HIGHER EDUCATION CHALLENGE GRANTS

PROGRAM SUMMARY

FY 1999



Higher Education Programs

Science and Education Resources Development

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture



September 1999



FY 1999 HIGHER EDUCATION CHALLENGE GRANTS PROGRAM


The Higher Education Challenge Grants Program, administered by the USDA Office of Higher Education Programs, is designed to stimulate and enable colleges and universities to provide the quality of education necessary to produce graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional work force. It is intended that projects supported by the program will: (1) address a regional, State, national, or international educational need; (2) involve a creative or novel approach toward addressing the need which can serve as a model to others; (3) encourage and facilitate better working relationships in the university science and education community, as well as between universities and the private sector, to enhance program quality and supplement available resources; and (4) result in benefits which will likely transcend the project duration and USDA support.

Proposals may be submitted by all U.S. colleges and universities that have a demonstrable capacity to carry out teaching in the food and agricultural sciences at the baccalaureate and first professional degree levels. Each grantee must have a significant ongoing commitment to the food and agricultural sciences and to the specific subject areas for which such a grant is used. Generally, the food and agricultural sciences consist of agriculture, natural resources, forestry, family and consumer sciences, veterinary medicine, and closely allied disciplines.

In FY 1999, $4,350,000 were available to support projects which addressed the undergraduate or first professional level of study in the following targeted areas: (1) curricula design and materials development; (2) faculty preparation and enhancement for teaching; (3) instruction delivery systems; and (4) student experiential learning.

A total of 64 different institutions from 41 States submitted 124 proposals for consideration for funding in the ninth year of the program. In May 1999, the grant applications were evaluated by a 30-member peer review panel. The panel was comprised of faculty members of land-grant and nonland-grant institutions or with a joint appointment at ARS laboratories. Panelists represented various academic areas including business, agriculture, natural resources, forestry, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences, and closely allied disciplines. Funds were available to support a total of 37 grants based on the peer review deliberations. The 37 grants were awarded to 29 lead institutions in 24 States. Five of the projects funded in FY 1999 were joint projects involving three or four institutions. When the collaborating institutions are included with the lead institutions, a total of 50 institutions from 29 states are being supported under the FY 1999 Higher Education Challenge Grants Program.

The following chart presents information on the grants awarded under the FY 1999 Higher Education Challenge Grants Program
PROPOSAL

NUMBER

PROJECT DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT AND INSTITUTION PROJECT TITLE FUNDS AWARDED
99-03950 David T. Lewis Plant Sciences

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Collaborative Educational Program Establishment

in the Loess Rolling Till Plains

$248,000
99-03899 John D. Walstad Forest Resources

Oregon State University

A Video Course to Support Interdisclipinary Education in Wildland Fire Ecology $99,146
99-03938 Gisela F. Erf Poultry Science

University of Arkansas Board of Trustees

Student Experiential Learning: Rotations in Agricultural Laboratory Research $79,231
99-03856 Nancy G. Creamer Horticultural Science

North Carolina State

Developing an Intensive Summer Internship Program in Sustainable Agricultural Systems $96,605
99-03902 Mathew T. Baker Agricultural Education & Communication

University of Florida

Course Restructuring for the Teaching of Critical Thinking $100,000
99-03883 Rollin D. Strohman Bioresource and Agricultural Resource

California Polytechnic State University

Shared Development of Labs & Web Based Lectures for Precision Agriculture Course $250,000
99-03933 Laurie M. Apple Family and Consumer Sciences

Southwest Texas State University

Development of an Innovative Simulated Interactive CD Rom Laboratory in Textiles $89,451
99-03932 Karen Hooker Human Development and Family Sciences

Oregon State University

Development of Multimedia Instructional Materials in Aging and Mental Health $89,856
99-03947 Peter C. Kahn Biochemistry and Microbiology

Rutgers University

Modeling the Three Dimensional Structure of Proteins by Homology: A New Course $89,324
99-03955 Harold R. Crawford Science

Iowa State University

A Partnership for Curriculum Development Linking Iowa State University and Tribal Colleges
$221,585

99-03919 Frank J. Dooley Agricultural Economics

Purdue University

Agribusiness Supplementary Course Materials Web Page $53,816
99-03877 Yrjo T. Grohn Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences

Cornell University

Integrated Simulation and Economic Models to Teach Dairy Herd Health Management $89,857
99-03872 Ellen B. Peffley Plant and Soil Science

Texas Tech University

Designing a Horticulture Laboratory Course to Accommodate Students with Disabilities $83,831
99-03871 Barbara B. Locke Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University



Becoming an Expert: Developing Food Animal Veterinary Diagnostic Skills


$88,248
99-03953 Tammy M. Bray Human Nutrition and Food Management

Ohio State University

Extending Nutrition as a General Education Course Beyond Classroom Wall $89,274
99-03890 Douglas N. Yarger Agronomy

Iowa State University

A 3-D Web-based Model to Evaluate Yield Management and Environmental Impacts $89,953
99-03915 Patrick D. O'Rourke Agriculture

Illinois State University

Web-based Agribusiness Stimulator for Teaching Farm Supply Firm Management $88,614
99-03949 Anne L. Sweaney Housing and Consumer Economics

University of Georgia

Beyond the textbook: A Cyber-community for Housing and Consumer Economics Educators $89,998
99-03924 Ann D. Christy Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering

Ohio State University

Student Portfolios to Encourage Learning in Biological Engineering $184,112
99-03846 John Z. March Veterinary Medicine

University of Missouri

Empowering Students to Enhance Instruction $89,950
99-03853 Lisa Kay Nolan Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences

North Dakota State University

Filling the Food Safety Expertise Gap: The Great Plains Summer Institute

$90,000



99-03884 Vincent H. Smith Agricultural Economics and Economics

Montana State University

Agriculture in a Global Context: Innovations in Multidisciplinary, Experiential Learning $ 222,888
99-03916 Annette Graham School of Human and Consumer Sciences

Ohio University

Distance Learning and Alternative Lab Sites for Food Service Management Education $224,935
99-03944 Walter H. Schacht Center for Grassland Studies

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Grazing Livestock Systems Major $89,792
99-03893 Edward A. Nater Soil, Water, and Climate

University of Minnesota

Development and Use of WWW-Searchable Archive of Digital Soils Imagery $75,828
99-03850 R. Paul Singh Biological and Ag Engineering

University of California

Internet-Assisted Remote Controlled Experiments in Teaching Food and Bioprocess Engineering $89,879
99-03863 Timothy J. Nichols College of Agricultural & Biological Sciences

South Dakota State University



Creating a Model for Student Food Systems Leadership Development


$85,109
99-03910 W. R. Butler Animal Science

Cornell University

Development and Integration of Intellectual Skills Across the Core Curriculum $89,895
99-03943 Laura Calderon Health and Nutritional Sciences

California State University

CSLA Food and Nutrition Programs: A Plan to Increase and Enhance Student Experiential Learning $90,000
99-03929 Bruce A. Watkins Food Science

Purdue University

Collaborative Education Model for Designing Foods and Nutraceuticals $89,963
99-03864 Patricia Hurley Environmental Science

Salish Kootenai College

Native Plant Propagation & Land Restoration: Tribal College Curriculum Development $90,000
99-03939 John W. Riesen Animal Science

University of Connecticut

Promoting Cooperation in Creation and Use of Shared Computer-Teaching Technologies $105,728
99-03887 James Crawford Bell Soil, Water, and Climate

University of Minnesota

On-line Educational Modules for Landscape Analysis using GIS $71,662
99-03948 Ray A. Marquardt School of Agribusiness and Resource Management

Arizona State University

Curriculum Design for a B.S. Degree in Food Management: Meeting Consumer Demand $88,420
99-03888 Karen S. Midden Plant, Soil and General Agriculture

Southern Illinois University

Development of Web-based Instructional Modules in Landscape Construction $89,190
99-03921 Joel M. Chandlee Plant Sciences

University of Rhode Island

Providing Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities in Plant Biotechnology $88,849
99-03843 P. Elaine Roberts Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management

Colorado State University



The National Web Site for Insect Physiology


$88,717
































FY 1999 Higher Education Challenge Grants Program

Total Funds Awarded to States and Lead Institutions*



State Lead Institution Funds

Arizona Arizona State University East $ 88,420

Arkansas University of Arkansas 79,231

California California Polytechnic State University 250,000

University of California 89,879

California State University 90,000

Colorado Colorado State University 88,717

Connecticut University of Connecticut 105,728

Florida University of Florida 100,000

Georgia University of Georgia 89,998

Illinois Illinois State University 88,614

Southern Illinois University 89,190

Indiana Purdue University 53,816

Purdue University 89,963

Iowa Iowa State University 221,585

Iowa State University 89,953

Minnesota University of Minnesota 75,828

University of Minnesota 71,662

Missouri University of Missouri - Columbia 89,950

Montana Montana State University 222,888

Salish Kootenai College 90,000

Nebraska University of Nebraska 248,000

University of Nebraska 89,792

New Jersey Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey 89,324

New York Cornell University 89,857

Cornell University 89,895

North Carolina North Carolina State University 96,605

North Dakota North Dakota State University 90,000

Ohio Ohio State University 89,274

Ohio State University 184,112

Ohio State University 224,935

Oregon Oregon State University 99,146

Oregon State University 89,856

Rhode Island University of Rhode Island 88,849

South Dakota South Dakota State University 85,109

Texas Southwest Texas State University 89,451

Texas Tech University 83,831

Virginia Virginia Polytechnic Institute 88,248

Total $ 4,081,706


*These amounts represent the total Federal dollars awarded to each lead institution, including the funds that will be subcontracted out to collaborating institutions for joint projects. Excluding the funds that will be subcontracted out to collaborating institutions, no single institution will receive more than $200,000 under this program in FY 1999.

*The awardees which have a total of $200,000 dollars or more represent more than one individual or subcontractors at the following institutions: California Polytechnic State University, Iowa State University, Montana State University, University of Nebraska, Ohio State University.