STEM INVESTIGATORS

N.M. Moores1, B.J. Hall-Scharf2, S.E. Taylor3, W.J. Lester4

1 4-H Agent, UF/IFAS Extension, Hernando County, Brooksville, FL
2 Marine Agent, UF/IFAS Extension, Hernando County, Brooksville, FL
3 Family Consumer Sciences Agent, UF/IFAS Extension, Hernando County, Brooksville, FL
4 Horticulture Agent, UF/IFAS Extension, Hernando County, Brooksville, FL

Situation: There are approximately 1,600* homeschooled youth who reside in Hernando County, Florida. Florida Statute 1002.41 requires that these youth submit portfolios documenting their educational activities each year. In an effort to provide quality, research-based education for these portfolios, UF faculty from four Extension areas combined their expertise and created the STEM InvestiGATORS program.

Methods: Events were scheduled to occur on a monthly basis between August 2019 and May 2020. Each agent led at least two educational events that included 20-40 youth per event. Registration links were created through Eventbrite and a fee of $5.00 was charged to cover insurance and supplies. Various instructional methods were used to teach the subject matter. Topics included coding, biology, anatomy and physiology, financial management, entomology, marine science, environmental science, and ecology. Parents were provided space in a separate room to network during the events. To encourage participation in multiple classes, certificates of completion were offered to youth completing ten hours (5 courses) to use in their homeschool portfolios. Those completing 18 hours (9 courses) were given additional gifts.

Results: A total of 159 youth have participated in our STEM InvestiGATORS program to date. Pre/post tests showed that participants had an 93% increase in knowledge. Individual follow-up surveys showed that 8% of youth have adopted at least one behavioral change as a result of what they have learned. Lastly, five families have joined 4-H clubs and enrolled in project work.

Conclusion: The STEM InvestiGATORS program is actively engaging Hernando’s homeschooled youth and providing sound content for portfolios.

*Source: Hernando County Home Education Office

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Posted: April 11, 2020


Category: 4-H & Youth, AGRICULTURE, Camp, Money Matters, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 2020, 2020 UF/IFAS Central District Symposium, 4-H, 4-H Youth Development, B.J. Hall-Scharf, Central District, Geralyn Sachs, Hernando County, N.M. Moores, S.E. Taylor, UF/IFAS Extension, W.J. Lester


Comments:

Marie
April 14, 2022

Great post!

tim momol
April 13, 2022

Good job!

tim momol
April 13, 2022

Good job!

Julio Perez
April 13, 2022

What varieties of Passion Fruit were planted?

teresa
May 15, 2021

can reclaim water feed my veg or fruits on yard

Jenny Rodriguez
April 15, 2021

Impressive program ladies! Good luck at the conferences. Our military families are benefiting greatly from all your efforts!

Jenny
April 15, 2021

Really enjoyed reading your poster. Mold is a common issue for homeowners and even more so in older homes without proper ventilation. It's such an ongoing issue in some homes that could potentially result in adverse health effects. Your program is putting a great spotlight on the solutions to this problem, especially in our Florida dense and humid climate. Thanks for sharing!

Jenny
April 15, 2021

Awesome team work on this Milk Run! It's always a pleasure to work with you ladies!! Great job on the poster too!!

Nancy Moores
April 15, 2021

Wow! What a great idea. Showing them how many different ways to have fun outdoors was a great idea. After being cooped up for months, I'm sure they were so excited to try some of these adventures. I, too, encountered those not wanting virtual programming and what a creative way to still reach them.

Nancy Moores
April 15, 2021

You make some excellent points regarding this format being less intrusive and perhaps less embarrassing for clientele. These programs appear to be making a significant difference for families. Keep up the great work.

Wendy Mussoline
April 14, 2021

Great initiative Crystal

Wendy Mussoline
April 14, 2021

You did a fantastic job with this program...it's a model I'd like to follow. The more presentations I make on sweet potatoes, the more people are asking for slips. Did you get a descent seedbed from the Hastings seedstock provided last year, or did you have to purchase the majority of your slips from outside of Florida? We will be planting more this year through the Seed-it Grant and can save some of the material for next year's seed bed if you need more...

Wendy Mussoline
April 14, 2021

Emma, Loved your diverse multi-faceted approach to progarm delivery and what an amazing reach! Folks are clearly "hungry" for this knowledge...great job!

Wendy Mussoline
April 14, 2021

Kudos to you for transforming this into a virtual experience and persisting through the COVID challenges

Tia Silvasy
April 14, 2021

Great work Lisa! This looks like a wonderful way to reach many residents and get educate them about horticulture and extension. I'm working on adding surveys for Facebook live, let me know if you have any tips on that!

Morgan Pinkerton
April 13, 2021

Super interesting project! I was wondering if you had a specific grant for funding the purchase of the sweet potatoes and passionfruit in bulk? I am looking to do something similar with a different crop in our county and was wondering how you found a way to do this. We are looking at a few grant options and I was curious about your experiences.

tim momol
April 13, 2021

very good job! excellent learning opportunities for youth.

tim momol
April 13, 2021

great job during a challenging year, Thank you!

HANNAH F WOOTEN
April 9, 2021

I have never thought of a "home maintenance" approach to extension programming, but it makes complete sense!

HANNAH F WOOTEN
April 9, 2021

This is great idea for our curious, but home bound, clientele! I think I need to take this class, too!

HANNAH F WOOTEN
April 9, 2021

I love the picutres in your poster!

HANNAH F WOOTEN
April 9, 2021

Nice, Lisa! Taking advantage of the short attention spans and still teaching!

HANNAH F WOOTEN
April 9, 2021

This is such a great team to work with! Great poster, Morgan!

Prince
June 27, 2020

Keep it up nature is amazing. Great to be a good steward of the environment.

Karen Henry
April 22, 2020

Thank you, Tina. :)

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Super Job Nancy and Team! This dedication shows great teamwork among your office.

Karen Henry
April 22, 2020

Thank you for the reply and information. I wish you the best for future events!

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

WOW! Thanks Jessica, for sharing this successful program...going strong for 3 years!

Karen Henry
April 22, 2020

Thank you for the response and information, Tia.

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Great Job Dallas! You are right on target for seeing the need to educate your 4-H Association members, as they are key players in giving input.

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Great opportunity for youth to develop their communication skills in an entertaining environment.

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Informative poster Julia, and such an important topic!

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Great Job Laura, blending life skills with creativity and culture!

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Nice Job Laura, blending life skill building, with creativity and culture!

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Thanks Karen! It was a fun camp to create and lead.

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

Thanks Liz!

Geralyn Sachs
April 22, 2020

That would be a great follow up to this camp experience!

James Edward Davis
April 21, 2020

Hi Tina, We had only about 25. I think the time of day and day of the week was not the best. It was 9-12 on a Monday, which is market day. We were hoping to get people from that, but people spending several hours outside in a flea market probably want to go home after. I also created a Hernando open house, though due to certain events I was out of state. That was from 3 or 4- to 6 pm. We had 40 people and most of the BOCC. The one positive I saw was that most never knew we were there. We will learn from this first one and see if we can get a better turnout.

James Edward Davis
April 21, 2020

Hi Karen, Thanks! Yes will make changes. I actually created two-one in Hernando and one in Sumter. I was out of state when Hernando occurred. The thing I would change would be the time. It was about 9-12 on a Monday-during the Webster flea market. We thought we could get some people from that, but not so. Tia suggest prizes- that's a possibility that I like. We will have this every year. We get a ton of press in our events and great turnouts. I really wanted this to offer a chance for our existing clientele to learn about other programs and reach out to people who did not know we were there.

James Edward Davis
April 21, 2020

Hi Liz, Yes we did. Sumter Times and Daily Sun. I think we could have better attendance if we did later and not on market day. I created a Hernando one as well. We had over 40 people and most of the BOCC. Unfortunately, I was out of the state when we had that one.

James Edward Davis
April 21, 2020

Hi Tia, Thanks! This was our first go. We did not offer any prizes, though that is a GREAT idea. We learned a lot in the Sumter open house. I also created a Hernando open house, but I was unavailable when it occurred. In Hernando we had it from about 3-6. In Sumter it was 9 or 10 to 12. I think that made a difference. I would highly encourage it. It is a great way to reach new people. That was the whole point. Reach out any time :)

Karen Henry
April 20, 2020

Thank you for the comments, Elver. I really like your idea of mentoring and having youth who participated in the program previously to serves as mentors and helpers.

Karen Henry
April 20, 2020

Thank you, Laura. I’m happy to share schedule, lesson plans and ideas.

Wendy Mussoline
April 20, 2020

I look forward to hearing more about how your sweet potato slip production and distribution is going...please keep me posted

Prissy Fletcher
April 20, 2020

Thanks Liz! Yes, we plan to watch it grow and hope to continue to attract more local residents to follow our daily activities. We felt like the public would benefit from understanding why ag agents are constantly out in the field, and show them how we are helping the ag community.

Prissy Fletcher
April 20, 2020

Our objectives are educational, and predominantly for awareness of local agriculture.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

innovative way to capture a new audience!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Joe, I watched you present on this project on zoom and was thoroughly impressed. Great job turning a common inquiry into a REAL extension program. If only all that inquired about community gardens could have outcomes like this. Keep up the great work!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

What a great idea!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thanks LuAnn, I presented this at a conference in AZ and there was much interest, as the closing of golf courses is a national problem. I hope to continue to work on this project and promote it nationally so others can learn and benefit from it.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thanks for your comment, Liz!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thank you Karen!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Nice job helping our constituents better understand the intricacies of water in our state...and doing it in a fun way!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great work Krista! This is very important work, though not easy to teach.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Innovative use of technology!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

It's been a pleasure to join this project!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great way to support this district-wide initiative!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great way to make learning fun!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great way to make learning fun!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Good work!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great way of incorporating diversity! Food always makes things fun :-)

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Nice program!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great job Hannah! It is an innovative use of modern tools. Have you created your own channel on YouTube? I think it is apparent people have adopted some of your recommendations based on the comment section.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

This is helpful information. Our county has recently requested an Instagram account, so it is good to see you have had some success! Do you know if any of the followers have actually come out to events? That would be ideal. If not, at least we are providing science based info through this social platform. Thanks for your work.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Smutgrass is also a problem in natural areas. It echos the importance of teaching the public about invasive species. Thank you for your work.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

I found this educational, thanks.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thanks for your poster. How many people attended the event? Was it the 19 that did the survey?

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

This is a great program to help interested parties comply with the drone requirements. Great program!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Great to see you are offering this much needed series. Many people lack the basic skills of cooking, which is critical in maintaining health and even ties into financial health. Thanks for your work Vigi!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

This is a hot topic right now, so good to see you are catching the public's interest and doing it through science!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Check out these supporting links: National Wild and Scenic Rivers: https://rivers.gov/ FDEP Study on nitrate sourcing (BMAP): https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/Wekiwa%20and%20Rock%20Springs%20Final%202018.pdf FDEP Interactive Map for Water Quality Impairments: https://floridadep.gov/dear/water-quality-restoration/content/impaired-waters-tmdls-and-basin-management-action-plans

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

So good to see results of this program! This is an important message, thank you for your work.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

When the finger pointing starts, we like to reference this scientific pie chart :-)

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thanks Karen :-)

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thanks Dr. Momol!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Thanks!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Hi Liz, We reached a total of 17,454 people through mass media and classes. We reached about 17,000 people through mass media and the rest were in person. Over the 9 month period we offered classes at the Extension office, all libraries, to all Rotary clubs and HOAs and other groups only on this topic. We offered at least two per month, but typically upwards of 4 per month. Class sizes varied from 15-40 people depending on audience. Thanks for your question! Tina

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Hi Yilin, Thanks for your question. We reached about 17,000 people through mass media and the rest were in person. We were very active during this 9 month time span, offering at least two, but upwards of 4 classes per month only on this topic. We did workshops at the Extension office, all libraries, to all Rotary clubs in the county and to other HOAs and groups.

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

Hi Holly, I would absolutely love to! Please keep me in my and reach out as you are planning. My email is k.mcintyre@ufl.edu. Thanks for thinking of me, I think it would be a great cross-collaboration!

Tina McIntyre

April 20, 2020

It's great that you are working with a sod farm to save water. A small wedge of this pie is a LOT of water, so it is a fantastic use of time and resources. Great job Grantly!

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Lisa Sanderson

April 19, 2020

Hi Yilin, This is published in The Daily Sun each month, and promoted in our monthly newsletter that goes to about 7,400 + residents. It is promoted at a Lifestyles workshop each month for new residents (and renters) at at WaterWisdom booth (and at the Arnett Environmental water wisdom website), - they print flyers for it and promote it in their programs as well as each week in the Community Development District Training (we get a 10-minute spot that Norma leads .and at the Villages Homeowner Advocacy which reaches every new person to The Villages once a month. Lisa Lisa

Christian Christensen
April 19, 2020

There is historical/current research conducted at UF (guided by Dr. Kevin Kenworthy) looking at more “water use efficient” turf varieties developed at UF. Adoption of new varieties of turf (and other fruits and vegetables) can be slow. This program has the potential to highlight advancements in turf breeding that have huge environmental stewardship impacts.

Christian Christensen
April 19, 2020

Fantastic initiative to support the development of the youth. In regards to the coding aspect of this program, are there opportunities to stretch this initiative to include the UF Innovation Hub. There may be contacts there willing to shed light on internships for youth entering into college or directly into the work force via an apprenticeship program.

Christian Christensen
April 19, 2020

This is a great initiative that all counties could adopt. For perennial fruit trees that may be covered in the context of this program, are y’all able to cover pruning techniques? One example would be pruning blueberry plants. There are a number of very knowledgeable Extension agents in the North Central FL district that could help support/stretch this initiative to include a pruning workshop. One additional thought: in response to COVID-19, FDACS and Florida Farm Bureau have been compiling resources of local agriculture producers that the public can purchase ag. commodities directly from. There may be an opportunity to help disseminate this information to participants of this course to foster support/create awareness of our local producers.

Christian Christensen
April 19, 2020

Great information here! There are a number of Extension projects in the TCAA leveraging drone imagery projected to start in the 2020/2021 year. Additional licenses will be required to support these initiatives.

Christian Christensen
April 19, 2020

Water conservation research and how it relates to Florida turf has so much opportunity for environmental stewardship impacts. A few points here: I conducted my MS research on drive down responses across zoysia varieties developed at UF under the guidance of Dr. Kevin Kenworthy. There are significant differences in dry down responses across varieties, related to root architectural traits. In addition, there is ongoing work in the TCAA leveraging soil moisture sensors on turf leveraging drone images for precision agriculture initiatives. Please feel free to reach out if you would to discuss joint research opportunities moving forward.

Christian Christensen
April 19, 2020

Great collaborative work here! Is there an opportunity to stretch this initiative and include different varieties (developed by UF plant breeders) for a number of the fruits/vegetables to increase excitement for the different textures, flavors, colors, etc?

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Tia Silvasy

April 17, 2020

We shortened the follow up time to 2 months and are awaiting survey results now.

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Tia Silvasy

April 17, 2020

It gets hot in Central Florida during the summer months so we play to do it Sept, Oct, Nov in the fall and Jan, Feb, March in the spring. Class times are from 10 - 11:30am.

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Tia Silvasy

April 17, 2020

Hi Karen, We used a UF branding template and made a flyer that we posted in our office. We posted the class on our Eventbrite page for people to sign up and also made a Facebook event that led people to register on the Facebook page.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I'd be interested to see how these classes impact water use long term in terms of gallons saved per year.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Nice example of partnerships. I'm interested to see the long term impact of the program.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Excellent partnerships, as well as good example of Extension's benefit and role within county government and communities.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I would be interested to see the behavior change that results from this experience.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

It is astounding the impacts that results from proper label reading. Well done on your educational program and impacts.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

The increase in count accuracy as compared to the decrease in cost is incredible.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Keep up the good work. :)

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

It is neat to see the connection between international travel and the food systems that we have here at home.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I'm very encouraged by the cross-discipline programming, extended 4-H reach, knowledge gain and behavioral change. Thank you for sharing.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Thank you for sharing how you have created successful mentoring relationships.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Well done, Dallas. This is excellent effort in an important and often overlooked program component: 4-H Associations. Thank you for sharing your success and for the inspiration.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

It is always nice to see opportunity for youth to connect to agriculture. Thank you for sharing!

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Parents shared with me how their children have felt more comfortable with storytelling. Also, one parent shared that her children would not have gotten on stage and participated in Share the Fun without the experience in the SPIN Club and support that the children received from the 4-H volunteers.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Thank you, Liz. It was fun and engaging.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Thank you, Laura. I'm happy to share schedule, lesson plans and ideas.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Thank you, Dr. Momol.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Well done, Julia. You do an excellent job of communicating the importance of training 4-H volunteer leaders, as well as how that, in turn, positive influences and impacts 4-H youth.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Great job, Laura! This is an interesting, fun way to teach some very important life skills: embracing diversity and inclusion, health and safety,

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I like the fact that plants were available at programs. It seems as thought that would help to put clientele on the right track for practice change.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

It will be interesting to see how your Instagram following grows and develops over time.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

This is a nice example of getting additional reach out of one presentation. I'd be curious to see additional data on what viewers have put into practice.

LuAnn Duncan
April 17, 2020

Yes. That was the plan but we think we have lost the data with Mia's departure. Still trying to find some of it.

LuAnn Duncan
April 17, 2020

Yes, there were some who came every week and others who came and went, not a perfect system, but more behavior change.

LuAnn Duncan
April 17, 2020

Thanks Nancy! I'm learning by teaching on some of these (*smile*)

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I like the idea of a virtual field day to share results with producers. Nice job!

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Neat project. How was the information shared with clientele?

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Nice job! Do you have plans to do a similar event in the future? If so, what changes would you make?

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Neat program. What was the most effective marketing technique for your program?

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

It is encouraging to see water conservation practices being done on a large scale.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I appreciate your statement about nutrition knowledge only being as effective as participants' ability to put into practice. It seems that you were very successful in encouraging practice change with your clientele.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I appreciate the multi-county partnership to address clientele needs. Well done "sharing wisdom." :)

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

Wendy-- extremely innovating program with encouraging results. Thank you for sharing!

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

It is interesting and encouraging to see the use/recommendation of BMPs as a result of the fertilizer workshop.

Karen Henry
April 17, 2020

I appreciate that this program combines disciplines. Well done. How did you market the program? Was there a marketing method or avenue that seemed to yield the greatest result?

Elver Pardo
April 17, 2020

I love Tech Wizards, so great when youth become mentors and trainers of other especially adults. Im glad the program had been very well adaptable for FL. Congrats!

Elver Pardo
April 17, 2020

Very glad you were able to do a training and most members of the Association were able to attend. It is definitely great let volunteers (middle management) give the advise to the faculty and staff of how to develop, deliver and evaluate programs. Keep up the great job :)

Elver Pardo
April 17, 2020

Very Creative, it will be a great program to replicate in any county program. Lots of youth need to develop those skills on stage, for sure it is scary for some of them especially in the beginning of their 4-H life to talk in front of people. Great skill to learn early in life! Great to use it as SPIN club so the project was short and the kids could develop the skills. For a future idea, the kids from this program can mentor the new ones in future program, so they develop leadership skills as well.

Elver Pardo
April 17, 2020

Nice work, perfect for the target population, I think the series can be apply for all ages too, I am more than sure that Youth can use the knowledge and skills taught in thee series.

Virgilia Zabala
April 17, 2020

Hi LuAnn! Yes, absolutely! I had a few participants who commented on how they felt healthier and even a few pounds lighter because of their new cooking skills!

Virgilia Zabala
April 17, 2020

Hi Liz! That's a great idea. I will check-in and ask if they are still using their skills, and if they need additional resources at this time!

Virgilia Zabala
April 17, 2020

Thanks, Dr. Momol!

Laura Cash
April 17, 2020

Great idea! It was up to the families, and some reported back to me about researching other recipes. Some people actually have those ancestries and shared in class how their families made those particular dishes. I like this idea and will use it.

Laura Cash
April 17, 2020

One of the home-school clubs has a geography fair and explores other cultures, yes, even cooking. Several youth have been working in the project book - Cooking Around the World.

Laura Cash
April 17, 2020

LOL- We 'visited' Turkey just for you ;)

Juanita Popenoe
April 17, 2020

Even with a rainy season they saved water with the sensors. Good job.

Juanita Popenoe
April 17, 2020

I love the pie chart! Ag is not the worst culprit!

Nancy A. Moores
April 16, 2020

Great results and such a current topic. This is applicable to so many businesses, rural and urban. Hope to see more offered and follow up with the originals.

Nancy A. Moores
April 16, 2020

These are all very necessary topics to cover, especially with an aging population. Fall prevention is overlooked way too often. However, I know people of all ages that need decluttering lessons! Great job.

brittany
April 16, 2020

Dr. Sellers and I are presenting his trial results and Osceola County results to producers on April 24th during a virtual field day. Some producers in the Osceola County have already starting implementing using the weed wiper instead of a sprayer.

brittany
April 16, 2020

Dr. Sellers has done additional trials and has a blog out with the results. We are presenting his results and Osceola County results to producers on April 24th during a virtual field day. Some producers in the county have already starting implementing using the weed wiper instead of a sprayer.

brittany
April 16, 2020

Thank you!

Joe Sewards
April 16, 2020

Thank you Liz. It is still a work-in-progress. As I explained to LuAnn, our first goal was to get it up and running and "see what happens." I think they are a bit overwhelmed by the response (fully occupied and a waiting list) and we haven't been able to gather any data on pound of produce harvested etc. Baby steps, I guess. I am proud of them for their ability to leverage the education and support that the Horticulture Program and Master Gardeners have been able to provide to engage sponsors like the Tomoka Consolidated Land Company, Halifax Health, Humana, John Hall Construction, Bethune-Cookman University and others. It shows how collaboration and partnerships can work.

Joe Sewards
April 16, 2020

I have asked the gardens to keep track of what they harvest but neither has do so yet. At Derbyshire, there are 36 beds so, there are 36 families served directly from what is grown. The first goal was to get the garden up and running. It has proven to be a lot for them to manage as I tried to warn them at the beginning. We are still working with them to develop evaluative tools. Check back this fall! I hope to have some actual data.

Wendy Lynch
April 16, 2020

Hi, Yilin, I haven’t completed any long term follow up with the participants post 8-weeks. A majority of the participants re-enroll in the program (I actually had not thought of calculating the % until now -thank you); I do have pre-and post-senior fitness test results for comparison; however those who did not reenroll, I have not communicated with them to find out if they have continued to strength train on their own. Thank you so much for your question, Wendy L

Wendy Lynch
April 16, 2020

LuAnn, thanks so much for your kind words - so appreciated. I have to say, my participants make a difference in my life, too!

Wendy Lynch
April 16, 2020

Thank you, Dr. Momol!

Wendy Lynch
April 16, 2020

Hi, Liz, I haven’t completed a long-term follow up to date; however I’ve been so fortunate to have a majority of the participants consistently reenroll in the 8-week program since 2018. Looking forward to doing some comparison from 2018 (or original start dates) to their most recent participation. Thanks so much for your suggestion! Wendy L

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

how to reach that many numbers is a secret :)

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thank you.

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

creative poster, good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

and better data.

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job , thanks. could save $$ to state

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks. ento is very good subject for kids and adults, connects people to many useful info and skills

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, great team work, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks. you got very impressive comment from Laura Cash!

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

great partnership, good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, i like Mediterranean cuisine:) thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks,

Holly Ober
April 16, 2020

Hi Tina, This is an impressive effort! I offer a workshop each year called 'Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems'. The goal is to teach natural resource professionals about working with stakeholders to manage large-scale, complex environmental problems. We take a field trip that begins in Wekiwa Springs State Park, and talk about water issues at the springhead. I wonder if you might be willing to be a guest speaker the next time we hold the workshop, and talk to participants about your work?

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job. thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, thanks

Julia Kelly

April 16, 2020

Thanks Laura.

Julia Kelly

April 16, 2020

Yes. It is especially important for the newbies. It is amazing how little the experienced leaders communicate with their kids. This really helped the leaders who participated.

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job. Thanks

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

great links, to support your poster content.

Tim Momol
April 16, 2020

good job, Thank you.

Nancy A. Moores
April 16, 2020

Laura, With any luck, it will be an abstract presentation at EPAF!

Brittany Scharf
April 16, 2020

Hi Liz, We do follow up with a survey to obtain that information. So far, we have had two participants start and/or expand their business.

Krista Stump
April 16, 2020

Hi Liz, great question. Yes, I will conduct a follow-up Qualtrics survey for behavior change outcomes in the fall.

Krista Stump
April 16, 2020

Thank you, LuAnn!

Timothy Wilson
April 16, 2020

The location we used for this demonstration is a large equine boarding facility located in the northern part of St. Johns County. From our efforts last year, I had three of their clients that had boarded their horses at that site that subsequently purchased land and indicated they wanted to learn more from UF/IFAS Extension about pasture management strategies.

Yilin

April 16, 2020

Teaching newcomers about Florida practices is important. Wondering how you promoted your program and reached out to newcomers.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

major issue which is hopefully taken seriously and making long term impact

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

What were the outcomes in numbers of families served, amount of food provided?

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

innovative way to combine program areas

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Should be replicated in other areas with "closed" golf courses.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Should be more long term memory of the subject with the activity in addition to the training.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Important classes - important outcomes.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

historical data available on an annual basis will be valuable to have

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Neat outcomes!

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Would love to know about long term impact on the programming and impact on the participants.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

A group of youth that can benefit from 4-H and with subject matter that can be a great supplement to their education.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Congratulations on serving youth who really need support.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Would like to know if they continue to watch their sugar intake over time?

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Sounds like this should have a positive long term impact on your program.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Great skill they can use over time. Any input on their increased comfort level in storytelling?

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

This has been a challenge for years. Congratulations on making a positive change.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Do participants respond to follow-up questions about the cultures or their interest in learning more about other countries?

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Agree with Liz, we all need to do follow-up to see if the people put this into practice.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Do you get much feedback from participants? So many people, is wonderful, the question is how to get adoption numbers. Great numbers, it is almost is guaranteed there was impact.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Is this mostly marketing for additional involvement? Or do you have educational outcomes?

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

What is the next step/ is it accepted by landowners?

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Now, to get the information applied into practice.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Great program and results... love that it is at the "front" of the trend.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

These skills should make a difference in overall health and impact the participants over the long term.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

Progress in the area of water conservation is so important to all the residents of Florida.

LuAnn Duncan
April 16, 2020

I believe this is critical to the quality of life as we age. You are making a huge difference for these participants

Yilin

April 15, 2020

Just curious what's the demographics? I always "old people" use Facebook, "young people" use Instagram, and "kids" use Snapchat.

Yilin

April 15, 2020

Over 428,000 views! That is excellent! I agree we need to utilize social media more, especially these "how-to" videos.

Yilin

April 15, 2020

100% pass rate! That is excellent!

Yilin

April 15, 2020

I tend to have more practice adoptions after series classes but also lose participants during the series. Just wondering if it also happened to your series.

Yilin

April 15, 2020

Just curious, what is your participants retainment rate after 8 weeks?

Yilin

April 15, 2020

17,454 people! It is an impressive number. Great job!! My understand is that 17,454 people is a combination of media and classes, correct? If so, how many did you get the number reached by mass media?

Yilin

April 15, 2020

I like the idea "guided garden tours and tasting". Are you planning to offer this program regularly?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

would you be able to calculate number of gallons of water saved?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Nice job!

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

will a followup survey be done to see what the attendees actually implemented?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Nice way to demonstrate the value of Extension

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Do you plan to survey the attendees in the future to see if they implemented and practices learned at the workshop? Great graphics!

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Will you be able to followup with attendees to see how much they have improved their practices after attending the class?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Nice introduction to using new technology to get a job done.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Nice way to introduce youth to another STEM topic

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Well done

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Wow the impacts that can be gathered after a few years of this program would be outstanding.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Are you able to followup on the mentees to see if they go to work or go for more job training, etc?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

This program nicely connected agriculture and nutrition as well as Florida geography.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Sounds like this could be expanded into a needs assessment.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

This sounds like a fun opportunity for the volunteers as well as the attendees.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Hi Julia, is this the type of program that you will have to repeat with new volunteers?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Great program! Have other clubs within Volusia County tried presenting this program?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Nice program and great graphics! Are you planning to followup with attendees to see what they actually implemented and will implement again? what they struggled with may help tweak future classes.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

If Extension were to use more video reach through social media what would the evaluation tool look like?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

This is a great idea! Is the plan to continue to monitor the account and watch it grow? I can also see where this account would also educate the followers on who is Extension and what do they do.

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Have these results been presented at a grower meeting? Have other producers tried to implement some of these techniques?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Do you plan to collect data from the producers that move forward and plant this forage?

Laura Cash
April 14, 2020

This is something we all need to do! Good job!

Laura Cash
April 14, 2020

All about that Fresh from Florida and nutrition!

Laura Cash
April 14, 2020

This is why we do what we do - how impactful!

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Have you thought about asking people that come into the Extension office how they heard about what services are offered in your office? It might give you another way to target marketing to another segment of the audience.

Laura Cash
April 14, 2020

WOW! Very creative- would like a tutorial on this!

Laura Cash
April 14, 2020

Very creative and would like to replicate!

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Do you plan to followup with a survey in the future to see if any attendees did start a business after taking the class?

Laura Cash
April 14, 2020

Excellent job Julia!

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Do you plan to do a followup survey to see how many attendees are still using their new skills?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Is there a plan to survey attendees in the future to see what they have actually implemented after taking the class?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Is there a plan to run this experiment for a whole year to get a total of irrigation gallons saved annually?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Hi Wendy, Do you plan to follow up with attendees to ask if they are still doing the exercises? Thanks, Liz

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Hi Tina, How were these classes delivered? If my math is correct there would have been over 600 attendees per class which is awesome but a very big class. Thanks, Liz

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Do you plan to follow up with participants in 6 months to see what they have implemented from what they learned?

Liz Felter
April 14, 2020

Hi Tina, How were these classes conducted? If my math is correct 27 classes would average over 600 attendees per class. Thanks, Liz

Tim
April 13, 2020

Good job! Thanks.

Tim
April 13, 2020

Good job. Thanks

Tina McIntyre
April 13, 2020

This is a great partnership approach! I like the idea of Florida-Friendly foods for the home landscape. There are many plants that can offer food for wildlife or humans. Integrating them into your programming is innovative and a great idea in a larger county. Great job!

LuAnn Duncan
April 13, 2020

Collaboration is great and fun!

LuAnn Duncan
April 13, 2020

Important work being accomplished, congratulations!

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Tia Silvasy

April 13, 2020

Wow amazing reach with over 400,000 views! I agree that social media is an new outlet for Extension to reach clientele. I feel this should be a larger part of our ROA and we should be developing better record keeping systems to track social media extension efforts.

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Tia Silvasy

April 13, 2020

Great poster Jim! I'm interested in doing a similar program at my extension center in Orange County. I'm wondering if there were any prizes or special tactics to attract people to the event. I'd like to hear more details and other counties success doing events like this.

Tim Momol
April 13, 2020

you can post supporting links to the comment are. Thank you.

Tim Momol
April 13, 2020

looks good. Thanks you

Tim
April 11, 2020

Good to see this poster . Please see the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5gCalajJ6k

Andi
April 22, 2019

Hello, My middle school daughter is interested in veterinarian summer camp in the Central Florida Area. I was wondering if your department will be having one this summer. Thank you!!

Brittany Justesen
April 19, 2019

Really great idea! Working in Extension can become very time consuming so having an opportunity to engage with other coworker in a fun activity is great for teambuilding.

Brittany Justesen
April 19, 2019

I think this is a great program! A lot of youth want to become a veterinarian when they are younger and I think that has a lot to do with not knowing other options in the industry. This is a great program to show them different sides of the industry and what it takes to be a vet.

Nikki
April 19, 2019

Nice Abstract, and poster

jsullivan
May 4, 2018

Looks like a great event! nice poster!

jsullivan
May 4, 2018

Good program, fun poster!

jsullivan
May 4, 2018

Nice work-great impact!

jsullivan
May 4, 2018

Unique project! thanks for sharing. Does Extension also provide programming at this site?

Martha Maddox
May 1, 2018

AWESOME poster!! Great results

tim momol
May 1, 2018

good job

Brittany Hall-Scharf
April 25, 2018

Hi Maia, I haven't had any homeowners express interest, but would be open to it if they do. We might attract attention once we plant them in the coastal county parks next month. I do like the idea of selling them at a low cost to help purchase the supplies needed to keep the greenhouse running. It would also allow us to swap around the plants we have.

Jim Davis
April 25, 2018

This is a great idea and effort! Way to go. Not only do you have more attendance, but also new clientele that may not even knew what UFIFAS or GI-BMP is. Are you doing a follow-up survey to see if they still attain practices (say 6 or 12 months later) and have you surveyed those attending to see if they ever heard of UF/IFAS before tax collector and/or habitat humanity? Very good results, congrats!

Jessica Sprain
April 24, 2018

Looks like an awesome program! What specific things did the youth learn? Have you seen an impact in your overall 4-H Program and knowledge about where food comes from and how it is grown? If you continue to offer this program, it will be great to see the impact over many years.

Jessica Sprain
April 24, 2018

Great program! Very strong objectives, results and impacts. I love how your poster looks.

Maia McGuire
April 23, 2018

Nice poster :) It sounds like the restoration/plantings will be done on public land? I'm wondering if private landowners will also have access to native plants to use to restore their properties where they are removing Brazilian pepper or lead trees? I'm speculating that selling the plants at low cost to residents might provide funds to keep the school's plant propagation/nursery project running (?)

Maia McGuire
April 23, 2018

I like the idea of connecting energy conservation to FFL, in addition to water conservation. Did you also address indoor water conservation with this joint program? What were some of the questions asked on the pre- and post-test? Will you be following up to see if any desired behavior changes are adopted? It might be good to share your agenda so other agents can consider replicating this effort in their counties :)

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