UCCE advisors and specialists invited to Extension Showcase Nov. 19

The Graduate Students in Extension invite all UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists to an Extension Showcase on Nov. 19 at UC Berkeley. The aim is to connect graduate students who are interested in working for UCCE with UCCE academics who are interested in mentoring them. The event will be held in 103 Mulford Hall from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Bill Frost, associate vice president, will kick off the event. UCCE academics are invited to give a lightning talk on their work or prospective research and to meet with interested students.

Advisors and specialists from all disciplines are welcome to participate regardless of whether they have an appropriate 3- to 12-month project in mind or are simply interested in getting involved. Talks will be followed by topic-specific breakout sessions and a happy hour at 5 p.m. 

GSE program

The Graduate Students in Extension pilot program at UC Berkeley facilitates Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists to mentor current graduate students to conduct applied research and develop extension products. The three-year program, now in its final year, is intended to train graduate students for careers in extension research and outreach. This is also a great way for advisors and specialists to receive research assistance at a quarter of the price of a normal Graduate Student Researcher! 

Students work with UCCE personnel on projects and products for a summer, one or two semesters or a full calendar year. To support the student, ANR provides 50%, UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources provides 25%, and CE advisor/specialist or other mentors are responsible for the remaining 25% (For details on the funding structure please refer to this year's Request for Applications on the GSE website). However, if a UCCE advisor does not have funds to cover 25%, there is an opportunity this year for advisors to apply for funds that will cover this portion. 

The GSE program is available to graduate students in all departments within the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley, which includes students in Environmental Science Policy & Management (ESPM), the Energy & Resources Group (ERG), Nutritional Science & Toxicology (NST), Agricultural Resources & Economics (ARE) and Plant Microbiology (PMB). 

Getting involved

To RSVP for the Extension Showcase, please email Matthew Shapero at matthewshapero@berkeley.edu by Nov. 6. If you are unable to attend the Nov. 19 showcase but would like to connect with students, please send a paragraph to matthewshapero@berkeley.edu describing your work and potential research so it can be included in the literature for the event. 

Travel support may be available for CE advisors and specialists to travel to Berkeley for the event. In your RSVP, please note if you need travel support.

As the pilot program comes to a close, the GSE steering committee will conduct a formative assessment to propose continuation and model changes of the program to Frost. For more information about the Graduate Students in Extension pilot program, visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/GGCE or contact Vanessa Murua at Vanessa.murua@ucop.edu.

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