FOCUS ON
CAUSES MONTHLY
PROGRAMS
Welcome to the CAUSES Monthly. This issue celebrates our 2013 graduates and our community education programs. The dual mission of CAUSES to “…offer research based academic and community outreach programs that improve the quality of life and economic opportunity of people and communities in the District of Columbia, the nation, and the world” benefits both our students and local residents.
Our students benefit from the hands-on learning opportunities that our community education programs offer to residents in the diverse neighborhoods of the District. And our community education programs benefit from the energy and experience that our students contribute to elementary and high schools, senior citizen centers and 4H clubs.
CAUSES connects the dots – and not only between academic and community outreach programs, but across programs as well. For example, what does urban agriculture have to do with nursing? And what does architecture have in common with environmental science? This issue of the CAUSES Monthly gives many examples of these connections. The nursing profession is increasingly concerned with health prevention; healthy eating habits play an essential role in prevention; yet even the best diet is of no use if the food itself is low in nutrients. Reducing the distance and time our food travels, changing food growing methods to increase nutrient density, and redesigning neighborhoods so they include spaces for urban agriculture are important aspects of solving our public health problems from obesity to diabetes to food allergies and environmental toxin.
Please let us know how CAUSES can help to connect the dots in your neighborhood to make it more livable
and economically viable.
The Land-Grant Division of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science of the University of the District of Columbia (CAUSES) offers research-based community outreach, education and certification programs that improve the quality of life and economic opportunity of people and communities in the District of Columbia. Programs are delivered through five centers:
Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening
Education;
Center for Sustainable Development which includes
the Water Resources Research Institute;
Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health which includes
the Institute of Gerontology;
Center for 4-H and Youth Development;
Architectural Research Institute.
The Centers offer such diverse services as nutrition education in schools, food safety certifications for those interested in food related careers, green business development workshops, assistance with farmers markets and community gardens, and assessment services that determine soil and water quality, lead contamination and other environmental hazards. In 2012 the five Centers offered over 2,000 programs for more than 39,000 enrolled participants, operated in over 40 DC schools and 20 faith communities, and reached over 300,000 people in all Wards of the District of Columbia. This constitutes a 40% increase of outreach activities since 2011 and exemplifies our commitment to serving the residents of the District of Columbia.
Students enrolled in the academic programs of CAUSES can earn internships and summer employment in the five Land-grant Centers to enhance their learning experience and gain marketable skills. A brief description of the programs and services offered by the five Centers as well as their reach throughout the District of Columbia follows.
For more information please visit www.udc.edu/CAUSES
VOL. 1 NO. 2
Warm regards, Sabine O’Hara Dean & Director of Land-grant Programs
CAUSES MONTHLY
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
Celebrating our Graduates!
The 2013 graduating class of the UDC College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences has much to celebrate.
Christopher Lane, graduating Health Education & Public Health major will be
attending the prestigious Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
to pursue a master’s degree in Public Health.
The graduating seniors of the Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science program boast a 100% internship
placement rate in the highly competitive national internship program for dieticians and nutritionists. The
program is an important step for graduates to obtain licensure in their field. The 100% placement rate is the highest in the U.S., surpassing the national average of 56% by a wide margin. UDC students were accepted into prestigious programs like the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, UVA and Sodexo.
Rising senior and Environmental Science major, Kelli Webster, is already on the fast track to career success. Kelli received a sought-after internship with the Sierra Club and was invited to return after graduation.
Students enrolled in the academic programs of CAUSES can earn internships and summer employment in the five Land-grant Centers to enhance their learning experience and gain marketable skills. A brief description of the programs and services offered through the five Land-grant
Centers follows on pages 6 and 7 of this newsletter.
“CAUSES programs recognize that when we connect our students to people and places right here in our own community we give them the tools to succeed anywhere in the world.” said Dean Sabine O’Hara.
“The credit goes to our faculty members and to the program staff of our land-grant centers. They provide hand-on learning experiences that
really make a difference.”
Congratulations to the Class of 2013!
CAUSES MONTHLY
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
Celebrating our Community Partners
UDC ENVIRONMENTORS CHAPTER WINS TOP NATIONAL AWARDS
Three students from the District of Columbia’s School Without Walls earned three of five top national scholarship awards at the 2013 EnvironMentors National Fair, held at the Jamie Whitten Building of the United States Department of Agriculture, Monday, May 20, 2013.
Established in 1992, the EnvironMentors program, prepares high school students from underrepresented communities for college and careers in environmental science,
environmental engineering, and mathematics. The program is offered in collaboration with the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) and links high school students
interested in environmental careers with professionals, faculty members, grad students to mentor the high school students in designing and implementing an environmental science project of their choice. The projects are submitted in different categories including aquatic research, atmospheric research, environmental health, environmental toxins plus an overall category, and a panel of judges evaluates the projects based on criteria including project design, scientific relevance, methodology, and presentation.
The University of the District of Columbia’s EnvironMentors chapter has been in existence since August 2012 and is supported by the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) and its environmental science and 4H & Youth Development programs.
“We are very proud of our EnvironMentors students and their accomplishments” said Dr. Jon Cooper, Project Specialist for Green Technology and coordinator of the UDC EnvironMentors chapter. Their accomplishments are testimony to how effective learning can be when it focuses on solving real-life problems that are relevant and make a difference in people’s lives.” The award winning projects were entitled “Noise Pollution: the Effect of Noise Pollution on Fruit Flies’ Mating Patterns”, “The Effect of Cyanobacteria in the Potomac River on Human Health”, and “The Effects of Pesticides on Indicator Species in Aquatic Environments.”
CAUSES MONTHLY
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
CAUSES IN THE COMMUNITY
The University of the
District of Columbia’s College of Agriculture,
Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences
(CAUSES) joined with ReGeneration House of Praise
Church to install a small portable greenhouse, called a Hoop House, in
Southeast Washington, DC. The project, funded through a grant from Wells Fargo Corporation, expands
the church's ability to grow food and host hands-on education and job training events.
"We were able to grow well over 600 lbs of food in our church garden - our Garden of Eden," says
Pastor Cheryl Mitchell Gaines. "This simple moveable Hoop House, and the new growing techniques
we will be able to showcase there, will dramatically increase our capacity to provide fresh, nutritious
food to our neighbors. More importantly, what we are learning from CAUSES will turn our efforts from
feeding people to teaching them how to feed themselves through lucrative business ventures based on
urban agriculture and food production. "
And growing food is just the beginning.
The vision that Pastor Gaines has for her Garden of EDEN –
Everyone Deserves to Eat Naturally -- is that EDEN will serve as a
centerpiece for economic empowerment.
Project EDEN of ReGeneration House of Praise is located at 3754 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., SE
Washington, D.C. 20032 http://www.thechurchinthefield.com/eden.shtml
202-574-1610
CAUSES MONTHLY
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
The community garden and farmers market at THEARC, located at 1901 Mississippi Ave., SE in Ward 8 will look different this year. The new addition is a so called Hoop House; a small movable greenhouse built by the University of the District of Columbia College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) with a grant from Wells Fargo. The hoop house will expand THEARC's initiatives to combat public health problems through healthy, locally grown food. The new hoop House will also host job training events and hands on instruction on effective food production methods.
“Urban Agriculture is an important element of the new green economy," says Dr. Sabine
O’Hara, Dean of CAUSES. "With such a large share of the population living in urban centers,
we have to rethink our food system, where and how we grow things. To provide high
nutritional value to our urban populations we have to reduce transportation and grow more
food right here in our urban neighborhoods. This offers opportunities for lucrative
business ventures as well".
THEARC is located at : 1901 Mississippi Ave., SE Washington, DC 20020
202-889-5901
CAUSES IN THE COMMUNITY
CAUSES MONTHLY
Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health
Total number of participants served in 2012: Direct Contacts: 266,175 Enrollment: 31,031
The Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health (CNDH) encompasses programs that improve the health and wellness of DC residents by focusing on preventive health though good nutrition, age appropriate diet, exercise and sound food preparation and food processing skills.
Specific programs offered through CNDH include:
DC Professional Food
Managers/Food Handler
Certification Program
District of Columbia Water Blind
Taste Testing Research Project
Expanded Food and Nutrition
Education Program (EFNEP)
DC Faith Communities Served include:
Saint Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church
Union Temple Baptist Church
New Samaritan Baptist Church
Temple of Praise Church
Temple of Praise’s New Day Women Transitional Home for Homeless Women
Greater First Baptist Church
ReGeneration Church In The Field
Miles Memorial CME Church
Unity Baptist Church
Matthews Memorial Church
DCPS Schools Served include:
Bancroft Elementary
Barnard Elementary
Brightwood Education Campus
Bruce-Monroe Elementary
Burrville Elementary
CW Harris Elementary School
Drew Elementary
Ferebee-Hope Elementary
Garfield Elementary
Hendley Elementary
Institute of Gerontology
Total number of participants served in 2012: Enrollment: 741
The Institute of Gerontology is a separate entity within CNDH that focuses specifically on the health and wellness of older populations in the District of Columbia. Specific program include:
Senior Companion/Respite Aid
Bodywise program
In Home Helper Program
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
Architectural Research Institute Total number of design and construction projects completed in 2012: 58
The ARI collaborates closely with the District Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHC) to design and/or renovate buildings that serve low income communities and residents. The ARI also provides a real life classroom for UDC Architecture students.
Specific initiatives include:
Building Rehabilitation
Green Building Codes
Urban Planning
Building Health, Lead Abatement and Mold Removal
Construction Project Management
Washington Parks and People
Earth Day Event
Staff members from the UDC CAUSES Centers for ‘Urban Agriculture’ and ‘Sustainable Development’, and Environmental Science Professor, Tom Kakovitch, constructed raised bed gardens, removed invasive plant species, and launched a water-testing experiment at Marvin Gaye Park in NE Washington DC. The Earth Day event was sponsored by ‘Washington Parks and People." Lending their support and labor to the event was United States Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno from the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and members of her staff.
Center for 4-H and Youth Development
Total number of participants served in 2012: Direct Contacts: 16,771
Enrollment: 7,692
Specific programs offered include:
4-H Clubs
4H Living Interactive Family Education (4-H LIFE)
4-H International Networks
4-H Summer Camp
4-H STEM
EnvironMentors Program
Life Smarts Consumer Education for Teenagers
Operation Military Kids
DCPS Schools Served include:
Janney Elementary
Malcolm X Elementary
McKinley Technology High School
Theodore Roosevelt
Calvin Coolidge
Columbia Heights High School
Eastern High School
Cardozo Senior High School
School Without Walls Senior High School
Woodrow Wilson High School
Washington Math and Science Technology PCHS
The Center for 4H &YD provides programs focused on improving life skills, academic skills and support for young people between the ages of 5 and 21 through its nationally recognized 'train the trainer' approach that works with volunteers to meet the needs of children and youth in the District of Columbia.
CAUSES MONTHLY
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
CAUSES Dean, Sabine O’Hara, plans to launch similar projects and partnerships throughout the District of
Columbia. Community partnerships have a double benefit according to O’Hara. "They improve the quality of life and
create economic opportunities for residents of the District of Columbia and they are real-life learning opportunities for
our students."
Top Related