Projects
FILLING THE PIPELINE – PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS
Topic: Foresight
Summary
Non Technical Summary
Watershed management is complex, multidisciplinary, and involves a combination of technical skills, as well as the ability to navigate complex social dynamics from stakeholder groups with different backgrounds and priorities. Undergraduate students have little to no exposure to roles in extension, especially ones that deal with watershed management. The need to effectively manage watersheds will continue to grow as states such as Iowa and Minnesota role out statewide nutrient reduction strategies, and other states develop statewide plans. If training and interest is not developed now, there will be insufficient workforce capacity needed to implement these plans and strategies, effectively limiting progress.To emphasize the collaboration and multi-disciplinarity aspects of watershed management, this project takes an extension-focused regional approach to inspiring and empowering students to pursue impactful watershed related extension and applied research careers. Students will be housed at seven campuses across the Upper Midwest and will participate in technical skills training, soft skills development, team projects, and individual projects, all under the mentorship of experienced extension and research faculty and staff. The students will take part in a virtual cohort experience where they work across state lines virtually with regular meetings and a team project to facilitate team building and camaraderie. Each student will also be responsible for three extension products. The internship will culminate in a peer learning summit where all students will travel to the learning summit to present their summer experience, learn from their colleagues, and take part in additional extension-focused professional development. Each summer, the program will lead to the creation of a cohort of future extension watershed professionals that will have a broader network of colleagues in the north central region that they can call upon and work with as they transition from students to practitioners.Ultimately, the project will serve to build a robust pipeline of new watershed professionals equipped to tackle the complex challenges of watershed management. A greater number of skilled watershed leaders (up to 28 students) will lead to more effective and efficient watershed management in participating states. Watershed management planning and implementation will be more effective at meeting the needs of all stakeholders with more progress and less animosity. Lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands will be higher quality, leading to healthier people, higher economic value to communities, and higher quality of life.
Objectives & Deliverables
Goals / Objectives
The extension experience for undergraduates, focused on multidisciplinary learning in an applied water resource management context, will provide students with broader perspectives and experience in water-related research and extension education. Students will gain real world experience with the complexities and trade-offs associated with water-related decisions in rural and urban landscapes. In addition, an experience with a multistate exchange will provide students with experience in other ecoregions, agriculture and municipal systems, universities, and cultural contexts. As students are exposed to opportunities in extension, the program will develop interest in individuals for water management related careers outside of dedicated research.The overall project goal is to increase workforce capacity for watershed management related, extension focused careers by providing skills training and mentorship for undergraduates. Through this project we hope to increase the desire of undergraduate students to pursue a career in extension, applied research, or a similar type position with an agency, non-profit, or similar entity.Specific objectives include:Objective 1. Develop skills in undergraduate students that will empower them to succeed as future extension professionalsObjective 2. Build a cohort of current undergraduates across the north central region that they can use as a professional network as they move into careers related to watershed management
Challenges
Project Methods
All activities will involve one or more aspects of watershed management extension. The program will include multiple facets common across all students, a team project, and individual projects relevant to each student's host institution and mentor specialization.Objective 1. Develop skills in undergraduate students that will empower them to succeed as future extension professionalsWatershed science training – Prior to participation in the program, students will participate in three modules related to basic watershed science and one related to the background and philosophy of extension prior to beginning the REEU program. Dr. McMaine and Dr. Trooien will be responsible for synthesizing and hosting the watershed science training. Content will be modified from existing training modules for professionals through the University of Wisconsin Extension system, as well as modules from an online course taught by Drs. McMaine and Trooien. Dr. McMaine will develop the extension module with input from the project team. The training modules will include some limited assessment to assess knowledge level and gain of participants."Soft skills" training – While training will be virtual with all participants across the region, it will be structured to provide a brief background of the topic and then encourage discussion and interaction, rather than a one-dimensional lecture style presentation. Specific topics (with likely facilitator and schedule) include: effective communication (communication specialist, University of Wisconsin, Week 2); leadership (R. Power, Week 4), interfacing with stakeholders (J. Benning, Week 6); organizing effective outreach events (M. Meehan and A. Schmidt, Week 8); diversity and inclusion in extension (L. Merrifield, Week 10); using technology to enhance learning for K-12 audiences (J. Houghman, Week 12); and two alternate topics – engaging stakeholders on controversial topics (L. Edwards) and grant writing (J. McMaine). Knowledge gain will be assessed via the extension products, team project, and poster presentation at the peer learning summit. Assessment rubrics will incorporate topics covered in skills trainings.State-specific project – Students will also have the opportunity to work on state-specific projects and interact with extension, research, and agency professionals at their host institutions. State-specific projects will align with the ongoing work and expertise of host mentors (mentor specialization is included in Table 1). Each student will work out a plan with their mentor to create three extension products during their experience. These products will include fact sheets, videos, presentations to stakeholders, training materials, decision support tools, curriculum, surveys, and/or graphics. The project will be assessed with a rubric that incorporates skills developed during the experience. Results will be disseminated through the North Central Region Water Network webpage.Objective 2. Build a cohort of current undergraduates across the north central region that they can use as a professional network as they move into careers related to watershed managementTeam project – Students will have the opportunity to work on a common project over the course of their internship. This will be modeled after the North Central Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Water Academy which brings together a group of extension professionals for training and to explore a current challenge, along with ways to best engage and help affected stakeholders. Participants identify a challenge to regional stakeholders (e.g., weather extremes), collect information and stakeholder perspectives on the issue, and develop guidance and recommendations for a plan forward.The REEU team project will use a similar format. In Week 1, students will gather virtually for a kickoff session along with their mentors in which they discuss current issues facing the region. From this discussion, they will choose an issue and collect information on stakeholder perceptions of the issue via a survey or interviews if appropriate. Students will meet again during the Week 1 to formalize the survey or interview questions and identify stakeholder groups or individuals to participate in the survey/interviews. Students will then continue to work on the data collection through Week 6 after which they will compile the results and begin analyzing the data. By Week 9, all data will be analyzed, and recommendations will be developed from the collected data. Results and recommendations will be presented by the student team to stakeholders during the peer learning summit in Week 12. The students will meet to discuss the team project during odd weeks in the time slot during which the "soft skills" training takes place during the even weeks.The team project serves five purposes: enhance camaraderie of the virtual cohort, gain understanding of identifying and framing issues, gain proficiency in collecting data related to stakeholder perspectives, gain experience interacting with and presenting to stakeholders, and contribute to developing guidance and recommendations to help solve a real-world issue.Peer learning summit – A peer learning summit in Ames, Iowa will occur during Week 12 of the program. Students and mentors will arrive in the afternoon on Monday of Week 12 and will leave on Wednesday of Week 12. The peer learning summit will consist of a poster session and social in the late afternoon/evening of the first day. The first part of the second day will include tours to local conservation projects and research projects such as at the Iowa State University Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy Research and Demonstration Farm, restored oxbows in the Boone River watershed, conservation drainage practices (saturated buffers, controlled drainage, drainage water recycling), constructed wetlands, and/or in-field conservation practices. The second part of the day will include a presentation by the students about their team project to local watershed science extension and research professionals. After the presentation, the students will be put into small groups with the professionals and mentors for guided discussion on how the professionals approach different issues related to watershed management. The students will also talk about their activities over their REEU program and get feedback from the professionals. At the end of the second day, a notable local watershed professional or panel of thought leaders from the area will give a keynote or panel discussion. The morning of the third day will include a reflection and career foresight activity where the students reflect on their summer, their interactions with their cohort and professionals, and map out where they could see themselves in a watershed management related extension or research career and what it would take to achieve this goal. This activity will include self-reflection as well as discussion among the students and among the students and mentors.
Principle Investigator(s)
Planned Completion date: 14/08/2026
Effort: $499,967.00
Project Status
ACTIVE
Principal Investigator(s)
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Researcher Organisations
Recipient Organization SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY PO BOX 2275A BROOKINGS,SD 57007
United Kingdom