| Name | Sandra |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Affare |
| Home Address | 8023 Squirrel Wood Court Ooltewah, TN - Tennessee 37363 United States |
| Organization Name | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Dr. Sandra C. Affare, is a retired Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) engineer and current University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) engineering management professor who often bridges the gap between academia and the business sector. Dr. Affare is an advocate for women in engineering and other roles in which they are underrepresented, including leadership roles. For this project, Dr. Affare will rely heavily on her sixteen years of project management professional experience and oversee the projects, coordinate the team of collaborators, and manage the project’s budget. In addition, Dr. Affare will develop practical, project-based applications that deploy the Scientific Method as the approach to data collection, analysis, and application. She will ensure the program’s metrics are created, managed, and reported in a timely manner to make critical decisions in favor of the success of the project while maintaining a library of best practices for effective program management. In the recent past, Dr. Affare served as a Troop Administrator for the Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians and as a mentor to middle-high school girls at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, introducing them to project management skills using the Project Management Institute Education Foundation’s Curriculum, PM Skills for Life. Dr. Affare brings project management tools and techniques that will improve the participants’ life skills such as teambuilding, leadership, and effective decision-making. In addition, Dr. Affare will lead a participant-developed Code of Ethics for the proposed Program. |
| Organization Address | 615 McCallie Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37403 United States |
| Website | |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4238921251 |
| Alternate Phone Number | |
| Email Address | Sandra-Affare@utc.edu |
| Alternate Email Address | sandraaffare@att.net |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | In this City of Chattanooga American Rescue Plan-funded program, UTC personnel with Dr. Affare’s lead, will partner with middle school educators, a community-based organization, and a farm-to-school organization to pilot a STEM Summer Camp and school-year Enrichment Program for middle school girls. Introducing ANGELS, Agriculture and Nutrition for Girls while Encouraging Leadership & STEM-Enrichment, a proposed educational project designed to support increased participation of women and under-represented minorities in STEM. This project-based learning program will provide a unique environment for participants to identify food deserts, examine the evidence, ask questions, and propose solutions to the problem. To address the identified food deserts, a resource infrastructure will be developed to provide a collection of fruits and vegetables from local farmers; therefore, eliminating waste and distribute these items to needed families through food pantries. This infrastructure will help middle school girls solve real-world problems around securing food access in food deserts where there is currently limited access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Community partnerships with local farms are essential to the scaling of the project and will be beneficial to the identified food desert areas. To address the qualified food deserts, as a result of this proposal, program participants will be able to simulate how partnerships can help provide fresh fruit, vegetables, and other whole foods for distribution through food pantries. An Agricultural Scientist experienced in forming such partnerships with local farmers will consult with the developing team in the planning stages to ensure that the critical resource infrastructure is successfully developed. The ANGELS program will also introduce agricultural activities adapted to urban settings. Agriculture offers a multidisciplinary involvement in STEM education programs. Through project-based learning, the educational enrichment activities will advance the knowledge and understanding of applied science and mathematics in different fields. We will effectively improve economic viability of underrepresented communities while stimulating middle school girls’ interest in STEM-related careers with agricultural activities. Participants will not only explore labor injustices and other issues of equity, but they will also develop and deploy a strategic approach to justice in food systems. The overall objective of the project is to help create a successful middle-school-to-college pathway leading to STEM-related careers. To this end, the proposed program will design, develop, and validate a food and science curriculum that will focus on applied mathematics, engineering, and science to achieve the following objectives: • Provide underrepresented female minority students exposure to the diverse uses of plants and encourage interest in career options in the field. • Develop confidence in underrepresented female minority students’ ability to do work in STEM-related fields using hands-on, project-based, experiential learning exercises. Deploying the ANGELS program will encourage female, minority students to flourish in environments in which they are traditionally underrepresented. These experiences will allow female participants to explore the food system from a circular bioeconomy perspective, expand their reach through supporting local food pantries in underrepresented communities, and advance the potential for future research on health disparities in food deserts. The ANGELS Enrichment and Summer Program aims to provide a critical addition to the in-school learning that girls receive and ensure girls are represented across the STEM pipeline. The long-term goals of the program will result in: 1) students with perspective in applying scientific approaches to solving real-world problems including problems around securing food production, 2) increase students’ interests in undergraduate STEM-related programs, and 3) a more diverse pool of qualified, future STEM-related workforce in Chattanooga. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | This time-limited investment will catalyze lasting change in underrepresented communities in our city. The Hamilton County Health Department reports more than 32,000 people in Hamilton County living in areas that are considered food deserts. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a food desert as an urban area where people live more than a mile from the nearest grocery store. In food deserts, there is limited access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and other whole foods. In 2019, there were fourteen tracts of land within Hamilton County, thirteen within the City of Chattanooga and one partially within, that qualify as food deserts (Howell, 2019). Howell (2019) indicated that significant portions of the food deserts in Chattanooga are located in areas with zip codes 37410, 37404, and 37406. These areas are expanding rapidly with the impact of the Global Pandemic resulting in business closures and significant changes in family income and access to fresh fruit and vegetables. The closing of the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Shallowford Road is “the third grocery store to close in Brainerd, East Chattanooga in the past five years” (Flessner, 2021). A community food program that once received donations from a partnership with local caterers has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. These donations once allowed Community Haven, a Community-Based Organization, to routinely deliver prepared meals to the homeless through the Community Kitchen and to disabled and elderly residents of Patten Tower in the past year. Donations were thwarted due to labor shortages, business loss and in the increase in food prices. As a result of this proposal, program participants will be able to extend their reach and fill this gap. Middle school students at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA), the first all-girls public charter STEM school in the State of Tennessee, have previously partnered with the Chattanooga Community Kitchen to execute a project-based approach that addresses food deserts and access to healthy foods using food pantries. This program did not grow due to lack of resources to implement this idea in the community. Through the City of Chattanooga American Rescue Plan funding, the developed resource infrastructure will provide partnerships with local farms to collect and distribute food items to underserved families through community-developed food pantries. The ANGELS program will also introduce agricultural activities adapted to urban settings. Participants will learn techniques of plant production which can motivate and enable them to have their own personal garden. Being involved in gardening can help improve their understanding of plant biology and soil chemistry. They will also learn about climate change through temperature variables, water management and conservation, CO2 levels and its impact in plant life, among other crucial considerations for agriculturalists. ANGELS participants will work with local citizens to create gardens in their own backyards and develop longer-term benefits to the community. The proposed ANGELS program will establish an innovative approach to addressing food security while addressing the challenge of gender inequality in STEM-related fields using agriculture as a learning context. The Educational Equity Plan 2021 offers eight specific areas of focus that are needed the most in Hamilton County Schools. While gender equity is clearly important, none of the current Hamilton County School programs are approaching gender equity in STEM-related fields by addressing the interests of middle school learners and with agricultural activities. This highlights the uniqueness of the ANGELS Program specifically. Female engagement in science is determined by two factors: the way girls perceive themselves and their attitudes towards science and engineering, including if they perceive science as being important, enjoyable, and useful (Kerger, Martin, & Brunner, 2011). Girls need exposure and mentorship from female STEM professionals to provide confirmation that they can succeed in STEM fields. The target audience include females who need access, opportunity, mentorship, and exposure to see themselves as an engineer or a scientist. To aid in the development of girls’ interest in STEM-related fields, this proposal includes an emphasis on mentorship. Girls who know a woman in a STEM profession are 32% more likely to feel empowered when they engage in STEM activities compared to girls who don’t know a woman in STEM (Microsoft, 2018). The uniqueness of this program is the focus on middle school females. Many programs focus on minorities and first-to-college students, but women are grossly underrepresented in engineering and agrisciences. During middle school, girls lose more interest in math and science compared to boys. Microsoft-sponsored research investigated why girls lose interest in STEM in middle school. Among middle school girls, 32% do not feel supported by their teachers and classmates in STEM classes (Microsoft, n.d). The proposed girls-only extracurricular and summer program(s) intends to provide a physically, socially, and emotionally safe environment where a girl’s strengths and opportunities are celebrated. Students who participate in extra-curricular STEM activities have a greater chance in choosing STEM-related fields in college (Dabney, et al. 2012). |
| Where would your project take place? | Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, UTC Teaching and Learning Garden, Jericho Farm, and food desert areas in Chattanooga |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 1350000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | April 4, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 3 years |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | The ANGELS Program will establish baseline measurements of subject matter skills, knowledge, and attitudes about leadership, career exploration, and demonstration of socioemotional competencies. Data collected through pre/post program evaluations will be used to assess the effectiveness of the curricula to increase student scientific and professional competencies. As part of curriculum refinement, this data will inform revisions to both curriculum-specific lessons and the overall curricula. Project leadership will work closely with statisticians to develop and implement relevant metrics of success for a comprehensive formative and summative evaluation of the program. Increased knowledge, acquisition of new skills, and improved attitudes and behaviors will be measured in pre- and post-testing and evaluations. Post-testing and surveys will be used to measure progress during the program phase. Evaluation and attendance data will be monitored continuously to inform planning, quality improvement, operational decisions, and to measure impact. Evaluation of the ANGELS Program will be conducted the first two-years by an independent evaluator, Dr. Marissa McElrone, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative assessments. Participants will be assessed at baseline and within one month following the intervention for all program evaluation measures. The primary outcome, to increase the interest of STEM-related careers among women and underrepresented minorities, will be evaluated through participant pre/post survey assessments measuring interest in STEM content and careers (Tyler-Wood et al., 2010). Additionally, ripple effect mapping, a qualitative program evaluation tool, will be used to explore participant perceptions of the impact of the ANGELS Program on themselves, their families, and their communities (Emery et al., 2015). Evaluations will be completed by program participants and facilitators at each session to identify opportunities for curriculum improvement, participant satisfaction, and participant engagement (behavioral and cognitive engagement) in each session (Chung et al, 2016). In addition to the academic evaluations, we will track the community impact over time to measure our progress. The program expects to recruit/retain 30 female middle school students per year. Milestones such as successful recruitment and program attendance of the target audience and collegiate and professional mentors will be reported quarterly and annually throughout the three-year execution of the program. Along with the program-developed pre- and post-educational assessments, interviews and focus groups, observations of activities, and project document reviews will be used to measure the results of the goals mentioned. The Evaluation Plan will assess how well the curricula created increases student scientific and professional competencies and under what circumstances. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | The project team will work with UTC’s post-award team to ensure accountability and transparency of the funds throughout the project’s life cycle. UTC’s Office of Research and Sponsored Program (ORSP) will provide financial management of the local budget in accordance with the University’s fiscal policies and procedures. ORSP will ensure accountability and transparency of the funds and will prepare the financial reports required. The project manager will provide documentation of project status and expenditures and ensure that credible project team members are recruited. Additionally, the program will be evaluated by an independent evaluator. In addition to the project management professional, Dr. Sandra C. Affare, other key personnel include Agri Science Engineer and Biologist, Dr. José M. Barbosa; Agri Scientist, Jade Clark; and Program Evaluator, Dr. Marissa McElrone. Dr. José Maria Ferreira Barbosa is a Professor in the Biology, Geology & Environmental Sciences department at UTC. Dr. Barbosa is a plant physiologist and molecular biologist with extensive experience in plant biochemical and molecular response to a myriad of environmental stresses. He brings extensive experience in agriculture research and crop production from many areas across the globe, including Cuba, several African countries, Europe, and the United States. Dr. Barbosa introduced the Teaching and Learning Garden at UTC in 2016 where he taught a course, Urban Gardening and Organoponics. Almost 100% of the food produced as result of students’ activities in the course is donated to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. Dr. Barbosa, with his research and passion for the Agri-sciences, will provide subject matter expertise in microbiology, chemistry, and environmental sciences. With his guidance, ANGELS Participants will learn canning techniques and will perform microbiological contamination tests on their food products to measure its shelf-life. Dr. Barbosa is key to setting up the community greenhouse and providing Urban Gardening education in the community. Agriscience Consultant, Jade Clark, will consult on strategies to garner community actions to support the food pantries and minimize the impacts of food deserts. Ms. Clark has managed research and development projects nationally and abroad. After more than ten years in industry, working for some of the top food companies in the world like Coca Cola, Danone and Nestle, Ms. Clark launched a consulting firm called Lunchbox Farms. The firm has been helping schools and organizations developing innovative farm-to-school programs since 2018 with strategies centered around students learning about agriculture and community actions to support healthier choices. Ms. Clark is committed to creating equitable and inclusive local food systems for future generations to eat, grow and learn. She is the current Director of Community Impact with AgLaunch, a company that focuses on attracting, starting, growing, and supporting new agricultural companies and initiatives. Ms. Clark’s experience is key to developing partnerships with local farms to ensure a deployable outcome to reduce the spans of food desserts in Chattanooga and surrounding areas. Program Evaluator, Dr. Marissa McElrone, is an Assistant Professor in UTC’s Department of Health and Human Performance, Master of Public Health program. Dr. McElrone is a nutrition and health equity researcher focused on exploring and addressing cultural, socioecological, and behavioral factors related to disparities in food and nutrition security through culturally relevant, community-based interventions. Her work primarily focuses on minority and underserved maternal and child populations (i.e., children, adolescents, mothers, and families). Dr. McElrone has extensive training and experience in curriculum development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination, and behavioral intervention and effectiveness trials. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | Community Haven formed alliances with People United for Change, Concerned Citizens for Justice, Eastdale Village Church, Renaissance Church, and Timber Ridge Apartments to provide two thousand pounds of food twice per month beginning in October 2015 to the Alton Park, Westside, Eastdale, and Timber Ridge communities. The program ended in February 2020. Leveraging these previously existing community partnerships, the ANGELS Program activities will benefit the community by continuing their efforts through providing a sustainable resource infrastructure for fresh fruit and vegetables in the interim and urban gardening in the long-term. In addition, the ANGELS Program will collaborate with UTC engineering students to build garden boxes as part of their service-learning activities (Fall 2022 – Spring 2023). These garden boxes will be donated to local citizens in the identified food deserts who desire to create gardens in their own backyards. A UTC Biology professor will provide urban gardening education to members in the community to help with growing their own fruit and vegetables. This sustainable effort (of growing their own natural fruit and vegetables) creates future opportunities for UTC Health and Human Performance studies to explore the reduction of minority health disparities in the same communities as a result. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy is located within one of the qualified food desert tracts identified in Chattanooga (Howell, 2019). The families of the girls participating in the program, the Community-Based Organization’s existing partnerships as well as the communities served will be a significant voice in attracting community buy-in for the ANGELS project. |
| Name | Dr. José M. Barbosa |
| Contact Information | jose-barbosa@utc.edu |
| Name | Jade Clark |
| Contact Information | 901-337-2338 |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | Dr. Affare’s research plan includes a continuous search for funding opportunities that support non-formal education projects that lead to STEM enhancements for minorities. With the funding provided through this City of Chattanooga American Rescue Plan proposal, Dr. Affare will be able to pilot the ANGELS Program and successfully demonstrate positive STEM educational strategies and outcomes. She plans to use the outcomes from this project to apply for future grants through the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Leveraging her current and future grant-writing efforts will strategically provide the foundation for a perpetual STEM Summer Camp and Enrichment program for middle school girls from disproportionately affected communities. The Bridge Scholars of Chattanooga offers an amazing summer enrichment program for middle school males. ANGELS would serve as a suitable compliment for middle school females. |