Research and Extension Experience in Energy and the Environment across Agriculture Disciplines

(RE²AD)

This is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funded Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) project. It is currently funded for five years (2020 to 2025). If you have any question about this project, please feel free to contact:

     Dr. Hua Li (PI), hua.li@tamuk.edu, 361-593-4057

We are accepting applications for Summer 2024 Program Now

Application Deadline: March 31, 2024

USDA RE²AD REEU Program Summary

There is a significant talent gap in agricultural fields needed to drive innovation and to sustain the U.S. global technical superiority. There is also a significant under-representation of minorities in agricultural workforce, especially Hispanics and women. Employers are now seeking talents with a broader skillset including leadership, teamwork, problem solving, digital competency, communication, and critical thinking. The goal of this project is to develop and implement a model environment for multidisciplinary collaborative efforts where research and extension are tightly integrated around the different facets of energy and environment research in agricultural fields. The objectives are: 1) providing research opportunities in the different aspects of energy and environment research related to agriculture disciplines to undergraduate students, especially Hispanic and women; 2) increasing the number of underrepresented undergraduate students who participate in graduate education in agriculture disciplines; 3) integrating extension experience and professional development to train undergraduate students with exceptional skills for agricultural workforce. The program is structured as collaborative research groups to teach students how to conduct research with their mentors’ guidance. Students will learn to work independently and collaboratively. Ten students from various engineering and science departments will be recruited every year. The RE²AD program has three key research areas: 1) Energy Efficiency in Agriculture Systems, 2) Water Quality and Management, 3) Agriculture Economics and Decision Making. The RE²AD program builds on a vision of grooming budding researchers from underrepresented students to embrace the challenge of sustainable agriculture and building future leaders who proactively contribute to the nation’s agricultural goals.