THIS PROJECT PROVIDES AN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM FORUNDERGRADUATE SOCIAL SCIENCE STUDENTS IN AGRICULTURE. OBJECTIVES ARE TO: (A) PROVIDE 30 USUNDERGRADUATES WITH TOOLS TO UNDERSTAND LINKAGES BETWEEN SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSTRUCTS AND THEIRMEASUREMENT, (B) GUIDE STUDENTS IN APPLYING FIELD METHODS AND ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES TO PREPARETHEM TO MEET CRITICAL WORKFORCE NEEDS IN US AGRICULTURE, AND (C) PROVIDE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING TOPRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH ON POLICY-RELEVANT CONSTRAINTS TO AGRICULTURE. STUDENT ACTIVITIESINCLUDE A SEMESTER-LONG COURSE AT VIRGINIA TECH ON RESEARCH METHODS, COMPETENCY SKILLS FORWORKING ACROSS CULTURES, AND ECONOMIC CONCEPTS FOR EXPLAINING PUZZLES SUCH AS WHY PROFITABLETECHNOLOGIES ARE NOT ADOPTED. STUDENTS WILL LEARN HOW TO USE MODERN RESEARCH METHODS ANDPREPARE AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN SUMMER EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING INECUADOR. THE SUMMER EXPERIENCE WILL INCLUDE TIME IN QUITO REFINING THE PROPOSAL WITH US ANDECUADOREAN MENTORS AND FOUR WEEKS OF RESEARCH IN THE FIELD WITH HOST-COUNTRY STUDENTS, AND USAND ECUADOREAN MENTORS. DURING FALL SEMESTER, STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE DATA ANALYSIS AND PREPARESCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS WITH FACULTY MENTORS. STUDENTS AT VIRGINIA TECH AND ELSEWHERE AREELIGIBLE, AND SELECTION IS BASED ON MERIT, ENTHUSIASM, AND MOTIVATION, WITH SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONTO UNDER-REPRESENTED AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. US STUDENTS WILL PARTNER WITHTHESIS-SEEKING UNDERGRADUATES IN ECUADOR. IMPACTS INCLUDE: (A) IMPROVED PROBLEM-IDENTIFYING,PROBLEM-SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING, AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS FOR STUDENTS AND (B) STUDENTGENERATEDRESEARCH PRODUCTS ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE WITH POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCINGSOIL EROSION AND IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND LIVELIHOODS OF SMALL-SCALE FARMERS.