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Department of Communications and Agricultural Education

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AgComm graduate students participate in Science Communication Week

Posted on by Deanna Reid

 

By Rachel Waggie, agricultural communications master’s student

Kansas State University hosted its second annual Science Communication Week Nov. 5–10, 2018. The Nov. 8 graduate student poster session focused on “Research and the State.” About 50 K-State graduate students, representing five academic colleges and 25 graduate programs, presented research posters. Approximately 17 presenters were from the College of Agriculture, two were from the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. Mariah Bausch and Anissa Zagonel presented posters titled “Undergraduate Research Perceptions in Agricultural Communications” and “Printing and Mailing for the Brand: An Exploratory Qualitative Study Seeking to Understand Internal Branding and Marketing within University and Extension Communication Services Units,” respectively.

Anissa Zagonel’s research focused on “Printing and Mailing for the Brand: An Exploratory Qualitative Study Seeking to Understand Internal Branding and Marketing within University and Extension Communication Services Units.”

 

Experiences such as these are great chances for graduate students to present research in a more relaxed setting. “Opportunities like these are helpful for me to practice communicating my research, as well as learning from other disciplines,” says Zagonel, a second-year master’s student from Girard, Kansas. “Additionally, during this poster session, I enjoyed connecting with other graduate students from across campus.”

Both students presented their posters to a panel of judges, as well as other students and interested individuals, for the chance to earn a spot at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit hosted in Topeka this coming February.

Other events throughout the week included communications workshops, lectures, panel discussions, and other activities to engage graduate students across campus.

Mariah Bausch’s research focused on “Undergraduate Research Perceptions in Agricultural Communications.”

 

Agricultural Education students and faculty present at conferences, receive honors

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Linda Gilmore, editor, publishing unit

Undergraduate students and faculty in agricultural education were in Fargo, North Dakota, October 6–8 to participate in the North Central American Association for Agricultural Education conference.

Zachary Callaghan and Caitlin Dreher, both juniors in agricultural education, represented K-State extremely well at the conference. They competed against professors and graduate students in several areas. The two undergraduates received the following awards:

* First Runner-Up Research Presentation — Zachary Callaghan and Gaea Hock ’03, ’08, associate professor of agricultural education

* Outstanding Research Poster — Caitlin Dreher and Gaea Hock

* Outstanding Innovative Idea Poster — Zachary Callaghan, Gaea Hock and Brandie Disberger ’01,’03, agricultural education instructor.

 

Gaea Hock and Zachary Callaghan attended the International Conference on Educational Innovation in Agrarian Topics in Lima, Peru, Oct. 16–23. They presented the following posters:

  1. Meyers, C. Hock, G. & Redwine, T. Student perceptions of receiving video feedback on assignments.
  2. Hock, G., Disberger, B., & Ulmer, J. Lessons Learned from Corn-Focused High Impact Learning Opportunities (HILOs).
  3. Callaghan, Z. & Hock, G. (October 2018). Assessing a Water-Focused Youth Education Training Program.

 

Two undergraduates in the department were selected to the Quest Freshmen Honorary, a student organization that works to develop freshmen into leaders by exposing them to leaders, mentors, and opportunities across campus and the community.

  • Garrett Craig, agricultural education from Clay Center;
  • Noah Ochsner, agricultural communications and journalism from Tribune.

https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2018-10/quest10918.html

Interdisciplinary team awarded $2.9 million NSF Research Traineeship grant to strengthen rural communities

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Linda Gilmore, Editor, Publishing Unit

 

Gaea Hock is part of an interdisciplinary team awarded a National Science Foundation grant to train graduate students to help communities address complex issues of water management and rural vitality. Melanie Derby, K-State assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering and Hal and Mary Siegele Professor of Engineering, leads the team. Derby will help meet these challenges by training students to work at the nexus of several disciplines.

 

“The whole goal of interdisciplinary research is that someone else’s perspective makes both your work stronger,” Derby said. “We do fundamental engineering work, but we want it to go to the field. We need to know how to make that happen. One of our goals is to help western Kansas and other semiarid communities be resilient in the future. We need all the components — engineering, agricultural economics, sociology, and more — to solve these important challenges.”

 

Derby and her colleagues will mentor graduate students as they conduct fundamental research in three areas of the crucial food-energy-water system: conservation of and producer relationships with the Ogallala Aquifer, soil-water-microbial systems, and technologies to transform animal waste into energy and water. They also will work to understand engineering, economic, and sociocultural barriers to implementing emerging innovations.

 

Building communication skills and a common vocabulary across disciplines is a crucial aspect of the training. Students will engage with policymakers and attend state legislative sessions in Topeka, plus they will spend time at the Southwest Research-Extension Center in Garden City to research smart water technologies and meet with farmers and others whose livelihoods depend on conserving the aquifer and other resources.

 

In addition to Derby and Matt Sanderson (co-principal investigator and the Randall C. Hill Distinguished Professor of Sociology), the team includes co-investigators Jonathan Aguilar and Stacy Hutchinson, biological and agricultural engineering; Prathap Parameswaran, civil engineering; and David Steward, civil and environmental engineering department, North Dakota State University; educational lead Gaea Hock ’03, ’06, communications and agricultural education; and advisors Nathan Hendricks, agricultural economics, and Ryan Hansen, chemical engineering. The program will train 50 master’s and doctoral students, including 25 funded trainees from the colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, and Engineering.

Ag Ed Club Travels to Nebraska

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Allison Dix, agricultural education junior

 

Eric Koehlmoos, K-State Agricultural Education Club president, planned a fun and educational trip to visit high schools in Nebraska on October 12. Twenty club members toured Bryan High School, the only high school in the Omaha public school district with an agriculture and FFA program.

 

 

The group also stopped by Waverly High School and learned about their tradition-rich program. Finally, the club toured Norris High School and saw its 110-acre land lab, as well as its 50-acre range lab.

Agricultural Education Faculty and Students Attend Conferences

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Linda Gilmore, Editor, Publishing Unit

Gaea Hock attended the Western Region American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) Conference in Boise, Idaho, Sept. 17–19. She presented a poster “Show and Tell: Using Videos to Provide Assignment Feedback” with co-authors from Texas Tech and Texas A&M universities. It was voted “Most Innovative Poster.”

Gaea, along with Jon Ulmer, Brandie Disberger ’01, ’03, and students Caitlin Dreher and Zachary Callaghan (juniors in agricultural education) also attended the North Central Region AAAE Conference in Fargo, North Dakota, Oct. 4–6. Callaghan and Hock presented their paper: “Benefits, Barriers, and Impact of the Kansas FFA Affiliate Fee Program.

Faculty and students also presented five posters:

Hock, G. “Making the Most Out of a Study Abroad Pre-Departure Class.”

Disberger, B., Hock, G., Ulmer, J. “Enhancing the Pre-Service CASE Training Experience with Visiting Professionals.”

Callaghan, Z., Hock, G., & Disberger, B. “TASKed with Recruiting Agriculture Teachers.”

Dreher, C. & Hock, G. “The Awareness and Implementation of the SAE for All Framework in Kansas.”

Hock, G., Callaghan, Z., Bohnenblust, K. “Assessing the Longitudinal Impact of a Specialized Youth Training Program.”

Student Spotlight: Darcie Gallagher

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communications master’s student

Darcie Gallagher, a Missouri native, is pursuing a master’s in agricultural education and communications and conducting research on the involvement of talented and gifted students in agricultural education. Before coming to K-State, Gallagher earned an associate degree of applied science in agriculture business and management technology from Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Nebraska, and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture sciences from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.

 

In August, Gallagher was hired as a precision agriculture instructor at Highland Community College in Wamego. She is working to expand the program and teach new technologies and farming methods.

 

When asked why she chose to attend K-State, Gallagher said, “I loved the atmosphere of the communications and agricultural education department and the opportunities that I knew I would experience throughout my time at KSU! I have never been happier in my choice of a master’s program and what the future holds.”

 

When she is not in the classroom, Gallagher enjoys running, gardening, and working on her family’s farm.

Ulmer to be Honored at National FFA Meeting

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Linda Gilmore

Jon Ulmer, associate professor of agricultural education, was selected by the national FFA program to receive the Honorary American FFA Degree. This award is given to those who advance agricultural education and FFA through outstanding personal commitment. The Honorary American FFA Degree recognizes those who have gone beyond valuable daily contributions to make an extraordinary long-term difference in the lives of students, inspiring confidence in a new generation of agriculturists. Ulmer will receive the award at the 2018 National FFA Convention and Expo during an onstage ceremony on Friday, Oct. 26, in Indianapolis. All recipients will receive a certificate and medal, and their names will be permanently recorded. Ulmer currently serves on the National FFA Board of Directors.

K-State Student Teachers Attend Conference

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communications master’s student

 

Nineteen agricultural education student teaching interns attended the Kansas Ag Growth Summit on August 23 at the Kansas Department of Agriculture in Manhattan, Kansas. This year’s summit was the largest ever, with more than 500 people attending to talk about growing agriculture in Kansas. Participants included farmers, ranchers, agribusiness owners, policy makers, city/county representatives, and leaders of agriculture organizations. The K-State student teachers not only learned about all aspects of Kansas agriculture but were active participants in the event.

Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and Agricultural Education club Participate in Watermelon Feed

Posted on by Deanna Reid

By Leah Giess, agricultural communications and journalism senior

 

The annual Watermelon Feed, an event hosted by the College of Agriculture to celebrate the beginning of school, is a great way for students to interact with more than 35 agriculture clubs and organizations. The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) and the Agricultural Education clubs use this event to meet potential new members and inform them about ACT and professional development opportunities.

At the 2018 Watermelon Feed, ACT officers handed out ice pops and magnets to more than 40 students interested in learning more about the club. This year, ACT officers have scheduled professional development meetings and communications workshops. They provide opportunities to grow as communicators and connect with industry professionals. Social gatherings allow club members to have fun and create strong friendships.

ACT also provides opportunities for K-State students to get involved with committees, including a fundraiser committee and a high school critique and contest committee, which is an educational outreach fundraiser for the club. ACT encourages high school students to submit writing/graphic designs and photography to be judged for a prize.

Leah Giess (president), Mary Marsh (vice president of development), Janae McKinney (vice president of membership), Tarra Rotstein (secretary/treasurer), Katie Harbert (public relations officer), and Allison Wakefield (agriculture student council representative) make up the 2018-2019 ACT officer team.  

(Left to Right: Mary Marsh, Katie Harbert, Allison Wakefield, Tarra Rotstein, Leah Geiss, and Janae McKinney)

K-State Hosts Agricultural Educator Training

Posted on by Deanna Reid

Story by Deanna Reid, master’s student

Twenty-three educators from 11 states were on campus at the end of June for eight days of hands-on Curriculum for Agricultural Science Educator (CASE) professional development training.

The Introduction to Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) course covers topics including agricultural education, communication methods, natural resources, plants, animals and mechanics.

Participants spent time in a classroom learning about basic provisions, a “measure me” lab demonstrating proper measurement and safety procedures and buffering soil. All educators left the training with CASE-AFNR certifications.