The University of Tennessee - Martin

2008 Group Study Projects

Group Study Projects, or GSPs, are small, specialized groups taught by expert faculty from various Tennessee agricultural schools. These hands-on projects allow scholars to experience firsthand the science and technology associated with agriculture and natural resources management. Students participating in TGSAS chose a GSP from the list below.

“Animal Science In and Out of the Classroom: Management of Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Pigs, and Horses”

Over the five week period, the Animal Science GSP will focus on a broad range of species including horses, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and companion animals such as dogs and cats. Topics may include, but are not limited to, general health and care of animals, nutrition, genetics, selection, basic animal handling and management. Breed differences and specie utility will also be explored. Upon availability and student interest, horse riding classes may be available as well. Students will benefit from tours of area livestock producers and veterinary clinics. The Animal Science GSP is designed to give students an opportunity to have a “hands-on” experience with several livestock species and become familiar with how each specie contributes to agricultural production in the state of Tennessee.

“Agricultural Engineering Technology: Biofuels, GPS/GIS, and Beyond”

Biofuels – 2 weeks

• Biodiesel – Students will study the science associated with the production of Biodiesel from agricultural crops. Laboratory exercises will allow students to make their own Biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.
• Ethanol – Students will study the basic sciences associated with ethanol production using corn as a feedstock. The laboratory exercises will include students actually making ethanol from corn grain.
• Methane Gas Production – Students will study the science of producing methane gas from livestock wastes (manures). Laboratory exercise will allow students to produce methane gas from beef cattle waste.

GPS/GIS – 1 week

• Students will study the basic sciences associated with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as they relate to agriculture and natural resources management. Laboratory exercises will include mapping using GPS and GIS.

Agricultural Engineering Shop Procedures – 1 week

• Shop Safety – students will learn proper safety techniques related to all aspects of agricultural mechanics lab, with specific instruction in the areas of metal and woodworking.
• Basics of wood technology – tool identification, machine use, wood fasteners, wood finishing, and wood identification. Estimating cost of construction using a bill of materials.
• Metal technology – basic electricity as it relates to welding, metal identification and basic properties, wire-feed welding, brazing, heat-treating, annealing, tempering, forging, fusion welding, arc welding, plasma cutter, drilling, and grinding.

“Maintaining Crop Productivity through Understanding Plant Genetics, Biotechnology and Biodiversity”

Biotechnology is the major driving force in agricultural business at the present time. Most of the major developments that have resulted in increased yield, increased profitability and new products in agriculture have been a direct result of biotechnology.

All citizens need a basic understanding of how DNA works and how biotechnology has developed techniques to harness this knowledge to keep agriculture competitive. This Group Study Project (GSP) will give participants hands-on experience with the manipulation of DNA as well as an understanding of how DNA governs observable traits in plants.

Students will explore the basic principles of Mendelian inheritance through a series of plant crossing experiments. They will have the opportunity to evaluate offspring of the crosses they make. This activity will provide a bridge between the basic activities related to DNA and inheritance and more standard plant breeding techniques.

In addition to these activities, students will learn about biodiversity and its importance to the continued productivity of agriculture. Given the potential for devastating plant diseases such as soybean rust to develop in this country and completely destroy the soybean crop, an understanding of how biodiversity affects our lives is essential to an understanding of agriculture in general.

Students will work together on all phases of this project and will focus on an area of particular interest to them. Reports on this GSP will be presented as a group with each team member reporting on their area of interest.

“Natural Resource Management: Herpetofaunal Response Study & Park and Wildlife Management”

The first two weeks of the Natural Resources Management GSP will be a telemetry study of herpetofaunal response to differing densities of course woody debris in a forested ecosystem. Students will radio-monitor a marked population of box turtles in two forested ecosystems to determine the effect of log density on home range sizes. Activities will include discussion of forested habitat characteristics and hypothesis generation, collection of field data including homing in on radio-equipped turtles and ascertaining location coordinates using Global Positioning Systems, entry of location data into a database and analysis of home range sizes using a Geographic Information System, and interpretation and presentation of study results.

In the final two weeks, students will examine how they can take the knowledge gained in the first two weeks and share it with the public. This will take the form of personal and non- personal interpretation. Field trips to various parks will provide an opportunity to observe different interpretive methods. This will include the care and use of wildlife for park programming. Students will have an opportunity for hands-on production of audio/visual interpretive material that will be used to created web content and podcasts.