Alaina Despenas participated in Iowa State University's Science with Practice program.

2017 Dec 18

Alaina Despenas, majoring in Agricultural Studies at Iowa State University, was a participant in Science with Practice this fall. Science with Practice is a learning and work experience program in research and related laboratories for undergraduate students. Students work closely with faculty and graduate students to gain experience in their field of study.

Students are able to conduct research and form mentoring relationships with faculty while earning money and academic credit. The program allows students to develop an understanding of the links between research and practical real-world situations and problems.

Despenas was advised by Dr. Awoke Dollisso, lecturer in agricultural education and studies, on a project titled "Analyzing student’s awareness and opinions on globalization." This project had Alaina collecting data from over 65 student papers. The student papers responded to a globalization case study. The point of the collection was to organize, then analyze the findings while making correlations. Alaina captured opinions, new perspectives, and obvious statements then pieced it together for final perspectives.

In total, nearly 20 undergraduate students and mentors participated in the program during fall 2017. As part of the program, students establish individualized learning agreements with faculty mentors, create a final portfolio and complete biweekly journals of their semester progress. The semester concludes with a public poster presentation where students share their projects and experiences.

The Science with Practice program, administered through the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, has linked students with faculty research since spring 2005. Students may participate in the program multiple semesters.

This program is funded by the ISU Agricultural Endowment Board, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Van Wert Family Endowment.