WASHINGTON STATE PROVIDES EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAINING AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHERS AND EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF OUR PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HORTICULTURE AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS WHILE PREPARING UNDERSERVED AND TRADITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FOR FOOD SYSTEMS CAREERS. OUR PROJECT IS ORGANIZED AROUND 4 OBJECTIVES: (1) PROVIDE SUMMER INTERNS MENTORED EXPERIENCES THAT PROMOTE INDEPENDENT GROWTH (2) RECRUIT A DIVERSE POPULATION OF SUMMER INTERNS, (3) EQUIP STUDENTS WITH KEY RESEARCH AND EXTENSION SKILLS DURING A SUMMER SYMPOSIUM, AND (4) EVALUATE STUDENT GROWTH DURING AND BEYOND THE PROJECT. STUDENTS WITH LESS ACCESS TO FOOD SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND EXTENSION OPPORTUNITIES, SUCH AS STUDENTS FROM TRIBAL UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES, WILL BE PRIORITIZED. A TOTAL OF 27 STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD. TOPICS FOR RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROJECTS ARE FOCUSED IN FOUR CORE DISCIPLINES: (1) MICROBIOLOGY AND FOOD SAFETY IN ORGANIC AND BIOLOGICALLY-INTENSIVE HORTICULTURE, (2) HORTICULTURE AND PROCESSING OF CIDER APPLES, (3) SOIL HEALTH IN HIGH-VALUE ORGANIC DIVERSIFIED HORTICULTURE SYSTEMS, AND (4) ORGANIC SEED PRODUCTION. PRIMARY MENTORS ARE COMPOSED OF EXPERIENCED FOODS SYSTEMS FACULTY ACROSS WSU. ALL STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN A WEEK-LONG SYMPOSIUM AT QUILLISASCUT FARM SCHOOL IN RICE, WA TO INTRODUCE CORE FARMING, RESEARCH, AND EXTENSION CONCEPTS AND BUILD A PEER NETWORK, THEN WILL BE HOUSED AT ONE OF FOUR LOCATIONS ACROSS THE STATE. INTERNS WILL WORK INDEPENDENTLY ON A RESEARCH OR EXTENSION PROJECT WITH THE GUIDANCE OF THEIR MENTOR AND, AT THE END OF THE INTERNSHIP PERIOD, PRESENT THE RESULTS AT THE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM IN PULLMAN, WA.