** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** INCLUSIVE MODEL FOR DEVELOPING FUTURE NUTRITION, FOOD, AND CULINARY LEADERS (IMODEL FOR SHORT) IS AN INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM FOR UNDERREPRESENTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TO ADDRESS THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA OF FOOD SAFETY, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. NUTRITION-RELATED INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH STATUS IMPACT MANY CHRONIC DISEASES AND ARE SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN. FOR INSTANCE, DIET-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES ARE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED. IN ADDITION, THE FOOD INSECURITY AND FOOD DESERTS FACED BY MANY VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WERE MADE WORSE BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, LEADING TO UNFAVORABLE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES. WELL-TRAINED NUTRITION, FOOD, AND CULINARY PROFESSIONALS FROM MULTIPLE BACKGROUNDS ARE NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THESE NUTRITION-RELATED HEALTH INEQUALITIES AND PROPOSE AND DEVELOP TESTABLE SOLUTIONS, INTERPRET RESEARCH INTO EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICE, AND COMMUNICATE FINDINGS TO VARYING POPULATIONS. ALTHOUGH FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND RELATED INDUSTRIES ACCOUNTED FOR 11% OF AMERICAN JOBS IN 2018 AND EXPECTED JOB GROWTH IS FASTER THAN NUMEROUS OTHER FIELDS, MANY INDIVIDUALS CHOSE TO LEAVE THESE PROFESSIONS DURING THE COVID-19. PANDEMIC. FURTHERMORE, NATIONAL ENROLLMENT IN THESE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS HAS DECREASED AND THE HOMOGENOUS NATURE IN THE FOOD, NUTRITION, AND CULINARY PROFESSION HAS TO BE ADDRESSED. INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY FRAMEWORK USES ACTIVE LEARNING METHODS TO FULLY ENGAGE THE LEARNERS' PERSPECTIVES, BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERIENCES IN ALL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, WHICH PROMOTES A SENSE OF BELONGING. USING INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY AS THE FRAMEWORK, IMODEL WILL TARGET UNDERREPRESENTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (DEFINED IN THIS PROPOSAL AS PEOPLE OF COLOR, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUPS, VETERANS, LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS, FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, AND STUDENTS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES) FOR THIS INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM WITH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: 1) DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS, 2) PREPARE FOR POST-GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES, 3) INCREASE KNOWLEDGE VIA MENTORED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, AND 4) BUILD A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE.IMODEL WILL COMPLETE FORMATIVE VIRTUAL FOCUS GROUPS WITH CURRENT STUDENTS, ALUMNI, EMPLOYERS, AND GRADUATE PROGRAM DIRECTORS (N=40) DURING YEAR 1 THAT WILL INFORM IMODEL CONTENT AND BEST PRACTICES, INCLUDING IMODEL RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND ACTIVITIES. DURING YEARS 2-5, FOUR IMODEL COHORTS WILL COMPLETE INTENSIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, SUMMER INTERNSHIP FOLLOWED BY PARTICIPATION IN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE. FOUR COHORTS OF IMODEL FELLOWS (N=63) WILL COMPLETE THE THREE IMODEL COMPONENTS: STEPPING INTO IMODEL (INTENSIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT), IMODEL SUMMER INTERNSHIP AND REFLECTION, AND STEPPING OUT WITH IMODEL (PARTICIPATION IN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE). STEPPING INTO IMODEL WILL BE VIRTUAL-STYLE SEMINAR-STYLE,WORKSHOPS BASED IN INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY, INCORPORATING THE DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND LEARNING STYLES OF THE FELLOWS WHILE BUILDING A SENSE OF BELONGING TO IMODEL, THEIR HOME AND COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS, AND DISCIPLINES. USE OF VIDEOCONFERENCE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED TO ALLOW THE PDS AND IMODEL FELLOWS FROM ALL THREE INSTITUTIONS TO PARTICIPATE AND PROVIDE ROBUST NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES. DURING THE SUMMER INTERNSHIP AND REFLECTION, THE IMODEL FELLOWS WILL COMPLETE A 10-WEEK SUMMER INTERNSHIP OF 20 HOURS/WEEK (18 HOURS WITH THE INTERNSHIP AND 2 HOURS IN SUMMER WORKSHOPS/WEEK). FELLOWS WILL RECEIVE A $3000 STIPEND AND A $200 SUMMER RESEARCH/EXTENSION BUDGET. FELLOWS WILL COMPLETE AT LEAST THREE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS FOR THE INTERNSHIPS. REFLECTION ACTIVITIES WILL BE MODIFIED BASED ON PROGRAM PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK AFTER EACH COHORT. IN STEPPING OUT WITH IMODEL, THE FELLOWS WILL DEVELOP A POSTER AND A PUBLIC-FACING SAMPLE TO BE PRESENTED AT THEIR INSTITUTION'S RESEARCH/EXPERIENCE DAY. FELLOWS WILL ALSO DEVELOP A PRESENTATION FOR THEIR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO BE PRESENTED DURING THE ANNUAL IMODEL VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM. THEY WILL RECEIVE FUNDING TO ATTEND A PROFESSIONAL MEETING ($1000), EXPERIENCING HOW RESEARCH RESULTS ARE DISSEMINATED TO PROFESSIONAL PEERS AND ALLOWING THEM TO FURTHER BUILD THEIR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND NETWORK WITH NUTRITION, FOOD, AND CULINARY PROFESSIONALS. UPON RETURN FROM THE MEETING, FELLOWS WILL WRITE A REFLECTION PIECE SUMMARIZING THE PROGRAM CONTENT, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, AND ANY PROFESSIONAL GAINS ACHIEVED BY ATTENDING THE MEETING.THE SHORT-TERM GOAL OF IMODEL IS TO FACILITATE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A DIVERSE GROUP OF IMODEL GRADUATES STEEPED IN LEADERSHIP SKILLS WHO ARE COMPETITIVE FOR POST-GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES VIA MENTORED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND HAVE CULTIVATED A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO RELY ON THROUGHOUT THEIR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL CAREERS. THE SOCIETAL BENEFIT WOULD BE FOR OUR HIGHLY TRAINED IMODEL GRADUATESTO SEEK LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND BECOME CHANGE MAKERS IN NUTRITION, FOOD, AND CULINARY CAREERS OF THEIR CHOICE. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF IMODEL IS THAT SUCCESSFUL COMPONENTS WILL BE SCALED UP AT THE THREE COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS AND IT WILL SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER PROGRAMS TO SHAPE THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN THE NUTRITION, FOOD, AND CULINARY FIELDS.