UNIT REVIEW FOR CY 2012
Unit Name: School of Plant Sciences
Unit Head: Karen S. Schumaker
Date of review: March 21, 2013
1
Cooperative Extension System
Total Extension FTE: 5.39
List Extension programs:
• Desert Turfgrass Management (Kopec)
• Plant Disease Identification and Management (Matheron)
• Weed Management (McCloskey)
• Plant Disease Diagnosis (Olsen)
• Cultural Practices for Field Crops (Ottman)
• Turfgrass Management (Pessarakli)
• Environmental Horticulture/Stewarding the Campus Arboretum (Quist)
• Controlled Environment Agriculture (Rorabaugh)
• Nursery and Specialty Crop Management (Schuch)
• Cropping Systems Management (Wang)
• Commercial Citrus and Deciduous Fruit Crop Management and Grower
Education (Wright)
2
Research
Total Research FTE: 19.75 FTE
Number of peer-reviewed publications in the unit and per faculty FTE: 71, 3.59
Number of proposals submitted to federal agencies: FY2012 = 54
List of agencies submitted to:
NSF
USDA – NIFA and AFRI
NIH
DOE
DOD
USAID
Number of successful proposals and list of agencies funding these:
42 Grants Awarded:
NSF, USDA, NIH, DOE, Cotton Inc., United States Golf Association, National
Park Service, AZ Grain Research Promotional Council, SunGrant, AZ Dept. of
Agriculture
Number of commercial contracts and list of companies: None
Total research expenditures for FY12: $16,767,096
3
Intellectual property data
Disclosures: 1
Provisional Patents: 1 (Filed)
Patents: 1
Licenses:
Companies spun out:
4
Academic Programs
A. Instruction
Total Teaching FTE: 7.14
Total student credit hours taught by department towards CALS degrees:
Undergraduate graduation rates:
4 year: 46.6%
6 year: 51.6%
Freshman retention rate for each degree:
Program
Plant Sciences
Plant Sciences
Plant Sciences
Crop Production
Crop Production
Semester students
entered
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Number of Returned
1st year
Students
9
100.0%
6
100.0%
5
3
100.0%
1
Returned
2nd year
88.9%
5
Academic Programs (cont.)
A. Instruction
List Masters degrees and numbers of graduate students in each degree:
Plant Sciences:
Plant Pathology:
2
2
List Doctoral degrees and numbers of graduate students in each degree:
Plant Sciences:
Plant Pathology:
14
8
6
Academic Programs (cont.)
A. Instruction (cont.)
List Undergraduate majors and option, and give numbers of students in
each option:
Description of Major
Number students enrolled
Plant Sciences (no sub-plans)
32
Crop Production*
Agronomy
8
Turf Science
1
Undeclared subplan
7
Sustainable Plant Systems
Agronomy
2
Turf Science
1
Environmental Horticulture
7
Controlled Environment Agriculture 0
Food Safety
1
Undeclared subplan
12
Total
71
*Phased out in 2012-replaced by Sustainable Plant Systems
7
B. Winter/Summer Program
List courses offered in summer/winter, enrollment #, completion #:
(If desired, this can be submitted as an embedded excel
spreadsheet; please submit the excel sheet with the excel file)
Course Number
Course Title
Semester/Term
Instructor
Enrolled/
Completed
Format
PLS 465/565
Post-harvest Physiology
Summer 11 (2)
Kubota & Fonseca
10/10
Online
MIC 424
Virology Laboratory
Summer 12 (2)
Fane
5/5
Laboratory
PLS 170C1
Plants and Our World
Pre-session 12
Sieberg
20/20
Online
PLS 170C1
Plants and Our World
Summer 12 (1)
Sieberg
19/19
Online
PLS 170C1
Plants and Our World
Winter 11
Sieberg
13/13
Online
PLS 170C1
Plants and Our World
Winter 12
Sieberg
25/25
Online
8
C. Outreach College or Alternative Programs
List certificate programs, study abroad, executive and continuing education
and/or other programs offered through Outreach College and define the goals of
the various programs:
None
List courses offered through Outreach College, current enrollments, and
anticipated enrollments
Course Number
PLS
270
Course Title
Golf & Sport Turfgrass
Management
Semester
Instructor
PLS
Citrus Production
Physiological Plant Production
in Controlled Environments
S12
Wright
6
PLS
403
475A/
575A
S12
Kubota
3
PLS
300
Applied Weed Science
S12
Tickes
12
PLS
306
Crop Production
F12
Silvertooth
11
PLP
305
Plant Pathology
S11
Matheron
11
S08, S09 Kopec
Enrollment
2
9
Graphical representations of numbers of undergraduate, masters and Ph.D.
degrees conferred per year since 2000
Undergraduate
20
Number of degrees
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2000
9
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
M.S.
2006
8
8
7
7
6
6
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Ph.D.
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
10
List the undergraduate and graduate courses that will be taught spring 2013 through
spring 2014 (3 semesters and summer/winter), and the name of the instructor for
the course. Do not list house numbered courses. Indicate if courses are: online (O),
hybrid/blended (HB; partial online) and/or face to face (FTF). Indicate the semester
in which they are offered: (Fall (F), Spring (S), Winter (W), Summer I (SI), Summer II
(SII), Pre-session (PS), evening (E), weekend (W)
Course
Semester Title
PLS 170C1
S , F, S
Plants and Our World
PLS 170C1
F
Plants and Our World (Honors section)
PLS 170C2
F
Introductory Biotechnology
PLS 195A
F
Colloquium
PLS 217
F
Intro to Hydroponics & CEA + Laboratory
PLS 235
S
Intro to Horticulture
PLS 240
F
Plant Biology Lecture & Laboratory
PLS 270
S
Golf and Sport Turfgrass Management
PLS 312
S
Animal & Plant Genetics
PLS 330
F
Plant Propagation, Production and Management
PLS 340
F
Introduction to Biotechnology
PLS 359
F
Plant Cell Structure and Function
PLS 359L
F
Plant Cell Structure and Function Laboratory
PLS 360
S
Plant Growth and Physiology
PLS 361
S
Principles of Plant Physiology Laboratory
PLS 397B
S
Workshop: Advanced Hydroponics
PLS 436/536 (ENTO)
S
Agro-Ecology
PLS 440/540
F
Mechanisms in Plant Development
PLS 448/548
F
Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering
No Summer, Winter or Pre-Session classes are currently scheduled
Instructor
Quist
Ray
Feldmann
Ray, McCloskey, Galbraith
Rorabaugh
Quist
Smith
Kopec
Ray
Quist & Schuch
Feldmann
Palanivelu
Palanivelu
Mosher
Rhoads
Rorabaugh
Walker & Carriere
Schumaker
Schmidt & Herman
Format
O
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
11
List the undergraduate or graduate courses that will be taught spring 2013 through
spring 2014 (3 semesters and summer/winter), and the name of the instructor for
the course. Do not list house numbered courses. Indicate if courses are: online (O),
hybrid/blended (HB; partial online) and/or face to face (FTF). Indicate the semester
in which they are offered: (Fall (F), Spring (S), Winter (W), Summer I (SI), Summer II
(SII), Pre-session (PS), evening (E), weekend (W) (cont.)
Course
Semester Title
PLS 455
F
Turfgrass Management
PLS 472/572 (ECOL)
S
Systematic Botany
PLS 483/583
F
Controlled Environment Systems
PLS 497F
S, F, S
Community Garden
S
PLS 498
Senior Capstone
PLS 565
F
Next-Gen Sequencing Analysis
PLS 595B
F
Current topics in Plant Sciences - Advanced
PLS 695A
S
School of Plant Sciences Journal Club
S , F, S
School of Plant Sciences Seminar
PLS/PLP 596A
MIC 328R
S
Microbial Physiology
PLP 150C1
S
Mushrooms, Mold and Man
PLP 305
F
Introduction to Plant Pathology
PLP 305
S
Introduction to Plant Pathology
PLP 329A
F
Microbial Diversity
PLP 427/527 R
F
General Mycology
PLP 428L/528L
S
Microbial Genetics Laboratory
PLP 428R/528R
S
Microbial Genetics Lecture
PLP 550
F
Principles of Plant Microbiology
PLP 596B
S,F,S
Current topics in Microbial Biology
No Summer, Winter or Pre-Session classes are currently scheduled
Instructor
Pessarakli
McMahon (ECOL)
Giacomelli
Marston
TBD
B. Wang
Schumaker
Palanivelu / Yadegari
VanEtten
Fane
Pryor
Pryor
Matheron
Arnold
Orbach
Baltrus
Baltrus
TBD
Orbach
Format
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
HB
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
FTF
12
List courses that will not be taught or will be eliminated as a result of insufficient
faculty for instruction
Semester
Course
Number
Course Title
Spring
PLS 463/563
Post-Harvest Physiology,
Tech and Safety
Spring/Fall
PLS 696
Interdisciplinary Seminar
Spring
PLS 361
Plant Physiology Lab
Winter
PLS 170C1
Plants and Our World
Summer
PLS 170C1
Plants and Our World
13
Number of undergraduate students in the unit involved in:
i.
research experiences: 102 (18 Volunteers, 22 Credit, 62 Pay)
ii.
extension experiences: 1
iii. internships: 1
14
New academic programs, efforts planned with Outreach College,
certificate programs or new online courses or degrees, or new courses planned
for Winter or Summer Sessions and how these changes support your strategic plans
Strong effort to develop online courses, one of the key action items in SPLS
Strategic Goal One
• Several courses (PLS 359, PLS 360, PLS 428) are utilizing online instruction tools
• Participation in USDA grant (submitted by Randy Burd and Matt Mars) to
develop and offer online courses for UA South
• Planned submission to the OIA Online Education Project (Option D) for
development of additional online courses to be offered in term and in
summer/winter sessions
• The Curriculum/Teaching Committee is developing online certificate
programs through the Outreach College to engage students and
professionals globally
15
New academic programs, efforts planned with Outreach College,
certificate programs or new online courses or degrees, or new courses planned
for Winter or Summer Sessions and how these changes support your strategic plans
Exploring a new undergraduate degree in Biotechnology
• Degree will support our strategic plan by integrating research experiences
into classroom teaching and increasing the number of students in SPLS
majors; additionally, it will prepare students for 21st century employment
opportunities
• As a first step, we have developed a new 400/500 level “Plant
Biotechnology” course, which is currently undergoing the approval process
• Degree will enhance undergraduate education at the UA and position CALS
as a leader in one of Arizona’s growth industries
16
List the top 5 employers of your graduates:
•
•
•
•
•
Universities (Postdoctoral research)
Professional Schools ( Medical / Dental)
Industry (Horticulture/Golf Courses/Parks & Recreation
Government
Schools (K-12)
17
Describe company, corporation or industry interactions your unit has had this past
year including advisory boards, individual faculty/industry research projects,
and classroom or curricular participation
Advisory Boards:
Northern California Golf Association
Golf Course Association of Arizona
Research Boards:
Yulex Corporation
Arizona Citrus Council
California Citrus Research Board
Research Collaborations:
With corporations and the agricultural industry
18
Alumni and Development history and plan for CY13:
Mission
The current economic outlook mandates that departments and faculty
members more effectively obtain research/education funds via traditional
and nontraditional avenues; the mission of the newly established
Development/Fundraising Committee is to facilitate this process
History
Communication between the School and the CALS' offices of Development
and Alumni affairs has been informal -- potential donors may not have
been identified
Communication between faculty members within the School has been
informal -- we are not maximizing are own resources
Communication with School alumni has been informal -- potential donors
may not have been identified
19
Alumni and Development history and plan for CY13:
Actions and Goals
Within the College. Inform the CALS Development Office and Gift Center about our
research/educational activities and their real-word applications to identify potential
donors
Status – data has been gathered and sent to CALS Development office
Within the School. Better communication
Faculty are successful with: 1) garnering grants from traditional funding agencies
(NSF, NIH, USDA), 2) serving on grant review panels, 3) soliciting funds from nontraditional sources (e.g. grower associations and seed companies); in addition, there
is wide scientific expertise and specialized equipment within the School, which is
under-utilized.
Status – database will be developed asking faculty members to review grant
proposals, lead funding workshops, and/or scientifically advise colleagues
informally or via formal collaborations
With School Alumni. On-going communication
Send School newsletters twice a year, focus on student achievements
20
Review your unit’s organizational structure, including your unit’s business
office structure:
21
Unit or college or university or other issues, concerns, and trends that you consider
important over the next 5 years:
Two priority issues
• Lack of funds for graduate education
High ERE rates, lack of institutional support for RAships, reductions in/limited
numbers of/uncertainty regarding reliability of TA support (college, university)
• Limits on new faculty hires (especially with respect to start-up funds at the
college, university levels)
Additional key issues
• Need recognition and leadership role consistent with faculty participation in
undergraduate Microbiology major (college)
• Lack of funds for equipment maintenance (college, university) (e.g., electron
microscope, service contracts for teaching and research equipment)
• Lack of bridge funds (school, college)
• Lack of incentives for faculty (college, university; e.g., return of IDC)
• Concerns regarding salary equity within the School (college)
22
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012:
Visioning/School Structure
•
Held more than 10 faculty discussions to identify and discuss School priorities
•
Completed a faculty-led, CALS-mandated Strategic Planning Three document
•
Established new faculty committees to better reflect School priorities (e.g.,
Research Strategic Planning, Recruitment/Outreach, Development/Fundraising
•
Assigned faculty to School committees based on faculty preferences
•
Began committee-driven monthly faculty meetings
•
Established faculty consensus on hiring priorities for the School
•
Started weekly e-mails to faculty on campus and throughout the State (action
items and information focused on promoting productivity, research,
instruction and outreach)
•
Prepared the first annual School newsletter (mailed in January 2013)
•
Developing faculty database for the CALS Development Office
23
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012:
Enhancing Research
•
Continued a record of award winning success by faculty, including national,
international, and intramural awards
•
Planned the first annual School Research Retreat (took place in January 2013)
•
Planned monthly faculty research lunches (began in February 2013)
•
Added three faculty to the School as joint or adjunct
•
Developed School Journal Club (began in January 2013)
Research faculty attended 2013 Ag Summit and began first research discussion
with colleagues in Yuma
• Grant submissions up ∼ 60% in FY 13 (July through March; 73 applications,
$30.8 M) compared to the same period in FY 12
•
24
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012:
Expanding Instruction/Recruitment/Outreach Activities
•
Reviewed and enhanced undergraduate curricula in three majors (Plant
Sciences, Sustainable Plant Systems, Microbiology)
•
Graduated substantive number of doctoral and Master's students
•
Recruited outstanding students, including a National Science Foundation
Graduate Fellow
•
Participated in numerous undergraduate recruiting/outreach activities,
including: Meet Your Major and the Department of Molecular and Cellular
Biology/School of Plant Sciences joint Vision to the Future/Tucson Festival
of Books
•
Publicized SPLS undergraduate courses during the spring and fall registration
periods
•
Promoted PLS and Sustainable Plant Systems majors in area high schools and
within UA and in Yuma
25
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012:
Expanding Instruction/Recruitment/Outreach Activities
• Encouraged community outreach by faculty at a new level, with significant
participation in events that collectively reached thousands of citizens
(FunFest, BioBlitz, Plant Sciences Family Night, Southern Arizona
Regional Science and Engineering Fair)
• Expanded role of graduate student club to increase camaraderie among
students and between students and faculty
• Exploring joint degree programs with international partners
26
2013 Ag Summit
2013 SPLS Research Retreat
27