College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 2009 – 2010 ETF Expenditure Report The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers degree programs in a unique combination of disciplines incorporating the basic life sciences and applied agricultural sciences. The college offers 9 associate, 47 baccalaureate and 31 graduate degree programs to 5,833 students. In addition, the College serves the university community by offering general education science courses in biology, zoology, entomology, botany, biochemistry, microbiology, plant pathology, toxicology, genetics, food science, nutrition, poultry science, soil science, animal science, and crop science. With an emphasis on teaching about and with the latest technology, the Educational Technology Fund (ETF) is essential to the successful delivery of laboratory intensive courses. ETF dollars are crucial for meeting student Information Technology needs. CALS also provides ETF support for shared facilities in CHASS (Sociology & Anthropology) and PAMS (Chemistry/Biochemistry and Statistics). The College’s 2009 – 2010 ETF base allocation was $1,815,244 (including $374,144.00 for Biotechnology). The College received an additional one-time allocation of $106,080 to support replacement laboratory computers and new laboratory equipment for the Biological Sciences department. Students from CALS and from across the campus benefitted from these acquisitions. CALS also used $9,076 one-time monies from DUAP to support poster production for four NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposia. CALS coordinated and printed 2,460 research symposium posters. 1. Categorized ETF Expenditure Summary Expenditures reported in the narrative represent the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ departmental expenditures and do not include the Biotechnology ETF expenditures. An itemized list of expenditures by account code including the Biotechnology funds managed through CALS follows in Section 3 of this report. a. Personnel expenditures represented 16.7% of the CALS ETF allocation. ($258,416). $124,291 plus benefits were expended for professional support staff. At the College level a computer consultant position and computer instructional technologist were dedicated to providing better computing services to students. $95,599 plus benefits were spent for student-workers/staff. These individuals include computer lab proctors and “wet” laboratory student assistants. b. IT infrastructure, equipment and services (computing labs, networking, etc.) $359,569 or 23.1% was expended for IT infrastructure, equipment and services. This included replacing 53 Biology laboratory computers and purchasing an additional 110 computers integrated into 16 departmental and College-wide initiatives. Additional IT equipment included scanners, DVD burners/player, Flip cameras, video camera replacement and other digital equipment permitting students to integrate technology into their projects. One time funds allocated from CALS base funding were used by Soil Science to upgrade the GIS laboratory and by Horticultural Science for CAD. CAAT provided poster printing services for fall, spring and summer research symposia sponsored by the university. For 2009-10, the college printed 2460 posters. c. Non-IT infrastructure, equipment (experimental labs, wet labs, etc.) $798,867 or 51.4% of the allocation was spent for non-IT or laboratory equipment. Life Sciences invested in equipment teaching the latest technology. In addition, one-time funds allocated from the CALS base dollars enhanced and expanded available capacity in laboratory experiences for Genetics. d. Facilities (repairs and renovations etc.) $62,220or 3.9% was expended for repairs and maintenance of equipment. Microscopes and other laboratory equipment must be serviced in order to function properly in the laboratories. This cost ranges from $200 to $6,000 per scope. e. Discipline/instructional related field trips, professional development/experiences, travel, conferences, services etc. $77,775 or 4.9% was expended for travel. Funds support field trips to business and industry but primarily are used for transportation to off campus field facilities for hands-on laboratory experiences in biology, horticulture, zoology, plant biology, poultry science, entomology, and animal science. Students must travel to these sites in order to conduct laboratory work and view plant and animal specimens in their natural habitats. The students also learn the appropriate management techniques and implement the latest technological practices at the animal research facilities. 1 2. Justification/Purpose of Expenditures– strategic overview a. New and/or transformative initiatives undertaken with ETF Describe how your unit has used funds in progressive and innovative ways The College converted the Ricks Hall computer lab from one with workstations to a more appropriate student workspace meeting a variety of computing/technology user needs. Ag Ed invested in new Flip cameras for the AEE 526 course. This is new technology that teachers can use with their students and in the classroom. Entomology implemented Noldus Information Technology behavioral analysis software for ENT 591/791 Insect Behavior. Animal Science uses ETF funds to be able to allow students to gain hands-on experience at the Animal Educational Units (horse, beef, dairy, swine, metabolism, and small ruminant). For example, milk test or blood test kits allow students to learn real-life procedures for obtaining biological samples, to process the samples appropriately, and to interpret the results in a manner that will allow the students to learn to make management decisions similar to what would be encountered in an Animal Science career. Crop Science purchased additional supplies needed to enhance the W. T. “Bill” Fike Agronomy Teaching Field Lab and the Turfgrass Field Lab and to maintain an Agroecology Teaching Field Lab. These teaching facilities are extremely essential educational tools and served students in numerous Turfgrass Science, Agronomy and Field Crop Technology classes. Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences (FBNS) purchased several new pieces of equipment were purchased which will allow us to train our students in current analytical laboratory techniques. These include micropipettes for molecular work in microbiology and Minitab software for statistical quality control. Additional equipment to compliment current facilities was purchased to accommodate our groiwng student numbers. These include a demonstration mirror, spectrophotometers, pH meters, microscopes, rheometers, water baths, and culinary equipment. FBNS introduced a new aspect of process engineering via the purchase of an evaporation system. This equipment will be used at the undergraduate and graduate levels in both food and bioprocessing sciences. The new undergraduate major in Genetics was approved by UNC-GA for implementation in fall 2010. A new laboratory course required for Genetics majors, GN 425 (Advanced Genetics Laboratory), was offered for the first time in spring 2010. The 1512 laboratory space is used to teach both GN 312 and GN 425 and some basic equipment is shared between the two courses. The department’s 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 requests for one-time ETF funds included laboratory up-fit items for both courses. A new incubation system was installed in THM 1518 for the MB 352 Honors / Majors microbiology lab. Microbiology ETF contributed to the success of the freshman research experience of MB 210 Phage Hunters and MB 211 Phage Genomics. Microbiology enhanced content for MB(BCH) 101 Introduction to Microbiology and Biochemistry, and MB(BEC) 180 Introduction to Applied Bioprocessing, the summer SCIBLS course s for High School students taught in THM 1518 & 1522. Plant Biology purchased lap-top computers for two teaching laboratories. One laboratory supports courses on confocal microscopy and anatomy. The computers are used to capture images from microscope cameras and to manipulate images. The second laboratory supports systematics, ecology, and biodiversity courses. The laptops are used to run phylogenetic analyses and to access on-line systematics and herbarium resources. PB also purchased a nanodrop spectrophotometer for quantifying DNA by students and a stereomicroscope to add to a set for the confocal/anatomy lab. In Plant Pathology, the installation of 2 IBM Blade Centers will serve as computational machines for SNAP Workbench software portal for population genetic analyses. The blades are housed in the University High Performance Computing platform and will be used as a teaching tool. The addition of a microscope-mounted digital video camera has filled our projected image needs housed in 1406 & 1418 GA. Students can now view live video and capture images of subjects from macro-to microscopic sizes in an extremely efficient operation. Images are typically used in student and faculty presentations. 2 Poultry Science utilized ETF for educational supplies and equipment purchases (less than $5,000) to enhance the PO 011, 201, 405, 425, 435, and 495 (processing) laboratories necessary for student enrollment in these class associated laboratories. Specific equipment items included additional microscopes to accommodate increased student enrollment in PO 405 (Avian Physiology) laboratories. Soil Science, responded to employer feedback that our graduates needed more skills in analytical techniques in the field, so SSC expanded the available field instrumentation and training to measure a variety of properties and utilize GPS technology to handle the data. Describe how your unit continues to rethink and reassess use of funds to improve teaching/learning/business models to maintain nimbleness, adaptability, etc. In Biological Sciences, enrollment in introductory biology has doubled over the past 5 years. To provide the highest return on ETF investments in these courses we have rearranged the laboratory settings and schedule to accommodate as many students as possible within a physical laboratory. We also have moved instrumentation among laboratories and courses to allow maximum use of the instrumentation. We have introduced new approaches to teaching some of the labs to allow pairs and teams of students to use more expensive consumables and instrumentation without sacrificing the hands-on experience of the individual student. More CALS classrooms, laboratories and building open spaces are wireless. Thus students have opportunities for real time activities in class, can work anytime via their computers and are not reliant on computer laboratories. Laboratories are scheduled for classes from 5.3% to 30.7% of the time. However, Scott 105 is scheduled 25.4% of the time and has been designated as the preferred lab for instructors to use who integrate computer instruction into their classes. Other times are independent and group student project work. The capacity of GN 312 was increased to 20 sections in 2008-2009 (452 students) from the level of 14 sections in the previous year (329 students) resulting in more efficient use of the equipment and facilities. The 2008-2009 level was maintained in 2009-201 (464 students), but we will increase capacity again in 2010-2011by going to 22 sections of GN 312. The increase in GN 312 sections is part of a long term plan to work through the backlog of students who require this course so that it is possible for students to take it concurrently with Principles of Genetics (GN 311) in the second half of the sophomore year. Additional sections require additional resources. Poultry Science ETF committee conducted a student survey. Approximately 90% of the students indicated support for continuing upgrades in the teaching laboratories with emphasis on equipment to support new poultry processing initiatives and the poultry physiology laboratory (additional microscopes in particular for the latter). b. Actions taken to improve efficiency/return on ETF investments Describe your unit’s efforts to increase/maximize the value of ETF expenditures The replacement computers had higher processor speeds and increased memory so students are able to process data, design and manipulate graphics and multitask quicker and more efficiently. The college maintained the same operating hours within our student labs this year, which totaled 4253 total operating hours. This was accomplished by overlapping the Lab Assistant’s roaming schedules and the effort of the Multimedia Facilities Manager. These labs continue to be used for both student computing use and classes. However, no lab was scheduled for classes more than 25.4% of its available time. Overall, CALS labs were used more for classes this year than the previous year. When reasonable, purchases are made in bulk to reduce the unit cost. Annual scheduled maintenance is promoted to extend the functional life of equipment purchased with ETF funds. ETF equipment and supplies are purchased with ETF dollars and used in several different classes to get the most “life expectancy” from the high-end equipment. Entomology allocated a portion of the insect collections manager to focus on curation and improvement of teaching insect collections for use in laboratory courses (ENT 305,ENT 425, ENT 502, and ENT 503, ENT 525, ENT 010, ENT 032 and ENT 063). This effort was necessary to improve the quality of specimens available to students and to ensure their continued availability in future years. FBNS invests ETF funds in supplies, repair/replacement of required instrumentation and equipment, and new technologies that allow our undergraduate students to be trained on leading, but widely used, technologies and analytical methods. Cutting-edge, but less widely used, instrumentation is desirable especially with regard to 3 graduate education but can not be acquired with limited funds. Thus "largest impact per dollar spent" most fits our business model at this time. Although this year saw limited matching funds opportunities, we encourage this among our faculty as seen with last year's purchase of a HPLC with 75% of funds coming from non-ETF funds. Faculty research laboratories are not intended for teaching classes. The re-location of instructional labs to faculty research laboratories results in wear and tear on equipment purchased for research, not teaching. When ETF can match grant funds it helps with partial replacement of such equipment, or an equitable share of it in given labs for UG student researcher’s use. ETF funds continue to support an undergraduate computer facility in the horticulture student study lounge that was moved into a larger room in the building. Horticulture students use this computer lab to prepare numerous documents and projects in their horticulture classes. ETF funds have allowed for the continual improvement and expansion of these facilities. Two new computer stations have been added and a larger more efficient printer has been added to this facility. If not for the donations of plants, and additional supplies and materials made by private horticultural companies for specific course laboratories (Production of Floricultural Crops for example), our departmental ETF request would be that much greater. As a result, we have been able to maximize the value of the ETF expenditures. Full-time Microbiology SPA staff will now prepare all media and reagents for Microbiology instructional labs, eliminating or substantially reducing, temporary wages paid from ETF funds. This should increase resources available for direct ETF investments in the labs. Negotiated rates with Steris Corp. on autoclave and washer maintenance contracts have remained at prior year rates, with substantial savings on ETF expenditures. c. Unmet ETF-eligible needs Describe funding shortfalls for needs that could be funded by ETF The College’s 2009-2010 Base and One-time funds were approximately $427,000 short of the dollars requested by departments. Even with the 6% Base increase and the $106,080 One-time allocation for Biology lab computers numerous basic equipment, supplies and maintenance needs went un-met. CALS used its increase in Base allocation to adjust personnel lines as required; distribute minimal dollars to the departments for essential maintenance and repair; and funded 4 of 20 projects submitted by departments as priorities for 2009-2010. Increasing numbers of students in CALS and to the university challenges the College in providing sufficient numbers of well-equipped laboratories and field experiences. Funding challenges are not only in the introductory science courses but also in expensive, lab intensive upper division courses. An 11% increase of IT purchases over last year, resulted in a decrease of 9% for non-IT equipment. Most of these acquisitions were delayed over the past few years. The increase indicates that there is a need for more sophisticated IT equipment in “wet laboratories.” Sufficient funds are not available to meet needs in both IT and non-IT categories. Animal Educational Units (teaching farms) were transferred to the Animal Science Department at the end of the 2009/2010 academic year. The farms did not come with an operating budget, and it is anticipated that our ETF dollars will be essential for keeping these valuable teaching farms open and available to our students. Available funds were unable to meet replacement equipment and lab supply needs in Biological & Agricultural Engineering.. This issue became especially evident as our enrollment continued to grow. Without expanded funding in the future, basic supplies for popular lab courses (BAE 023, 033, 201 and 202) will not be available, dramatically effecting course quality. Crop Science needs microscopes for the new teaching resources lab and student library in Williams Hall. Additional supplies and equipment are needed for the Fike Teaching field lab and Agro-ecology field lab. Entomology continues to teach some classes in faculty research laboratories not intended for that purpose. This causes wear and tear on equipment purchased for research, not teaching, and disrupts the on-going research activities in the laboratories. Some funds are needed to help with partial replacement of such equipment or an equitable share of it in given labs. ETF funds have allowed us to purchase some up-to-date laboratory equipment and supplies for use in laboratory sections involving molecular genetics and biochemistry techniques; however, we continue to need additional equipment as well as high resolution microscopes with digital/video display capabilities for teaching graduate courses. 4 FBNS had several needs that went unmet due to funding shortfalls. These include drying equipment used in the meat, especially pork, industry; radio headsets for tours; access and use of a descriptive panel; spectrophotometers; and a PCR machine (or thermal cycler). Horticultural Science has increasing needs for transportation vehicles for travel to and from classroom to field laboratory between Kilgore Hall and our new greenhouse facility and at the Horticultural Field Laboratory. Students are able to learn how to operate this equipment during lab. The department envisions an increasing need for computer aided design. That would require the development of a computer aided design lab. The teaching committee and student representatives continue working to develop a plan and budget for this facility. Phase 1 was funded this year. The Department of Microbiology has unmet ETF needs to 1) enhance & maintain current laboratory courses; 2) develop new undergraduate Microbiology laboratory courses in advanced topics relevant to the biotechnology and public health interests of the state; and 3) develop new Masters of Microbial Biotechnology modules focusing on innovative diagnostic and therapeutic reagents that MMB graduates can bring to jobs in the local biotechnology sector. In all cases, new laboratory instrumentation and reagent supply resources are needed. Computing and computer-controlled instrumentation resources in the educational laboratory are required. In 07/08 academic year, Plant Biology purchased student microscopes and cameras to begin to establish a new microscopy laboratory in 2206 Gardner, to replace a shared laboratory no longer available to us. The lab is intended to be used for a graduate course in “Phycology”, as well as joint graduate/undergraduate courses on confocal microscopy and plant anatomy. We requested one-time funds to purchase additional microscopes and cameras in 08/09 and 09/10, but did not receive them. Lack of these items has prevented us from transitioning away from old equipment and giving students access to current microscope and imaging technology. The development of an international plant disease diagnostic facility continues to be hampered by the lack of funds to equip such a facility with modern technological equipment and microscopy systems. This facility would utilize state-of-the-art laboratory, visual and molecular apparati that would provide access to education and training in this important aspect of Plant Pathology in laboratory classrooms, national and international workshops and distance learning settings. The Poultry Science Department continues its effort to develop a poultry processing teaching laboratory at the Chicken Education Unit. This effort is in response to program assessment results noting the need for more trained students in this area of the poultry industry in NC and nationally. Mandated safety requirements associated with the development of such a laboratory are causing costs to exceed original projections. An estimated $ 5,000 would be required to meet this need. The Sociology & Anthropology allocation was about half of what was needed to replace aging laptop and desktop computers and to provide for replacement of consumables (paper and printer cartridges). Almost half our ETF machines are now at least four years old and we are taking one or two out of service each month With completion of the renovation of Soil Science’s two main undergraduate teaching laboratories, the opportunity exists to add new equipment to expand and improve the laboratory skills of students. One of these needs is a forced air convection oven for the soil fertility lab with a cost estimated at $3500. The lack of staff support for the overall teaching program often limits the intensity of some teaching activities, especially the field and laboratory components. Preparation of materials for labs, collection of soil materials from across the State, etc. are often less than desired. A staff person or instructor position would add needed continuity to the teaching program. d. Assessment of impact of ETF investments on student learning How and what does your unit measure to evaluate the effectiveness of ETF expenditures? CALS uses a multiple approach including: freshmen computer survey to determine needs; course evaluation questions relative to the laboratory experience are contained with each course evaluation; exit interviews of graduating seniors by the department head also address the student’s perceptions of the quality of the laboratory experience. A majority of students express a high degree of satisfaction with the laboratories that they participate in. While these assessments indirectly measure the effectiveness of ETF expenditures, we believe that they adequately reflect student perceptions. Career Services employer surveys and feedback from professional and graduate schools indicated that students generally are meeting expectations in the work place and in graduate and professional schools. Inadequacies are also pointed out. ETF investments in equipment and improved processes address these learning deficiencies. 5 In brief, what is your unit’s assessment of the impact of ETF investments on student learning CALS students are continuing to use large-format printers to create professional presentations for classes, symposiums and conferences. Quality posters provided students with a professional means to disseminate their research including posters for four undergraduate symposia, SCIBLS, graduate presentations and the undergraduate teaching symposium. Several won awards. The poster and/or presentation represent the culmination of student learning experiences as they demonstrate a thorough understanding of the science and its application. The explosive development in information technology has provided a new dimension to training in toxicology through the availability and use of bioinformatics tools. ETF funds have provided students the resources to learn new approaches in bioinformatics, generate new information using bioinformatics and biotechnological applications, and interact, both electronically and in person, with leaders in toxicological bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is only one area of impact. Every department echoes similar outcomes when ETF resources are invested in the learning process. ETF investments were invaluable to student learning in a variety of settings including the laboratories where computer workstations are used substantially to enhance learning. Additionally, ETF funding enabled students to engage in experiential, hands-on learning with state of the art equipment at on-campus sites as well as during laboratory-related off-campus field trips. Employers, graduate and professional schools indicate that graduates tend to be better prepared from our institution because they are educated on state of the art equipment and learn scientific procedures and process through hands-on experiences. e. Planning and review process Describe your internal review process and level of student participation Each Department conducts its own planning and review process, often along with professional assessments such as NIFA, NCATE, ABET and other accrediting agencies. The College uses a team approach for identifying, prioritizing and assessing ETF needs. The College team includes: Dr. Barbara M. Kirby, Associate Director for Academic Programs; Dr. Gerry Luginbuhl, Assistant Director of Academic Programs; Ms. Leigh Jay Hicks and Ms. Katie Lynch, CAAT; Dr. Andy Hale, Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Dr. Stephanie Curtis, Genetics Department; Dr. Jan Spears, Crop Science Department; and Ms. Kristen Baughman, President of AgriLife Council. The Academic Programs office directors and manager meet with the CALS budget office to monitor ETF funding. The administration discusses ETF issues with AgriLife Council members. Each of the 20 departmental committees includes the undergraduate and graduate coordinators, faculty members and students. Departments submit ETF requests to the CALS ETF web site. The site is open for review. The College committee reviews the requests and recommends allocations to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. Each Department reports its expenditures annually to the College. Each year the need far exceeds the available funds by nearly $500,000. Every effort is made to provide funds for courses, equipment maintenance and computing. A small amount is allocated for new initiatives when possible. List the names of all students involved with your ETF committee: Agricultural and Extension Education: Justin Harris, Lauren Mouton, Emma Sue Phelps, Kevin Curry; Animal Science: Justin Fix and Kent Gray, Ph.D. Candidates, Tria M. Metzler, SAS Senior and Pre-Vet club President, Martha Payne, SAS Senior and Animal Science Club President; Katherine R. “Katie” Pesta, IAS Freshman; Agriculture Resource Economics: Catlin Lowe, Kerri Perez, James Cousar; Biological and Agricultural Engineering: undergraduates Kevin Langdon and Amy Byrd; Biology/Zoology: Will Fields, Lindsey Glass, Allison Lyrerly, Lauren Shute; Biochemistry: Volunteer students; Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutritionals Sciences: Marjorie Griffiths (undergraduate), Suzanne Johanningsmeier (graduate); Genetics: Alejandro Merchan and Juan Rosario; Horticultural Science: Christopher Hart Horticulture Club President, Matt Swaim PLANET Team Captain, Hunter Casey, Horticulture Club Vice President, Katherine Pound Horticulture Club, David Hoffman, Student at large; Entomology: (Club President and VP) Diane Silcox and Rachel Katz; Micobiology: Graduate Student TAs; Poultry Science: Poultry Science Club officers April Lee, Catherine Smith, Lauren Mabry, Ebony Harris, Jenna Shaw, Will Varner, Bayne Hinshaw, and Chason Hancock.; Sociaology & Anthropology: Nicholas Solebello; Environmental and Molecular Toxicology: GSA representatives John House, Paul Ray, and Edward Croom. Other Departments report including students enrolled in courses in equipment/facilities assessments. The College and Departmental ETF end-of-year expenditure reports for last fiscal year (2009-10) are available for student review upon request. All ETF expenditure reports will be posted to the Provost’s website and will be accessible by anyone who has a campus unity ID. In addition, the CALS ETF 2009-10 expenditure report may be viewed by selecting the College Home page http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/ Select For Faculty and Staff then ETF. A unity ID and login is required to access the ETF report. For questions, please contact Barbara_Kirby@ncsu.edu 6 3. Fiscal Report: Itemized List of Expenditures by Account Code CALS Base Allocation: CALS One-time Allocation: DUAP UG Research Posters Biotechnology Allocation: TOTAL Object Code and Expense Category 511xx EPA Non-teaching Salaries $1, 441, 100 $ 106, 080 $ 9, 076 $ 374, 144 (See Biotechnology Report) $1, 930, 400 Descriptions EPA non-teaching Computing Consultant I CALS 59,740. 2,933 62,673 12,953 77,504 0.00 187,098 187,098 99,599 12,182 111,781 34,526 25,072 59,598 258,416 240,238 498,654 1,527 0 1,527 978,801 114,1801 1,092,982 73,858 0 73,858 48,665 7,879 56,544 60,660 12,598 73,258 133,576 0 133,576 1,297,087 134,658 1,431,746 64,551 512xx SPA Employee Salaries 513xx EPA Teaching Salaries EPA Academic 514xx Temporary Wages Student Employees Benefits for Permanent and student Employees 518xx Staff Benefits TOTAL PERSONNEL 519xx Contracted Services 52xxx Supplies and Materials 53xxx Current Services - travel 53xxx Current Services Honorariums; Repair/service personnel Lab equipment; Educational supplies; 42 replacement computers; dept. computers; Equip/software < $5000 Motor pool, Field trips; Network charges and data services; freight & express; computer/micro services; lab service agree Total Allocation BIOTECH Lab/course printing 54xxx Fixed Charges Repair & maintenance contracts for equipment & scopes Tech Support & maintenance SSC equipment, equip. insurance 55xxx Capital Outlay TOTAL NON-PERSONNEL Hardware & Software/systems; Scientific laboratory equipment TOTAL EXPENDITURES* 1,555,504 374,896 1,930,400 *Due to end of year restriction BIT unable to JV from dept. account to correct post error. CALS ETF paid. DUAP UG Research Posters costs of $9076 JV to CALS ETF. 7