By 1945, 20% of the gross national product in Puerto Rico came from agriculture. Nowadays, that number is less than 3%, with less than 3% of the population working in agriculture, producing about 20% of the food consumed in the island. Puerto Rico's population has grown since then and nowadays more than 50% of its high school graduates attend colleges. Those facts: the low agriculture productivity and the large amount of young people at colleges represent an opportunity for educational institutions to increase awareness about agriculture careers among its students, connecting agriculture with STEM programs. With that in mind, University of Puerto Rico (UPR)� Mayaguez Campus created the consortium Center for Education and Training in Agricultural and Related Sciences � CETARS.  CETARS promotes the education of minority students in science programs related to agriculture and environmental protection.  This consortium includes three UPR campuses, the Inter American University San Germ�n Campus (UIAPR-SG) and the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP).  As member of CETARS consortium we are preparing students with the technical knowledge, communication, and leadership and initiative skills to promote agriculture and environmental protection in the island, while increasing Hispanics in STEM careers. In our campus we had successfully promoted research, created opportunities for professional development and outreach activities at local schools and public areas. In two years, about ten students received professional training and carried out research. More than one thousand persons of all ages have received information about environmental protection and agriculture. Additionally, about five hundred students from UIAPR-SG received information about USDA and its related offices. This poster presents some of the accomplishments at UIAPR-SG during the first two years of this consortium.

CETARS-SG: Increasing Hispanic STEM leaders

247th National Meeting (2014)

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