Exploration of Engaged Practice in Cooperative Extension and Implications for Higher Education

Greater engagement has been emphasized as a need for Cooperative Extension for decades. Today this emphasis is also seen in higher education. Accordingly, there is need for clarity regarding the definition and community implementation of engagement. In the study described, I sought to address this need by conducting semistructured interviews with 35 Extension educators in two state Extension organizations. Emergent in the findings was the use of a hybrid model of program delivery in Cooperative Extension. Conceptual frameworks, definitions, and overviews of implementation for expert, engaged, and hybrid models are provided. Related implications for greater engagement in Cooperative Extension and higher education are presented

Participatory Evaluation and Needs Assessment Tools for Cooperative Extension in a Virtual Environment

The Cooperative Extension organization could be categorized as a participatory organization because of our focus on local needs in driving our work. The pandemic moved a lot of our work to online platforms. This article reflects on use of online tools for program evaluation and needs assessment. Online focus groups were successful in gathering high quality data from a diverse and geographically dispersed population for program evaluation and as part of a needs assessment process. Coupling the focus groups with a modified World Café approach allowed us to go beyond identification of needs to prioritization and development of potential solutions

Extension Master Gardener Social Media Needs: A National Study

An online survey was conducted to assess the feasibility of providing training on the use of social media for the Extension Master Gardener (EMG) program. Volunteers (n = 1,275) and coordinators (n = 111) responded. Findings indicate the existence of sufficient interest in a nationally coordinated social media training. Inclusion of social media as a qualifying activity in EMG programs should be explored. Findings support inclusion of volunteers in future surveys and the possible need for increased involvement of volunteers in setting program direction. Training is being developed on the basis of the data. Future surveying of the EMG population by using random sampling to more accurately define the audience is strongly encouraged

Identifying Key Constructs and Measurements to Assess the Situation Analysis Reports

Every five years, unit offices of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) must submit a situation analysis (SA) report. The purpose of the SA report is to identify the current issues at the local level to develop future educational programs. The primary objective of this study was to develop a methodology that could be used to assess the quality of SA reports in Virginia. We have evaluated 196 SA reports from VCE to begin development of an assessment. Results of testing of the tool identify areas for continued development

Identifying Needs and Implementing Organizational Change to Improve Retention of Early-Career Agents

Retention of agents is important for the growth and stability of Cooperative Extension. A study of early-career agents in Virginia Cooperative Extension identified specific areas in which organizational change could be made to improve agent fit in the organization and long-term retention. As a result, numerous changes have been made, particularly associated with existing agents but also in work with prospective agents. Although this article relates specifically to Virginia, the challenges and solutions identified may be relevant to other programs and to national professional development organizations

Opportunities for Competency Support of Virginia Cooperative Extension Professionals at the Colleague Stage

This study focused on the professional development needs of Cooperative Extension agents and specialists with between four and seven years of experience, placing them roughly within the colleague career stage. Data were collected through focus groups and validated through member checking and the use of a modified World Café approach. A research team collaborated, increasing the reliability of the findings through intentional reflection in the development of the findings. Areas of competency strength and weakness vary for agents and specialists, and specific topic areas within competencies vary. While many of the emergent competencies identified in this study fit within the competency framework of Harder et al. (2011) and previous competency studies, more specific topic areas were identified. However, the top priorities identified for professional development focus included communication, educational design, leadership, and budget and fiscal management. Attention to these areas can increase the ability of these professionals to work more effectively and productively. Providing professional development in areas of need for both agents and specialists can support the development of collegiality within the Extension organization. Supporting professionals in this stage of their career growth will position them well for advancing to additional career stages within Cooperative Extension

In participatory budgeting we trust? Fairness, tactics and (in)accessibility in participatory governance

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a significant innovation in democracy and local development. PB provides the opportunity for citizens to engage in processes of deliberation and decision-making upon the allocation of public funds. As new critical discourse emerges surrounding this model of local government spending, a significant area warranting investigation concerns how trust, and indeed mistrust, factor into PB. Through an analysis of interviews with residents and Council staff engaged in PB processes in a county in the north of England, we highlight the ways in which issues of trust can impact on participation in these initiatives, and also strengthen relationships between voting delegates, project teams and local government. This paper argues that increasing the perceived accessibility, and reconsidering the inclusion of mass membership groups in PB, might help to create progressive, effective and trustful participation

Evolution of an Eurasian Avian-like Influenza Virus in Naïve and Vaccinated Pigs

Influenza viruses are characterized by an ability to cross species boundaries and evade host immunity, sometimes with devastating consequences. The 2009 pandemic of H1N1 influenza A virus highlights the importance of pigs in influenza emergence, particularly as intermediate hosts by which avian viruses adapt to mammals before emerging in humans. Although segment reassortment has commonly been associated with influenza emergence, an expanded host-range is also likely to be associated with the accumulation of specific beneficial point mutations. To better understand the mechanisms that shape the genetic diversity of avian-like viruses in pigs, we studied the evolutionary dynamics of an Eurasian Avian-like swine influenza virus (EA-SIV) in naïve and vaccinated pigs linked by natural transmission. We analyzed multiple clones of the hemagglutinin 1 (HA1) gene derived from consecutive daily viral populations. Strikingly, we observed both transient and fixed changes in the consensus sequence along the transmission chain. Hence, the mutational spectrum of intra-host EA-SIV populations is highly dynamic and allele fixation can occur with extreme rapidity. In addition, mutations that could potentially alter host-range and antigenicity were transmitted between animals and mixed infections were commonplace, even in vaccinated pigs. Finally, we repeatedly detected distinct stop codons in virus samples from co-housed pigs, suggesting that they persisted within hosts and were transmitted among them. This implies that mutations that reduce viral fitness in one host, but which could lead to fitness benefits in a novel host, can circulate at low frequencies

TOI-132 b: A short-period planet in the Neptune desert transiting a V=11.3 G-type star

The Neptune desert is a feature seen in the radius-period plane, whereby a notable dearth of short period, Neptune-like planets is found. Here, we report the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of a new short-period planet in the Neptune desert, orbiting the G-type dwarf TYC 8003-1117-1 (TOI-132). TESS photometry shows transit-like dips at the level of similar to 1400 ppm occurring every similar to 2.11 d. High-precision radial velocity follow-up with High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher confirmed the planetary nature of the transit signal and provided a semi-amplitude radial velocity variation of 11.38(-0.85)(+0.84) m s(-1), which, when combined with the stellar mass of 0.97 +/- 0.06 M-circle dot, provides a planetary mass of 22.40(-1.92)(+1.90) M-circle plus. Modelling the TESS light curve returns a planet radius of 3.42(-0.14)(+0.13) R-circle plus , and therefore the planet bulk density is found to be 3.08(-0.46)(+0.44) g cm(-3). Planet structure models suggest that the bulk of the planet mass is in the form of a rocky core, with an atmospheric mass fraction of 4.3(-2.3)(+1.2) percent. TOI-132 b is a TESS Level 1 Science Requirement candidate, and therefore priority follow-up will allow the search for additional planets in the system, whilst helping to constrain low-mass planet formation and evolution models, particularly valuable for better understanding of the Neptune desert

Three Saturn-mass planets transiting F-type stars revealed with TESS and HARPS

While the sample of confirmed exoplanets continues to increase, the population of transiting exoplanets around early-type stars is still limited. These planets allow us to investigate the planet properties and formation pathways over a wide range of stellar masses and study the impact of high irradiation on hot Jupiters orbiting such stars. We report the discovery of TOI-615b, TOI-622b, and TOI-2641b, three Saturn-mass planets transiting main sequence, F-type stars. The planets were identified by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and confirmed with complementary ground-based and radial velocity observations. TOI-615b is a highly irradiated ($\sim$1277 $F_{\oplus}$) and bloated Saturn-mass planet (1.69$^{+0.05}_{-0.06}$$R_{Jup}$ and 0.43$^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$$M_{Jup}$) in a 4.66 day orbit transiting a 6850 K star. TOI-622b has a radius of 0.82$^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$$R_{Jup}$ and a mass of 0.30$^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$~$M_{Jup}$ in a 6.40 day orbit. Despite its high insolation flux ($\sim$600 $F_{\oplus}$), TOI-622b does not show any evidence of radius inflation. TOI-2641b is a 0.37$^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$$M_{Jup}$ planet in a 4.88 day orbit with a grazing transit (b = 1.04$^{+0.05}_{-0.06 }$) that results in a poorly constrained radius of 1.61$^{+0.46}_{-0.64}$$R_{Jup}$. Additionally, TOI-615b is considered attractive for atmospheric studies via transmission spectroscopy with ground-based spectrographs and $\textit{JWST}$. Future atmospheric and spin-orbit alignment observations are essential since they can provide information on the atmospheric composition, formation and migration of exoplanets across various stellar types.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, submitted to A&