S1095: Science Communication in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources: Human Science Research and Workforce Development

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Active

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[02/06/2024] [05/14/2025]

Date of Annual Report: 02/06/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/06/2024 - 02/06/2024
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2023 - 02/06/2024

Participants

Jeff Miller, University of Arkansas
Sharon Wagner, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Katie Stofer, University of Florida
Lisa Lundy, University o Florida
Cara Lawson, Ohio State University
Faith Peppers, USDA NIFA
Frankie Gould, Louisiana State University Ag Center
Ricky Telg, University of Florida
Taylor Ruth, University of Tennessee
Katie Sanders NC State University
Garrett Steede, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Jamie Greig, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Alexa Lamm, University of Georgia
Sadie Hundemer, University of Florida
Rebecca Swenson, University of Minnesota
Quisto Settle, Oklahoma State University
Latasha Ford, Fort Valley State University
Alisa Boswell-Gore, Oklahoma State University
Laura Fischer, Texas Tech University
Shayne White, University of Florida
Blake Colclasure, University of Tennessee

Brief Summary of Minutes

See attached minutes.

Accomplishments

As this year marked the inaugural meeting of S1095, Science Communication in AFNR, this report will focus on the organizational activities that have occurred since its establishment on October 1, 2023 through the date of the annual meeting, which was February 6, 2024. Activities Upon establishment of the project, project leaders conducted an informal survey of project members to identify the key contexts in which faculty have been researching science communication. The identified contexts included  <ul> <li>Crisis and risk communication</li> <li>Media literacy</li> <li>Science communication pedagogy</li> <li>Technology adoption and decision making</li> <li>Public communication strategies and message development (policy communication and issue management)</li> </ul> These contexts then, upon agreement by the membership, became the fist work groups, and annual memeting attendees signed up to participate in these work groups. Also, vice chair Taylor Ruth created a file sharing system accessible to all researchers, with dedicated folders for each work group where faculty can share documents and collaborate on research development and writing efforts. Further, those in attendance at the annual meeting agreed that work groups should meet virtually each quarter begining in May and that furture annual meetings of S1095 will continue to be held in conjunction with the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists' meeting/National Agricultural Communications Symposium but will expand to include an informal workshop and dinner on the Saturday before NACS begins. Milestones Project objectives were written and publicized to the S1095 membership. An organizational leadership structure for S1095, including a rotation from secretary to vice chair to chair, was approved by the membership. Jeff Miller is the current chair for 2004 and Taylor Ruth is the vice chair. A secretary will be recruited. Ten states were represented by faculty interested in researching science commuication at the 2024 inaugural meeting of S1095.

Publications

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 05/14/2025

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/03/2025 - 02/03/2025
Period the Report Covers: 02/06/2024 - 02/03/2025

Participants

Jamie Greig, University of Tennessee
Blake Colclasure, University of Tennessee
Katie Sanders, North Carolina State University
Po-Ju Chen, Texas A&M University
Latasha Ford, Fort Valley State University
Sonya Moore-Davis, Langston University
Laura Fischer, Texas Tech University
Rebecca Swenson, University of Minnesota
Quisto Settle, Oklahoma State University
Linda Pfeiffer, Purdue University
Tracy Rutherford, Virginia Tech
Jeff Miller, University of Arkansas S1095 Chair
Taylor Ruth, University of Tennessee, S1095 Vice Chair
Lisa Lundy, University of Florida, S1095 Secretary

Brief Summary of Minutes

S1095 Meeting Notes from NACS – Feb. 3, 2025

Meeting called to order by Taylor Ruth at 2:47pm

In attendance:

Taylor Ruth

Jeff Miller

Quisto Settle

Rebecca Swenson

Laura Fischer

Jamie Greig

Blake Colcasure

Katie Sanders

Science Communication Objectives (Taylor's Powerpoint)

Workgroups Listed:

Crisis and Risk Comm

Media Literacy

Science Comm Pedagogy

Tech Adoption and Decision Making

Public Comm Strategies and Message Development

Introductions:

Jamie Greig, Tennessee, Asst Prof since 2020, Workgroup Leader – Tech Adoption and Decision Making

Blake Colclasure, Tennessee, Asst Prof, Tech Adoption and Decision Making

Katie Sanders, NC State, Asst Prof

Po-Ju Chen, Texas A&M, Professor, Hospitality and Hotel Management and Tourism, Editor of Journal, interested in tech adoption and decision making

Latasha Ford, Fort Valley University, Research Administrator, Public Comm Strategies and Message Development

Sonya Moore-Davis, Langston University, Research Comm Manager, Oklahoma

Laura Fischer, Texas Tech University, Workgroup Leader, Public Comm Strategies and Message Development

Rebecca Swenson, Univ of Minnesota, broad interest in Science Comm, Science Comm Pedagogy group

Quisto Settle, Oklahoma State University, Workgroup Leader, Science Comm Pedagogy

Linda Pfeiffer, Purdue University, not currently in a workgroup

Tracy Rutherford, Virginia Tech, Chair, Tech Adoption Workgroup

Jeff Miller

Taylor Ruth

Lisa Lundy

For our annual report, we have to submit:

Project Outputs
- Clear priorities for research on science comm…
- Increase collaborative pubs…

Project Impacts
- Increase number of pubs…
- Increased successful grant activity…
- New Curriculum…

Project Milestones
- 2024: Research priority document…
- 2025: Research priority doc updated…
- 2026: Submit integrated grant proposal

Reporting

Qualtrics survey distributed to capture info

Workgroup Discussion and Sharing

Pedagogy Group

Presented poster at NACS on a collaborative offering through courses at all of their universities

Public Comm Strategies and Message Development

NACS Webinar

Group has struggled to find its identity

May need to split

Tech Adoption Group

Met a couple of times

Some want to focus on AI

Looked for a target to focus on

Special issue on JAC on emerging technologies in AFNR research

Did Idea Incubator at NACS to generate interest and look at topics

Submitted funding proposal through UT for AI work

Workgroup Discussion

Recap major accomplishments and impacts

Based on the PD discussion, what project ideas do you have for the next year?

What are tangible next steps for your workgroup?

How can S1095 leaders help you?

Best way to do report for annual report? Just have leader submit one report?
- Have each individual person report the work they’ve done related to this.
- Focus on publications and presentations related to this.

Annual meeting next year?

Decided to meet during the NACS Grad Student Lunch next year to take advantage of that time rather than going before/after the conference

Elected Secretary for the group: Quisto Settle

Public Comm Strategies and Message Development

Create spinoff group to focus on institutional science communication; public outreach for LGUs
- Interviews with research communicators – what challenges are they facing? What is next? What are their experiences like? What research is needed to support their work?
- What language are using? Or not using?
- Start with in-depth interviews
- Getting students to be interested in science/Outreach to the next generation/the right messaging
  - Langston is working with a lot of middle schools right now – a lot of work in Tulsa
- Could also do a national survey to look at public trust in LGUs

Then the other (original) group can focus on public trust
- Commodity organizations

Qualitative Study Outline:

“Opportunities and possibilities”

Helpful from S1095 Team

Specific things to accomplish

Mid-year progress meeting – beginning of Fall semester
- Maybe tack on to SACS Webinars at the end

Science Comm Pedagogy

Major accomplishment – already started implementing a sci comm intervention

Jean Parella has taken lead

Part of Fall data was used as NACS paper

Working on a journal article

Planning for curriculum development

They meet every month or two

Would be nice to hear what other groups are up to see if there is potential for collaboration

Tech Adoption

Submitted Funding proposal to come to NACS – not funded

Submitted proposal for special issue in JAC

Looked through current/pending research to look for areas for collaboration

Identified instrumentation development as an area for collaboration

Accomplishments

Short-term Outcomes In its second year, strong evidence of multistate collaboration exists among S1095 members. The Pedagogy workgroup, in particular, along with the Technology Adoption group and the Public Communication Strategies and Message Development group, have met consistently and have developed products demostrating successful collaborations including a grant proposal, a successful research abstract and poster presentation, and mulitple research articles. Outputs <ul> <li>Grant proposal to fund travel for further collaborations (unsuccessful)</li> <li>Abstract and poster accepted and presented at the National Agricultural Communications Symposium</li> <li>Five articles published by S1095 members focusing on science communication in the Journal of Applied Communications.</li> </ul> Activities In the S1095's second year, three of the five established workgroups met consistently--two or more times--throughout the year to discuss and plan research efforts.  Those meeting consistently made progress. S1095 also hosted a virtual mid-year planning meeting for the entire project in addition to the annual meeting held at the conclusion of the National Agricultural Communications Symposium in Irving, TX in early February.  Activities and accomplishments for S1095 Workgroups in the 2024-25 are listed here: Science Communication Pedagogy <ul> <li>Collaborating workgroup members presented an academic poster at NACS on a collaborative offering through courses at all of their universities (Akowuah, Parrella, Settle, Swenson, Forbes, & McCain, 2024), including Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State University, the University of Minnesota, and Purdue University</li> <li>Major accomplishment – already started implementing a sci comm intervention</li> <li>Jean Parella has taken lead</li> <li>Part of Fall data was used as NACS paper</li> <li>Working on a journal article</li> <li>Planning for curriculum development</li> <li>They meet every month or two</li> <li>Would be nice to hear what other groups are up to see if there is potential for collaboration</li> </ul> Public Comm Strategies and Message Development <ul> <li>A collaborative webinar titled Science Communications in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources was organized and hosted by S1095 members and was presented as a part of the Society for Agricultural Communications’ webinar series.</li> <li>During the annual meeting discussions, it was discussed that this workgroup should split into two areas of emphasis in order to better facilitate collaboration.</li> </ul> Technology Adoption <ul> <li>A subset of the group desires to focus on acceptance of AI technologies</li> <li>The concept of a special issue in the discipline’s main academic journal, the Journal of Applied Communications, was discussed. The focus of the issue would be on emerging technologies in AFNR research.</li> <li>The workgroup hosted an Idea Incubator at NACS to generate interest and look at topics</li> <li>Submitted funding proposal through UT for AI work</li> <li>Submitted Funding proposal to come to NACS – not funded</li> <li>Submitted proposal for special issue in JAC</li> <li>Identified instrumentation development as an area for collaboration</li> </ul> Milestones <ul> <li>Develop and update research agenda for Science Communications by 2025</li> <li>Submit integrated grant proposal by 2026</li> </ul>

Publications

2024-25 Publications Catching, Kindle G.; Orton, Ginger; and Fischer, Laura Morgan (2024) "Overcoming Barriers: Describing Cattle Producers’ Motivations & Perceived Barriers Toward Adopting Sustainable Practices to Inform Communication Strategy," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 108: Iss. 3. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2542" data-outlook-id="3d4bb983-54b8-4609-9d74-d957ff2a80cf">https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2542</a> McLeod-Morin, Ashley; Peterson, Hikaru H.; Baker, Lauri; Steede, Garrett; Hundemer, Sadie; Swenson, Rebecca; and McKay, Troy (2024) "Show Us Your Skills: Exploring the Science Communication Landscape in Graduate Education," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 108: Iss. 4. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2570" data-outlook-id="247a55bc-e8f4-4309-88ce-5683a7ca1a4d">https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2570</a> Orem, Morgan; Leggette, Holli; Parrella, Jean A.; Lu, Peng; Palmer, Karissa; Foster, Jamie; Neely, Haly; and Noland, Reagan (2024) "Harvesting Trust: Exploring Credible Information Sources about Soil Health Practices for U.S. Wheat Farmers," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 108: Iss. 4. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2553" data-outlook-id="37fec2c9-52b3-4544-b177-c7df572c7739">https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2553</a> Rampold, Shelli D.; Ruth, Taylor; and Greig, Jamie (2024) "If Nobody Hears Us, Do We Really Make a Sound? Investigating Agriculture Faculty Members’ Engagement in Science Communication," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 108: Iss. 1. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2513" data-outlook-id="3e0b35a1-6aeb-4195-970c-79c5b099681b">https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2513</a> Swenson, Rebecca and Marson, Corissa (2024) "Perceptions of Science Communication’s Domain, Practices, and Identity: What Concerns Members on the Peripheral Edge of a Community of Practice," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 108: Iss. 1. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2498" data-outlook-id="3996d41b-9033-4bb0-8d3a-4ac0cfded602">https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2498</a>

Impact Statements

S1095, now in its second year, has yet to generate impact statements. As more collaborative research efforts occur, it is likely that impact reporting will commence in 2025-26.