a set of PSAs in the form of a short video, a series of social media posts, and a poster. Dozens of students submitted their competition entries through the online submission website. The six best submissions from each state received a plaque and monetary award.

The safety presentations focused on local transportation safety issues, using images of locations that students might recognize to help engage students in safety within their communities. Eighteen safety presentations were made to 488 students throughout the Pacific Northwest. Afterwards, students were asked, “How do you think we stop crashes?” Students created 408 drawings, wrote 124 narratives, and were interviewed four times about their ideas with researchers. In total, 536 individual items were produced by students. These items were analyzed in the form of word clouds and picture mosaics, which were developed on a per state basis across the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon Bee Project

Project Leader:

Andony Melathopolous, Assistant Professor, Pollinator Health Specialist, OSU College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Horticulture, Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Jen Holt, Oregon State Master Beekeeper, Pollinator Health Program Coordinator
Weston Miller, Associate Professor, Consumer Horticulture
Signe Danler, Instructor, Online Master Gardener Course
Iris Kormann, Faculty Research Assistant, Pollinator Health Program
Chris Marshall, Curator, Oregon State Arthropod Collection
Nicole Sanchez, Assistant Professor, Home and Small-Scale Commercial Horticulture
Kristine Buckland, Vegetable and Specialty Seed Crop Specialist

Student Involvement:

Umayyah Wright, undergraduate, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Science
Addison De Boer, undergraduate, College of Science, Biology
Matthew Bucy, undergraduate, College of Engineering, Pre-Chemical Engineering
Isabella Messer, undergraduate, College of Agricultural Science, Horticulture
Lacy Haig, undergraduate, College of Science, Zoology

Community Partners:

Sarah Kincaid, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Clint Burfitt, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Rose Kachadoorian, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Gilbert Uribe, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Christine Buhl, Oregon Department of Forestry
Robert Marshall, Oregon Department of Transportation
Rich Little, OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer

Project Description:

The Extension Pollinator Health Specialist position for Oregon arises from an initiative from the Oregon Legislature to improve pollinator health in the state. Hired into a tricky position, with legislative expectations and no defined stakeholder group, Andony Melathopolous built partnerships with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Oregon Department of Transportation to synergize efforts related to pollinator health. The result of this collaboration is the Oregon Bee Project, a unique program nationally that integrates state agencies, industry partners, and community groups in a science-grounded approach to bee pollinator health.

The cornerstone of the Oregon Bee Project is the state’s Strategic Pollinator Health Plan, which Andony completed last summer. The Plan has grown into a statewide network of collaborators that includes farmers, golf course superintendents, gardeners, beekeepers, government officials, and NGOs that have opted to be part of the Oregon Bee Project. Over the past year, the Oregon Bee Project has engaged almost 10,000 Oregonians.

Part of the success of the Oregon Bee Project has been Andony’s capacity to engage and train across the state. Since his arrival, Andony has trained over 3,000 pesticide applicators on how to reduce the risk of pesticide use around pollinators. His weekly PolliNation podcast has 50 episodes, to date, where he interviews scientists, land managers, beekeepers, and lawmakers, for their perspective on pollinator health. Andony and his team also have spread out across the state to offer hands-on pollinator identification workshops. These workshops teach others how to collect, curate, and identify pollinators, and have been immensely popular with the public, as well as with staff from governmental agencies and industry. He also led the effort to create a public service announcement aimed at agricultural workers and delivered in Spanish on UniVision (Spanish broadcast TV). Finally, he has led efforts to develop the Oregon Bee Project website, a one-stop Extension hub for tools on pollinator health, as well as Twitter and Facebook feeds, which currently have 300 and 800 followers, respectively.

Perhaps his biggest accomplishment to date is that he has successfully navigated the diverse needs of stakeholders (i.e., farmers who need to use pesticides to protect crops and beekeepers who need to steer clear of pesticides to protect bees), bringing these diverse stakeholders to the table in support of a common goal: Protecting Oregon’s pollinators. From this strong foundation of trust and shared purpose, many more outcomes and impacts will come.

STEM Beyond School

Project Leaders:

Beth St. Amand, STEM Beyond School Statewide Coordinator, OSU Extension Service
Patrick Willis, Associate Professor, OSU Extension Service, 4-H Youth Development
Kristen Harrison, Portland Metro STEM Partnership
Jerian Abel, Portland Metro STEM Partnership

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Stacey Sowders, OSU Extension, 4-H Youth Development (4-H), Multnomah and Washington Counties
Alice Phillips, OSU Extension, 4-H, Multnomah and Washington Counties
Janet Nagele, OSU Extension, 4-H, Clackamas County
Seng Saechao, OSU Extension, 4-H, Multnomah and Washington Counties
Rodrigo Corona, OSU Extension,4 -H, Clackamas County
Tanya Kindrachuk, OSU Extension, 4-H, Multnomah and Washington Counties
Thomas Arand, Metro & Central Regional Coordinator, OSU
Margie House, OSU Extension, 4-H and Curry Watersheds Partnership, Curry County
Emily Anderson, OSU Extension, 4-H, Lane County
Emily McDonald-Williams, OSU Extension, 4-H, Lane County
Daniel Lampe, OSU Extension, 4-H, Lane County
Jody Einerson, OSU Extension, 4-H, Benton County
Maggie Livesay, OSU Extension, 4-H, Benton County
Todd Williver, OSU Extension, 4-H, Lincoln County
Michele Osterhoudt, OSU Extension, 4-H, Lincoln County
Lindsay Walker, OSU Extension, 4-H, Linn and Benton Counties
Lu Seapy, OSU Extension, 4-H, Wasco County
Amber Anderson, OSU Extension, 4-H, Wasco County
Joel Riese, OSU Extension, 4-H, Wasco County
Elli Vanderzanden, OSU Extension, 4-H, Wasco County
Beth Ann Beamer, OSU Extension, 4-H, Warm Springs
Liana Harden, OSU Extension, 4-H, Hood River County
John Brunoe, OSU Extension, 4-H, Warm Springs
Shanna Northway, OSU Extension, 4-H, Grant County
Barb Brody, OSU Extension, 4-H, Malheur County
Kristal Hansen, OSU Extension, 4-H, Grant County
Virginia Bourdeau, OSU Extension, 4-H Center
Woody Davis, OSU Extension, 4-H, Columbia County
Robert Schellenger, Health Sciences Business Center
Lisa Sibernagel, Health Sciences Business Center
Martin Storksdieck, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning
Kari O’Connor, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning
Nancy Staus, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning
Brianna Keys, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning

Collaborators:

Deborah Bailey, Oregon Department of Education
Grace Goodson, Regional Coordinator, Umpqua Valley STEAM Hub
Julie Keniry, Regional Coordinator, EOU
Leah Plack, PD Coordinator
Mark Lewis, Chief Education Office
Matthew Campbell, Regional Coordinator, EOU
Susan Wilson, Oregon Department of Education
Tracy Willson-Scott, Regional Coordinator, HDESD

Project Description:

Young people are not prepared with the necessary science, engineering, and technology workforce skills to compete in the 21st century. In response, OSU Extension Service 4-H Youth Development and the Portland Metro STEM Partnership developed “STEM Beyond School” (SBS), a statewide out-of-school STEM program. OSU collaborates with the Oregon STEM Hub network and more than 75 partners representing government agencies, schools, industry, community colleges, and non-profits to bring high quality STEM education to both urban and rural areas of the state, from the grant’s inception through implementation.

SBS provides valuable expertise and resources to foster authentic STEM learning for youth in third through 8th grades at more than 40 project sites across Oregon. The SBS project improves out-of-school STEM youth programming by cultivating a vibrant and engaged SBS community of practice. This networked learning community of STEM education providers and support organizations provide resources, training, professional development, and technical assistance that targets persistent issues within the field, such as equity, Next Generation Science Standards alignment, formative assessments, and rigorous program design and evaluation.

By using a collective impact approach, partners form smaller sub communities that target specific systemic challenges while building the capacity of programs and the professional development of staff to address those challenges. Regional and statewide events engage additional programs and disseminate information to the broader community. In the first year, 1,100 students participated in 70 hours of high quality, community-based science programming outside of school.

The program was so successful that Oregon Department of Education, the sponsor, requested OSU Extension continue to grow the program for the 2017-19 biennium. ODE has invested a total of $2.7 million for OSU Extension 4-H Youth Development to implement STEM Beyond School.

WealthWorks Northwest

Project Leader:

Mallory Rahe, OSU Extension Community Economist, College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Applied Economics

Faculty and Staff Involved:

Robert (Bob) Parker, County Leader, OSU Extension – Baker County, Forestry and Natural Resources Extension
Darrin L. Walenta, Agronomist ,OSU Extension – Wallowa County, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Pat Hayes, Professor, College of Agricultural Sciences, Crop and Soil Science
Dana Martin, Regional Administrator – Central Oregon, University Outreach and Engagement
Sam Angima, Assistant Dean of Outreach and Engagement and Program Leader, College of Agricultural
Sciences, Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension
Jamie Doyle, Oregon Sea Grant Extension, Marine Resources Coastal Communities
Bruce Weber, Emeritus Professor, College of Agricultural Sciences

Student Involvement:

Seth Sherry, MPP Graduate, College of Liberal Arts, School of Public Policy

Project Description:

The need for rural economic development in Oregon is acute. OSU Extension partnered with Rural Development Initiatives to implement WealthWorks Northwest, a community-driven economic development-planning framework. WealthWorks aligns assets around a shared set of values and goals and seeks new business opportunities in response to changing markets, intentionally building local wealth and reducing poverty through inclusion. A three-year project (2014-2017) began by educating 135 rural Oregonians about rural wealth creation in a four-hour workshop.

The second phase provided funding and technical assistance to six of the 18 regional applicants to foster the development of these concepts. During this phase, OSU Extension took a lead role in three of the six regions, alongside community leaders, partnering organizations, and members. The project teams pursued developing different agricultural and seafood value chains. Outcomes included funding OSU barley research, market demand studies, and training for small-business owners. All six regions reported value in their experience, including making new connections within and outside of their community. All regions sought additional support and resources.

The program provided additional technical assistance to two regions and opened a competitive grant cycle for private businesses. A final evaluation revealed that the program built social and political capital and fundamentally changed the way people thought about rural economic opportunities. By pairing traditional education and outreach with grant funding, the program made tangible impacts to 23 small businesses across the state, supporting nine new jobs. All six regions continue their value chain work in different capacities.