Author: Ellie Whitaker, intern with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Florida.
Hi, I’m Ellie Whitaker and I am a recent graduate from the University of Florida. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a minor in Education Studies and completed an undergraduate thesis in invasion ecology. After two years of working on my research, I identified a significant gap. Not in the design, though, but rather in the sense that I don’t know who or what my results were actually reaching. As someone passionate about science communication, I set out to find a way to streamline the dissemination of my research to those it would impact. In turn, I stumbled upon Extension. I am ecstatic to be completing a summer internship with the Alachua County Extension Office but whenever I share my excitement with family and friends, I am met with “So… what will you be extending then?”. Not yet aware of how this would be realized throughout my first week on the job, I answered that extension is a dynamic, adaptive effort supported by land-grant universities and counties designed to serve communities.
Extension first came into being with the Morrill Act of 1862 that established land-grant universities with appointments in teaching, research, and extension. Being a land-grant university, not only does the University of Florida have a significant extension presence across the state, but also a well-developed internship opportunity designed for students. I had had my hand in teaching and research, but decided to pursue extension through the UF IFAS CALS Extension Internship this summer. On my very first day in extension, I was able to begin translating all that I had studied through my research into an accessible form to present to professional landscapers in Alachua County.
On my second day, I attended a Green Industry Best Management Practices training designed to offer licensing and/or license renewal through continued education units (CEUs) for landscapers. Not only was I learning about landscapes, I was able to gain a certification in Best Management Practices. This training came into existence when Extension addressed the need for green industry professionals to be able to demonstrate their proficiency in managing landscapes while protecting water resources. This is one example where extension serves the community and bridges gaps identified through needs assessments.
Each day in extension is vastly different as we adapt to these needs—no two county offices look the same, no two agents do the same thing, no two days have the same to-do lists. On my third day, I was instructed to wear boots and sunscreen as that morning was spent in a watermelon field with petioles in hand and swallow-tailed kites overhead. Collected samples were tested in the Extension office and used to inform plant disease identification and fertilizer recommendations for the local growers who use the Commercial Horticulture Agent’s advice to fine-tune disease and nutrient management during the season.
From a hot humid day, we sheltered indoors on my fourth day when everyone gathered for a luncheon, allowing me to witness the vast breadth of expertise, passion, and efforts that span the program areas from all extension agents in the office. Cooperative Extension offers science-based information in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Sea Grant, Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H, and Community and Economic Development. These program areas work together—hence the name cooperative extension—to carry out statewide initiatives that concern agriculture and horticulture; water quality; natural resources and environmental quality; sustainable urban and suburban communities; individual, family, and community health; community resources and economic development; and youth development.
To ensure that these initiatives are properly pursued, extension activities are assessed through evaluations, the data of which I had the privilege of organizing on my fifth day. Each event is accompanied by a pre- and post-evaluation designed to accurately gauge changes in understanding and behavior. Reviewing and quantifying the feedback offered by participants provided insights into the needs of the attendees and highlighted gaps they may have identified.
The attendees and general beneficiaries of these extension efforts are further supported by the collaborative efforts of the university and counties. This collaboration allows extension programs and services to be available to the public at a low or no cost and are made possible through the dissemination of university information and resources. To close out this first week, university resources including honey extracting equipment and an entire apiary were made available to the public. This honey extraction class was conducted as a joint effort between the Alachua County Extension office and UF Honey Bee Lab, allowing local interests to be met with all necessary resources and information.
If this first week was just a taste of what is to come throughout the rest of this summer, then I cannot wait to see what collaborations take place, needs are met, and relationships are built in the next six weeks. Furthermore, I am eager to see all that I will learn from the agents at our office, faculty and staff with the University, and stakeholders and individuals within my community. In this first week alone, I was able to witness how community needs are comprehensively addressed through collaborative efforts conducted through the accessible dissemination of university resources.
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