Kansas State University

Sparks for Change is an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support and build diversity in geoscience departments. Despite years of investment to help recruit underrepresented students in the geosciences into early career faculty positions, there is still not meaningful numbers of underrepresented faculty in tenured positions or institutional leadership positions. Institutional inertia can hinder progress for broadening participation goals, especially when the work is not rewarded in the traditional academic outcomes such as tenure and promotion. Furthermore, faculty of color often take on broadening participation work in addition to their other duties. Sparks for Change aims to help overcome institutional inertia using small, committed groups of change agents. These triads are comprised of early career faculty of color, a senior departmental partner, and an external diversity leader (sponsor). Initial project components included a two-and-a-half-day workshop that brought together each triad. Components of the workshop included community building, development of action plans for departmental change, and leadership development. Following the workshop, participants from the Sparks for Change project met regularly to exchange ideas and discuss progress on program goals. Over the course of the six-year project those engaged with the Sparks for Change project reported satisfaction with program goals, reported increases in leadership abilities, and reported they intend to pursue future opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

TITLE: EFFECT OF INNOVATIVE LASER-LABELING TECHNOLOGY ON FRESH PRODUCE QUALITY AND SAFETY Durga Khadka 1, Patrick Abeli1, Manreet Bhullar1,2, Xuan Xu3, Majid Jaberi-Douraki3, and Eleni Pliakoni1 1Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources, 2Food Science Institute, 3Department of Mathematics BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Improved traceability in the supply of fresh horticultural produce is crucial in managing foodborne disease outbreaks. Horticultural produce are traditionally labeled with price lookup (PLU) stickers. However, those stickers risk losing information if they get detached and are not environmentally friendly. The CO2 laser labeling technology (LLT) is a novel method of produce labeling. However, the performance of this technology varies from produce to produce, and information on its effects on postharvest quality and microbial safety is unknown. The objectives of the study were to: investigate the impact on postharvest quality and microbial safety of laser marking on fresh horticultural produce. METHOD: Three horticultural produce, apple ‘Red Delicious’, cucumber, and green bell pepper, were procured from a local grocery store. In study 1, each produce was printed with a Quick Response (QR) code or text code using the laser engraver machine, followed by applying different edible wax. In study 2, different laser-labeled produce was accessed for microbial contamination through the artificially inoculated rifampicin resistance E.coli. RESULTS: Fresh weight loss for laser-printed produce was higher than the nontreated control, but no difference in visual quality ratings was observed compared to the control. The population of rifampicin-resistant E.coli was statistically higher in all three produce labeled with text code compared to nontreated control; however, QR-coded treatments were similar to control. CONCLUSION: Laser labeling technology could potentially be used in commercial applications to improve traceability in selected produce.

Though it is a widely known fact that the land on which most American reside once belonged to Indigenous tribes, it is a much lesser known fact that many of the country's most influential and esteemed universities are situated on land violently taken from Indigenous peoples which were parcelled out to states. Though most history classes avoid discussing something often seen as trivial, The Morrill Act of 1862 changed the course of higher education in The United States of America forever. Proposed by Vermont congressman Justin Morrill, the act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln with the express purpose to provide financial support for the development of public universities which were designated for the provision of learning agriculture, engineering, and military tactics (Gavazzi 37). This act bestowed almost eleven million acres of land expropriated from tribal nations to states with the express purpose of building and/or funding public universities (High Country News). This land was claimed by the federal government from native tribes sometimes just weeks before it was then claimed by states as part of the Morrill Act, and many times the claimed land was taken by brute force, violent war, false treaties, and other horrific acts (High Country News). Today, most universities that continue to benefit from The Morrill Act make no mention of the land which once belonged to the native tribes, nor does it seek to make any reparations towards descendants of native tribe members for their part in the horrific and systematic oppression of Indigenous peoples. This research seeks to understand the history of The Morrill Act, its effect on native American tribes and indigenous peoples, and what--if any--reparations can be made for their existence and continued benefit of lands claimed via the Morrill Act of 1862.

Most military branches began to allow females to serve equally alongside males in the 1940’s. However, militarized masculinity poses a challenge for female service members as they negotiate military norms that continue as they transition to civilian life. Mental health services provided by the military are aimed to help with deal with life and work challenges. However, it is unclear female service members utilize these services as they are intended. The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of how mental health services were utilized by female Army Veterans based on their personal experiences during military service. The study focused on how these experiences have impacted the decision-making process to seek mental health services during and/or after service. A phenomenological heuristic qualitative study with 11 female Veterans (M =120 months ; Service Range =36 months-328 months ) with an overall average of 10 years of Active Army Service was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. The study elicited participants’ experience with health services offered by the military. Cross-thematic analysis found several themes that prevented participants from accessing health services during active duty: experiences of sexism, sexual harassment, unsupportive leadership, challenges of physical health, and limited access to social, family and health resources. The female vulnerability can impact adaptive behaviors and cognitions leading to barriers in seeking healthcare resources. A notable challenge that impaired the use of health services among Veterans who experienced pregnancy during their service, was the negative repercussions of wanting to concurrently manage being a parent and building a military career. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Utilizing a Critical Race Theory foundation, a Latino Critical Race Theory focus, and a Community Cultural Wealth lens, this assets-based qualitative study examined the counterstories of four first-generation women (mujeres) attending a predominantly whiteserving institution in the Midwest. The increasing number of first-generation students pursuing higher education provides an opportunity to assess systems in place for recruiting, retaining, and serving first-generation students. This study presents the need to shift from a deficit perspective when working with first-generation students to an assets-based perspective that centers and values the voices of historically-excluded students, seeing the importance of their experiential knowledge. Interviews and journal entries were used to collect counterstories that focused on the six forms of capital outlined in community cultural wealth: aspirational capital (hopes and dreams), linguistic capital (intellectual and social skills), familial capital (cultural knowledge), social capital (networks of people and community resources), navigational capital (maneuvering through social institutions), and resistant capital (knowledge and skills forged through oppositional behavior). The data collected supported the six priori themes based on the six forms of capital in community cultural wealth, additional themes identified supported the link between representation and validation of historically-excluded populations as a path towards graduation.