The Hunt!

Today I've felt a lot like the people on ABC's quirky new reality show "Dating in the Dark" (for those of you who haven't seen it yet, I suggest you pop some corn, cuddle up, and enjoy a pleasantly awkward 60 minutes). I feel this way because my search for a funding "partner" has been anything but illuminating. I feel like I've made no progress in the last 6 hours. It seems that no one is specifically funding research in international agricultural education. There are a few long-shot RFPs out there, but nothing to write home about - especially since I'm already at home.

Here is the RFP I'll settle on for now. It's for a USDA grant titled: "International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program."

The good thing about this grant is the focus on science education in the international setting - the broad field I'm currently dating. A potential negative, however, is the specific research requested by this RFP should "support the internationalization of food, agriculture, and related programs at U.S. universities and colleges" rather than directly studying educational activities in foreign countries. Since I'm not precisely sure where my passion lies yet, I'm also not sure whether this "small" detail is a deal-breaker.

Follow Your Bliss

After a long, meandering journey of refining my passions and interests, I finally feel like I am settling down into an area of scholarship that intrinsically excites and motivates me. In the past, all of my scholastic efforts have been extrinsically motivated by my desire to eventually become engaged in science education at the college level. It took a wise friend to help me see that I don't have to wait to be a tenured biology professor before I can immerse myself in my passion. I am extremely grateful that he was courageous enough to recommend that I curtail my studies in biology and move into a program in education research. Without this pointed encouragement I doubt I would be at BYU today.

Currently, I know for sure that I am passionate about science education. Of course, there are multiple areas within this field that are exciting to me. Most recently, I have begun to think a lot about the educational practice of agricultural extension, especially in developing countries. This specific topic interests me on many levels. First, I am moved by the simple fact that a large percentage of growers and farmers in developing countries have little (if any) knowledge about the biological issues affecting their livelihoods. Second, I have recently learned more about the great and often honorable efforts being taken by biologists and others to extend knowledge and skills to farmers and growers in the developing world. I am surprised, however, at how little we know about the efficacy of most of these efforts. The idea of studying, evaluating, and improving the outcomes of agricultural extension efforts - specifically the changes in attitudes, behaviors, and practices of growers and farmers - is something I find at once intrinsically interesting and potentially personally gratifying.

Within the area of educational agricultural extension, a potential "current" research question might look like this:

How do the main educational methods of current agricultural extension efforts in Central Asia affect the attitudes, behaviors, and practices of growers and farmers?