• Are you interested in developing multidisciplinary urban agriculture research or education (REE) projects?
• Are you interested in connecting with others interested in developing integrated REE proposals
• Do you want broader impacts from your research, extension and/or education work around urban agriculture?
• Do you want assistance with creating competitive urban ag and integrated REE funding proposals?

The inaugural Generating Research Opportunities Workshop (GROW) for Urban Agriculture, is a virtual three-part conference for researchers, extension professional, educators and stakeholders designed to build interdisciplinary teams and support their efforts to secure funding for research, extension and education (REE) that supports and expands urban agriculture.

There is no cost for this conference, but registration is required. This conference is funded by a USDA National Institute of Agriculture grant. It is being organized by Michigan State University National Charrette Institute, the Tool Box Dialog Initiative; Washington State University Metropolitan Center for Research and Extension and the Center for Environmental Research, Education and Outreach; and the National Urban Research and Extension Center housed at Washington State University.

Learn more  >>

WCMER Deep Dive Fellows from the University of Florida are collecting data to inform the development of an Urban Extension Toolkit focusing on the skillsets and competencies of Extension professionals. Two surveys (one for Extension professionals and one for Extension administrators) will investigate the essential skills that Extension professionals need to effectively work across the urban-rural continuum and identify the obstacles they encounter in this process. The surveys are being distributed to Extension professionals and administrators within the land grant university system.

We would appreciate your assistance by:
1) taking one of the surveys and
2) distributing the surveys to other Extension professionals within your university or professional association.

Each survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

The surveys will close on September 30, 2023.

Select one of the survey links:

Take this survey if you are an Extension Professional (i.e., Extension faculty, Extension agent, Extension educator) https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rC8i380buk5R5A

Take this survey if you are an Extension Administrator (i.e., Dean, Director, Program Leader) https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRq23XAkowVs0U6

Contact Deep Dive Fellows Ramona Madhosingh-Hector or Alyssa Bowers if you have questions about the surveys.

Past Fellow

Patricia Townsend
Research Fellow
Washington State University
Phone: (425) 357-6020
Email: patricia.townsend@wsu.edu

Patricia Townsend is a Regional Extension Specialist for Washington State University (WSU) Extension. In this position, Patricia works with stakeholders throughout the Pacific Northwest on issues related to renewable energy, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure. She recently joined WSU’s Metropolitan Center for Applied Research and Extension. Patricia also leads outreach for Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest, which includes energy literacy, stakeholder research, and connecting poplar growers with market opportunities. In her dissertation research, she worked closely with landowners and local conservation practitioners to find realistic solutions to land degradation and planning for climate change in Costa Rica.  Currently, she is happy to be doing research and outreach on poplar trees and green infrastructure to build sustainable systems in the Pacific Northwest. Patricia received a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a M.S. from the University of Florida.

Fulfilling the Land Grant University Mission at State Agricultural Experiment Stations in Urban Interfaces of the West  

The authors are seeking support to dive deeply into the experience of experimental agricultural stations and to develop recommendations for stations to adapt to continued urbanization, understand the current needs of our agricultural stakeholders, as well as the tribes whose land we are on, and understand how the Land Grant mission can continue (or adapt) in the peri-urban west. 

Julie Jesmer
Washington State University
Research Fellow, Graduate Student
Email: Click here

Julie Jesmer is a graduate student in the Master of Agriculture program at Washington State University. She has a master’s degree in social work (MSW) from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is exploring the intersections between agriculture and social work. Her earlier work in Western Kenya introduced her to the complexity of food security and she has developed a passion for integrating food justice into her work in agriculture. She focuses on community based education and development working through organizational collaborations and university extension programs. Her goal is to assist communities and organizations to increase everyone’s access to healthy food while incorporating a lens of food justice.   

Sabrina Drill, Ph.D
Washington State University
Research Fellow
Email: Click here

Sabrina Drill most recently worked as the Natural Resources Advisor for UC Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and former Director of California Naturalist. Her areas of research and extension include urban ecology, restoration of urban streams, climate change resilience, terrestrial and aquatic invasive species, fire ecology and recovery, and public participation in science. Throughout her extension career she has worked to build capacity for community-based resource management, and to substantively engage under-represented communities in stewardship of their local watersheds and ecosystems. Dr. Drill has conducted research in Southern California, the Colorado River, the Hudson River, and the East African Great Lakes. She is a former Fulbright fellow, and has worked for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Harvard University, and the Council for Watershed Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography and a M.S. in Biology from UCLA, a B.S. in Biology from Virginia Tech, and an A.A. in Natural Science from Simon’s Rock of Bard College.

Jordan Jobe, MEM
Washington State University
Research Fellow
Email: Click here

Jordan manages and supports interdisciplinary agriculture, water, and natural resource management projects and communication efforts for the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Water Research Center. She is also the Project Manager for the AgAID Institute. Jordan has a broad background, starting with coral reef restoration work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Western Samoa, and coral reef conservation for The Nature Conservancy. She managed projects related to  agriculture and floodplains at PCC Farmland Trust before joining WSU in 2018. Jordan has a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale University, and a B.S. in Zoology and Fisheries from the University of Washington. Outside of work, Jordan enjoys running, knitting, gardening, and inventing new hot sauce recipes. 

Jordan will be working in partnership with Todd Murray (WSU).

Alyssa Bowers, MS
Research Fellow
University of Florida (currently at Washington State University)
Email: Click here

Alyssa Bowers began her WCMER fellowship while working for University of Florida IFAS Extension as the 4-H Youth Development Agent in Pinellas County. She is now an Assistant Professor of 4-H Youth Development with Washington State University and the King County Extension Director (which includes the City of Seattle). Alyssa has an MS in Agricultural Education and Communications and a BS in Animal Science, both from the University of Florida, as well as a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Tampa. 

She developed her expertise in urban Extension programs while being based in the most densely populated counties of both Florida and Washington. Her focus areas include curriculum development, volunteer management and innovative urban programming – all through an equity lens. Throughout her career she has connected new, urban audiences with Extension by understanding and meeting their needs. She has created successful urban programs such as an intergenerational community garden, a veterinary science curriculum, and youth deliberative dialogue events. When not working, Alyssa loves to spend time in nature, traveling and riding horses.

Alyssa is working in partnership with Ramona Madhosingh-Hector (UF)

Our Urban Extension fellows are:

• Ramona Madhosingh-Hector and Alyssa Bowers
• Julie Jesmer
• Judith Wait
• Todd Murray and Jordan Jobe
• Sabrina Drill

We’re looking forward to working with all seven of these bright urban extension minds!

Tim Aston
Advisory Board
Colorado State University
Phone: (303) 738-7907
Email: TAston@arapahoegov.com

Timothy Aston is the Director of Colorado State University Extension/Arapahoe County. He has served in this role since 2013. Prior to this position he was partial owner of a food service company, Big Sky Ventures, a C-Corp in Highlands Ranch, CO, from 2011- 2013.

Mr. Aston spent the first 30 years of his career in the technology business as a systems consultant, a systems engineer, an IT director, a VP of Information Technology, a Chief Technology Officer and a Chief Information Officer. These roles were served in the media and newspaper business including the Hartford Courant (A Tribune Company newspaper) and the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times).

Mr. Aston was born and raised in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and achieved a BS in Natural Resources from the University of Connecticut and a MRP in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Aston currently resides in Highlands Ranch, CO with his wife Dawn and daughter, Natalie.

The Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER) is a multi-university collaboration established by the Western Extension Directors Association to:

• increase the internal capacity of Western Extension programs to address metropolitan issues, and
• to elevate the stature and value of Cooperative Extension to external metropolitan audiences.

Since its founding in 2014 we have focused our efforts on applied research on best Extension practices and issues facing metropolitan areas, and professional development for Extension professionals, with a goal of better aligning programs and program delivery with the needs, issues and interest of their metropolitan constituency.

This mid-year report from the WCMER highlights the initiated four applied research fellowships; co-led a national effort to gather stakeholder input for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Urban, Indoor and other Emerging Agricultural Production Research, Education and Extension Initiative; explored new projects around urban wildfires/urban smoke, nature based solutions, and sustainable regional systems; and produced seven Leading Edge Dialogue papers as the proceedings at the 2019 National Urban Extension Conference.