Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez

Preventing eye injuries among citrus harvesters: the community health worker model.

OBJECTIVES Although eye injuries are common among citrus harvesters, the proportion of workers using protective eyewear has been negligible. We focused on adoption of worker-tested safety glasses with and without the presence and activities of trained peer-worker role models on harvesting crews. METHODS Observation of 13 citrus harvesting crews established baseline use of safety eyewear. Nine crews subsequently were assigned a peer worker to model use of safety glasses, conduct eye safety education, and treat minor eye injuries. Safety eyewear use by crews was monitored up to 15 weeks into the intervention. RESULTS Intervention crews with peer workers had significantly higher rates of eyewear use than control crews. Intervention exposure time and level of worker use were strongly correlated. Among intervention crews, workers with 1 to 2 years of experience (odds ratio [OR] = 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 7.55) and who received help from their peer worker (OR = 3.73; 95% CI = 1.21, 11.57) were significantly more likely to use glasses than were other intervention crew members. CONCLUSIONS Adaptation of the community health worker model for this setting improved injury prevention practices and may have relevance for similar agricultural settings.

Data Richness Trade-Offs Between Face-to-Face, Online Audiovisual, and Online Text-Only Focus Groups

This study offers an examination of data richness (i.e., topic-related data, topic unrelated data, researcher ratings of data richness, word count, and linguistic characteristics of data richness) trade-offs between face-to-face (FTF), online text-only and online audiovisual focus group mediums. Two focus group sessions were held for each type of medium. Data were analyzed using systematic content analysis and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Findings showed that although online audiovisual focus groups show potential for producing data similar in richness to FTF focus groups, researchers should carefully consider the potential distractions that manifested in this study as a result of the medium itself, likely due to its novelty as a group communication medium. Online text-only groups did not facilitate rich data, as operationalized in this study, and also had a lower amount of data related to the topic of the groups due to more socializing and off-topic discussion. As the first study to empirically examine the potential of data from focus groups facilitated via webcam (online audiovisual), it concludes, the technology offers similar data richness to FTF focus groups.

Development of a Distance Education Program by a Land-Grant University Augments the 2-Year to 4-Year STEM Pipeline and Increases Diversity in STEM

Although initial interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is high, recruitment and retention remains a challenge, and some populations are disproportionately underrepresented in STEM fields. To address these challenges, the Microbiology and Cell Science Department in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida has developed an innovative 2+2 degree program. Typical 2+2 programs begin with a student earning an associate’s degree at a local community college and then transferring to a 4-year institution to complete a bachelor’s degree. However, many universities in the United States, particularly land-grant universities, are located in rural regions that are distantly located from their respective states’ highly populated urban centers. This geographical and cultural distance could be an impediment to recruiting otherwise highly qualified and diverse students. Here, a new model of a 2+2 program is described that uses distance education as the vehicle to bring a research-intensive university’s life sciences curriculum to students rather than the oft-tried model of a university attempting to recruit underrepresented minority students to its location. In this paradigm, community college graduates transfer into the Microbiology and Cell Science program as distance education students to complete their Bachelor of Science degree. The distance education students’ experiences are similar to the on-campus students’ experiences in that both groups of students take the same department courses taught by the same instructors, take required laboratory courses in a face-to-face format, take only proctored exams, and have the same availability to instructors. Data suggests that a hybrid online transfer program may be a viable approach to increasing STEM participation (as defined by enrollment) and diversity. This approach is particularly compelling as the distance education cohort has comparable grade point averages and retention rates compared to the corresponding on-campus transfer cohort.

Improving Health and Safety Conditions in Agriculture Through Professional Training of Florida Farm Labor Supervisors

ABSTRACT Because farm labor supervisors (FLSs) are responsible for ensuring safe work environments for thousands of workers, providing them with adequate knowledge is critical to preserving worker health. Yet a challenge to offering professional training to FLSs, many of whom are foreign-born and have received different levels of education in the US and abroad, is implementing a program that not only results in knowledge gains but meets the expectations of a diverse audience. By offering bilingual instruction on safety and compliance, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) FLS Training program is helping to improve workplace conditions and professionalize the industry. A recent evaluation of the program combined participant observation and surveys to elicit knowledge and satisfaction levels from attendees of its fall 2012 trainings. Frequency distributions and dependent- and independent-means t-tests were used to measure and compare participant outcomes. The evaluation found that attendees rated the quality of their training experience as either high or very high and scored significantly better in posttraining knowledge tests than in pretraining knowledge tests across both languages. Nonetheless, attendees of the trainings delivered in English had significantly higher posttest scores than attendees of the trainings delivered in Spanish. As a result, the program has incorporated greater standardization of content delivery and staff development. Through assessment of its program components and educational outcomes, the program has documented its effectiveness and offers a replicable approach that can serve to improve the targeted outcomes of safety and health promotion in other states.

Barriers to Integration of Bioinformatics into Undergraduate Life Sciences Education

Bioinformatics, a discipline that combines aspects of biology, statistics, and computer science, is increasingly important for biological research. However, bioinformatics instruction is rarely integrated into life sciences curricula at the undergraduate level. To understand why, the Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE, “nibbles”) recently undertook an extensive survey of life sciences faculty in the United States. The survey responses to open-ended questions about barriers to integration were subjected to keyword analysis. The barrier most frequently reported by the ~1,260 respondents was lack of faculty training. Faculty at associate’s-granting institutions report the least training in bioinformatics and the least integration of bioinformatics into their teaching. Faculty from underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in STEM reported training barriers at a higher rate than others, although the number of URM respondents was small. Interestingly, the cohort of faculty with the most recently awarded PhD degrees reported the most training but were teaching bioinformatics at a lower rate than faculty who earned their degrees in previous decades. Other barriers reported included lack of student interest in bioinformatics; lack of student preparation in mathematics, statistics, and computer science; already overly full curricula; and limited access to resources, including hardware, software, and vetted teaching materials. The results of the survey, the largest to date on bioinformatics education, will guide efforts to further integrate bioinformatics instruction into undergraduate life sciences education.

Broadening Participation of Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM through a Hybrid Online Transfer Program

Development of a new model of a transfer program that blends online learning with face-to-face labs in microbiology significantly broadens participation of women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while maintaining retention and academic performance.

Evaluation of Milk Production and Energy Partitioning in Primiparous Braford Heifers Calving at Two- vs. Three-Years of Age

Abstract Twelve Braford cows and their calves were selected from 3 age groups (n = 4 pairs/age group), consisting of 2- and 3-yr-old primiparous and mature multiparous cows. Each pair was allocated to an individual pen in a completely randomized design. All animals were fed a daily diet of 45% concentrate and 55% forage. Body condition score, BW, and milk production data were collected from all cows on d 0, 42, and 84 after the initiation of the study. Backfat thickness was measured on d 0 and 84 using ultrasound. Mature cows lost more BW (P

Bioinformatics core competencies for undergraduate life sciences education

Although bioinformatics is becoming increasingly central to research in the life sciences, bioinformatics skills and knowledge are not well integrated into undergraduate biology education. This curricular gap prevents biology students from harnessing the full potential of their education, limiting their career opportunities and slowing research innovation. To advance the integration of bioinformatics into life sciences education, a framework of core bioinformatics competencies is needed. To that end, we here report the results of a survey of biology faculty in the United States about teaching bioinformatics to undergraduate life scientists. Responses were received from 1,260 faculty representing institutions in all fifty states with a combined capacity to educate hundreds of thousands of students every year. Results indicate strong, widespread agreement that bioinformatics knowledge and skills are critical for undergraduate life scientists as well as considerable agreement about which skills are necessary. Perceptions of the importance of some skills varied with the respondent’s degree of training, time since degree earned, and/or the Carnegie Classification of the respondent’s institution. To assess which skills are currently being taught, we analyzed syllabi of courses with bioinformatics content submitted by survey respondents. Finally, we used the survey results, the analysis of the syllabi, and our collective research and teaching expertise to develop a set of bioinformatics core competencies for undergraduate biology students. These core competencies are intended to serve as a guide for institutions as they work to integrate bioinformatics into their life sciences curricula.

State of Knowledge of Apple Marssonina Blotch (AMB) Disease among Gunwi Farmers

Purpose: Fuji apples are one of the top selling exports for South Korea bringing in over

Development and Initial Testing of Messages to Encourage Tuberculosis Testing and Treatment Among Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccinated Persons

233.4 million in 2013. However, during the last few decades, about half of the Fuji apple orchards have been infected by Apple Marssonina Blotch disease (AMB), a fungal disease caused by Diplocarpon mali., which takes about 40 days to exhibit obvious visible symptoms. Infected leaves turn yellow and begin growing brown lesions. AMB promotes early defoliation and reduces the quality and quantity of apples an infected tree can produce. Currently, there is no prediction model for AMB on the market. Methods: The Precision Agriculture Laboratory (PAL) at the University of Florida (UF) has been working with the National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, South Korea to investigate the use of hyperspectral data in creating an early detection method for AMB. The RDA has been researching hyperspectral techniques for disease detection at their Apple Research Station in Gunwi since 2012 and disseminates its findings to the local farmers. These farmers were surveyed to assess the state of knowledge of AMB in the area. Out of a population of about 750 growers, 111 surveys were completed (confidence interval of +/- 8.59%, confidence level of 95%, p-value of 0.05). Results: The survey revealed 32% of the farmers did not know what AMB was, but 45% of farmers have had their orchards infected by AMB. Twenty-five percent could not distinguish AMB from other symptoms. Overwhelmingly, 80% of farmers strongly believed an early detection method for AMB was necessary. Conclusions: The results of the survey will help to evaluate the outreach programs of the RDA so they can more effectively educate farmers on the identifying, treating, and mediating AMB.