Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Timely tips for the Arkansas home gardener.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
May 17, 2023
By Brittaney MannU of A System Division of Agriculture
(665 words)
Download related PHOTO
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Entomologist Rupesh Kariyat developed a summer externship program with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to empower Hispanic student researchers of agriculture and food science.
The project aims to provide students the training necessary to work in agriculture. Kariyat, associate professor of crop entomology for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, received a $481,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates program to fund the summer externship for three years.
The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. Kariyat also works with the Cooperative Extension Service and teaches courses through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
Kariyat said he was inspired to develop this program for two primary reasons: alleviating the shortage of skilled people in agriculture and food sciences jobs and addressing the underrepresentation of Hispanic people in those fields.
“I am looking forward to seeing that the students have a great experience — the best experience so far in their career,” Kariyat said.
Six to eight undergraduate students who are two years into a biology, chemistry or environmental science program will attend the University of Arkansas summer session in Fayetteville. The program will pay for travel and any tuition costs, and students will receive a $4,000 stipend for their work. The grant also provides funds for collaborating faculty members to receive a small stipend and purchase supplies.
Kariyat is collaborating with Bradley Christoffersen, assistant professor in the department of biology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Christoffersen will receive $30,000 of the grant as a stipend for his work to help with recruitment and to fund an orientation for the students before they leave Texas.
Kariyat originally designed the grant program while at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. When he joined the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in 2022, he adapted the grant to Arkansas while maintaining the parts he thought were most important.
“I thought it would be a good idea to keep the core idea of the grant impact, which is to empower Hispanic students,” Kariyat said.
Students will work Monday through Friday, from May 22 to July 28, to complete a short-term research project in the lab of their choosing with collaborating faculty members.
Kariyat said he hopes the research and data that students generate will lead to a research poster or even be part of a research manuscript. “That would be helpful for the students, so some science comes out of it, interpersonal relationships, exposure for the students and myself. All these things.”
Kariyat said he also hopes that the students will consider the university for graduate school after spending a summer at the University of Arkansas.
Arkansas faculty collaborators for the year 2023 include:
Kariyat said he thinks this undergraduate opportunity may parallel his experience joining the Division of Agriculture.
“I was amazed by the Division of Agriculture and all these resources that we have,” Kariyat said reflecting on when he attended a faculty orientation program, the “Teaching, Research and Extension Awareness Training” program under the leadership of Nathan McKinney, associate vice president for agriculture and assistant director of the experiment station.
“I am also looking forward to meeting with all these different faculty and different programs on campus,” Kariyat said. “I hope that this will lead into more interactions for me and others together, and then maybe it will lead into writing more grants like this.”
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices.
Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
# # #
Media Contact: Nick Kordsmeier479-575-6368nkordsme@uark.edu