Data-Driven Agriculture Summer Research Experience Sows and Reaps Student Success

Summer 2024 marked the conclusion of the data-driven agriculture Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates (REEU) hosted by UHM’s College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resilience (CTAHR). Jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the program combined agricultural research and extension and data science over the course of four summers to shape the futures of 33 students.

The REEU was launched in 2019 by Program Director Dr. Nhu Nguyen, faculty in the Department of Tropical Plant & Soil Sciences, who eventually transferred leadership of the program to Dr. Tai Maaz. “We focused on training and skill development, then applied those skills to real research projects,” explained Maaz. Offering students a collaborative research opportunity to develop skills in biological and soil-related analysis techniques, the REEU was structured as a summerly cohort consisting of approximately ten students, half of which came from the biological sciences and the other half from data science.

Students worked with diverse maize genotypes, measuring phenotypic traits and applying statistical and machine learning techniques to their research. Joseph Carmelo Averion, a UHM Information and Computer Sciences major and member of the 2023 cohort, explained, “Our research project approach was experimental, where we grew various maize (corn) types based on shade, drought, and normal conditions. We collected data every day on every plant’s visible features while it was growing, then when its fourth leaf stopped growing, we stopped its growth and collected data on its roots. After the data collection, our group was split into duos to explore a data point that seemed interesting to us and apply the data science methods to them.”

The program ran for nine weeks each summer, with a rigorous schedule that began with a 9:00 a.m. daily learning session. UHM Natural Resources and Environmental Management major India Ching participated in 2022 and elaborated, “I liked that this program provided hands-on field, lab, and research experiences that were cohort-based, as well as the opportunity to go on field trips every week!” Each summer culminated in presentations of the cohort’s projects at UROP’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium. “Presenting our posters was very fulfilling especially as it was the product of our hard work,” explained 2023 participant Danielle Yamagata-Santos (Tropical Agriculture and the Environment: Plant Production and Management major), continuing, “Seeing the other students in my REEU cohort excited to talk about their projects was really great to see and an overall fun experience!”

Overall, the program led to several intellectual and professional breakthroughs for many of the students. Bryceson Tugade, a participant from UH West O‘ahu and Leeward Community College transfer student, stated that after participating in the REEU, “I became confident within a heavy academic and professional space. Coming from Leeward, I was having doubts about my ability to perform as a community college student. However, following this program, with cohort and mentor support, opportunities elsewhere were not met with doubt.” Keilah Wilkes, a UHM Biological Engineering major, stated that her participation “allowed me to apply for research grants and jobs with research experience, provided me with a solid network of mentors, and given me a lot of experiential knowledge about the field of biological engineering.”

In the wake of the REEU’s conclusion last summer, Dr. Maaz and the other program staff are brainstorming ways to continue offering valuable data-driven agriculture research experiences to future students.