The event involves a consortium of universities including the University of Florida, Michigan State University and Penn State University, among others, that will send faculty and students to study in Costa Rica for two four-week sessions. Mark Rieger, dean of UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, spearheaded the consortium when he served as associate dean and professor in the University of Florida’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“I saw a couple of friends from Michigan State and Penn State when I went down to EARTH University in 2007 for a global conference on higher education in agriculture,” explained Rieger.

Finding similarities and overlapping areas of research between the students and professors at the different institutions, Rieger asked, “‘Why don’t we think about a consortium of universities that would all contribute to one program? Then we could still have our semi-autonomous goals, things that we want to accomplish in our own universities, but we could also collaborate and share because we’re doing the same things.’”

The consortium was created soon afterward and Rieger said that he couldn’t think of a better place for it to happen than at EARTH University.

“EARTH University has, by virtue of the name and what they do, a sustainable agriculture focus,” said Rieger.

Rieger explained sustainability, specifically sustainable agriculture, as “a system of agriculture — or culture if you want to talk about development — that allows for the current population to be successful without detracting from future generations to also be successful.”

For those interested in sustainability, EARTH — which stands for Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda (School of Agriculture in the Humid Tropical Region) — is an excellent place to study as the campus is situated on more than 8,000 acres of land and has a working dairy, a botanic garden and a native forest.

Rieger said that it is important for students who are interested in sustainable development to get a hands-on experience, especially one in an area as vital to the future of the planet as Costa Rica.

“Most of the people in the world don’t live in North America, they live in tropical zones which are very vulnerable areas,” he said. “You’ve got to grow food and sustain the population, and I think a lot of agriculture development is going to happen in that tropical band around east Africa, South America and southern Asia. That’s where the population is.”

The opportunity is not solely limited to students interested in agriculture, as Rieger stressed that there are many aspects of sustainability covered at EARTH University.

The students will also not be studying only on campus, as participants will head out to local areas to learn firsthand about real world sustainability issues, a teaching model employed at EARTH that Rieger said is not fully utilized at most universities in the United States.

“At EARTH it is a very different educational model. It’s a learn by doing model,” said Rieger. He explained that every student at EARTH University is required to go out and do some type of community service in local areas every Wednesday to gain real world experience.

“These are kids that are going to be leading agricultural crews and the idea is that they need to understand what a laborer is going through in order to effectively lead them,” he said. “And a lot of it is swinging a machete and killing weeds by hand or uprooting things, just very basic manual labor to go along with the courses they get taught in leadership, management, agricultural economics and entrepreneurship. But they’re actually getting out every week so they understand what it’s like — the whole 360 degree view of what happens in an agricultural enterprise.”

To apply for the second session of EARTH University’s Consortium for Sustainability, visit this website.

Original Article by Adam Thomas can be found on UDaily

Photo by Ambre Alexander

Date Available: June 3 through July 8

Position Available: Two summer undergraduate researchers are needed to assist with an equine product palatability study. The purpose of the study is to determine horses’ acceptance of an equine supplement with different added flavorings. Responsibilities include handling horses during data collection, measuring feed consumption and feed bucket preference, and maintaining a clean work area.

Qualifications: Interested students must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, (GPA of 3.0 or higher preferred) strong communication skills, a sound work ethic, the ability to work both independently and in a group environment, and safe horse handling skills. The selected candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment toward conducting research. The majority of the study will be conducted during the month of June, but the selected students may also be asked to assist with some pre-trial preparations and with data entry once data collection has been completed.

The students may pursue this summer research experience for ANFS 468 credit or as volunteer research assistants. It is expected that students will work a minimum of 40 hours.

Application: Interested students should contact Dr. Carissa Wickens by Monday, May 20 via email at cwickens@udel.edu.

Please attach a copy of your resume complete with current GPA, and include in your email a brief statement of your interests in and experience with horses.

When: Friday May 10, 2013
Time: 11-2pm
Where: Townsend Hall Commons & 

Front drive facing South College Ave

In an effort to reduce the amount of electronic refuse sent to landfills, the Longwood Graduate Program collects unwanted and broken mechanical and electronic items for recycling.

Please bring them to the Townsend Hall Commons on Friday May 10 between 11am and 2pm.  The Longwood Graduate Fellows will be on hand to receive and take them to UD Recycling.

Remember to bring in your unused cell phones. We will send them to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (www.ncadv.org) for their “Donate a Phone Program.”  NCADV is certified as One of the Best in America by Independent Charities of America and has been in existence for over 34 years to raise awareness and assist affected families.  We collected about a dozen phones in our previous Electronics Recycling Day; Let’s top that this time!

For questions regarding Electronic Recycling Day please email cyling@udel.edu

Click here for a list of items that can be recycled.

Smithsonian Gardens (SG) internships are open to all current and undergraduate students who study horticulture, landscape architecture, museum studies, or other related fields. Selection is based on both an evaluation of the applicant’s application and available positions.

Applications for fall internships should be received no later than June 1, 2013.

Internship Details

● Opportunities to complete special projects that may relate to the intern’s special area of interest
● Paid and unpaid internships available
● Ten to sixteen week long internships / 40 hours per week

How to apply

•     To apply, applicants must register and submit an application online at Smithsonian On-line Academic Application System (SOLAA) at https://solaa.si.edu .

On SOLAA, you can locate Smithsonian Gardens’ internship application under the Office/Museum/ Research Center: OFFICE OF FACILITIES ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS

Next, under “Program that you wish to apply for:” select “Smithsonian Gardens Internship Program.”

To learn more about SG internship program go online to www.gardens.si.edu . 

I Don’t Give a Fork, South Campus’ only food cart now delivers! Hours are between 8am and 3:30pm and the full menu can be found at www.idontgiveafork.com/menu but weekly specials can be found at www.facebook.com/idontgiveafork or on Twitter @idontgiveafork. You can call or TEXT your order for delivery or pickup at 415-NO-FORKS. Delivery charge is only $1 and is free with orders over $10. Check it out!

The FARM Institute,  a 160-acre teaching farm on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, seeks enthusiastic and dedicated staff for full-time and half-time teaching positions, as well as specialist positions including early childhood and permaculture program teachers,  for our 2013 summer camp. All applicants must have current certification in First Aid and CPR, experience with teaching children and leading groups, as well as an interest in sustainable agriculture. Skills in gardening, cooking, livestock handling, environmental education, fiber arts or carpentry are preferred, but not required. Our educational programs focus on farming, sustainability, nutrition, and earth stewardship.

Please visit Blue Hen Jobs to apply.

VIDA (Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures) is running a donation drive from April 29th to May 4thto collect supplies for free Medical, Veterinary and Dental clinics set up in underprivileged communities in Latin America. Each year, VIDA continues to advance the causes of global health care, and many lives have changed for the better due to the continued care provided to them. A group of UD students will be joining medical and veterinary teams in Costa Rica and Nicaragua this summer and hope to bring with them, supplies for clinics as well as toys and clothing for children who are waiting to be seen in clinics.

Some needed donations include: clothing, shoes, vitamins, hydrocortisone, cough suppressant, pregnancy tests, eye drops, liquid allergy medicine, Day or Night Quil, pain and acid relievers, band-aids, basic calculators, pens, shampoo, blankets, pillows, leashes, collars, gauze, cotton rolls, first aid tape, medical gloves, toothbrushes, dental floss, coloring books, markers, crayons, colored pencils, children’s toys, picture books.

A donation collection box can be found in Townsend Hall Commons.

Thank you for your support. For more information, contact Jess Applebaum (jsapple@udel.edu) for more information. 

Division of Watershed Stewardship

The image above is a picture of:

A)   Microdots- the hottest new movement in modern art circles.

            B) Smurf fan club convention- as visualized by aerial photo.

            C) Pastel polka dots- the latest in fall fashions.

            D) Cerebellum- the part of your brain keeping you upright at this very moment.

Answer: D.  Yes, your brain can be functional and beautiful all at the same time!

Want to see and learn more about the inner workings of your body?  Animal Histology may be the course for you.  Histology is the study of the microscopic structure and function of body tissues.  This lecture/laboratory course provides unique insight into animal organ systems while enhancing light microscopy skills.  We’ll see YOU this fall!

Register for Animal Histology (ANFS 467/667 Section 015) for Fall 2013.

For more information about the course, please review the course syllabus.

The University of Delaware Collegiate 4-H Chapter is about to get up and running again and we’d like you to be a part of it, even if you were never in 4-H. Our organizational meeting for the spring is:

Wednesday, April 24

6:00 – 7:00  p.m.

Townsend Hall Commons

Our first get together will be an ice cream social. While we’re enjoying fabulous UD Creamery Ice Cream, we will be brainstorming ideas for a new UD Creamery Flavor in honor of 4-H, to be rolled out at the State Fair this year. We’ll also talk about some other ideas that we can do to develop leadership among collegiate members and support 4-H statewide. You don’t have to be an Ag student to join, just have a passion for helping youth become better leaders. So join us that evening, meet a few new people and help us all “to make the best better.”

For more information contact Mark Manno, State 4-H Program Leader at 831-2997 or mmanno@udel.edu or Katie Daly-Jones, New Castle County 4-H Educator at 831-8965 or kdaly@udel.edu