INSTABILITY OF COMMODITY PRICES, AN AGING FARMER POPULATION AND CLIMATE VARIABILITY THREATEN RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL COMMUNITIES. RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION FACE THE CHALLENGES OF MAINTAINING AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR CHARACTERIZED BY WORKING LANDSCAPES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTERPRISE, WHILE REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. FIVE MENTORS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT (UVM) WILL ENGAGE THREE COHORTS OF 15 DIVERSE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (1:3 MENTOR TO STUDENT RATIO), OVER YEARS 1-3, IN A SUMMER RESEARCH INTENSIVE, WITH NO MORE THAN 20% OF STUDENTS FROM UVM. YEARS 2-4 WILL EMPHASIZE MENTORING STUDENT CO-PRESENTATION AND CO-PUBLICATION THROUGH PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES, JOURNALS AND EXTENSION. THIS REEU TAKES A TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH, PROVIDING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS, IMMERSIVE FIELD EXPERIENCES, AND ENGAGED RESEACH TO LINK ACROSS SYSTEMS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE, SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRACTICE, AND RURAL COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS INTRODUCE THEORIES OF CHANGE THROUGH TRANSITION DESIGN, LINK METHODS OF INNOVATION FROM DESIGN THINKING, EXPOSE STUDENTS TO DATA ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION, AND EMPHASIZE COLLABORATION AND SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION. MULTI-FACETED FIELD EXPERIENCES FOCUS ON PRODUCTION AND CULTIVATION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF SCALE THROUGH TRIPS TO REGIONAL FARMS, PROCESSING AND PRODUCTION FACILITIES, AND RETAIL OUTLETS. IMMERSIVE RESEARCH WILL TEST SOIL SAMPLES, ASSESS VARIETIES AND MARKET CLASSES, GROW HEMP IN TISSUE CULTURE, PROVIDE EXPOSURE TO SEQUENCING DNA, PROCESS FIBERS, CLASSIFY FIBER CHARACTERISTICS, GENERATE BIOPRODUCT PROTOTYPES, AND UTILIZE SURVEY METHODS TO DESIGN, COLLECT, ANALYZE AND REPORT CONSUMER DATA.