NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: A LIMITATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS IS THE CONCEPTUAL HURDLE STUDENTS FACE ENVISIONING THEMSELVES AS SCIENTISTS. THIS HURDLE ARISES DUE TO A FUNDAMENTAL ABSENCE OF VISIBLE ROLE MODELS IN SCIENCE, MISCONCEPTIONS OF WHAT SCIENTISTS DO, THE LEVEL OF PERSISTENCE REQUIRED, NEGATIVE CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS, AND A FAILURE TO CONNECT TO THE THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF HYPOTHESES. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES (URES) HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AT MANY INSTITUTIONS TO PROVIDE AN ACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT TO AID IN THIS CONCEPTUALIZATION. RECENT ANALYSIS OF THE SUCCESS OF THESE PROGRAMS SUGGESTS THAT MANY FALL SHORT OF THIS GOAL (1). WITH THE GROWING HUMAN POPULATION, ESTIMATED TO EXCEED 9 BILLION BY THE YEAR 2050, THE NEED FOR AGRICULTURAL SCIENTISTS CAPABLE OF ADDRESSING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY IN A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT, IS CRITICAL. TO ADDRESS THE NEED OF DEVELOPING THESE SCIENTISTS, WE PLAN THE FOLLOWING: A. DEFINED RESEARCH-INTENSIVE EXPERIENCES IN ANIMAL AND FOOD SCIENCE LABORATORIES B. COHORT-MODEL ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES C. PARTICIPATION IN A UNIVERSITY-BASED RESEARCH SYMPOSIA D. NON-TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS OF RESULTS AT PUBLIC COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES MEDIATED THROUGH EXISTING AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION FRAMEWORKS ?PARTNERING WITH NEARBY MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY), WE PLAN TO FUND 30 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OVER A 3-YEAR PERIOD, AS 10 COMPETITIVELY AWARDED, 12-WEEK SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS EACH YEAR. TWO ADDITIONAL STUDENTS WILL BE RECRUITED AS EXTENSION SCHOLARS PER YEAR (TOTAL OF 6/PROGRAM PERIOD) TO FACILITATE OUTREACH. STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE STIPENDS, A RESEARCH BUDGET TO WORK ON A PROJECT WITH A FACULTY MENTOR, AND WILL PARTICIPATE IN OFF-SITE VISITS, TEAM-BUILDING EXERCISES, AND WILL MAKE PRESENTATIONS AT A RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM AND A COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITY. ADDITIONALLY, PARTICIPANTS WILL DEVELOP DATA PRESENTATION TOOLS (GRAPHIC ABSTRACTS, E-PORTFOLIOS, AND VIDEOS). PROGRAM DATA WILL BEASSESSED TO DETERMINE BEST PRACTICES FOR CONDUCTING PRODUCTIVE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES.1. LINN MC, PALMER E, BARANGER A, GERARD E, STONE E. 2015. EDUCATION. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES: IMPACTS AND OPPORTUNITIES. SCIENCE 347:1261757.