Rutgers professor Thomas Leustek engaging with the SELP students as they learn about protein assays. Photo credit: Tom Leustek.
Douglass Student Center at Rutgers-New Brunswick was abuzz with expressions of gratitude and a reinvigorated passion for working with animals on July 3, as the inaugural USDA NIFA NEXTGEN Animal Science Discovery Program’s (ANSCId) Summer Experiential Learning Program (SELP) and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) celebrated with a closing program.
The three-week intensive, residential experiences for students at LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) who are interested in Animal Science and other agriculture-related fields are one component of ANSCId. The joint initiative between LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) and Rutgers University is made possible with funding in the amount of $4.5 million awarded by the USDA NIFA NEXTGEN grant.
Peer Mentor JD Yoplac (black scrubs) assisting SELP students with their muscle anatomy lesson as they prepare to dissect a horse leg.
“We want you to come to Rutgers,” said Laura Lawson, Executive Dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, addressing the nearly 30 community college students who had lived on Cook Campus at Rutgers-New Brunswick, since June 17.
Lawson’s statement aligns with the mission of the ANSCId program, which is to create a pipeline from NYC high schools to LAGCC and to Rutgers University. It enables students at the 2-year institution who earn an associate’s degree in the newly created Animal Science track in the environmental science major to seamlessly transfer and earn an undergraduate degree in animal sciences at Rutgers, allowing them to move on to careers in animal science and other Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources & Human Sciences (FANH) areas.
Leading the ANSCId program are Aparna Zama, Associate Teaching Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Program in Animal Sciences at Rutgers, and Preethi Radhakrishnan, Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the Environmental Science program at LAGCC.
L-R: Project Coordinator Omar Salas Lopez (LAGCC), Project Director Preethi Radhakrishnan (LAGCC), Project Director Aparna Zama (Rutgers), and Program Coordinator Terichi Bellinger (Rutgers) at the July 3 closing program.
In preparation for the ANSCId program, multiple lab spaces were updated: PSARF 102 was converted into a functional lab that can be used throughout the year and Foran Hall 104 received some brand-new equipment, such as microscopes, digital cameras and pipettes. Additionally, a select group of Rutgers undergraduates were trained during the spring semester to act as Peer Mentors for the program. Executive Dean Lawson acknowledged Zama and all the faculty and staff involved in bringing the program to fruition.
The closing program continued with student presentations that outlined their experiences at Rutgers, and the impact they had on their intended career paths. Several SELP students learned that becoming a veterinarian is not the only path to a career working with animals, and the SURE students shared what they learned from delving into research with Rutgers graduate students.
Carolyn Moehling, Senior Vice Provost and Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Education at Rutgers, expressed that she was excited as she listened to the students talk about their newfound skills and career goals. Moehling’s remarks were followed by a panel of USDA employees, Herminia (Mina) Gomez, Victoria Wright, Ph.D., and Tiffany Mauro, along with the Director of Career Exploration Success at Rutgers, Larry Jacobs. The four shared their career paths and resources for the students as they look for internships and career opportunities in the USDA and beyond.
